It’s the start of a new month, which means it’s time for the literal pile of news that has me burning the midnight oil. Spectre Miniatures, Echo Dark Studios and Combat Octopus give us plenty to look at but for a change, someone actually sent me press release. Read on for details!
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Spectre Miniatures Drops Physical Releases, Previews and Revised Edition Coming Soon
We kick off with Spectre Miniatures. After last week’s Patreon release, this week saw the store releases of the Patreon sets we got last week. If you don’t have a printer (or you prefer your dishes ala carte), you can now get the new items from the store. For those keeping track at home, this is the FSB Kill Team, the Titan MRAP, Aftermath Kill Team Flamethrower, Russian Kord and ATGM gunners, Ukrainian DSHKM-TK and NLAW and two Insurgent Technical Gunners (one with an M2 and the other with the DSHK). There are also a few releases the Patrons didn’t get – the Hacker and US Pilots (formerly released as STLs) are now available as physical prints direct from Spectre. Additionally, we also have a new gameplay item – a momentum tracker styled after a shell casing. These items are all available as both STLs and as physical prints.
In addition to the store releases, we also got news on the Spectre Operations Revised Edition. With Spectre having sold through its first print run, they have decided now is a good time to update the ruleset and take advantage of the mountains of feedback they have received. This is going to build on the success of the Quick Play guide, with the focus on improving wording and layout. If you look at the Spectre blog, there are also several additional changes and clarifications for rules such as Suppressing and Snapshot. The other big one is Vehicles – having received an update in Frontlines, it will be interesting to see how this change is implemented. The Revised Edition is up for pre-order now, with the intention of having it released in mid-late June. Good news for all the original purchasers of Spectre Operations – All current owners will be receiving an updated PDF with the changes.
For those keeping track at home, Spectre Operations v3 was released in December 2023. This means that by the estimated release, we will have had 18 months of using the original ruleset printing. There has definitely been some confusion around the set across multiple systems (such as the Stress mechanic and the Force Builders), so I think revising the ruleset makes sense. On the other hand, I can definitely get the feeling that the initial release didn’t hit the goal people expected from the high-quality releases that Spectre had managed – hopefully, this printed version will last longer.
Reforger – Fulda Firestorm – AirLand Battle
For the first time, I’ve actually received a press release for the News Stand. In a crossover event that I’m sure we all saw coming, Bobmack 3d, Flank March Miniatures, Battleground HD and Full Metal Miniatures are teaming up to deliver a comprehensive package for anyone wanting to play US Forces in the Cold War. Across two Kickstarters, one scenario pack (and even a set of transfers from District Miniatures), you’ll have everything you need to get into the fight in the Fulda Gap. And it’s all coming on the day you might expect – the 4th of July.
First up, we have Bobmack3d‘s upcoming AirLand Battle Kickstarter. This complete release will expand the Fulda Gap Kickstarter that gave us the heavy armour by giving everything you need for the Airborne and Light units. The first preview shows off the UH-60A Blackhawk, ideal for getting your infantry into the fight. In addition, the rest of the Kickstarter will include all the toys – the M551 Sheridan, the M274 Mule Utility truck and, for all the Action Man fans, the Fast Attack Vehicle (or DPV). This is a great collection of vehicles to kick off with but as with every BobMack3d Kickstarter, there are a pile of stretch goals to fill in the gaps. In addition, as with the last Kickstarter, Flank March will be sculpting vehicle crews such as the door gunner you can see above.
And speaking of Flank March Miniatures, we got another preview of what he’s been working on. This week is all about, strangely enough, the crew and weapons figures for BobMack3d’s vehicles. We’ve got some crewmen for the Bradley but I have to say I’m a big fan of the M151 MUTT Jeep. We’re getting a driver, front and back seat passengers, and then a trio of weapon systems (M60, M2 and TOW) to help you bring the pain.
