It’s the last News Stand of the summer, as by the time we next talk, it will be September. As you might expect from the last News Stand of the month, we have plenty of previews and releases. Kickstarters coming, Patreons being prepared, all the latest and greatest for Ultramodern Wargaming.
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Spectre Miniatures Drops Another Preview For Covert Operators And More Vehicles
First up for Spectre Miniatures, we have an updated preview on Patreon for the Covert Operators we’ll be seeing by the end of this month. The main addition this time is a final figure on the right, armed with an MP7 and pointing out a target. According to Patreon, the covert version of these guys (weapons hidden) and 8-10 angry civilians (once Spectre has worked out how many they can fit into the blister). This release should be out by the end of the week, so standby for more previews of the STLs.
However, that wasn’t the only preview we got. It seems also that, alongside an armoured Rolls Royce for Spectre’s other games, the Dagger is well on it’s way. It’s been literally years since I heard that Steve wanted to maker a version of Polaris’s larger four wheeled drive vehicle, so it’s cool to see it in the process of getting painted up. No details on release date, but painted vehicles usually mean it’s close.
BobMack3D and Heroics & Ross Announce New Kickstarter
Surprise announcement from BobMack3D – it’s time for a new Kickstarter! This time, however, it’s not BobMack’s usual area – rather than the fields of Germany in the Cold War, we are instead looking at the armoured vehicles of the Ukraine War. It’s also not the usual scale for BobMack3D, as anyone who recognises the other name on the image above – Heroics & Ros are a renowned maker of 6mm figures and vehicles. In a new partnership, this upcoming Kickstarter will see them working together to make both STL and physical models. The physical pieces will be 1/300th 6mm (with cast metal gun barrels to help them survive), while the STLs will be available in a whole host of scales from 1/300th 6mm of Heroics and Ross all the way up to 1/100th 15mm scale. The full list of vehicles hasn’t been released, but we have already seen some previews (included below) with the CV-90 and Challenger 2 (both with Ukrainian army modifications), while the image above shows off some of the tanks of Russian origin.
The Kickstarter will go live on the 7th of October, but you can sign up for the preview page now! I’m not sure how useful they will be to the 28mm crowd but if you want some larger operations, then this is the perfect place to get started.
Urban Scatter Gaming Makes A Meth
After a breakaway, Urban Scatter Gaming has been hard at work on something new, ideal for some street-level crimes. As you can see from the building, USG has shown off an early preview for a Meth Den and some generic cookhouse material needed to turn it into a lab (as well as a roof). This is only a very early preview, so standby for more details as they are released.
Wargames Atlantic Previews Operators and Agents
Following on from the last preview a few weeks ago, Wargames Atlantic has dropped a double bill of previews for those looking for some hard plastic figures to kitbash with. The Operators box includes enough parts for 20 figures in fatigues and vests, ideal for the more military side. Weapons wise you’re looking at the whole armoury – knives, pistols, AR-15s, AKs, G36s and even machine guns and sniper rifles. There is also a pile of heads, with 27 unique sculpts.
In contrast, the Agents box comes with enough parts for 12 men in suits, 4 men in tacvests, 4 women in suits, 4 women in tacvests and plenty of gear for them. The weapons are much more on the lighter side (pistols, SMGs, shotguns and AR-15s) but also include a few pieces for extra poses (such as the arms crossed you can see below). Wargames Atlantic is also pretty clear to suggest mixing parts, with suits and cowboy hats mentioned by name.
Overall, I think it’s going to be a good-looking set of releases, ideal for an easy way to get into Ultramodern wargaming. My main hope is that the operators kit includes enough of the squad support weapons (grenade launchers, machine guns and marksman weapons) to let you build full firetemas of guys. I also think that the Agents set is definitely going to be a hit, as it has the potential to cover everything from bank robbers and bodyguards all the way up to police and federal types. No details on the release date, but with Operators approaching production as Agents are close behind, I’d expect to see them before the end of the year
Combat Octopus Previews The Dynamic SEALs
Combat Octopus has been working on the second part of the Navy SEALs release, this time focusing on the more dynamic/mid-combat side. We have the first pose finished, something slightly different from the usual kneeling to be more of the tactical squat (a pose my knees remember from airsofting). The plan seems to be two poses mid-engagement, with the other two advancing. One note for this release is that the figures will be coming with heads that have a stock cut, so they can really get on the weapon (although this is only a problem for those not assembling digitally.
Modern Miniatures Previews SWAT Team Coming Next Month
Finally, Modern Miniatures has shown off an in-depth preview of next month’s SWAT team. As you can see, patrons at the Miniatures tier will be getting a five man (well, four men and a dog) set, showing off a team ready to breach and clear. As you can see, the gear is pretty classic (M4s with the older EOtechs is a look I’m a fan of) and there is a good mix of equipment from the shield operator (also saddled with a door ram), two assaulters with gear on their back and then the leader with a weapon slung and pistol out.
The set is also going to include five heads – four sticking to the classic MICH (with gas mask and visor options) as well as a fifth with a respirator and FAST helmet (previous sets from Modern Miniatures will provide the regular FAST helmets if you want to make them look a little more modern). As you can see, this set is all ready for release (and even painted up in the traditional blue), so you can expect it on your printer at the start of September.
Empress Miniatures Skipping Kickstarter For Kampfgruppe Arnhem
To wrap up this week, some more news from Empress Miniatures about the next part of their Arnhem series. While Arnhem Heroes used Kickstarter, the current state of the world has meant that they will be skipping Kickstarter and BackerKit for this project. Instead, they will be using their webstore, giving them better control over the project (and avoid paying platform fees with funds that are needed to cover the rapidly rising material costs). We’ll need to see the exact details of the project when it launches, but that has been delayed slightly so they can add a few more infantry figures to bulk up the Kampfgruppe. More details when it launches!
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