Product News and Magazines

By Dick Bryant

C&Q Equipment Co has new 20mm figures for fighting WWI in Africa and the Middle East. Among these are a Gurka charging, an Indian Officer, an Imperial Staff officer in sun helmet or bush hat, a German Staff officer in sun helmet or bush hat, White Schutztruppe firing, Konigsberg sailors advancing in sailor hat or sun helmet, a Turkish staff officer in fur hat, and two poses of African porters. 11521 S.W. 60th Ter,Miami, Fl 33173, tel: (305) 598-1007, web: http://www.netcom.com/~scq/cqfigs.htm, email:scq@ix.netcom.com

Dixon has released some new Ancient China Han Dynasty figures: Spearmen marching, advancing, standing, and thrusting, Swordsmen in the same poses, Bowmen Firing or reaching for arrows, Crossbowmen loading, firing, or marching, Standard Bearer, Junior Command, and four infantry casualties.

There are also new figures for the French Colonial Africa and Dahomey War, among them Dahomey women with musket and machete, Dahomey men with mixed weapons, Dahomey women characterized as "Amazon - head hunter", and the Dahomey King Behanzin with European traders and 2 African characters. The opposing French Foreign Legion troops include figures for a skirmish line, advancing Foreign Officers and NCO, Marines, Trailleurs marching or advancing, bugler, mule minder and 2 dead, Native Bearers, and pack mules.

GHQ has some new modern Microarmor including the Maxi-Ambulance, M109 A6 Paladin, and Sabre. For WWII there are Japanese infantry and heavy weapons in the new individual-figure castings and a US TBE1 Recon Stuart. Naval releases in 1/2400 include the DD Sims class and AV-4 Curtiss aircraft.

Harlequin has branched out from fantasy and scifi to offer 28mm WWII figures intended for skirmish games. The first releases are German and Soviet infantry appropriate for Stalingrad, each side available in packs of eight riflemen, SMG, LMG, and "characters". Harlequin, Unit S3, 632 Radford Rd, Nottingham, NG7 7EX, U.K. web: vaughan@harlquin.demon.co.uk, email:www.harlequin-miniatures.com

Ironbow is a set of miniatures rules for the crusades period from the Perfect Captain, offered for free to those with web access. The 3.5MB download includes pdf files for a rulebook, army lists, battle generation system, unit cards, and counters so you can try the rules before buying miniatures. These rules fit with the earlier Princes of the East campaign ruleset featuring Byzantium at the end of the First Crusade, which is also available free, along with Cousin Jonathan, rules for the War of 1812. http://www.geocities.com/amacedon/captain.html.

Merrimack Miniatures continues to expand their 15mm ACW naval line in resin and metal with the USS Sassacus Class double-ender and some sunken ship markers They will also be re-releasing the Houston line of ACW artillery.

Merrimack has joined the rush to piracy with a 40-gun, two-deck man of war which comes with the 40 guns, 30 lower deck crew, and a helmsman. The upper deck is removable, all for $250. They also have a new brigantine of 10 guns, and some gun emplacements for your pirate harbors. 31216 County Road 112 Pequot Lakes, MN 56472.

Minifigs USA has announced that they have completed the 15mm Napoleonic French, British, and Austrian lines to be caught up with the UK offerings, and that the War of 1812 and ACW lines in 15mm are also now available. Game Figures Inc., 538 Unit E Olathe St., Aurora, Co. 80011 tel: (303)361-6465, web: www.minifigs.com.

Old Glory, as always, has swarms of new stuff out in 15mm. Among the least numerous of these are the American War of Independence Hessian Musketeers, Fusiliers and Grenadiers with Command, Jagers, and Artillery.

The Ancients line now includes Armenian Command, Cataphracts, Horse Archers, Javelinmen, Slingers, and Archers. Dacian Command, Swordsmen, Spearmen, and Archers. Germans for the First through Fourth Centuries are available with bags of Command, Medium Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry. There are Sarmatian Command, Cavalry, Infantry, Archers, Rhoxolani Cavalry, Horse Archers, Bosporan Infantry, Maitotian Infantry, and Greek Colonists. Parthian figures include bags of Command, Horse Archers, and Cataphracts.

The Imperial Roman series includes Command, Early First Century Legionaires, Mid First to Early Second Century Legionaries, First Century Auxillary, Early First Century Auxillary, Early Second Century Auxillary, Eastern Auxillary Archer, Western Auxillary Archer, Early First Century Cavalry, Late First - Early Second Century Cavalry, Mid to Late Second Century Eastern Auxillary Archer, Dacian Wars Legionairies, Augustan Auxilia, Equites Singularies, Legionaires, Auxiliary, and Second through Third Century Heavy Cavalry.

