Spectre Miniatures Releases British Infantry, Little Birds and Teases More

First up, we return to Spectre Miniatures and their very busy end to the year. After the patrons received their British Infantry platoon back in December, Spectre then got the whole platoon finished off and ready for general sale.

Spread over four packs (and available as a platoon pack over Christmas that unfortunately came out and then disappeared before I return to update the news), this set gives you a full platoon of British infantry, complete with the GPMGs and sharpshooter rifles for the Sections and a HQ element that includes the runners. I have seen some comments about there being too many kneeling figures but having put these all out on the tabletop (I printed my own), there is a nice visual difference between the regular line troops and the high-speed figures in the rest of the Spectre range. The prone figures in non-weapon teams, however, are a crime I will be sending them to the tabletop wargaming ombudsman for. These sets are now available as both STLs and Physical sets.

The Spectre Patreon in December was a wildly changing set of releases that eventually stabilised. The original plan was that Patrons would receive a monster set of releases. Packs mentioned included the British NLAW and Sniper shown above, a mention of brand new Cartel figures and, as a reward for the support the Patreon has seen since it’s relauch, the Little Bird set that had been initially teased. However, this eventually shifted until Patrons received the Little Bird set on the 31st of December.

However, the Little Bird release is nothing to sniff at. Covering both the Gunship and Transport variants, both vehicles come with a pile of options. The gunship has various weapon mounts (including the stub wings and the weapon systems), including 7.62mm and .50cal miniguns, Hellfire missiles, rocket pods and the 20mm autocannon. For the transport variant, there are both empty benches and a pair of benches filled with Task Force Operator figures ready to drop on the X. The body of the helicopter also includes pilots (and we don’t seem to have an alternative version without them), meaning these are definitely intended to be in flight. The kit is also multiple parts, with plenty of opportunities for tweaking the Little Bird for other roles (such as skipping all weapons for a light recon helicopter) or even magnetising parts. No news when this is hitting a wider release, but I’m looking forward to getting mine printed.

Looking forward, we have a pile of possibilities for future projects mentioned. In no particular order, December saw the following: Cartel redesigns, PLA and North Korean Forces, an expansion to the Ukrainian range, a NATO force to go with them, Royal Marines, US Army and US Marine Platoons, and not to mention the civilians that have been previewed but not yet hit prime time. However, January has been updated to cover some of the more popular elements within the range – more Western SF. In this case, we’ll be seeing the long-mentioned CIA SAD/SAC team and an updated release of some Delta Force figures (perfectly timed) with the current MCX weapon platforms. No details on their release just yet, but stand by for more previews this month.

Austin Miniatures Partners With Desk-Ops

Good news from Austin Miniatures! They have partnered with “Friend of the Blog” Desk-Ops to bring their STL releases to a print-on-demand supplier. Dan at Desk-Ops has already added the range to the website, covering all parts of the Austin Miniatures releases so far. This includes figures from the Cold War sets, the modular Ultramodern figures for the USMC, US Army, British and Germans and, in a very exciting twist, the figures for the upcoming Red Jungle game that Austin Miniatures is bringing to Kickstarter this year. This is great news for anyone wanting them and without a printer, so it’s worth taking a look now if you want some pieces ideal for gaming.

BobMack3d Releases ZAPAD-84 Models To The Backers

A minor update – anyone who backed BobMack3d‘s ZAPAD-84 project on Kickstarter should have kicked off the year with a pile of zip folders to download. I’ve already grabbed mine and printed off a pair of MT-LBVM, and I honestly think the project has some of their best work. For those who missed the Kickstarter, you’ll start to see vehicles from this set released later this year.

Urban Scatter Gaming Shows Off The Pawn Hub (wait a minute)

Mere Days after my final edition of The News Stand for the year, Urban Scatter Gaming went in-depth with the next release for his urban range. Following on from the corner jewellery store and previously previewed unpainted, we now have a multi-storey apartment building with a retail unit on the ground floor.

As you can see here, the ground floor has a separate front piece that can be removed and swapped with potential alternatives (great if you want a nondescript and detailed version. The upper floors give you more playable space but, as with many of USG’s buildings, also include some cleverly designed supports integrated into the model that can be easily popped out after printing.

