Bolt Action Modern Rules v2.0

...as I'm bored waiting for figures to be moulded and sculpted, I've been mooching around the forums and spotted these on TMP and some bat reps for it on LAF. Looks promising!

http://jayswargamingmadness.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/bolt-action-modern-version-20-rules.html

Boxed up for the caster...

...are the W79 latest sculpts, PLUS:

African Union (AMISOM) troops - 6 for starters.

The IDF, finally.  Chapo on the right was one of the very first sculpts done last Autumn.  Cripes, time flies...  12 of these guys, enough for 3 fire teams (based on a TOE of 3x3 fire teams)

US Army for mid 80s Cold War - 16 altogether inc Pl Cmd

And some Soviet VDV sculpts  - the first 5 of 12.

The AU, IDF and US are up for pre-order with a target date for general release of 1 July (pre-order customers are likely to get them before that).

www.mikebravominiatures.com

W79 BravoGoGo Progress Report

Quick update on sculpts to date:

Squaddies in flak vests:

Notes: Sterling stock being adjusted, Bren having its magazine swapped to make it an L4, GPMG gunner being adjusted to make the pistol grip more prominent.

BONUS: Random Sterling toting type without a flak vest (precis of future variants, not a commissioning mistake, honest...)

(And the original 5 squaddies: )

Armed Police:

Note: Chap with the Sterling will have his helmet swapped with one of the better ones.

Armed Civilians:

Notes: These are a little under dressed for Winter '79 so a set of variants in colder weather gear will appear alongside these.

The originals from the BravoGoGo:

Armed Detectives:  (to be joined by a third in due course...)

The Iron Lady:

 Paramilitaries:

(and the original PIRA:)

Next up in the production queue: The rest of the paramilitaries.

...just about still alive...

...I thought whooping cough and gone out with the dodos, but it seems my lot have other ideas about that.  Joy.  So much for inoculations...

But in brighter news for W79:

We'll be picking the best helmet, refining it and casting that up to use on all of the bobbies.  Future variants once these are cast up will have small arms, and possibly some with truncheons.  W79 Squaddies are next on the sculpting desk.

And as for the IDF and Russians and stuff...

Tracking event history

25/04/2016 23:19   Held for clearance

25/04/2016 20:10 Departed from overseas mail centre

25/04/2016 20:08 Arrived overseas

22/04/2016 10:21 Left New Zealand

Still alive...

So financial year end, work, and easter holidays have kept me quiet.  Sorry folks!  Bits and bobs happening behind the scenes but need to get back into the swing of things.

Some things Anton has been working on for us:

Some WIP shots of things Robi has been working on for us in support of the W79 crowdfunder:

Expecting a parcel from NZ fairly shortly with the IDF and Soviets so they will be getting into moulds soon along with the US (finally).  Although I'm sure I've said that before...

TTFN.

www.mikebravominiatures.som

Building Free Borchester (Part 1)

I returned from Hammerhead back in March with a bag of loot from Sally4th's British photorealistic terrain range: 

One of their forthcoming terrace houses with cut-through, a corner shop, and 4 terraced houses:

Which when unpacked look something like this.

And after 2 hours of turgid international friendly football, look something like this:

The skip is from a 1:50 toy on eBay, and the car is a Corgi Vanguards 1/43 Austin Allegro.  Figures by Mike Bravo Miniatures, painted by Battle Studios.

I'm impressed with these so far - very quick and simple to assemble, and an easy way to fill an urban table.  The roofs lift off (and internal floors are available) so it'll lead to a very interactive gaming table (that could also have multiple uses such as Dad's Army WW2, VBCW, and back to the Victorian era).  

They come with a rear courtyard with different outbuildings depending on the kit, and Sally4th do a set of roads and pavements that'll set it all off very nicely.  The buildings themselves can be painted, or Sally4th produce a set of photorealistic covers that can be printed off (or bought) and stuck on.  This looks a fiddly process, but having seen the finished product at Hammerhead, it should look very smart (and far better than my painting efforts!).  Highly recommended so far.

Next step is to print off and stick on the photorealistic covers that Sally4th produce for these kits.  Also on order is a telephone box from Grekwood Miniatures, a postbox and some street lighting from Fenris Games,  some scatter brick material from Juweela, and another car or two.

W79 BravoGoGo Update: First new sculpts

So proving the concept kind of works, the following two new sculpts are the first funded figures to come off the workbench:

These will be supplied either as shown, or with balaclavas (which will be identical save that we will sculpt on a balaclava, and maybe a different pistol for variety)

NB - depending on funds at the end of the campaign, we may do bareheaded variants for all of the paramilitaries, or at the very least offer heads for DIY conversions.