As for the rest of the Kickstarter, we’re going to get everything you’ll need for a US Infantry platoon (much of which we have already seen). But that’s not all – there are 27 stretch goals planned, providing even more pieces you might need. No details yet, but expect more coming soon.
Finally, BattleGround HD is going to give you something to play with your brand-new toys. Fulda Firestorm takes you to the opening battles of World War III, as the Russians cross the internal German border and start rushing into the battleground that the US Army had been planning for. The Fulda Gap is THE iconic Cold War Gone Hot engagement, and this campaign pack is going to give you a set of scenarios that will put you in control of the Black Horse Division, to be played either as single missions or a linked campaign.
This is a great thing to see – four companies coming together, doing what they do best to hit a common goal and bring a complete collection of everything you’d need to play. I looked forward to seeing how this collaboration goes, and if it goes well, what else we might see.
Echo Dark Studios Deploys Real World Forces to InCountry
Echo Dark Studios has also been going big this week with a major update for InCountry 2.0. The brand new Real World Units profiles give you everything you need to get real units onto the table and there is an absolute pile of stuff to look at. This is a pretty comprehensive set covering historical and modern units – there are a pile of Iraqi Army stuff for the first Gulf War nestled alongside a set of elements for actions in Ukraine. This has been a lot of work by the community playing InCountry, and it’s definitely worth taking a look if you’re interested in using InCountry for realistic actions.
To go with these new rule pieces, there is also a selection of items returning to the store from the old InCountry range, such as the Civilian and Rangers shown above. These are available as both STLs and via the POD system, so if you’re wanting to complete your collection this is a great time to jump in on.
Urban Scatter Gaming Updates The Phonebooth
Urban Scatter Gaming this week released an updated version of an old friend. The Phone Booth was released way back in the early days of Urban Scatter Gaming. Things have moved on since then, with USG’s skill set increasing and a move to FDM, things had room for improvement. And good news, we have a brand new updated model. This model not only looks better in terms of detail and layout but it can now be printed in PLA, ideal for anyone building up a tabletop quickly. This set is already out on the Gumroad store and for the great price of Free
Black Hills Games Releases The EOD Team
After the last few weeks of previews, this week saw the release of the US EOD Specialist set from Black Hills Games. This kit comes with four figures – two in the bomb suit, accompanied by a US Army and US Marine figures with mine sweepers. There are also three bases with EODs to be spotted and, more importantly, a bot for when you need to stay far away from the target. This is a great little set for an always unique style of game, ideal to challenge whichever player has to clear the area. This set is already out on the Gumroad, or sent out if you paid for the Patreon last month.
BHG is also taking June off to have a break, and we all hope he comes back rested!
Combat Octopus Readies The CST For Release
We’re getting very close to the release of the CST set from Combat Octopus but there is still a few final pieces to work on. We got the final pose late last week (suggested by some fellow called ChargeDog), giving us a female operator slightly more cautious than her teammates. We have also seen the other big part of this release – heads! The CST’s distinguishing feature is the mixture of local clothing and US military kit, in this case the head scarves. Head scarves look cool on models but are an absolute pain in the ass for anything that requires modularity. Luckily, Combat Ocotopus is a man on a mission, so very soon we should hopefully see the final release complete with plenty of extra parts. He’s also been promising a surprise, so stand by for that reveal in the next week.
Skull Forge Studios Deploys The Partisan Survivors
Finally, we have a rare appearance from Skull Forge Studios on the blog as they return to Rubicon. This setting, heavily inspired by Twilight 2000, gives us the perfect setting for some utterly apocalyptic figures. This set gives us the Partisan Survivors, a set of locals ready to take the fight to anyone threatening your stuff. These guys are geared up with a mixture of civilian clothing and a variety of weapons, obtained from both Warsaw Pact and NATO stockpiles. These figures are sadly not available just yet, but should be popping up on the Skullforge Gumroad in a few months.
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