May continues on, and this week we have a concise yet hard-hitting set of previews, releases and sales galore! Read on for more!
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If you’re looking for greater insight into the Ultramodern Wargaming space than the SPOTREP series of articles is a great place to jump in. Available to Patrons of the ChargeBlog Patreon, the quarterly update linked above provides plenty of detail on the current state of the market, as well as the current thoughts on the various companies and rulesets in the space.
Spectre Miniatures Drops a Whole Pile Of Previews On Patreon
It’s a big week for Spectre Miniatures on their Patreon, as we have had a pile of previews, showing off what’s coming in the next few months.
First up, we have the Challenger 3, now with an added Epsom armour package, a modular addition intended to allow for rapid up-armouring of the Challenger 3 when needed. This is going to be released in June for Mechanised Infantry patrons, designed to accompany an additional UK release. This will include the Royal Marines, a Javelin team for the British Infantry already released, and potentially some additions from the UK Ranger Regiment.
However, that’s for June. May is the month for the PLA, bringing the Chinese Army to the tabletop. We saw a preview of the dollies last week, but this week brings the first completed squad. The PLA Mechanised Squad bring nine PLA soldiers kitted out for fighting alongside IFVs, with a mixture of equipment to accompany the QBZ-191 assault rifle. Two LMG gunners carry QJB-201, while the squad also includes a Grenadier and a Marksman. However, the most obvious element has to be the PF-98 team, two figures manning a 120mm unguided rocket system intended for anti-tank and anti-structure work. What’s cool is that both team members are also carrying their rifles, something sculptors occasionally miss (and which allows them to support their squad in self-defence).
Speaking of support, Spectre has also shown off the transport that the mechanised squad will be rolling around in – the ZBL-08. This eight-wheeled IFV carries a 30mm autocannon, a pair of ATGMs and a coax machine gun, a traditional set of weapons seen on modern infantry vehicles – it’s also amphibious, giving the mechanised infantry a high degree of manoeuvrability. This is a massive vehicle, and Spectre has mentioned having this vehicle completed 8 years ago (around the original Chinese releases), but was unable to put it into production. It’s also going to be interesting to see other uses for the vehicle, especially as it’s in use with the Royal Thai Army, Venezuelan Marines and has been seen in Africa.
However, it seems like the core squad will be receiving some additional supporting weapons. First up, just like the first time Spectre released Chinese forces, we’ll also be getting a Type-74 flamethrower for Chinese forces, a unique piece of equipment in the modern world that has moved away from backpack-mounted incendiary devices. However, two weapon teams will be far more useful for most operations. For sustained firepower, a QJY-201 (the medium machine gun to go with the infantry’s QJB-01) is set up on the bipod with a loader, ideal for a lightweight supporting system. However, the more interesting one has to be the QLU-11 grenade launcher – listed by the Chinese as a “grenade sniper” weapon, this is a semi-automatic weapon with a high-tech fire control system intended to provide accurate explosive firepower onto point targets.
However, we have also seen the first previews of the PLA Special Operations Forces. And yep, those are two robo dogs. These quadruped robots have been shown off by the Chinese media in the past, including versions with the QBZ-191 rifle. There will be two additional models to build up a full set of four, creating a pack to hunt on the battlefield.
The SOF soldier has an upgraded QBZ-191 with all the usual kit you’d expect for a high-end, direct-action-capable special forces operator (with optics, lasers, and a suppressor). In his other hand, you see the HJ-12, a Chinese equivalent to the Javelin or Spike ATGM – a highly mobile launcher with a fire-and-forget top-attack munition. While this soldier will be part of a more direct action team when he is released, Spectre has mentioned they will also be releasing another set of Chinese SOF to patrons first – this group is going to be more of a covert action team, including the promise of some unconventional loadouts.
Spectre has mentioned that his month’s release will include both PLA squads and support weapons, some additional zombies, and even US Rangers with specialist weapons. The mechanised Infantry backers will also receive the ZBL-08 to accompany the forces. If any of these are interesting, you can sign up to receive the STLs over on the Spectre Patreon.
