Brigade Models

Our 6mm range is pretty big – something like 250 product codes. That said, we haven’t added much to it other than buildings and scenery for a little while, concentrating on the 15mm range, and I think maybe some of the smaller scale gamers have been feeling a little left out while the bigger guys get all the fancy new kit. Fear not – 6mm is back with a bang !

We’ve taken the 15mm Mercenary range, expertly designed for us by Zac Braham and Kirk Alderfer, and transmogrified them into miniature versions of themselves (although the Sohei is still a brute in 6mm !).

They’ve been scaled to 1/3rd the size of the 15mm originals, and you can see the comparison in the photo of the Shaman. The only model we don’t have from the 15mm set is the Mantra, as I haven’t worked out how to do the top screen yet. I also have my doubts at how well the Warlock will cast, that may need a redesign as a 2-part turret, but we’ll see.

I like days like today – it’s a brisk spring day, not too cold, so I can do some resin casting outside (but not so warm that the resin sets too fast, which can be a problem in the summer). The cat’s basking in the sunshine on the deck and the bantams are ruining the lawn looking for worms while I create ever more stock in advance of Salute – which is now exactly one month away.

So to the point of today’s post, which is more Salute previews. This time we have some new 15mm vehicles, more scale-ups from the 6mm range. Our range of 80+ models encompasses grav, GEV, blowers, wheeled and tracked vehicles – and now half-tracks. We’ve created 15mm versions of our Polish Suwalski range of half-tracks, which have a very Eastern-European feel to them (mixed with a bit of Wehrmacht). Like their 6mm cousins, the Poles use a lot of German weapons and technology and the vehicles are mainly equipped with similar turrets to the Lynx APC.

This is the basic APC with a twin MG turret, roof hatches so the infantry can fire from cover and a rear exit door.

Secondly, here’s a turreted version with an autocannon. The back of the hull is sloped and carries a spare wheel.

Alternatively, this can also carry a missile turret

The final version is the fire support model, which has a built up superstructure over the troop compartment and is armed with either a light infantry support howitzer or an long-barrelled anti-tank gun (note that the AT gun isn’t properly fitted into the model, I didn’t want to force it in too tight and damage the master !).

For heavier firepower, the Poles use the Maczek medium tank. This is a German Thor hull with a new turret, fitted with the same 9.5cm DS gun as the British Apollo but with Polish sights.

As if that wasn’t enough – here’s another gem. This is an up-gunned version of the popular Mercenary Shaman tank. I’ve given it the DS gun from the Sohei, extended the turret bustle by doing away with the stowage rack and added an extra sensor bubble where the remote gun mount was. It’s known as the Shaman Firefly … This is a photo of the first master on a painted hull, but unfortunately this is a duff print (the back of the turret has sunk a bit) so we’re waiting on a new copy before it can be moulded.