Colonial Wars in the Sudan have been catered to with a large list. Troops afoot include British infantry advancing or skirmishing, British Command (Regulars, Scots, and Naval Brigade), Egyptian and Sudanese Command, Brtish Colonials Command (Sikhs, Punjabis, Bombay) Highland Infantry with Naval Brigade, British dismounted Mounted Infantry, Egyptian Infantry, Sudanese Infantry, Indian Army Sikhs, Punjabis,and Bombay Infantry, dismounted British Camel Corps, Fuzzie-Wuzzie Swordsmen, Spearmen, Command and Rifflemen, and Ansar Swordsmen, Spearmen, Riflemen and Command.

Mounted figures include bags of British Lancers, Dragoons and Hussars, Mounted Infantry, and Camel Corps. Bengal Lancers. Egyptian Cavalry, Ansar Cavalry Swordsmen, Spearmen, and Riflemen Ansar Camelry Swordsmen, Spearmen, and Riflemen.

Fire support is provided by British Field Artillery, Naval Brigade Gattling and gardner Guns, Camel and Mule Batteries, Egyptian Artillery, and Ansar Artillery. There are also bags of Pack Camels, Pack Mules, British and Allies Casualties, and Ansar and Fuzzie-Wuzzies Casualties.

There is also a large new line of 100 Years War figures in 25mm. On the English side these include Longbowmen, mounted Hobilars, and Hobilar-Archers, dismounted Hobilars, mounted and dismounted Knights, Welsh Infantry, dismounted and mounted Command, and personalities, including, Edward III, The Black Prince, Henry of Grosmont, Sir John Chandos, De Bohun,and Captal de Buch.

For the French there are mounted Knightswith and without caparisoned horses,dismounted Knights, with Short Lances or Hand Weapons, Pavisiers, Breton Bidets, and personalities, including King Jean, Bertrand du Guscalin, Audrehen, Montmorency, Geoffrey de Chargny, and Eustace de Ribemont.

There are also mounted and dismounted German Knights, Flemish Command and Infantry, Spanish mounted Knights, Genoese Jinetes and Crossbowmen, Spanish Slingers and Javelinmen. There are Scots mounted and dismounted Knights, Spearmen, Highlanders and Islemen, along with French or Spanish Militia Infantry, Siege Engineers, Jacqueries, and casualties.

Finally, in 15mm World War II, Old Glory has announced more beach assault equipment, this time an LVT-3 and LVT-4, along with several variants of the Panzer II, a StuG IIIG with skirts,.15 cm FH18 field gun, and towed 57mm Flak 36. The British get a Bishop 25pdr SPG, and the 2pdr AT gun, while the French settle for Renault U.E. tractors with trailers. There are also new sets of decals with British markings and a bag of Sherman track and road wheels, jerry cans, .30 cal, and.50 cal M/Gs.

Osprey's recent releases in the Men at Arms series include:King's German Legion (2) 1812-1816, Spanish Army of Napoleonic Wars (3) 1812-1815, Emigres & Foreign Troops in British Service (2), French Armies of the 100 Years War, The Italian Army in WWII (1) Europe 1940-43, and The German Army 1939-45 (5) Western Front 1943-45.

The Campaign Series has added Badajoz 1812, Nagashino 1575, and Marengo 1800. New Combat Aircraft books cover B-24 Liberator Units of 8th army and TBF/TBM Avenger Units of WWII, while two Order of Battle books are available covering Gettysburg.

Peter Pig has a couple of new items out in the15mm AK-47Line, including naked Militia, with an AK-47 (and nothing else), and some.50 cal MGs on tripods. For WWII, there is a new Sherman DD tank, M-8 trailers, and four versions of the FT-17. Going back to the Great War, there are some new British Lancers, cavalry command, and some Indian infantry. Available in the US from Brookhurst Hobbies, 12188 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove, CA 92840, tel: (714) 636-3580, email: info@brookhursthobbies.com, web: brookhursthobbies.com.

Quality Castings continues to crank out additions to their 15mm WWII line. April releases include a redone Crusader MkI with MG turret, Crusader MkII, Crusader MkIII (6 lbr), and Crusader close support with 3" howitzer - all with separate sand skirts. The new Valentines also come with removeable skirts, in Mk I, Mk III-IV, and MkVIII-IX versions. The Bishop 25 lbr SPG has these skirts as well. The rest of the new items are troops: seated British drivers and infantry, an assortment of Australians: infantry advancing or defending, infantry MGs & mortars, command, AT gun crews, artillery gun crews, 2" mortar teams, and a platoon pack. There is also a new pack of British engineers with a variety of equipment. PO Box 11714, Alexandria, VA 22312, tel: (703) 354-0610, email: qc@qulitycast.com, web: qualitycast.com.

