Product News

Dispatch News

by Victor Gregoire

Baker Company is producing a 28 mm Vietnam range, with the first packs US infantry, command, medics and wounded available. Figure sales will be handled though Battle Honours UK. Web: freespace.virgin.net/paul.baldwin/baker.htm

Battle Honors has eight new packs of 25mm Russians in greatcoats for both early and late WWII, and another in snowsuits.

Black Tree Design (formerly Icon/Harlequin) WWII figures in 28 mm now include a Russian platoon pack, 57 mm AT gun, flamethrowers, casualties, and officers; a German platoon, and Waffen SS packs of officers, commanders, riflemen, communications, MG42, MP44, and panzerschrek. They also have a new Ancients line, with packs of Pictish command, spearmen, swordsmen, archers, and “wild” spearmen and warriors. British officers and kneeling infantry have been added to the Zulu Wars line, Black Tree Design Ltd., 10 Larch Close, Welbeck Estate, Hucknall, Nottingham, NG15 6BD, UK, web: www.harlequin-miniatures.com/.

Calpe Miniatures has issued some 30 Prussian Landwehr figures in 25 mm for 1813-1815. These are in a variety of dress, and include four foot and tow mounted officers. There are also special packs of figures with bare or bandaged heads, and two packs of casualties. By the time this reaches print, Reserves, Jagers, and artillery should be ready. Available from Miniature Service Center, 1386 Portofino Dr, Yuba City, CA 95993, tel: (530) 673-5169. Cannon Fodder Miniatures has added a figure of Davy Crockett to the two dozen American and eight Mexican figures in their Alamo 28 mm line. P.O. Box 786, Bendigo, Victoria 3550, Australia, email: gregoryblake@bigpond.com, web: canfodmins.com.

Copplestone Castings has begun their Darkest Africa line in 25mm with Azande Musketmen, British Naval officers, Nordenfeldt gun and crew, sailors in sennet hats or sailors’ caps, Ngoni warriors in feathered headdresses or zebra mane headdress, married warriors with Zulu style headrings, young warriors, Ngon1/Watutua warriors and female archers, and some Somali spearmen. PO Box 9298, Birmingham B14 7PN, UK, web: www.geocities.com/gisby.geo/copplestone.htm.

Foundry is producing sets of 25 mm Greek mercenaries, including hoplites, archers, slingers, peltasts, cavalry, commanders, generals, and characters. There is also a new pack of gladiators, which includes Nero, some cestati, and two venators. They have also begun recasting their long-unavailable ECW line, for as long as the molds hold up. Foundry is planning to publish anew set of rules for Ancient battles by Frank Chadwick, due out this summer.

GHQ has released a Microarmor US 8 inch Howitzer, and the Nevada (BB-36) in the 1944 version with added AA.

Guts ‘n Glory is a set of rules for 1:1 WWII games, intended for 12 mm figures, and characterized by the designers as “fast and deadly”. Priced at $20, they are available from GTB Entertainment, PO Box 802884 Santa Clarita, CA 91380-2884 , tel: (661) 255-2605, web: www.marccanu.com/gng.htm

Homegrown Figures, a manufacturer of 28 mm ACW figures, has recently released a 10 pdr Parrot gun with crew, a “combat action” limber featuring rearing and plunging horses, four infantry with shouldered arms, and a mounted officer with binoculars. 914 Curlew Rd #357, Dunedin, FL 34698, email: homegrownfigs@excite.com, web: www.angelfire.com/biz6/homegrownfigs/index.htm.

JR Miniatures has constructed a town’s worth of 15mm buildings for the Middle East and Central Asia. These include a Mosque, eight houses, a market, a shop, a modular wall pack, sandbag positions, and another half dozen houses in ruins. They also have a batch of new structures for WWII in Europe, including half a dozen models of specific buildings from Normandy, a German milling shop, a church, the bridge at Carentan, a bunker from Omaha beach, and a wide assortment of partially ruined structures. Available from Grandiosity, P.O. Box 750992, Dayton, OH 45475-0992, tel: (937)439-2488, email ,web: www.warweb.com/.

Old Glory has begun turning out 25 mm WWI figures. Among the recent releases are a listening party with periscope, signal party, cavalry with command, and medical party. The Americans don’t have the cavalry, but all others are available for Americans, British, French, and German. There is also a British tank crew. In 15mm, there are some new Babylonians: command, medium spear, medium archer, slingers, Chaldean spearmen , Chaldean javelinmen , extra heavy cavalry, medium cavalry, heavy chariots, and light chariots.

Osprey continues to produce books almost faster than we can list them. Among the recent outpouring are, in the New Vanguard series, Confederate Ironclad, Siege Weapons of the Far East (2) AD 960-1644, Union Monitor 1861-65, and 88 mm Flak 18/36/37/41 and Pak 43 1936-45. In the Elite series there are The Indian Army 1914-1917, German Freikorps 1918-23, British Colours and Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry, Royal Navy 1939-45, and US Navy in World War II, while the Warrior series has added English Medieval Knight 1400-1500, German Wolf: U-Boat Crewman of World War II, German Seaman 1939-45, Fallschirmjager: German Paratrooper 1935-45, Gladiators 100BC - AD 200, and Redcoat Officer 1740-1815. New Campaigns include Operation Cobra 1944, Alamo 1836, Vimeiro 1808, St Nazaire 1942 - The Great Commando Raid, and Verdun 1916. There is also a new Men-at-Arms, The Japanese Army 1939-40 (1), and many of the older Men-at-Arms are being republished.

