Spectre Miniatures Releases And Previews More Cartel

As previewed last week, this week saw the release of two sets of Cartel fighters from Spectre Miniatures, bringing two sets to Patreon members. The first is the trio of urban Cartel fighters, the classic gangerters with bullet hose SMGs and plenty of skin waiting for tattoos to be inked onto them. The poses in this set should be very familiar to fans of the incredibly popular metal figures released back in 2017, but updated with the digital sculpting style. The Cartel Cowboys, on the other hand, are something entirely new, different from the professional or urban figures and giving a little more of the TexMex vibe. Since the last preview, we got the two final figures in the set, giving a leader with an AK and a tasselled jacket and a gunner figure providing some heavy firepower in the form of the M60. These are definitely a unique set for the area, ideal for spicing up some actions on the border. These sets are available for Direct Action patrons right now.

Additionally (and not pictured), the Mechanised Infantry tier patrons will have received the SUV previewed last week, as well as the trio of T-64s that have been available for a little bit from the Spectre Miniatures store.

Looking ahead, we got our first peek at the Soldado set on its way, thanks to a new Patreon preview post. These are slightly better equipped than the other sets and will provide a mixture of varied visual elements (helmets or caps, and civilian clothing combined with body armour) with higher-end firearms. Interestingly, this set will be mixed-gender, giving a characterful team that reflects some of the less uniform forces in the region. As someone who’s not especially interested in Cartel games, I do like how Spectre has suggested that these guys, with the right colour scheme, would work for insurgents or less professional soldiers (a refrain I also like to roll out every so often, too). These should be out early next week, and I’ll definitely be taking a look at them.

We also have some other good news – Spectre has managed to solve its EU shipping problem and reopened shipping to all EU countries (rather than just a smaller subset that they had originally been supporting). Good news for Ultramodern Wargamers on the continent!

BobMack3d Launches Division Mécanisée

After several weeks of previews, it’s time for the latest Kickstarter from BobMack3d to launch! Division Mécanisée bring five vehicles from the French – the AMX-30B2 Main Battle Tank, AMX-10P IFV, AMX-13/90 light tank, M201 jeep and (previewed late last weekend) the AMX-13 DCA anti-air tank (and something sensible to reuse the chassis from the AMX-13). As always, these five vehicles will be provided in 15mm, 20mm and 28mm (well 1/56 because Bolt Action), with both stowed and unstowed variants provided depending on you pledge level. There is even a Turbo Backer level, providing you with an exclusive model in the form of the AMX-13 HOT – a light tank with a nasty set of ATGMs.

To go with your vehicles, Flank March Miniatures has provided a crew pack, available as an add-on to the Kickstarter. This comes with a good selection of crew for all the armour vehicles, with plenty of heads in hatches. Now, as for the jeep and it’s more obviously visible crew, there may be some news on that front further down the article.

However, before that, it wouldn’t be a Kickstarter without some stretch goals. At the time of writing, the first two have already been grabbed, with two new variants of the AMX-30, providing both the ERA-equipped AMX-30 Brennus from the 1990s, and the AMX-30s that were sent to Saudi Arabia in 1991, complete with some distinctive elements. Beyond the ones already unlocked, we’re seeing both the original 75mm version of AMX-13 (ideal for a massive number of forces worldwide) and the missile-equipped AMX-13 SS-II, as well as a stack of M201 jeep variants with anti-tank weapons and even two variants of the AMX-10 for artillery spotting and observation. This is a chunky set of stretch goals, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far through we get – personally, I think even just the AMX-13s will be a great addition, giving you plenty of options for Ultramodern gaming.

If you want to jump in and get your own set of French armour, you can find the project on Kickstarter. It’s running until September 18th, after which there will be a delay before they are released widely.

Desk-Ops Announces Store Pause

Friend of the Blog Desk-Ops has an announcement on the site that they are putting a temporary hold on new orders until November. This is due to behind-the-scenes issues that have slowed down order processing, leading to a major backlog and a need to work through them, as well as time to redo the store and deal with the latest set of EU changes. Although you can’t order anything, the site is still running for all the usual admin tasks around existing orders, as well as checking out Dynamic Infantry Combat.

