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C'mon Arlin, you're not green and hairy with a kind of scrunched up nose, are you? This is fantastic news, but makes me wonder about the Valdemar/Caesar co-operation, have you missed the bus guys? Just hope that Strelets make the levy multipurpose i.e. poses that could be fighting or harvesting or threshing etc. We (well I think we do) still need a good range of civvies for a whole bunch of eras.
Seriously, Arlin I do sympathise with you more moderns - although I also do colonial and WWII myself - ancients and medievals have been brilliant ove the last two years, but I think there has been progress or promised progress (by reliable people like Caesar) on a remarkable range of eras. Who would have expected even a promise of Spanish infantry or Rough Riders or SCW or RCW or WWII Romanian, Polish, French, Dutch or Belgian troops, five years ago? I still can't help having this nagging worry that the market is not big enough to sustain this outpouring. The latest sets from Caesar and the minis from Strelets are going to blow my budget for the whole year within about a month, there's stuff I will want to buy but can't afford, can't store and (an important one for me) will never get around to painting. I can't be the only one in this position. The poser is how do we recruit to our hobby amongst the young? Games Workshop very successfully self promoted themselves - I teach in a sixth form college (16-19 year olds)and whenever I mention wargaming the immediate response I get is, "What? Like Warhammer?" So kids can be turned onto figures, but can this be done with real historical stuff or did it only work for GW because it was based on fantasy? I don't know the answer and would love to hear from other contributors, particularly the younger element, of their ideas. Wouldn't it be dreadful if this golden age, suddenly had it own "Wall Street Crash" of over production in an inelastic market?
CAESAR and Valdemarminiatures have not missed the bus... actually I think that I have been the one asked most companies to do medieval infantry, husite wagons etc.
The reason to that ValdemarMiniatures started are actually that no companies made the sets which I personalily needed to fill my ranks, so everytime a new medieval sets is annonced I am very pleased. I personally hope that one of the levy sets will be levy marching/resting and the other fighting men...
The set we are working on are in mould process and i am sure that the sets from Strelets and us will be good supplements to each other.
I am the grinch. (just kidding). As you pointed out, I just fear the market won't be at this high long enough that I will see the Span_Am, Boxer Allies, Russo-Japanese stuff get made before it all comes tumbling down. Some would say they are irrational fears, but I have been waiting a LONG time, and I have been around to see ESCI die before promised goodies got made, and I am still bummed about the demise of Galoob micromachines.
On the other hand, Strelets did make Boer War (still waiting for the Highlanders) and US Cavlry (set 2? Any Apaches?). What I need is a cryogenic capsule where I can go to sleep and wake up when all this is out and I can go to the store and buy them. It's the waiting that's the hardest part.
But despite my Grinchy predisposition, all you ancient and medievel lovers, enjoy!
Arlin you are a card! tho i do understand that such news is not of interest to everyone.
i do agree w/ Graham that this is fantastic news! they'll fit in nicely (I hope) as the Anglo Saxon Ferd as well as to be incorporated into other Medievel armies & repelling invading Vikings tho i don't share his hopes for peasants doing menial jobs.
i sympathize w/ Graham on his budget & storage problems! i collect EVERYTHING for the most part so my armies have been smaller & thanks to the wonderful dollar stores, i've been able to find better storage containers for my standing army now over 65,000 troops strong!
i think collectors can support the glut of new figures in new eras. sets like the Medievel Levy & marching Romans attract the wargamers who buy tons of each sets. just keep making them in interesting plastic colors for us non-painters!!!!!!!
now, if someone would just make a nice set of Saxon HouseCarls i'd be pretty well satisfied... Medievel wise that is!
You know, I used to collect everything too. But they took on a life of their own, and took over all available space too. I found myself buying tons of sets I never dug out again after I bought them. And the stuff I really wanted just took forever to get made (some still aren't made). So I sold off all that extra stuff and concentrated on only a few eras. That is why I am so 'antsy' about specific subjects getting made. I only buy certain thing now, and the wait is excrutiating. But it has freed up some room and saved me tons of money. On the bright side, I still get to see the sets thanks to places like PSR. And I am always looking at these sets in case I see some possibility to use them in my little 1/72 world. I'm thinking those Redbox Samurais could fight future Boxer Rebellion Japanese in a "The Last Samurai" scenario. It's great to have so much to grumble about!
One problem of getting the younger kids into historical wargaming is a ruleset that is marketed to bring the whole thing together. But because there are so many rulesets, not to mention different companies making figures, its hard to even know 1/72 plastic figures even exist.
