Courier Dispatch New of the Hobby

Product News

By Dick Bryant

Frontier should have completed pre-1800 Austrians in 15mm to accompany their already released 1792-1800 French by the time you read this. Figures scheduled for production include German and Hungarian Fusiliers from 1792 and from 1798; German and Hungarian Grenadiers in bearskins; skirmishing Jagers for 1798-1802 in two poses; and 3 poses of skirmishing Grenza. All of these are available with or without command. An artillerist pack with 4 poses is also available. Frontier expects to be offering a series of 15mm Alamo figures and a resin cast Alamo "in the near future". The 1990 catalog is now available for $3. Frontier Miniatures, 7343 Branding Iron, Canutillo, TX 79835. Phone (915) 877-3048. VISA and MC.

Knight Designs products are now available in the U.S. through Adventure Simulation Games. These include 2mm, 6mm, 20mm, and Air War and Naval Warbattle packs. These last include such things as 250 ships in 1:5000, complete with rules and ready forJutland, for $30. Hales Models stonecast buildings and terrain items are also carried in 25mm, 1:200, 1:300, and 15mm. Many of the Knight Designs and all of the Hales Models items are available painted. Adventure Simulation Games, 22659 Keswick St., Canoga Park, CA 91304. Phone (818) 702-0670.

Mirliton figures are also newly available in the U.S. priced in dollars rather than lira, from Elan Enterprises. Their 25mm figures include Napoleonic; French Revolutionary; Garibaldi's War of Liberation (Piedmontese, Florentines, Papal States, and Austro-Hungarians); Renaissance; Medieval Teutonics, English, French, Italians, Hungarians, and Catalans; Ancient Creeks, Etruscans, Samites, Romans, Aztecs and Mayans. The Mirliton catalog costs $5. Elan Enterprises, P.O. Box 5101, Hudson, FIL 346745101.

LSU Press publishes about 70 titles of interest to the Civil War buff. Some are reprints of primary materials, others are histories and analysis. New titles include The Confederate Cherokess: John Drew's Regiment of Mounted Rifles, by W. Craig Gaines, and Rebel Watchdog. The Confederate States Army Provost Guard, by Kenneth Radley. They have a sale that runs through the end of January, although this may not be printed in time for you to take advantage of it. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Route, LA 70893.

The Quartermaster is offering Reviresco 25mm figures for the Mexican American War. United States Regular Infantry in 4 poses, command figures, musicians, and gun crew are priced at $4.50/6 figures. Six and 18 lb guns are available. The Mexicans are represented by three infantry poses ($6.00/8 figures), a command group, musicians, and an 8 lb gun. The Quartermaster also carries Reviresco painted Mexican American War sets for collectors in 54mm. The Quartermaster, P.O. Box 175, Burlingame, CA 94011-0175. Phone (415) 342-6325 (days); (415) 344-7832 (eves).

Wargames Tables would ideally look like a low altitude aerial photograph (in color, of course). A couple of books have recently reminded me of how badly my table falls short. History from the Air, by Richard Muir (ISBN 0-7181- 2306-9) is a selection of photographs rangingfrom hill forts to the present, with an informed commentary. Look at these before you lay out your next medieval village orSYW siege. Aimed more at the travel market, James Campbell's Scotland from the Air (ISBN 0-517-55527-1) still has many photographs of interest to the gamer. Look at the pictures, then go buy lots more hedges and trees.

Osprey titles due out include Queen Victoria's Enemies (2): Northern Africa - Ashanti to Mahdists, The War in Laos 1960-75, The Red Army of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45, and US Infantry Equipments 1775-1910.

In Service Miniatures intends to start a subscription program for unusual items which retailers could not afford to keep in inventory. Orders would be placed in local hobby stores about three months before the anticipated production date. If interest were high enough, the items would be produced and shipped to subscribers. The program is anticipated to run two or three times a year. In Service also intends to reinstate the Company Packs, this time with standard TO&E, plus normally attached vehicles.

