Eagles of Empire Product Focus: BAVARIAN INFANTRY PACK

The box art for the Bavarian Infantry set of 16 minis.

After a very enjoyable Hamburger Tactica, seeing the launch and subsequent complete emptying of the Eagles of Empire products stock, it was time to launch the webshop.

I want to say a big THANK YOU  to all of you who have placed orders online and who came by to talk and get tempted at Tactica. Without your support the range would never have been possible to grow.

First 4 out of the 16. Here you'll find the drummer advancing with the troopers.

Fortunately, we're now in the opposite situation. We've almost sold our entire first production batch in less than 2 weeks after the official online launch. Amazing! All surplus funds have been allocated to new sculpting projects for Wave III coming in September. More about that later.

Second 4 out of 16. The Ensign is among the ranks. 

Bavarian flags will be coming soon to the webshop.

Now, I owe you all some good pictures of the Bavarian Boxed set of 16 minis.

Besides the 16 figures, you'll also find the two squad cards that goes with the coming Eagles of Empire rules.

Each Bavarian Infantry Box breaks down into:

- 1 Officer

- 1 Ensign

- 1 Drummer

- 1 13 Troopers

- 2 Unit Cards for the EoE rules

Third set of 4 out of the 16.
Here is a character cheering along his compatriots for the charge.

I know many of you have been wanting bayonets, particularly for the French, but to some extend also for the Bavarians. They will be casted later as an optional add on. The reason: We want to do production mould of 16 minis, since this fits with our modular squad rule system. If the rifles get too long, extended with long bayonets, the mould will only hold 12 minis max.

Last set of 4 out of the 16. 

The officer is easily recognizable with the slightly larger plume on the helmet.

Now as a little round of, I can mention that we are working on making flags also.

There will be two variations to choose from or to get as a set.

More updates to come soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Eagles of Empire Webshop is LIVE!!!

The webshop is now LIVE, and we're taking orders.

www.eaglesofempire.com

Just came back from Hamburg and Tactica. An amazing experience which deserves its own blog update later in the coming week.

For now I just wanted to thank everyone who have been by the blog and commented on the Eagles of Empire project during the last few months. Your feedback and support have been priceless, and I thank you all for taking the time to share your views and ideas.

NOW - let's play some Franco-Prussian games!!!!

/Sören  

Eagles of Empire; Size Comparison

Size Comparison.
EoE vs. some of the market leaders.

Dear readers, as a last note of the week before we hit the much welcome weekend, I thought I’d post a Size Comparison of the coming Eagles of Empire range next to some of the other quality ranges on the market.

As I’ve mention before, the target was to create a modern range (so 28mm+), which could still be used with many of the other existing brands, like 1866 from Helion and Northstar.

French infantry in close combat

with German cavalry.

I’m a long time Franco-Prussian collector myself, and when I started some 15 years ago, I was only aware of the Foundry range. Thus, I have a lot of metal from this famous producer. The range is still the most extensive on the market, and much credit will have to go to it for the width of coverage it offers. Many, like me will have existing collections from other brands. I think most of us collection Franco-Prussian in 28 will have Foundry and 1866. 

My personal opinion is that the Eagles of Empire miniatures fit very well with 1866 from Helion and Northstar, and could in the case of Prussians easily be mixed together in the same multi-based units.

The Prussian Guards storm St. Private
at the battle of the same name.

For Foundry, I’d say they could go on the same gaming table, but I’d probably based them in different units as the 2-3mm gap does make itself told. On the other side, I have many good wargaming buddies, who like this height difference in their units. As they quite rightly say, real humans are not all the same height, and mixing up the minis will simply add to the realism of the finished unit. 

Anyways, I think we pulled it off quite well. What is your opinion?

Imperial French Line Infantry box previewed

The actual miniatures in a boxed set.

16 French minis forming a skirmish line
 as they receive the German onslaught.

Dear readers, the clock is ticking down fast towards the Eagles of Empire webshop launch on Friday the 26th February. Being a brand new company, Eagles of Empire was fortunate enough to also get a table at the Hamburger Tactica show on the 27th and 28th, giving anyone at the show a chance to see the Wave 1 figures in the flesh. 

Artwork for the Imperial French Line Infantry box.

For those not so lucky as to be at Tactica, I want to make a thorough presentation of what Wave 1 products are being stocked now for the launch. First off, we take a closer look at the 16 different minis in the standard French Line Infantry box. Before getting my camera out, I took a set and washed then down with Nuln Oil, to give you an indication of the incredibly crisp level of details sculptor Ebob managed to get in there.

French "lignard"

Illustration by Manu.

Copyright Eagles of Empire Miniatures.

'The basic set of 16 French Line Infantry will consist of:

- Officer

- Ensign

- Bugler

- NCO

- 6 sitting shooting/loading

- 6 standing shooting/loading

The box will also contain Unit Cards for the coming Eagles of Empire Rules.

Now to the minis:

NCO

Kneeling, firing - no moustache

Standing loading - no moustache

Kneeling, loading - no moustache

Standing, loading - beard

Bugler

Standing, firing - moustache

Kneeling, firing - moustache

Standing, firing - no moustache

Kneeling, scouting for target - moustache

Officer

Kneeling, searching cartridge pouch

Ensign

Kneeling, loading - no moustache

Standing, firing - moustache

Standing, searching cartridge pouch

Thank you very much for stopping by the blog.

Next up a size comparison of the Eagles of Empire range with other ranges!

Release date: Eagles of Empire’s Franco-Prussian Range

Our ad in the Hamburger Tactica Show Magazine.

Dear readers, it’s finally time to reveal the venue and date for the launch of the Eagles of Empire Franco-Prussian Range. After considering the different options, and the timing of our first production, the decision fell on the Hamburger Tactica show.