As part of this urban range, each building will also include a scatter set, perfect to get it set up and looking pretty with a single purchase. In this case, the set is ideal for a pawn shop, and as you can see above, there are plenty of unique items to decorate with.

Overall, this looks to be a great set with plenty of options (and Wedge is having a good time getting it painted and assembled). There are no current updates on when it will be released, but you can be sure I’ll be making plenty of noise when it does.

Black Hills Games Releases 1990s Rangers

Good news for all Black Hawk Down fans: Black Hills Games has released a new set of US Army Rangers, ideal for the 1990s setting. With M16A2s, two grenadiers with M203s and an M60, this is a pretty reasonable start for a squad for the era (or combined with other sets to build a larger force). These packs are out now, both for Patrons and over on the Black Hills Games Gumroad.

Combat Octopus Releases MENA Freedom Fighters Part 3, Previews Western Deniables

Slightly delayed due to his trip earlier in the year, the end of December saw the release of Combat Octopus‘s final part to his MENA Freedom Fighters range (for now). This release focuses more on the patrolling and idle figures, ideal for stealth games or giving you a reprieve from angry shouting people.

The set itself comes with a good mix of weapons for each pose, continuing the mix we have seen through the rest of the releases (Soviet, German and American all featured). There are also two of the figures with web gear, allowing for more modular pouches and even one figure with a trio of MG options. The good news is that all three figures mix with the Eastern European Deniables, letting you mix up the set even further.

To go with the figures, there are also some great add-ons. The basic heads add some moustaches (ideal for the MENA region) and two bearded heads that are perfect for a more militarised look (the beret is already being used in a kitbash). The higher tier gets some heads ideal for showing your insurgents are slightly higher tier, as they have NVGs (with both the AN/PVS-7 and the AN/PVS-14) to help reclaim the night. It also comes with a shemagh piece, a new piece that really helps to change up how the figures look. On the pouches side, a generic admin pouch and baofeng radio in a pouch are accompanied by a set of PKM pouches for the SMERSH rigging (ideal for plenty of other sets).

This set is currently out on MyMiniFactory if you want to extend your Freedom Fighters, while also giving a great entry point into the range. I feel that the Freedom Fighters range is one of the strongest sets that Combat Octopus, giving you plenty of figures and options to create a pretty large and well-equipped force.

Of course, the ideal accompaniment to your MENA force is a suitable leader figure, and the loyalty reward for October-December 2025 was just the ticket. This guy is mixing local clothing with a smock, chest rig and round glasses. The weapon options also offer the same mix as the main set, with two AKs, an M4 and a G36 to let you theme your force. This figure is already on the Combat Octopus MyMiniFactory.

Modern Miniatures Releases A Pile of Stuff

As always, Modern Miniatures has started the month with a flurry of releases, with files being delivered on the first of the month.

For the terrain release, the modular underground bunker is now out. With a pile of parts, this set is ideal for building up your underground bunker inspired by things like Escape from Tarkov and other games (giving you a chance to play an Ultramodern dungeon crawl). I’ve already had a quick look at the files and think I might be having a play at some point soon.

For the Miniatures’ tier, this month’s release is a set of Generic Western Special Forces. Armed with AR-15s with all the toys, the set includes a mixture of Assaulters, a Marksman and a Breacher with a circular saw on its back. They are all covered in all the pouches and gear, and looking pretty good. Additionally, the set comes with five heads, all with NVGs in various states and with either a covered face or a selection of bare faces. This is just the first set, with a matching set coming next month.

Meanwhile, over on the MyMiniFactory Tribe, this month’s release is the ZBD-04 IFV, the answer to the question “What if the BMP-3 was better designed”. Easy to print in the Modern Miniatures way, the ZBD-04 is just what you need for a modern Chinese force. The Tribe is really turning into the best way to get Modern Miniatures’ vehicles as they release, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on it.

Turnbase Miniatures Releases December Sets

Finally, Turnbase Miniatures has released its December set of figures. Inspired by one of the more controversial Christmas movies, Tier 2 provides you with the Heroes and some hostages. However, it’s Tier 3 that I can see being more popular, with the whole gang of villains ready for a fight. These figures should be up for patrons soon, but I’m not sure they will be getting a wider release.