Miniature Service Center is producing a range of handmade and painted 25mm buildings for the French and Indian War. Current offerings include cabins, trading post, barn, mission, and barracks, all of log constructon, at prices from $30 to $40. Zig-zag and straight fencing, plank bridges, and an outhouse are $6 to $15, and a complete stockade costs $274. Doug Carroccio, 706 S. River Rd., New Port Rickey, FIL 33525.

Quality Castings has turned loose a batch of 1 5mm North Korean infantry for the Korean War in advancing, defending, weapons, and gun crew packs of 15 for $4. Their Soviet armor has been strengthened by a JSII heavy tank, ISU 122 SP gun, and ISU 152 SP gun, at $6 each. Decal sets for WWII vehicles are also available at $5 a set. These will do 15-20 vehicles (US and German) or 10-15 vehicles (USSR and Japanese). They have also redone and improved the tracks for model numbers 3000, 3001, 3002 and 3013 at $2 per pair, and turrets for 3013 and 605b at $2 each. Their next releases are expected to include an M4A3 Sherman and variants, and a French Panhard 178 AC. Quality Castings, P.O. Box 11714, Alexandria, VA 22312.

Magazines

Lone Warrior, the magazine for solo gamers, has converted to a quarterly, to be 60 pages long. The current issue (Autumn 89) is oversize, at 84 pages. This amateur magazine continues to improve, both in physical quality and in content. In this issue: a method of intelligence gathering in the Napoleonic period, a comparative commentary on several campaign games, 20 pages of reviews, and bushels of letters. Now if they'd just add a table of contents... US subscribers are £ 8.50 surface, $#163 12.50 airmail, from Bill Farley, 50 King Arthur's Rd., Exeter, Devon, EX4 913H.

Midwest Wargamer's Association Newsletter has expanded again, this time to 132 pages. Hal Thinglum has been adding content almost as fast as he paints Zulus. Subscriptions have risen as well, to $20 for6 issues, still a bargain. The Nov/Dec 89 issue includes an excellent guide to painting services in the US and four sets of rules: one each for Western Plains battles 1860-1890,\A(Wil, 6mm Ancients, and reruns of Major Dundee along with the usual exchange of views and tips.

18th Century Military Notes and Queries is a new magazine from Partizan Press, modelled on their successful English Civil War N&Q. Edited by Gareth Simon, it runsto 36 pages, 53/4 by81/4, covering the period 16601800. Articles in the premiere issue include a history of the campaign and battle of Zenta, followed by a wargame scenario, the first part of a similar treatment of the battle of Narvia and three detailed units-and-uniforms articles, among others. US subscriptions are f 13.50 for 6 issues (air) from Partizan Press, 26 Cliffsea Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS91 NQ, orsend $5 in bills for a sample issue.

Battlefleet is the journal of the Naval Wargames Society (UK). The most recent issue (vol. 18, no. 2), contains an evaluation of the effectiveness of British aircraft against naval targets in WWII, a reprint of a 1742 plate listing all the British ships, crews, standards of size and gunning, pay, provisions, and pensions, an article on treating land forms in naval games, reviews, and letters. For more information, contact Andrew Jarman, The Flat, 234 Graham Rd., London E8 1 BP.

Slingshot is well and truly named, with the most recent issue (Nov 89) devoting significant space to highly personal and bitter exchanges between outgoing (Ian Greenwood) and incoming (Gareth Simon) editors and their partisans. Of more general interest are a set of rules for playing a game of skirmishers and elephants at 1:1, the first of a series of articles on the appearance of the Medieval Welsh warrior, and an exchange of views on the Huns. US membership in the Society of Ancients is $24 (surface), $32 (air), including 6 issues of Slingshot. Chris Parker, P.O. Box 148, Newburyport, MA 01950.

