Hi all , I hope you are well and in a happy place .
I’ve been busy as ever recently with some bigger projects and thus have had a few items like US Army Rifle , HQ and Mortar Platoons listed as out of stock for a short bit ; but they are back ! ..they always were really , but there was a short while where I was manufacturing just to get orders completed .
It has been an interesting and rewarding task for me to ‘custom’ a number of rifle platoons ; particularly the US Army rifle platoons as I have a good selection of figures that when required to lay out “ x18 US Army riflemen” I have twelve sculpts (in helmets) to choose from ; add to this M79 grenadiers , LAWs rockets , M60 gunners , leaders, RTO , medics etc . … and each time I see the Platoon come together .
I’ve had a longstanding goal of being able to offer the US Army Rifle and HQ platoons in “early war” (with M14s predominately) , “Mid war” (essentially what I’m presenting now as a standard packing) , and “late war” (more bush hats and bareheaded figures). I have done this as custom-packing jobs already, (including a two Rifle Company and HQ “early 173rd Airborne” force) , but not really listed these as a regular item because I am flat out as it is with what I am offering already. … but I can do (and enjoy doing ) special packings especially for big orders.
I have recently added a US Army ‘Cavalry Platoon’ as a specialist US Army platoon which is conceptualized to crew a four ACAV-M113 Scout Platoon. This essentially has two components ; the ‘crew’ figures (; M60 gunners , Vehicle commanders and drivers ) and the ‘dismounted’ figures which first prompted the pack. I am looking to divide this pack into these two parts to make them more accessible, intentionally particularly useful for the players who are 3D printing vehicles
I intend to add a US Army ‘Air-Cavalry “Blues” Platoon’ ; of a planned total of about 20 figures (Including casualty figures) ; this has been another longstanding project I want to complete with Flashpoint figures. These will be ‘planned’ / modelled from the book “Unacceptable Loss” which fielded 18-man ‘Scout’ Platoons which were essentially three five man recon patrols (with a M60 each) and a three man Platoon HQ of a Platoon Commander with RTO and Medic .
What I have been mucking around with recently has been the MACV-SOG ‘patrols’ that I had originally planned out as a ; ‘Recon teams / Rescue teams’ pack . ..but after a little bit of outside advice , have now got a few different versions of MACV-SOG patrols planned , an ‘orthodox’ version (with US weapons) an ‘Enemy equipment + uniforms’ version , and a new packing of “Hatchett force Platoon” as a “exploitation” force , or you want to plan for something along the lines of Operation Tailwind. So at the current moment I have plans for two quite different looking MACV-SOG packs and a Hatchett Force Platoon pack for your deniable operational needs.
The MIKE Force Pack and MIKE Force HQ pack will be tweaked to remain a bit different still ; primarily representing the smaller stature Montagnards (with some unique figures) it will be intended to be useful along side the Montagnard CIDG Pack and “fortified Hamlet’ terrain bundle , plus the ‘Green Berets’ pack . The MIKE Force HQ will be intended to add a few heavy weapons and specialists for the bigger jobs that your MIKE Force Companies might be asked to perform, but right now it is a massive 48-figure pack , so it is listed as ‘out of stock’ temporarily to rethink it’s composition so we can make sure it will fit into the helicopter platoon that needs to carry it into battle.
At this moment I have a ‘Popular Force’ Village Patrols pack nearly finished on my painting desk . Nearly at the other end of the spectrum from the boutique special forces packs ; this has been a fundamental rethink of the ‘Ruff-Puffs’ pack. I’ve made a point of re-using some of the figures from the ‘Local Force VC’ pack to represent the ‘Government’s Part-time militia’ who along with the ‘strategic Hamlet fortifications’ terrain bundle will likely spend their tabletop career defending their village from the Commie Hordes. …I’ve actually thought of a gimmick for this pack which I might try out ; two different command groups supplied either by request or at random ; one command group ostensibly pro-Government and the other pro-Communist (the LVC got to get BARs from somewhere). I like how this idea has progressed from feedback from collectors.
I hope this is helpful for seeing the behind-the scenes machinations of what I’ve been up to apart from just manufacturing and filling orders. I have also been active with game design , writing, and trying out some new product ideas, I am using my time well and welcome the friendship , discussion and feedback that you gents keep coming . Even if I don’t know the Markings for Aussie APC Squadrons (I do now) this is exactly the questions and discussions that make this interesting.
Keep it coming .
All the best
Jimmi