Echelon Software Releases Terrain For _NearPresent

Echelon Software is at NOVA this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped them from releasing the latest stage of _NearPresent. Having already seen the CCTs and infantry figures (now available on the _NearPresent website), the latest set of releases is the Modular Terrain. Previously previewed back in render form in June, these are now available to purchase from Next Level Miniatures. If you weren’t aware, _NearPresent is all about teams fighting over remote naval installations in the South China Sea. The back of the book has several of these target areas: a table full of small hardened structures with walls, windows, human-sized doors and larger loading entrances to be fought over. Additionally, all of them can be breached and destroyed by the vast amount of weapon systems that come into play, allowing you to reshape the battle space into something more suited to your plans (assuming you have enough breaching equipment to do it. While last time these layouts were built using a small number of preset templates, this time Echelon is selling packs of separate wall, door and window pieces, allowing for a much more visually interesting and dynamic tabletop (and more opportunities for building your own target areas). All of the pieces are available separately (including movable doors and windows for the suitable pieces, plus there are two sets: a basic starter set (giving you two of each piece) and the full _NearPresent Close Combat set that provides you with the full list of parts that are needed for the target areas in the book. All of these are available through Next Level Miniatures; the products are made to order (including a lead time) and ship from the US.

Flank March Miniatures Previews: The French!

Flank March Miniatures may have only just finished off with the East German figures, but that doesn’t stop them from looking ahead. West German troops will be coming next, but seeing as Division Mécanisée from BobMack3d already has a set of French tankers sculpted by Flank March Miniatures, it would make sense that they are already working on some figures for the M201 jeep. This, of course, means it’s time for some French Cold War figures (after all, it wouldn’t be right to give the troops riding it tanker coveralls), and we have some preview images sent out to the Flank March Miniatures Newsletter (which you can sign up for on the site). As you can see, we have a pair of heads in the Modèle 1978 helmet (complete with camouflage covering), the basic mannequin showing off the web gear, and the AA-52 general-purpose machine gun (intended for pintle mounting on the M201). These are all a good sign, showing the French infantry project in its early stages – after all, if you do this work, it’s in a good place for an eventual platoon release down the road (especially if we see more French vehicles from BobMack3d to accompany them). For now though, watch this space.

Pegasus Miniatures Prepares For Printing, Announces Shows and Shows Off Cars

A triple hit from Pegasus Miniatures this week. First of all, their ruleset has now been sent off to be printed – the ball is now well and truly rolling on Contact Wait Out. And good that it is, as Pegasus has also managed to secure a spot up at Battleground, Pendraken’s local show, up in Middlesbrough. This will be the first show that the ruleset and figures will be at, so it will definitely be worth a look to see what the guys are up to, get your hands on the figures and (potentially) roll some dice. Finally, it seems that Pegasus will be a one-stop shop for much of what you need to play their game, as they have also been talking to Kore, a company that has been making a pretty sizable range of 28mm vehicles for a while now, including plenty that will be appropriate for the fights between 14 DET and Paramilitaries. Ideal for setting up your table with plenty of cover. All of this points to an exciting time for Dougie and Alex, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing what comes next!

Sen Games Launches New Pre-Orders for Fire! Modern Combat

Sen Games, makers of Fire! Modern Combat, have announced a trio of new Pre-Orders that kicked off from the 2nd through the 9th. First up we have…

Chuck Norris.

Yep, the source of all the memes is coming to the tabletop, arriving in two versions inspired by Delta Force and Missing In Action. The Delta Force version has a knife and UZI ready for a raid, while the Missing in Action version is more suited for Vietnam, lugging an M60 and clad in his fatigues. These two figures will come in white metal, giving you some pop culture for your battlefield (although there is no mention on their web page of any special rules).

