Desk-Ops Prepares For Black Friday Sales

First up, friend of the site Desk-Ops is launching a sitewide discount for the Black Friday week, kicking off in less than 24 hours from this post launching. Everything on the store is 11% off, but certain bundles and sets will be bumped up to a 15% discount. The store is a print on demand supplier for Black Hills Games, BobMack3d, Combat Octopus, Echo Dark Studios, Miska Miniatures and Urban Scatter Gaming.

But that’s not all – there is a pile of brand new exclusive items coming to both the vehicle range and the DOPSX range of custom Combat Octopus figures.

The Chekan truck is an uparmoured truck utilised by Russian PMCs in Africa, adding an armoured truck cab and rear bed (either open or enclosed with canvas) for protected mobility. Ideal for a slightly less developed APC, the truck would be a handy addition to plenty of forces around the world.

Slightly more professional is a South African security vehicle with a pile of upgrades and variants. The range provides everything from the basic armoured bus loadout, past the protected coupla and riot netting all the way up to a heavy machine gun turret and even a Remote Weapon System. Ideal for your private military company or your local police unit, these vehicles are perfect in a 28mm wargame – a concerning vehicle for the regular infantry but not quite as nasty as a main battle tank.

Moving onto DOPSX (the custom range exclusive to Desk Ops of figures assembled and customised from Combat Octopus pieces), we kick off with the KSK Operators. Built up from the original KSK set as well as various other parts from different kits, these sets are fully equipped with various pouches, modified with custom heads and even some customised weapons (check out the suppressed MP7 on the observer with the SOFLAM). The KSK has seven packs – the Intervention and Overwatch teams above, as well as the Assault, CQB and NCO teams. Most packs also have options between suppressed and unsuppressed, ideal for creating the team of operators you want.

A new set of figures coming is MAGNA PMC. These guys take full advantage of the various Russian PMC and Deniables, giving you figures full equipped with web gear and weapons but wearing track jackets and tactical trousers. I’ve included a trio of packs to show off some good examples of what you can expect to see with the SVD and PKP gunner for fire support, a UGL and Saiga for close-range fires and two assaulters to show off the type of thing you can pick up for your table.

Finally, a “historical” range is coming to DOPSX – Desk-Ops is launching a set of figures inspired by Kenyan Special Forces, using the various Combat Octopus sets to build something you might not see elsewhere. Combining a wide range of kits and modding various hands, weapons and helmets together, these guys are rocking a combination of SCAR-Hs and MP5s. All sets also come with the option of a PASGAT helmet mounting PVS7 (or more regular helmets for those less well-equipped guys). Having seen the literal pile of kits used to build these guys, these are going to be a pretty unique set to get on your table, ideal when you don’t want EVERYONE on the board to be an operator.

Come one, I wrote a whole post about Local Partner Forces, of course I like these guys.

Black Friday week, with all its releases and discounts, is kicking off in less than 24 hours, so don’t forget to check in on the Desk-Ops site and see what’s available.

Spectre Miniatures Prepares British Infantry For Release

Spectre Miniatures has a new update for the upcoming Modern British platoon. We’ve already seen two sections (one with scrim and another in bare helmets), but the last one has their helmets with a more aggressive leafy camo pattern. These guys are posed ready for a close-quarters assault, moving and shooting together, while the description mentions that the remaining three members will be in a fire support role (the word prone is also mentioned but I’ll try not to grumble about prone figures in this post). The post mentioned that these figures (as well as the rest of the platoon) will be out to Patreon subscribers this weekend, with a full-scale release next week.

Another update from the Patreon is that going forward, previous releases will be coming to the Spectre Patreon shop. This means new subscribers can grab bundles at a discount rate compared to buying from the store, as well as adding more incentives to help boost those numbers.

Austin Miniatures Prepares Red Jungle for 2026

Austin Miniatures has announced more news about its upcoming Kickstarter, Red Jungle, something we’ve talked about on The News Stand before. The STLs for the figures have been released previously, but we now have a date for when the Kickstarter for the rules, a modular hard plastic kit and more. The Kickstarter page is already up, so if you want to be alerted the moment it launches, you can sign up there.

