Well, here we are – Edition 100 of The News Stand. 100 editions of bringing all the latest news from the Ultramodern Wargaming space direct to you, the reader. Every week (minus a few breaks for Christmas, Holidays and the day job), we’ve seen some incredible releases from a whole host of suppliers to help you play Ultramodern games on the tabletop. And this week is not different. Read on for more!
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First up, there seems to have been a resurgence of sellers capable of shipping to the US. The list is wide and varied, but sellers such as Spectre Miniatures, Empress Miniatures, and North Star have all posted updates that they are now providing shipping to the US. North Star even went so far as to point out the cost difference between a US and UK buyer. If you’re in the US, it’s definitely worth taking a look at your favourite sellers to see who is still keen to sell to you.
Spectre Miniatures Releases Undercover Operators
Right, back to the miniatures. We’ll kick off with Spectre Miniatures, who have released the Undercover Operators to last month’s Patrons and the store (in both physical and STL formats). Both sets have the same designs of figures (including some familiar designs from the original release), except the Covert set provides you with six mostly civilian-looking models, while the Overt set shows them with various weapons drawn and ready for action. The theme here is Western three-letter agency types, and the weapons definitely skew that way – Suppressed Glock-17, MPX Copperhead, Glock 43x, B&T MP9, VP9 “Veterinary Pistol,” and MP7. I’m still not the biggest fan of the concept of Covert/Overt sets, but I can see plenty of uses for figures from both sets, be they civilians, VIPs or rolling hard alongside sets like the SAS figures from previous months.
If you’ve been keeping track of the updates, you may notice we’re missing something – previous updates have mentioned a set of Hostile Civilians that was intended for this month. The details on their absence was included in the release post for August’s files (and I’m not reprinting anything behind a paywall), so you’ll have to wait and see for their future appearance.
Austin Miniatures Deploys The Bundeswehr Before Taking Us To Grenada
Austin Miniatures has continued working on the stretch goals from the last Kickstarter. Having previously shown a few initial figures from the West German Bundeswehr, this week we got to see the full set, INCLUDING the modular breakdown (a vital requirement of anyone trying to sell modular figures). As you can see, there are plenty of options for your infantrymen, with seven bodies and a whole pile of weapons and heads to put to use. If you want a set of these guys, they are already out on the Austin Miniatures Gumroad page.
The next set of figures on the workbench are the Urgent Fury US Army Rangers, designed to match the gear given to 75th Ranger Regiment troops that secured Point Salines Airport via an unexpected air drop onto a blocked runway. As you can see, they already have the key elements ready – helmets covered in scrim, M16A1s and multiple M72 LAWs. These guys are still Work in Progress, so hopefully we’ll see more details in the next few weeks.
BobMack3d Prepares More Micro Armour
Continuing previews for the upcoming BobMack3d/Heroics and Ros team-up “Tanks of the Ukraine War, BobMack3D, Heroics & Ros”, this week’s preview shows off the T-90M, complete with remote operated weapon station and various armour upgrades. As you can see above, there will also be a version with the anti-drone cag armour over the turret. As mentioned previously, these vehicles are intended for micro armour scales ( 6mm up to 15mm) but knowing the people who read this, someone is definitely going to try and print the 15mm versions at 28mm (hopefully in 1:50th). There is going to be 12 vehicles in the Kickstarter, and seeing as we’ve seen three of them (CV-90, Challenger 2 and now the T-90M), it’s safe to say we will have plenty of toys by the time the Kickstarter finishes. The preview page is already up, so if you’re interested in small figure scale armour clashes, this is definitely one to sign up for.
Miska Miniatures Prepares For The Revolution
Long missing but now returned to the news, Miska Miniatures has launched the preview page for a new Kickstarter. Red Dawn Revolution, the sequel to their previous Kickstarter that brought us some kind of Wolverines, will instead launch with something a little more historical accurate – Cuban Troops of the 1980s. With three different tiers (Squad, Platoon and Company), the campaign will aim to deliver everything you’d need for a Cuban force in the late Cold War. No matter if you’re bringing the revolution to Angola, Grenada or Colorado, this Kickstarter sounds great – multiple infantry squads, support weapons, command figures and even vehicles such as the BTR-152 and BRDM-2. No details on the launch date, but the preview page is up now.
Urban Scatter Gaming Puts a Roof On His Drug Den
No new updates on when the next Urban Scatter Gaming project is launching, but we’ve got a brand new update showing off a room for the previously previewed drug den. As you can see from the hole in the roof and the scattered tiles, this isn’t the most well-maintained house. However, if you’re looking to play some police operations (or even US post-apocalyptic), you’ll want to keep an eye on Urban Scatter Gaming’s Patreon.
Black Hills Games Releases S.W.A.T.
After dropping a preview a couple of days ago, we now have the latest full release from Black Hills Games. August’s release is a set of modern (2020-2025) S.W.A.T., equipped with all the latest in gear that anyone who has played Ready or Not may be familiar with. HK416s, UMPs and M1104 shotgun give the hitting power, while the equipment includes fast helmets, high speed plate carriers and even a ballistic shield. The set has modular heads and comes with 5 options, with a selection of pieces such as balaclavas, night vision and a gas mask. The set has been delivered to last month’s patrons, but if you want your own set, it’s currently on the Black Hills Games Gumroad page.
Combat Octopus Prepares Navy SEALs For Deployment
Combat Octopus has done a great job of getting back to his usual release cycle while storming through sculpting to prepare for the second part of the 2007 Navy SEALs. Alongside the crouching figure we saw last week, this week we’ve seen the other poses – all ready for combat, either mid-engagement or moving to contact. You can also see the details on even these base figures, with the 1911s in the holster as well as the older style of kneepads.
We’ve also seen the latest set of heads, all wearing the MICH of the time period along with a mixture of add-ons. This includes NVGs, goggles, comtacs and more. There are even two heads with face masks and balaclavas, ideal for turning 2007-era Navy SEALs into some of the more recent partner forces in the region.
Having seen how far along the release is, it’s now time for the pre-equipped figures and pre-supports to be done before the set is sent out to September’s Patrons. After that, the next few months will see some suitable OPFOR being developed, so stand by for more releases from Combat Octopus.
Modern Miniatures Releases September’s Packs Across Patreon and MyMiniFactory
Finally, it’s the start of the new month, which means that Modern Miniatures has released some new items. As described last week, the Miniatures Tier patrons will be receiving five figures to kick off your SWAT team, including plenty of heads to go with them.
For the Terrain/Vehicles tier, patrons will be receiving an expansion to the Smugglers Airport. This set includes some truly massive pieces – two hangers (including one big enough to require a 250mm x 250mm print bed), as well as a private jet, and piles of illicit cargo to cause problems. This is a great set of terrain to really get started on a board, giving you all the details you’d need to sell the concept.
As for October’s releases, Modern Miniatures has already listed off some ideas. For miniatures, we’ll see the SWAT team expanded with a few more specialists (including a marksman, Team Leader and Breacher). For scenery, the current idea is for a drone workshop with plenty of little items to help detail out your wargames table. We’ll see more details as the month goes on.
Meanwhile, over on the Modern Miniatures Tribes page, this month’s release is ideal if you picked up last month’s Abrams (or anything else large, armoured and needing to be transported). The M1088 truck is a tractor cab from the MTV family (previously released in its more regular truck form), often seen pulling the M871 A3 to move all the heavy cargo around a US Army unit may need. This set is great for a whole host of scenarios, and it will definitely stand out on the tabletop, no matter what ends up being carried. If you want this for your own collection, you can find it over on MyMiniFactory.
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