Meet us at: HAMBURGER TACTICA: 27th - 28th February.

This year’s Hamburger Tactica will be held on over the weekend of 27th-28th of February. Eagles of Empire will have our own trade booth at TABLE 5 in the FOYER EMPORE. 

If you’re at Tactica, come by for a closer look at the newly released minis, we’d love to meet you and talk hobby/history. We’re going to be a few guys there on the trade booth, both English as well as German-speaking.

More of Nick's lovely work on the French Line Infantry.

Naturally we’ll have some great Tactica deals for the launch day event - more on those later. However, many of you have been asking for pricing. So, here’s a little update on prices/shipping.

The webshop orders are picked, packed and handled from the UK, which give us all some of Europe’s lowest postal charges on our orders. A standard box of two squads, incl. bugler/drummer, ensign and officer (a total of 16 minis) will have a RRP of 21 GBP, or ca. 1,31 GBP per miniature. 

Close-Up on the French Line Infantry Bugler.

Besides the minis, each squad box will contain two beautifully printed unit cards along with a generic officer card for use with the coming Eagles of Empire Rules.

More updates will come soon regarding the Wave 1 packages offered at the launch.

Thanks for stopping by for a read!

NEW Franco-Prussian Range – more Greens and Box Art previewed!

New Greens. Left to right:
Bavarian, Prussian and Franc-Trieur de la Presse.

Dear blog followers and fellow Franco-Prussian enthusiasts. I return with more pictures fresh from the sculpting table. Also. this time we focus on the coming Bavarian Infantry box.

Preview: Bavarian box art

16 miniatures in each box. Retail prices will be disclosed shortly.

Each box of Bavarians will include 16 miniatures.

1 officer

1 drummer

1 ensign

13 troopers

The box will also contain a beautifully printed 4-color unit card with the specific unit’s stats. The unit card is a gaming tool, and fits with the coming Eagles of Empire rulebook, which we will preview later on this blog. 

Another view of the new Greens.

Ebob did a cracking job on the details.

The basic unit in the Eagles of Empire rules is a squad of infantry squad. Each squad will be made up by 16 minis, which is what you get in one package. So, the design of the rules will be modularly aligned with how you’re able to build your force.

Bavarian trooper.

Illustration by Manu.

Copyright Eagles of Empire.

The packaging has been designed by yours truly, with illustrations supplied by skilled French graphic artist, Manu. Manu collaborated closely with a Strasbourg-based reenactment group for his work on the uniform plates. Please enjoy.

Bayonets will be available in each pack, giving each collector maximum
options for diversity and animation of the collection.

Next week I will publish our exact release venue and date, which will be in late February. The Eagles of Empire Webshop will go LIVE at the same time as the launch venue, so overseas clients will also be able to get their hands on some of the first packs.

Much more to come here in the blog in the next few week. Be safe out there and stay tuned for further updates.

Warm regards from a snowy Scandinavia,

Sören

New logo, new range and a Happy New Year!

Here is the logo and brand for the coming Franco-Prussian range:

Eagles of Empire Miniatures. (Logo design by French illustrator, Manu.)

Why this name? During the 19th. The seeds of democracy were swept across Europe with the winds of revolution, but so was nationalism and imperialism. All of them were factors leading to a period of immense bloodshed in World history. The Franco-Prussian War set this process in motion, with the Eagle of Imperial France posed against the Prussian Eagle, gathering all the German states under its wings. 

The Churchyard in St. Privat getting stormed by Prussian guardsmen.

The Battle of Gravelotte St. Private.

The result was a united German Empire, which would shift the balance of power in Europe dramatically. A military and political landslide, that would lead the World into two “Great” wars, as young democracies battled totalitarian governments for the direction of Europe. But it was also a colourful period. One often referred to as La belle époque. 

The World Exhibition in London 1851 ringing in many of the technological
discoveries that would shape the later half of the 19th. Cent.

It was a period of Emperors, Kaisers and Tsars. It was a time of marvellous Grand Exhibitions and fantastic technological progress. Steam powered industry gave rise to new mighty weapons, while the telegraph and railroads changed the way that wars would be lead – and won. It was a time when the old collided with the new on the battlefield. 

Steam Power gave birth to the rail roads.

This would forever change the way armies and supplies moved,
and be a factor that could win wars.

I wanted a brand name that would cover all the above and span the period of 1870-1915, which is my main interest in history. I hope you will all give this new brand a warm reception.

As a further update, I can say that work on the release of the Franco-Prussian range continues. All the basics like packaging, webshop and roll-ups for the launch venue are being designed. I’ll share most of it here in previews during the coming weeks.

A parisian boulevard during "La belle époque".

Paris ca. 1900.

However, as this year draws to a close, I’d like to thank some of the people who have made this project possible:

Robert – UK based sculptor, who not only does the amazing sculpting, but who also have been a fantastic advisor on how to construct the range, to optimized it for casting.

Nick – Bavarian based hobbyist and gifted painter. Many of you know his blog already. Those of you who don’t, go have a look. I’ve been painting for more than 25 yrs, and I still find myself learning from his amazing work.

Manu – French illustrator based in Alsace. Manu has supplied all the basic artwork, and took the project on with great enthusiasm. During his work on researching the uniforms, he has been collaborating with a local Alsacian Franco-Prussian reinactor club, spilling him all the hints on how the uniforms really looked like. He has done an amazing job. More on that right here on the blog in the coming weeks.

Gustave Eiffel's tower still stands tall - and so does Paris.

Goodbye 2015 - Happy 2016 everyone!

Thank you all for your invaluable support during the work on Eagles of Empire – and a big thank you to all the blog readers, for your continued interest in my postings.

I wish you all a safe and HAPPY 2016!