This morning I hopped on a manufacturer's site to look for some 15mm PLA figures. Unfortunately, they still haven't added a command group to the product line. This got me thinking about how often companies release incomplete product lines. From their perspective it's probably a chicken and the egg thing...to grow the product line they need sales but sales are difficult if the product line is incomplete.
For moderns I really feel that the following is needed as a minimum for a product line:
- Command Group (guy in classic pointing poise, guy waving the troops forward, looking through binos, guy on radio, etc.)
- Riflemen & GL (standard rifle, some with UGLs)
- Light AT Weapon (AT-4, RPG, SMAW, etc.)
- SAW & GPMG (M250, M249, etc.)
- Light Mortar (e.g. 60mm)
- MPAT (e.g. Javelin ATGM)
This would support gaming from 1:1 up to full company. Add in some medium mortars, AGLs, and HMGs, and you can go up to battalion-level. Snipers with their spotters should also be considered standard.
What's weird is how often product lines miss the basics such as the light AT weapons, light mortars, or even snipers. I usually end up repurposing figures to fill in the holes. One helpful source for such purposes is Peter Pig figures which, at 15mm, can often be painted up to plug gaps in other's product lines. Peter Pig separate weapons are especially helpful here.
Anyway, there's my Wednesday morning rant.