What's a BravoGoGo?  Why, didn't you know?  Winter of '79 BravoGoGo Campaign

W79 Paint Jobs

From Steve Evans of http://www.battlestudios.co.uk/:

By Adam Cooper of http://www.mountainofmetal.co.uk/  (Courtesy of Wayne Bollands/Adam)

Remembering what kicked this whole thing off... 28mm African Union

4 down, 2 to go...

BravoGoGo -Winter of '79

Bravo Go! Go! Winter of '79
As an experimental alternative to running a KS, I'm giving a discounted pre-order scheme a bit of a run out. Pre-order the next batch of our '79 Brits and Paramilitaries and not only do you help get the following batches of armed police and armed civilians closer to being produced (ie within a couple of months rather than waiting into the summer), but you get a healthy discount on the RRP AND you get a free Iron Lady as a thank you for essentially taking a big leap into the unknown*.

Main Goals:

• Further Brits to bring them up to Section strength with platoon command
• More Paramilitaries to bring additional poses and support options

'Stretch' Goals:

• Armed Police & Detectives
• Post-punk Armed Civilians
• SAS/Close Observation Patrol with US weapons

The Brits and Paramilitaries are all in various stages of being sculpted, but I'm waiting on an ETA for those and the follow on stretch targets (hence this is still in a 'soft launch' phase).

This scheme will run from now until about the end of March. If by then any of the stretch targets aren't in a position to be completed, 'backers' will have the option to take a refund or wait it out.

More info, targets, concept photos (where applicable) and in time the WIP shots, available here:

https://www.mikebravominiatures.co.uk/collections/bravogo-go-new-winter-of-79

Brits & 4 Paramilitaries on the workbench:

*Those who pre-ordered previously will get her too with their next order.

Iron Man, Wild Goose...

  

28mm Mercenary Officer for W79 Private Armies and Overseas Ops

Coming soon

www.mikebravominiatures.com

Fame or Infamy? WI Review

http://wargamesillustrated.co.uk/

"PROS: All the figures are well sculpted, arrived as very clean castings and have suitably realistic poses. They have a touch of character on each one, whether moustaches, facial expression or stance."

"CONS: These could be seen as quite a controversial range..."

Hmmm, perhaps I'd best stop Google Image searching the Baader-Meinhoff Group...!

Stock & Diecasts

So, the first stocks of the War Correspondents and the first packs of W79 Paramilitaries and Brits are in...

www.mikebravominiatures.com

Limited stocks available for now but more are on order.

PLUS: I will shortly open pre-orders for the rest of the Brits and Paramilitaries.  As these aren't quite ready for release, so these will be at a healthy discount*.  PLUS there may be an exclusive free figure available to tempt you in.  Call it our version of a Kickstarter.  [*The intrepid souls who pre-ordered our initial release will have this backdated]

I've also been on eBay for diecasts, with mixed results:

Solido 1/55 Gazelle:

Dinky 1/60 Saracen & Bedford:

Akula Miniatures 1/56 SWB Series II Landrover* & Corgi 1/50 Bedford S type (repaint)  [The Corgi Bedford is originally in blue Tetley brewery livery, and is the wrong model for Army use, but as a requisitioned or rebel vehicle??]

MAtchbox "1/56" VW Golf and ??? "1/60" Mini Cooper

*Tjhe akula Landrover isn't an eBay diecast, but from here: http://apocisland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/welcome-to-akulas-apocalypse-island.html

Latest IDF: GTARs

Just one more IDF chap to go and then the first set of 12 will be complete and whizzing it's way to Blighty.

Just a reminder that we have our webshop open at www.mikebravominiatures.co.uk/

And in other news, IDF progress

IMI Negevs.

I'm hopeful that these and the other IDF and Cold War US will be on the plane from NZ by the end of the week.  

Three more IDF sculpts to get through then it's onto...  African Union (finally - they are all I originally set out to do,  Talk about mission creep...)

Mike Bravo Miniatures Web Store

Winter of '79 Ruleset released

Check out the latest news from Caliver:  Living on the Frontline

And as for us, plans are afoot for more Brits:

No flak jackets yet as we'll do variants with & without.  No heads yet either - we should probably take the opportunity to so some headwear variants then yes?

And what guns?  SLRs, GPMG, Bren planned.  Sterling option for the radio op (or an SLR if you want to be cruel).  Some standalone Sterlings?

(incidentally, does anyone know what dog handlers carried? Just a sidearm?)

And a quick plug that the web shop is open for pre-orders:  Mike Bravo Miniatures Web Store

Thanks
Dan