For those collecting the recently released Spanish, the other two previews will probably be very interesting. First up, the Spanish squad is now getting a sniper team to match the other forces, giving you three figures to form a marksman element. The set includes three figures – a spotter carrying a scoped G36, a marksman with the bolt-action Accuracy International rifle and another marksman with the Barrett M95 anti-material rifle. There is also another set featuring a leader figure, inspired by a member of the Spanish Army Legion photographed in Mali. He’s ideal to stand out alongside your regular infantry, the Legion’s unique garrison cap combined with his full combat load.

All three sets are currently on pre-order, with the initial pre-ordering closing on the 9th of September. After that, the set will ship out around the end of the month.

Urban Scatter Gaming Releases The Arcade

Urban Scatter Gaming Patrons will have received their new arcade/money laundering setup over the bank holiday weekend, sent directly to your inbox. For those who haven’t signed up, or who just want to see some cool hobby details, Urban Scatter Gaming has a second preview post showing off him painting the interior and detailing all those arcade games. Frankly, he’s done an awesome job, so it’s well worth giving it a read!

Black Hills Games Gives Update On August Release

Bad news from Black Hills Games: the August release has been delayed due to personal issues. The good news is we now have full details on the GIGN set that is coming, giving us four assaulters with the BREN 2, a breacher with a Benelli shotgun and an MP7 using a shield carrier. We also have details of the September release, including some Chinese Navy Marine Commandos.

Modern Miniatures Shows Off Plans For Q4 and Previews For October

It’s a new month, so in addition to releasing the sets we previewed last week, Modern Miniatures has shown off what’s coming out in Q4. As you can see, the Patreon and Tribes are working alongside each other, providing some great pairings for a wide variety of games. We’ll cover October’s in a second, but November and December have some great stuff. November will see a rural/industrial smugglers’ hideout on the Patreon and a family minivan with a secret extra (always concerning) – I can already see plenty of ideas for a whole host of possible scenarios, especially based on how the previous smuggler sets have looked. December will focus on more nautical adventures, with the Patreon offering a playable Fishing Boat with both an upper deck and a control room, while the Tribe will provide a harbour wall and crane, ideal for filling out the dock around the fishing boat. Overall, both are very interesting releases that will be worth keeping an eye on.

Lets see more on October’s release. The double set of SUVs is one of those wargaming sets that are eternally useful, giving you a vehicle capable of a whole host of military and civilian-style games in the Ultramodern setting. The design is iconic for a reason, and I can already see printing out a regular convoy of them. A version with a turret mount is something I’ve seen people often kitbash with every SUV released, so having a version with is sculpted in is a great thing to see from Modern Miniatures. There will also be a more luxury car to be escorted, but that’s coming soon.

The All-In reward for October is going to be a gunner to go with the SUV. As mentioned in the preview, it will come with two styles (one with the minigun and one with empty hands ready for other weapons) as well as supporting the modular head option. A neat addition, although I do wonder what the matching miniatures release will be.

Meanwhile, over on the MyMiniFactory Tribe, the Garbage Truck that is coming out is one I am pretty familiar with from a certain game (although the details make it clear it’s more of an East Coast design. This is going to be a chunky vehicle and definitely something to really set the scene for your urban game (or for blocking a certain convoy route. As always, the vehicle is split into easily printable parts, making it easy to print. Overall, this is a good preview, so the next step is to see them all painted up!

Turnbase Miniatures Preparing JGSDF Troops

Turnbase Miniatures has previewed the Tier 1 August release that should be coming in the next few days. This is a set of JGSDF troops armed with the Type 89, as well as a Minimi and two Panzerfaust 3s. The estimated release is on the 8th, and we should hopefully see the Tier 2 release soon after.

WarDaddy Studios Prepares Insurgent Range For Release

Finally, WarDaddy Studios is about to release the first set in a brand new Insurgent range. We have previously had a modular set of Insurgents from them, but this range uses the new base mannequin we saw in the last set of releases. The first release is a three-pack, with a pair of militia teams and a weapons pack. As always, all the sets will be available in both the detailed 15mm/28mm design and a larger set with all the figures scaled down and modified for 10mm instead. As mentioned, this is only the first release, with future insurgent releases intended to be a universal core before some more regional packs are added.