Thoroughbred Figures has announced several new kits for their ACW naval line. The Neosho, Casco and Keokuk classses of Union ships as well as USArmed Ferryboats. They also announce that they will be setting up a webpage in the near future. http://thoruoghbredmodels.simplenet.com/. Thoroughbred Figures, 4106 Timberland Drive, Portsmouth VA 23703 (757)-686-1048 or TRBARRETT@worldnet.att.net

West Wind Productions has a new line of 25 mm World War II figures out. Standard packaging seems to be bags of 10 infantry, 6-8 in crews with weapons. British, Soviet, Japanese, American infantry and marines and 1944 German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS are each provided with packs of riflemen advancing or attacking, command, communications, LMG, and HMG. There are also some packs of snipers and flamethrowers, panzerfausts and panzerschrecks. Available from Grandiosity, PO Box 750992, Dayton, OH 45475-0992, tel: (937) 439-2488, email: warweb@grandio.com, web: www.warweb.com.

Magazines

Magazines

Age of Napoleon, a glossy from Partizan Press, concentrates on history and reenactment, with a regular wargaming column. In Issue 33, this column has a scenario of the battle of Brunswick in 1809. There is also an historical account of Vittoria, with a brief account of a wargame of the battle. Other articles include a long piece on the arts and crafts produced by French prisoners of war in Britain, selected correspondence of Robert Craufurd and Wellington, the second part of an article on the Marie-Louises of 1814, a brief history and uniform description of the 2d KGL Dragoons in Spain in 1812, and some extended book reviews. 48pp, $42/6 issues. Available in the US from On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525.

The Age of Empires, also from Partizan, features a reenactment of Isandlwana on the original site in the current issue, complete with lots of color photos. There are also histories of Belly River (Cree vs Blackfoot, 1870), Magersfontein, and the French 1892 campaign in Dahomey (the third of three parts). There is an article on British tactics in the First Burma War (1824-6), some figure reviews, and some thoughtful book reviews. Available in the US from On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525.

Miniature Wargames is always filled with glossy color photos of wargames figures, and the March issue has most of them with bases showing, actually poised in games rather than wading through knee-high drifts of flock, just the thing to spark the gaming impulse. Leading off the issue is a brief history of the ECW Battle of Alford with a report on a refight using club rules. There are similar articles on the Seige of Yorktown and the battle of Hanau (1813). An article on Chinju (Korea, 1950), includes a short history of the Korean war and a complete scenario for the game, with a report on the refight, and there is a history of the battle of Naaf River in the First Burma War, along with letters, events lists, and reviews. 65 pp, available in the US from Wargames Inc, B0x 278, Route 40 East, Triadelphia, WV 26059-0278, tel: (304) 547-0000.

Midwest Wargamer's Association Newsletter is always bursting at the seams, 192 pages in the first issue of 2000. MWAN always features several rules sets. Those in Issue 103 range from rules for the Second Punic War by Duke Seifried, a full set of Napoleonics (some 25 pages long) by Eric Jones, through 19th Century Darkest Africa, by Stephen Lawrence, to Aelred Glidden's one-page skirmish rules for Pontiac's Conspiracy. As always, there are battle reports, lots of letters, theorizing, reviews, rules add-ons, and sundry other articles, with very few of the short-history-plus-OB articles that are the mainstay of the British glossies. $35/6 issues from Hal Thinglum, 410 Brian Dr, Manteno, IL 60950. Other Publications of Interest Received

Battlefleet (Naval miniatures), Paul Schindler, Naval Gazette, PO Box 1594, Brookfield, WI 53008-1594., $25 / 4 issues

HMGS Dispatch (Midsouth), Major Bill Harting, 101 Taylor Rd, Estill Springs, TN 37330-3831.

HMGS East Newsletter Scott Holder (Treasurer), PO Box 36, Bonnots Mill, MO 65016., $10/yr

Lone Warrior (solo wargaming), Solo Wargamers Association, 1707 Ridge Rd, Leavenworth, KS 66048., $20 / 4 issues

Potomac Wargamers Review Walter Simon, 12905 Layhill Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20906, $18/12 issues

Seven Years War Association Journal James Mitchell, 147 N. Jackson St, Crown Point, IN 46307, $30/4 issues

Spearpoint (NA Soc. Ancient & Medieval Wargamers), Scott Dickson, 590 Woodend Dr. SE, Concord, NC 28025, $24 / 6 issues & membership

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