Pegasus Miniatures Previews The Latest 14 INT Operative
Continuing on with their role, Pegasus Miniatures has shown off the next member of the 14 INT (or The Det) that will be part of their range when it launches. This latest figure has grabbed their trusty Remington 870 shotgun and is ready to bring a little extra firepower to the fight. The figure is in casual clothing suitable for far more than the intended role of the Troubles, with him fitting in everywhere from Belfast to Boca Raton. We’re now rapidly approaching the final figures for each faction, and so far, Pegasus Miniatures and the sculptor from Flank March Miniatures have been hitting it out of the park. Stand by for more previews on their page this Sunday, especially as the team at Pegasus will be visiting Partisan.
Miska Miniatures Launching Red Dawn Intervention On May 16th
After many months of teasers and previews, Miska Miniatures has announced that its latest Kickstarter, “Red Dawn Intervention“, is going to be launched on May 16th. In fact, it’s highly likely to have launched by the time you read this. As previously shown, this Kickstarter brings the South African Defence Force from the 1980s to the table, providing a core force useful for a wide variety of circumstances in Southern African warfare. So far, we have had a mix of infantry and vehicle releases – the core release is two combat groups (with the mix of weapons you’d expect from infantry at the time) and a Ratel 90 IFV, with add-ons that will bring the Eland 90 and a Recce team. At the time of writing, I haven’t seen the stretch goals, but we’ll report on those next week as the project progresses. If you want to sign up now, you can find the page over on Kickstarter.
Urban Scatter Gaming Shows Off His Water Tower
Urban Scatter Gaming, after announcing this month’s releases at the start of the month, has updated his Patreon with one of his great hobby previews as he paints up a water tower. This item, coming to patrons at the Designer tier, is ideal for both urban areas on a rooftop and as a freestanding structure alongside a farmhouse. You can also see in the preview that it’s a pretty modular piece, with multiple options for the size and height. As well as the details of the item, you can also see Urban Scatter Gaming’s hobby hands at work, showing off the assembly and painting up of this rusty example. The water tower, as well as the corner building and jewellery addon, will be coming to Patrons at the end of the month – if you’re interested, you can sign up for them now over on the Urban Scatter Gaming Patreon.
Combat Octopus Releases Second Set of Delta In Somalia
After many previews, we have the release for this month’s Combat Octopus set. Following up on last month’s original set of Delta Force in Somalia in 1993, this set brings a far more aggressive posture to the table with more pieces ideal for getting into the mix. As with all sets from Combat Octopus, we have a pile of pieces that are ideal for mixing and matching to build up a large Delta force. And as you can see from the list above, the set comes with a pile of weapon options for each pose, including M249s and M14s.
As always, each of the four poses comes in both modular and non-modular pre-assembled bodies with a pre-selected weapon, ideal for getting you on the table quickly. There are also a few useful add-on or variant parts, such as the additional torso with the M14 for Delta 5 and the modular hand options, including a 1911 (something that could be very useful for other sets with the modular hand options). To accompany the release, there is a set of new heads featuring a mix of high-cut and low-cut versions of the ProTec helmets and goggles. The Sergeant’s level of support adds four heads with AN/AVS-6 NVGs, ideal for sneaking around in the dark (and a nice upgrade over the AN/PVS-5 from the VBSS set).
If you want a set of these for yourself, you can sign up on Patreon now and get them now. Next month’s release is going to be Russian 2000s SF, so time to get ready for previews of that upcoming release.
Turnbase Miniatures Releases March Tier 2 Release
Turnbase Miniatures has released the long-awaited March Tier 2 release to Patrons at that Tier a few months ago. This release includes both the M163 VADS Anti-Air vehicle and a version with the UT25 remote turret (mounting a Bushmaster 25mm cannon), which is in use with the Philippine Army. This was delivered to patrons this week and posted on the Turnbase Miniatures MyMiniFactory page.
WarDaddy Studios Runs a Spring Sale Ending This Weekend
Finally, fresh off last week’s releases, WarDaddy Studios is running a 30% Spring Sale! This sale is running on both Cults3D and MyMiniFactory and covers everything in the store (both 15mm and 10mm). I’ve picked up a few things for an upcoming post, so this sale is definitely working. However, the sale only runs until the 17th, so if you’re interested, you’ll need to get a move on and grab what you want before it finishes on Sunday.
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