BobMack3d’s ZAPAD 84 Approaching Finishing Line

BobMack3d is in the midst of their latest Kickstarter (Zapad 84) with less than 42 hours before the Kickstarter finishes. This project has done well, with 143 backers and over £12.5K in earnings, with some of them going to Flank March Miniatures for the crew pack (including the BTR-80 riders you can see above). As you can also see above, some of the stretch goals are already sculpted, such as the MTLBVM (an APC variant of the MTLB). This will be joined by a KAMAZ ZSU, T-80BV and the MLTB Shturm ATGM launcher, with a command variant of the KAMAZ coming soon. The Kickstarter will finish on Friday evening, giving you plenty of time to sign up and push it forward.

Echelon Software Soft Launches Near Present, A Brand New Game

Echelon Software, makers of Black Powder Red Earth and BPRE28mm, launched their new game Near Present last week over on their Patreon. Set in 2046, Near Present sees PMCs aligned with two powers clashing over the aftermath of a global 72 Hour War. Taking much of the gameplay from BPRE28 and pushing it into this new setting with new rules to show the changing nature of warfare, Near Present is a very exciting prospect for anyone interested in wargaming the Bleeding Edge (or at the very least, getting some cool roboets on the table). The soft launch PDF is still a work in progress, mostly awaiting artwork from BPRE’s incredible illustrator and additional lore sections to fill out the setting – on the other hand, the core gameplay is there and ready to be played. The plan was originally to launch alongside a figure range, but they still need some work before they are ready for primetime.

If you want to take a look at the PDF, you can find it over on the Patreon.

Echo Dark Studios Launching Escape from InCountry 2.0

Echo Dark Studios has kicked off their Black Friday sales by announcing the return of an old friend. Escape from InCountry has returned, bringing with it a brand new set of figures (and the promise of rules coming soon). The five sets cover a selection of groups within a certain survival game that recently hit 1.0, giving you a pile of modern survival figures covered in all the gear you’d need. There are a few distinctive figures that people will really want, such as several of the bosses you can encounter in-game, including that trio of Multicam-wearing assholes that like to chase me down in Woods/Customs and basically anywhere I’m trying to loot. These sets are available now on the Echo Dark Studios site and will be coming to Desk Ops as well. There is also a ruleset in development, so keep your eyes open for that.

Additionally, InCountry is running a Black Friday sale. From now until Cyber Monday (December 1st) you can get 25% off your entire order, with discounts applied at check out. It covers everything on the store, so you have plenty to take a look at.

Ultramodern Russian Airborne Return To Empress Miniatures

Empress Miniatures has some of the Ultramodern Russian Airborne sets back in stock. With dynamic posing and a mixture of weapons, each box comes with 12 figures ready for gaming. You can pick them up over on the Empress’s web store but stocks are limited – if you want them, it’s best to grab now.

Fire! Modern Combat Launches Their Web Store with New Releases

Having finished their Kickstarter a few weeks ago, Fire! Modern Combat has transitioned into a website including a dedicated web store. This store is stocking all of the kickstarter releases (rulebook, starter pack and squads for both sides) as well as plenty of accessories, hobby tools and more. All the figures being sold are white metal and are dispatched from Spain, with the original releases all ready to ship while the new releases (the sniper teams) starting pre-order.

Speaking of new releases, the Insurgent marksman set mirrors last week’s Rangers release. A sniper with a scoped SVD, a spotter with binoculars and a marksman armed with an unscoped SVD, gives you a trio of figures suitable for providing covering fire for your insurgent force. As mentioned above, these guys are released now and ready for the tabletop.

Flank March Miniatures Almost There With REFORGER’s Third Wave

Flank March Miniatures is almost there with the third wave of stretch goals for the REFORGER Kickstarter, and this week is all about big teams. We have a stretcher party for setting the scene, while the M167 VADS and 107MM mortar will bring the heavy support for your force when the M113s aren’t available. These figures should soon be coming to the Kickstarter backers, with Flank March aiming for a release before Christmas.