MiniFigs has signed a contract with Valiant Miniatures to produce their Fighting Sail (11 /2000); Spanish Main (1 /1200) and Ramming Speed 0 / 900) series of ships under license. Rumor has it that MiniFigs is also negotiating with the owner of Greenfield Garrisons to purchase the rights to the foam 15mm and 25mm ships, buildings and other terrain accessories.

CATALOGS RECEIVED

Abraham Lincoln Book Shop - Americana, Revolutionary War, Civil War, Military History collectible books and letters, as well as new material. About 750 items listed with clescriptions. $10 for4 catalogs over 2 years. 18 East Chestnut St., Chicago, IL 60611. Phone (312) 944-3085.

Figure molds - Molds for casting Napoleonic (large 25mm, std. 25mm, & 15mm), ACW (25mm & 15mm), Colonial Europeans, allies, and enemies (25mm), and Franco-Prussian (25mm & 15mm) figuers. Prices from $15 to $25, plus custom-made molds at custom prices. Joel Haas, 3215 Merriman Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607. Phone (919) 828-8829.

TCS Distributors- Movement trays for Empire III, Napoleonic Wargare, Card du Corps, and Napoleonic House Rules, cast resin buildings and other structures in a variety of scales, Mindgames rules. Tactical Conflict Systems, 257 Beachwood Dr., East Greenwich, RI 02818.

GDW Game Catalog - Combined Arms, Command Decision, Harpoon, and GDW's line of board and fantasy games and accessories. Game Designer's Workshop, P.O. Box 1646, Bloomington, IL 617021646.

The Nafziger Collection - A series of 17 catalogs, each 1 to 12 pages long for S.50/page. Each catalog covers a period fro the 30 Years War to WWII of detailed Table of Organizations of the period. These TO&E's are in great detail and amass a lot of difficult if not impossible to find information. G. Nafziger, 8801 Tammy Dr., West Chester, OH 45069.

OTHER MAGAZINES OF INTEREST RECEIVED

The Caisson (Empire gaming) Richard Lawrence 30 Acre Lane Eccleshill, Bradford, UK BD22EH £ 9.00/4 issues & membership

Challenge 40 (GDW games) Game Designer's Workshop, P.O. Box 1646 Bloomington, IL 61702 $15/6 issues

Computer Gaming World P.O. Box 4566, Anaheim, CA 02803 $29.50/12 issues

El Dorado (Central & S. American Military History) T.D. Hooker 27 Hallgate, Cottingham North Humberside, HU1 6 4DN, England £ 7.50 Air, £ 5.70 Surface/6 issues to US

Lone Warrior (solo gaming) Jeff Bayton 63 Beckingham Rd. Guildford, Surry GU2 613T, England £ 8.50 (surface) £ 12.50 (air)/6 issues

The Manipular Quahog (Ancients) Tim McMillen 1395 New London Ave. Cranston, RI 02920

Military Hobbies A.E. Morgan Publications, Ltd. 9 West St., Epsom, Surrey KT18 7RL £ 11.80/12 issues £ 1.55 single copy

Miniature Wargames Wargames Inc. Box 278, Rt. 40 East Triadelphia, WV 26059-0278 $36.99/12 issues $10.99/3 issues

PW Review Walter Simon 12905 Layhill Rd. Silver Spring, MD 20906 $10/12 issues

SAGA 890 Janes Rd. Rochester, NY 14612 $3.00/issue

Redcoat Journal Michael Butterfield P.O. Box 12, Axminster Devon, England $12/4 issues

Seven Years War Bill Protz Association Newsletter 5690 W. Glenbrook Rd. Brown Deer, WI 53223 $12/4-5 issues

Spearpoint Jim Hill, NAMSAMW 6415 Dancer's Image Tallahassee, FL 32308 $10/6 issues & membership

Uniformes Bill Dean Books Ltd. 151-49 Seventh Ave. P.O. Box 69 Whitestone, NY 11357 325F/12 issues

The Zouave ACW Society 605 Sadie Ave. Metairie, LA 70003 $14/4 issues

Courier Dispatch News of The Hobby


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