I'm an avid fan of history and wargaming (mostly GW Lord of the Rings Battle game) and I never even knew anyone made cheap plastic figures, let alone ones that were historically accurate. I stumbled into 1/72 plastics while helping my son research building a D-Day diorama(we ended up using the great Pegasus D-Day set and landing craft, and Airfix's Coastal Defence Fort as our base), and would never have found 1/72 plastics otherwise.
1/72 plastics are a well kept secret and effective advertising and a comprehensive well made ruleset (finely produced hardback books for example, in the RPG vein)could go a long way toward keeping the hobby alive.
Besides 1/72 plastic is so cheap compared to companies like GW, I spent years and over $1000.00 on my LoTR figures, and yet I almost have as many 1/72 in three months of collecting and spending just over $100. GW products are so overpriced that any cheaper competition is welcomed. I'm a cheap ******* and I bet I'm not the only one.
The 1/72 figure producers just haven't figured out a way to let all the poor sods of the world know about their products. Unfortunately I doubt many 1/72 producers have the money for advertising, most are small companies, not behemoths like GW.
Quite right Juba!
Most 1/72 companies are pretty small and the web is probably the greatest way to get the word out to the younger crowd. I can see the draw of Warhammer (big, snarly mean toops), but if we all found the forums for Warhammer and all the other similar wargaming systems, and put the word out there, I think we'd have an effective advertising campaign. All "word of mouth", which is one of the most effective approaches.
So everyone get out there and find those forums, and when you post messages, be sure to add links to websites like plastic soldier review, Strelets, HaT and all the other great examples of 1/72 scale plastic figures.
I don't see the market collapsing any time soon, but we need the younger generation to get involved more. That way we will have a long new golden age!
Re: New Medieval Levy Mini Sets! - Okay, I give up
What the hell is a Levy? Isn't that something you drive the chevy to? Or a Jewish deli here in town? Or a company that makes rye bread. Are these sets of bakers?
Re: Re: New Medieval Levy Mini Sets! - Okay, I give up
I'm not sure if you are joking or not, but if you are not, the levy were the poor old peasants who got dragged along to make up the numbers, had a rare old time looting the baggage train if their side got lucky and royally f****d if their side lost. No medieval army is complete without them, especially HYW French ones. On the other hand they could could be special commando Rabbi units equipped with two handed latkes and a mean line in ironic sarcasm.
Re: Re: Re: New Medieval Levy Mini Sets! - Okay, I give up
Graham, thanks. I gathered as much, but really didn't know. Not a term I'm much familiar with in this context. But I appreciate your definition. I like the bit about the ironic sarcasm. I can picture them now: "Take my knight. Please."
Re: Re: Re: Re: New Medieval Levy Mini Sets! - Okay, I give up
They could form units of Bagel Bombardiers. Or maybe mounted formations of Lox Lancers. Oi Vay, already! Strelets ain't meshugannah. This company knows a thing or two, me boy. Havanagila! It's New Year and I'm feelin' generous. Have two Agilas.
Ian Bruce
Norman cavalry to the same high standard as your new Mini set would be terrific. Firing lines for the ACW would also be perfect in your new format and would provide the "cannon fodder" for your excellent ACW command sets.
No one else makes enough suitable poses for realistic battle lines as in firing and skirmishing.
I agree with former posters on the need for advancing Streltsi to complement the Zvezda set and for 7YW line infantry.
Ian Bruce
I hope you and the S*R Team round-tables the following. Your expansion into Mini Sets does change the production strategy, although you'll recognize most of the requests below, there are now more ways to approach producing the following themes, a few of which Mini Sets could overlap and do double duty in more than one theme, for example, Roarke's Drift, Isandlawana, and other Zulu Wars, or Boxer Rebellion and Spanish-American War, or Coloial Wars general helpers:
* Alamo
(+) 1 Strelets Command Set for Defenders including fighting Pioneers and Kentucians.
(+) 1 Mini Set of Amer. Gray Coat Infantry.
(+) 4+ Mini Sets for Mexican Santa Anna Command, Mexican Infantry, Round Hat Infantry and Cavalry, and Other Sets (Mini sets should include a casualty in each to give a nice overall selection).
* Crimean War: Any expansion and Mini Sets.
* American Civil War (Continued):
(+) Confederate Foot Staff
(+) Confederate Infantry
(+) Confederate Cavalry
(+) Union Infantry
(+) Union Cavalry
Wild West:
(+) Mini Set US Cavalry Dismounted Firing & Casualty Set for Custer's Last Stand Theme.
(+) Mini Set of Foot Troopers doing Fort/Stockade fighting at the walls and defending the Gate against Indians!
Colonial:
(+) Boer War: Mini Set of British Casualties @ Colenso.