Urban Scatter Gaming Previews More City Buildings

Urban Scatter Gaming has continued his work on his urban terrain set, and is already hard at work on the next structure for the urban setup. I was allowed to show off these early pictures straight from the development discord, where he has plenty of things planned. We’ve already had the corner unit with its jewellery store, now it’s time to start building up the street.

The next structure is a mid street option. As you can see above, the structure features brick upper levels with a clad lower part, including a ground-level entrance and a shop (with options for either a closed front grating or open, depending on the time of day/economic deprivation). No news on when these are going to appear in the store, but you can expect to see plenty more previews before they release.

Combat Octopus Releases MENA Freedom Fighters Pt2

After a much-needed trip away, Combat Octopus is back with his first release for the November patrons. Expanding last month’s MENA Freedom Fighters, this pack brings four more fighters in web gear as well as a similarly expansive collection of weapons. Something I am liking about these packs is how they are covering far more than the traditional Russian platforms, bringing both American and German weapons that have also been found in the region.

The four bodies have a mixture of clothing and web gear, including one body with the option of the long shirt. Additionally, three of the bodies are cross-compatible with the two Eastern European Deniables (Pack 1 and Pack 2), giving you a chance to upgrade your European guys with combat boots or your MENA guys with trainers. The machine gunner (along with a trio of weapon options) also has SMERSH webbing giving you options, such as various pouches for MG box and belt pouches as well as a generic utility bag.

The head options have also expanded with some more hardened options, with plenty of beards, head coverings and even an eyepatch. Thanks to this set, we have a considerable set of options for the MENA theatre, meaning there are plenty of ways to make your operators, insurgents and civilians stand out.

If you want these guys, they are still available from the Combat Octopus Patreon until the end of the month, so jump over there and grab them.

Modern Miniatures Deploys The CBRN Kill Team To The Zone

Modern Miniatures has continued to prepare for next month’s figure drop. Last week we saw the weapons, this time we have the figures posed and ready for action. These guys are designed to fit alongside the first CBRN team, but these ones bring some close-quarters firepower – a drum magged AK and AKSU are the “normal” guns, but they are joined by a PP-2000, a Saiga 12 and the HK-79 for a little bit of 40mm firepower. These figures have modular heads, and the pack includes five heads. There is definitely a STALKER/Aftermath vibe to these guys, with the Russian gas masks playing centre stage – along with purely the mask, there are also variants with Russian combat helmet, tanker helmet and the Atlyn helmet. If you’re less interested in the Zone, then there is a version with a balaclava under the helmet.

The kill team is going to be included in the Miniatures and All-In tiers, but for those REALLY wanting to go into the zone, there is a new set. Taking the base poses and remixing them for something more STALKER-y, the new purchasable set comes with hoods up, masks on and a full set of AKs. These guys would fit perfectly alongside this month’s set, especially in Zona Alfa or Spectre Aftermath. If you’re interested in these guys, they will be released alongside next month’s releases over on MyMiniFactory for a separate purchasable item.

Skullforge Studios Deploys Black Onyx in time for Black Friday

Skullforge Studios has returned to their Protocol game, bring us a brand new team of high end operators to fight a new set of horrifying monsters. Black Onyx is armed with a mixture of MP5s, M4s and shotguns, while Thales NVGs, respirators and plate carriers will hopefully keep them safe from the horrors they are fighting. The Staph of Saturn are also tooled up (well at least the more human ones) with M16s that are probably slightly less effective than the monstrous creatures behind them. These sets are available until the end of the month as well as the more usual Arsenal, Star Wars and other ranges.

However, the big news is that Skullforge Studios has kicked off their usual Black Friday sale, offering 40% off their considerable range until the 2nd of December (as long as you use the code “BLACKFRIDAY”). There is plenty of stuff to look at, from the extensive Arsenal range with mech and fighters, Intruder figures for those Metal Gear Solid fans, Rubiocon for the Twilight 2000 games and many, many more “inspired” by various other games, movies and shows.

Turnbase Miniatures Previews Their November Release

Finally, for today, Turnbase Miniatures has shown off the first sign of life for that will be the November release. They are doing a new version of their PMC set, updated with new modelling techniques and, from the looks of the clothing and guns, going for a 1990s/early 2000s look. No other details have been provided, so stand by for updates.