Quality Castings has been replacing older 15 mm WWII models with new, and expanding the variations. For example, the old Churchill Mk VII has been discontinued, replaced by a new model, and versions with 95 mm howitzer and flamethrower and trailer have been added. Similarly, the Churchill is now available in Mk III with welded turret and 6 pdr, Mk IV with cast turret and 6 pdr, and Mk V CS with 95 mm howitzer. There is also a German Bergepanzer IV ARV, German bicycle troops, and a pack of generic bicycles without troops. PO Box 11714, Alexandria, VA 22312, tel: (703)354-5469, email: qc@qualitycast.com, web: www.qualitycast.com.

Redoubt has still more ACW troops out in 25 mm. Major Pelham’s Battery is a pair of guns, a 6-pdr Napoleon and a 3 in rifle, with their crews. There is a new ammunition caisson to go with it. The Ragged Rebel battalion is a pack of six command and 24 troops, all different, with a wide variety of headgear and including old men and boys. There is a corresponding pack of wounded and stragglers. Miniature Service Center, 1386 Portofino Dr, Yuba City, CA 95993, tel: (530) 673-5169.

Reviresco has a batch of new 28 mm 1914 Germans in Pickelhauben and 1916 Germans in steel helmets. There is an interesting variety of Colonial figures, including Senegalese Tirailleurs and Spahis, both mounted and dismounted, Laptots (African sailors in the French Navy), Africans with muskets, some bearer parties, some groups of “Generic Hollywood Style Natives,” African sailors, a 6” Rifle on a pintle mount, and a vertical boiler and two-cylinder marine steam engine. You should also check out their cardstock gunboat kit in this scale. c/o John McEwan, 1119 San Francisco Ave. NE, Olympia, WA 98506, tel: (360) 754-9591, email: ohn@tin-soldier.com, web: www.tin-soldier.com.

Scotia released a small Sturmme boat, Gemini, and Rigid Raider, each with a variety of occupants, in 1/300. In the same scale are the German Pz Beog Wg III F AOP , Pz Beog Wg III H AOP , Stug III A , Pz III ARV , Pz II ARV with recovery anchor, Pz III munitions Panzer , Pz III Pioner Panzer, and Stug 33B 150mm SPG, and a Russian KV1 With Riveted Turret. SIMTAC, tel: (860) 643-7730, web: www.simtac.net/

Thoroughbred Figures has two new 1/600 ACW ships out, the CSS Tuscaloosa and the USS Benton, a casemated ironclad. 4106 Timberland Dr, Portsmouth, VA 23703, tel: (757) 686-1048, email: trbarrett@worldnet.att.net, web: www.thoroughbredmodels.com.

Two Hour Wargames has released “Mayhem: Muskets and Mohawks,” skirmish rules for 18th century frontier warfare in North America. The rules include a scenario-generation system. $9.50 from Ed Teixeira, PO Box 1245, Lake Havavsu City AZ 86405-1245, web: http://www.citlink.net/~veggie62.

Warhammer English Civil War is a newly-released ruleset for fighting, well, the English Civil War. It includes army lists, a campaign system, and a map of Britain.

BRENT NOSWORTHY RELEASES TACTICAL STUDIES, DEVELOPER’S EDITION

Mr. Nosworthy, author of such books dear to historical wargamers as The Anatomy Victory, and With Musket, Cannon and Sword: Battle Tactics of Napoleon and His Enemies; has utilized his over 30 years of historical research to write a set of Tactical Studies for the military historical enthusiast.

The studies introduce ‘The Anatomy of Victory Analytical Tool’ a device to to enhance one’s understanding of how armies fought during his favorite period. It is not a game or a set of miniature rules!

The heart of the tool are two ‘Methods of Attack and Defense’ booklets, the first covering the period from 1689 to 1763, the second covers the Napoleonic Wars. A reader interested in a specific army or historical period would benefit most effectively by first reading a booklet about a specific army then proceeding to the appropriate ‘Methods of Attack and Defense’ booklet. The first booklet contains an encyclopaedic approach to the formations, maneuvers, fire systems and tactics used by that army. The Methods of Attack and Defense booklet allows the reader to explore how opposing doctrines affected each other and how the tactical proceedures unfolded under real battle conditions.

At present Mr. Nosworthy is offering a DEVELOPER’S EDITION over the internet, people who purchase this will get periodic e-mail updates, etc as the work progresses. A final version will be available as discount to those who bought the DEVELOPER’S EDITION. The initial offerings are as follows:

Tactics of The French Army 1696-1726 $20
Tactics of The British Army. 1703-1726 $20
Methods of Attack & Defense, 1690-1763 $22
All 3 as one purchase $50
Organizational Series
French Light Troops 1727-1776 $12
French Infantry and Cavalry 1733-1748 $12
French Infantry and Cavalry 1749-1763 $12

In addition he is offering a ‘Primary Source Series’ that provides lengthy excerpts from key historical works no longer in publication. For more details go to http://www.wtj.com/nosworthy/ www.wtj.com/nosworthy/ or contact Mr. Nosworthy at Brent.Nosworthy@wtj.com Brent.Nosworthy@wtj.com or Brent Nosworthy, PO Box 3666, Cranston RI 02910-3666.

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