(+) Zulu War: Strelets Set of British Officers, etc. @ Roarke's Drift and Isandlwana.
(+) Zulu War: Mini Set of British Firing Lines @ Isandlwana.
(+) Zulu War: Mini Set of British Casualties for both Isandlwana and Roarke's Drift.
(+) Colonial in general: Mini Set of non-com guys who distribute ammo, carry stretchers, assist medical staffs, etc. doing general duty for all Colonial Wars (the young kids who wore blue uniforms and pill box caps/glengarry caps).
Others:
* Russio-Japanese War & Russian Civil War (overlapping)
* Spanish-American War & Boxer Rebellion (overlapping).
* Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 & German Civil War 1866
I wonder if Mini-sets would lend themselves to be good staff/personality sets. Then I guess they'd be 'mini' Mini-sets. I can't imagine many people buying more than one or 2 personality/staff sets. So maybe the smaller set would be more economical. Maybe not. I don't know.
A good use for mini set staff would be to cover eras to add to other regular army sets.
A Victoria's Commanders set would include Chelmsford, Buller, Chard, etc., all the big names from 1854 to 1902. You could get away with 12 or so poses.
A WWI Commanders set with Pershing, French, Haig, Czar Nicholas, Foch, Hindenberg, etc.
or personalities like York, Rickenbacher, Richtoffen, Lawrence of Arabia, Hitler, etc..
I'd like an American Wars one for 1898-1902 with Teddy Roosevelt, Pershing, Shafter, Wood, MacArthur, Funston, Aguinaldo, all the main commanders etc...
Or WWII, to complement the German commanders already out there, like Patton, Eisenhower, Macarthur, Bradley, Montgomery, Zhukov, Tojo, Yamamoto, etc., big name generals from each country.
Or sets that would need only a few standard and needed poses, but several them, like various sailors, or WWII US Navy Seabees, or any 18th century Infantry.
I can't wait to see what is in store for the WWII Staff/Hospital sets.
- 16th and 17th century soldiers (pikemen, harquebusiers, swordmen, cavalry, artillery) of different nations. Standard poses, but almost no uniforms, so there is lots of room for variety.
- Wars of Marlborough and Louis XIV
Interesting period that is not yet covered.
Arlin makes a very good recommendation that ... "Mini-sets would lend themselves to be good staff/personality sets."
This way Staff sets could focus on the main, famously known personalities, and yet free-up the traditional Strelets*R 48+ figurine format sets for the armies in general - S*R Team's famously known all-encompassing poses.
Dare I say it, but more Napoleonics for the miniboxes!
I'm not delving into the peculiarities of inaccurate sets that need to be remade (not my thing), but:
*Austrian Grenzer/frontier troops/Pandurs etc PLEASE!
*ANY Turkish infantry of the Napoleonic era
*Indian Mutiny: mutineers, British/Indian infantry
*Marathas Wars/Wellesley in India - there is so much demand to open up this hitherto untouched theatre. Think HEIC troops, Indian infantry and cavalry etc
*Napoleonic British line infantry (firing line/square/column)
And one 'never in a million years' suggestion - Norwegian/Swedish ski troops - have a look in the relevant Osprey book, these would be great! (though very fiddly to produce..)
I know we're not all Nap fans, but they do sell well - and anyone creating an Indian army would need a large quantity of figures...
Happy New Year to Strelets and Forumni
I agree with Dave and Arlin
However I would like to see coverage of the Sudan Wars.
I am eager to see Strelets versions of camels.
Hey Strelets it would be really good to see the long (so very long)awaited and production displaced Turkish Infantry Crimean War.....plus other promised sets.
Have you at least a master figure we could
view ?
I agree ... now that I almost have my Russian staff officers, winning the Crimea just isn't enough. And let's not forget the large numbers of British senior officers that served with the Ottoman forces.
As regards the Ottoman forces, you can include all sorts of tribals and lead into the Bulgarian Wars of Independance, which Russia can proudly claim to have supported.
I do not ask much. Strelets-R opened for all of us doors we did not even dream of once to be 2,5 cm plastic soldiers.
The thing is we once got Napoleonic Polish Grenadiers together with the French foot dragoons. I would like to see a mini box of those Polish Grenadiers.
General WF Williams despatches make quite good reading on the Seige(1855).It highlights Alot of importance was placed on despatch riders delivering the genrals messages.
Yep, picked up the Official dispatches for Kars, Ladysmith and (55 days in)Peking at a discount bookstore. Lots of great ideas for both history and alternative histories ... dispatch a force based on a scant letter written a couple of weeks ago ... what is waiting for them?
Have a great day ... Frank
PS I don't mind civilians, even females pushing prams.