We’re reaching the end of September, and this week is a little bit quiet. However, quiet doesn’t mean dead – we’ve got updates from Spectre, Austin Miniatures, BobMack3d, Flank March Miniatures, Miska Miniatures, Combat Octopus AND Wargames Atlantic. Heck, we even have a sale from Desk-Ops, just to give you plenty to play with. Read on for more details!
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Spectre Miniatures Release Something Old and Something New
Kicking off, Spectre Miniatures has released the first batch of models for the Patreon, bringing four more figures to the Aftermath collection. As previewed last week, this set gives you a perfect team for the zone (especially combined with the first set from the welcome pack), all ready for the possibility of a Spectre Aftermath ruleset.
However, the Stalkers weren’t the only thing in the release post. We saw the return of the much, much, much requested original set of digitally designed insurgents (the ones with the M60 and FAL and very similar heads). Even with the changes in style since these figures were released (both in terms of sculpting quality and the fact these were being cast in metal rather than designed for printing), it’s great to have this set available again – even if some poses saw themselves updated in the currently available sets, we were still missing the M60 man and frankly that was a crime. The only concern with this release is that it hasn’t had quite the same technical care as other Spectre STL items – there are no pre-supported versions of the files and the pieces that were split for metal casting are still in two parts (requiring either digital or physical post-printing re-assembly). However, it’s far better that we have the figures available – I can already sense that those kitbashers in the community are already planning some diabolical schemes.
Austin Miniatures Releases Urgent Fury US Infantry
Austin Miniatures has continued its work, releasing another set of figures from their last Kickstarter. As previously previewed, this set is intended to cover Cold War Infantry, with M16A1s, M203s, M60s and some other special equipment. With six bodies, 8 heads (available as both blank helmets and covered in scrim) and multiple backpack options to go with the weapon options, this set gives you plenty of options for building your infantry squad. These figures are already available over on the Austin Miniatures Gumroad.
BobMack3d Shows Off How Tiny Those Tiny Tanks Are
BobMack3d continues its preparation for the upcoming Tanks of the Ukraine War Kickstarter, done in partnership with Heroics & Ros. This week no new tanks but we do get to see just how small 1/300th scale vehicles actually go. As you can see above, the 1/100th 15mm tank dwarfs its tiny cousins, with the pencil helping to give you a sense of scale. It is incredible at the level of detail you’re still able to see and every day I get closer to needing to print my own tiny AFVs.
We can also see the vehicles that the Kickstarter is going to include, in its tiny scale. The selection includes some we’ve seen before (such as the Challenger 2 and the M113 box) as well as some new ones – the BMP-2M on the end mounts the Berezhok turret, complete with its Kornet-M launchers. The Kickstarter will be launched on the 7th of October, giving you plenty of tiny tanks in both STL and printed form. I promise I’ll stop saying “Tiny Tanks” now.
Flank March Studios Prepares Wave 2 Stretch Goals For Reforger
It’s been a little while since Flank March Miniatures (fresh off his Reforger Kickstarter), but good news, he’s been busy. As you can see, the extra stretch goals for Wave 2 have been sculpted, getting them ready for a release in a few weeks’ time to those who backed the Kickstarter. As you can see, we have a Sniper team, a Marksman to backup your squads more closely, a MK19 team and (my favourites) the engineers. These figures are just the first part of Wave 2’s addons, with (hopefully) another 11 goals to be finished. In case you missed it, the start of this month saw the release of the first wave of stretch goals, including plenty of additional riflemen (including the M72) and a Forward Observation team.
Outside of the Kickstarter, this week also saw the Russian Motorstelki STLs from the last Kickstarter now available on the Flank March store. This includes the Complete collection, ideal if you want everything and the blender files to tweak your own. If you want the models in their physical form, you can get them over at Full Metal Miniatures.
Miska Miniatures Give The Cubans An APC For Red Dawn Revolution
With Miska Miniatures‘s next Kickstarter, “Red Dawn Revolution“, coming soon, it’s time for another preview. This week, we got the BTR-152, one of the vehicles that will be in the campaign alongside the BRDM-2. The BTR-152 is a post-World War 2 Soviet APC, mounting an armoured chassis on Zil truck and intended to replace lend-lease halftracks from WW2. It’s actually still in use by Cuba today, but also appeared all over the world during the Cold War, from the Middle East to Southeast Asia and was also widely used in Africa. This vehicle will be included as part of the Platoon-level pledge for Red Dawn Revolution, giving you a better transport option than the truck included at Squad level. More details coming soon!
Wargames Atlantic Releases Plastic Operators
After much previewing, Wargames Atlantic has released it’s plastic boxset of Operators, giving us a brand new set of plastic Ultramodern figures for the first time since the Warlord Games/The Wargames Factory Spec Ops release. The latest release gives you 20 figures in a set, with a wide variety of weapons ranging from the M4s and AKs to G36s and support weapons. There is also 108 heads in the box, giving plenty of customisation for both this set and anything else for kitbashing.
You can see some more details on the sprues above, showing just how packed it is. I think this is going to be a great addition to the lineup, giving those unhappy with metal or resin figures a way of getting cool operators on the table. The set is already up on the Wargames Atlantic website, and you’ll soon see this kit appearing at the various stockists of Wargames Atlantic models, such as Spure Shop in the UK.
Combat Octopus Previews October’s Release – MENA Freedom Fighterts
Finally, an update from Combat Octopus. Unfortunately, he’s going to be away from his desk for a little while (we wish him the best), but before he went, he managed to give us some good news. The next Combat Octopus release, and the first in the MENA Freedom Fighter range, is complete and scheduled to be released on the 2nd of October at 2pm GMT. As you can see from the preview image above, CO has nailed the equipped MENA rebel look across the four figures, especially with the literal pile of weapons for the riflemen poses. There is also a great selection of heads, ideal for turning several other releases into MENA fighters. If you want these guys, you’ll need to join the Combat Octopus Patreon next month (although this month’s set of Navy SEALs would be great if you needed some opponents for these guys).
Desk-Ops End of Summer Sale Ongoing
But wait, that’s not all. Friend of the blog Desk-Ops is running an End of Summer sale over on his site. With 15% off anything on the store, now is a great time to jump in and pick up his wares – this includes custom Haywire sets, the latest Echo Dark Studios releases and even some of the Desk Ops Exclusives. In fact, talking to Dan has revealed there are over 100 new item codes on the site, giving you plenty to look at. Desk-Ops ships from Germany worldwide and is the print-on-demand partner for pretty much all of the major miniatures ranges in Ultramodern wargaming (as well as some other stuff for Post-Apocalyptic games and Trench Crusade). The discount is automatically applied in the cart, so go and take a look at what’s on offer (and don’t forget he also streams on Thursdays and Sundays over on Twitch and YouTube).
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