Tuesday 22 December 2015

NEW Franco-Prussian Range in 28mm!

A selection of the French Line Infantry miniatures. There will be 16 different sculpts in the WAVE 1 French Infantry pack. Above minis have been painted by the very skilled Nick over at the Moiterei blog.

For all you fellow Franco-Prussian War enthusiasts out there, here is a little something extra for Christmas. After 1,5 year of concept development and sculpting I’m finally able to introduce this ambitious range of crisply cast Franco-Prussian minis in 28mm, that I’ve developed in collaboration with the talented sculptor Ebob.

French Line Infantry receiving a charge by Prussian Cuirassiers.
The Battle of Mars-la-Tour 1870.

As many of my reader will know, the Franco-Prussian War stands out as one of my pivotal interests in military history. Why? Well, it created the foundation for German unification, shifted the European balance of power, and as in many other cases it ended with a peace settlement that could almost only lead to war.

Close-up on French Infantry Officer.
Thanks again to Nick for the beautiful painting.

The Great War was the result, which again lead to the Second World War and on to modern day democratic Europe. The Franco-Prussian War was the mother of all these events. With dramas like the siege of Paris and The Commune in its periphery, the Franco-Prussian War is an immensely interesting conflict historically, politically and military tactically.

Franc-Tireurs skirmishing in the Loire region.
The WAVE 1 releases will include Imperial as well as Republican phase miniatures.


To set this intense period alive on the gaming tables across the World, I took the help of UK-based sculptor, Ebob. Together with Bob, the highest quality in animation, crisp and painter-friendly sculpting has been achieved. Bob has been at it for well over a year, and the result is a modern sculpted range in 28mm, cast by on of the best companies in the industry – Griffin Moulds.


Range:

WAVE 1 packages will include:

- French Line Infantry – a.k.a “Lignards”.

- Prussian Infantry in summer uniforms

- Bavarian Infantry in summer uniforms

- Franc-Tireurs suited for the Loire and Paris/Marne campaign.

We’ve already got loads of other stuff in the pipeline for WAVE 2, like ready-cast historical terrain for the period and of course cavalry, guards, historical characters and artillery miniatures as compliments to the above. 

Franc-Tireurs on the left - Bavarian Infantry on the right.

Two Bavarian Infantrymen advancing.

Imperial German postcard showing the Battle of Wissembourg
and a Bavarian Infantry charge.

Another look at the Bavarian greens.

Franc-Tireurs with the "postal" hats skirmishing with
 the Bavarians during the Battle of Chateaudun.

Prussian Infantry green with the characteristic spiked "Picklehaube".

Prussian Infantry at the charge.

Another Prussian Green before final casting.


Rules:

Many comprehensive rules already exist for large scale gaming in 28mm, covering that type of gaming nicely. That’s why we’ll be publishing a different kind, one putting your feet firmly on the ground as platoon commander. You’ll be commanding your squads armed with a fist of dice and some beautifully designed command character cards and troop unit cards with special ability profiles for different troop types. The rules will be very inspired by the fast playing, cards & miniatures-driven commercial games we’ve seen in the hobby over the last decade. More will come on the rules soon.


Name of the Range:

I’ll be posting our logo and the website address in January. The logo is pending final layout with the designer, so I’ll keep the actual name of the range and rules as a surprise for next month.


Launch Date:

We’re in the last phase of developing the packaging for WAVE 1, and the webshop is on track in development too. We aim at taking Pre-orders in February, which will be shipped out in April with a launch discount for the supporters. We also hope to be present at a few of the mayor European conventions next year, but that is unconfirmed at the moment.

That’s all for now – thank you for reading and supporting the blog during 2015.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy 2016 – see you all again in January!

/Søren

26 comments:

  1. Exellent news Matey!

    Didn't know your release was so soon in time !

    Looking forward to a test game of the rules at the club:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those as lovely sculpts and I wish you all the best with this venture:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really beautiful sculpts and very nicely painted too! A very exciting venture! Looking forward to see more! /Mattias

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brilliant sculpting with the sample models painted exquisitely!
    Congratulations on the launch of this new line of figures.
    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. HI Soren!
    Great news! I am looking forward to the release date as I will be placing an order for the Bavarians as well as the French!! The figures look great!! I look forward to some games in the future at the club.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy to look at such beautiful figures...and unhappy they are in 28mm, you know this! Anyway, a wonderful job with great sculpt details, congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Marvellous minis, finely sculpted and wonderfully painted. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I will be buying them...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wasn't aware Nick was already painting these. I knew he wanted to start the period. He sure did an excellent job and I can see why your excited by what he did with your range! Those sculpts look great! Congratulations!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah sorry Chris. As much as I'd have liked to tell you but Sören has asked me to keep this strictly confidential. Will bring them with me to our next gaming session though.

      Delete
  10. Congratulations Soren! That's a fantastic achievement, and a great niche to fill. I feel like the FP war gets lost in WWI, so this will be great to see. You must be very proud. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful figures! I wish you well on the venture. (I'll likely be helping in your sales success!)

    David :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great to see another range for my favourite period

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sign me up for these, they look wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looking great Sören!
    It's nice to finally see something of this line that you have hinted to for the last years =)
    I look forward to play your game and I guess I'll have to get some miniatures myself as well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Having had the honour (and a pleasure it was too) to paint these figures I can't congratulate you enough on bringing this range to life. I'm eagerly looking forward to see this range grow and prosper.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looking very nice indeed :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. A very exciting endeavour Sören! Best of luck to you!

    I'm looking forward to testing out the rules of course.

    ReplyDelete
  18. THANK YOU all very very much for the nice reception of the French minis! A special thanks to Nick for painting them so well too :0)
    We're entering the last phase of design on packaging and I'm currently working with Alsacian illustrator "Manu" to have uniform plates and other goodies made for the launch. Will keep you all updated, and more is to come very soon!

    Enjoy the Holidays, be safe and see you all soon in the blogosphere!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Soren, I am a big fan of this period in 15mm wargaming, and have been lately getting interested in 28mm skirmish-style games. These would be a great addition to my collection, so I'll definitely be eagerly watching for new releases. Can you please add me to your email list so that I can be informed of the latest news on this range? My email is donw116@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Don, and thank you for the support! Your e-mail has been added, and I'll keep you informed as we get go forward. I'll also be posting regularly on this blog until the webshop is LIVE.

      Delete
  20. I saw those on Nick's blog - very, very impressive line there - as well as painting. They look like 54mm figures.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Soren, I am looking very forward to the release of these figures...have been waiting for someone to do this range in 28mm. I would also like to be considered to test the rules system you are developing. I have been trying to develop company based rules for the 1866-1870 time frame with the zug/platoon being the basic unit. Please keep me informed. Joe Negley josephlnegley@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joe, and thank you very much for getting in touch. I'd be happy to include you in the testing phase of the rules. Will e-mail you during the next few weeks, as we're waiting for some gaming tools to arrive from the printers. Talk to you soon! Regards, Sören

      Delete
    2. Soren, that is excellent news. Thank you for allowing me to contribute. I will be ordering some bases in anticipation of receiving the rules and being able to order the figures...would there be any reason to believe that basing might be similar to what you were working on for your early WWI German tactical thoughts? 4 bases of Kaporalschaft to the zug and three zugs to the company? Would love to get a head start on this, any insight you feel comfortable providing would be appreciated!!! Thanks again. Joe

      Delete
  22. Hello
    You can be sure that i will order the Wave1
    Regards Dirhk from Germnay

    ReplyDelete