Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pikes, Muskets and Flouncy Shirts => Topic started by: Paul @ Empress Miniatures on January 26, 2022, 11:10:08 AM
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We are proud to announce the release of an Empress Miniatures Thirty Year War range.
This is a bit of grand claim as we actually purchased the range from Bohemian Miniatures. As its sculpted by Paul Hicks it logical to bring it into our Empress stables alongside the other thoroughbreds. 😉
The range covers foot, both pike and musket as well as artillery crew, various cavalry types from fully armoured cavalry down to dragoons.
For the first batch of releases we have command, pike and musket. Some of these are shown here.
Moving forward there will be more releases in the coming weeks so stay tuned.
The good news is that these figures work with both the 1898 Miniatures TYW range and the Empress Miniatures ECW range. We have attached a picture showing some good examples.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/empress-miniatures...
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A comparison shot showing from left to right;
Empress Miniatures ECW - 1898 TYW - Empress TYW
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Some more. But there are more than shown here in the shop.
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Oh. My. Goodness. :-*
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I bought a fair few of these miniatures from Emil when he was running Bohemian Troops/Horcata : it's nice to see them back in production as I need more.
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By the way Paul, do you have plans to bring this pikeman back from the dead ? Emil discontinued him a while ago but he is a very nice figure and I would like to purchase a few more. Dunno if you have the master casting and mould for him though :
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By the way Paul, do you have plans to bring this pikeman back from the dead ? Emil discontinued him a while ago but he is a very nice figure and I would like to purchase a few more. Dunno if you have the master casting and mould for him though :
Yes we have him and quite a lot of others that were discontinued or possibly never released. I am just sorting out some moulds to make things easy to manufacture and so satisfy demand. This chap is waiting in the wings to be released.
So far we have only released about 30% of what we have plus we have some 'new' stuff to add such as horses and artillery to offer a complete package.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as things get released.
If the range is commercial then it will be developed pretty quickly with a new heads added etc, to give some choice and create better looking large units.
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Are you able to do a comparison image of the new range against Bloody Miniatures, Redoubt and/or Bicorne? Proportionately they look much alike so it’d be very useful to see how the sizing works. Realistically, I have more than enough of the limited poses from Redoubt/Bicorne so I’m wondering if these would also work in the mix.
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Nice stuff and very TYW. Must admit, I’ve said “no new periods” this year but very tempted (note to self “must finish at least one project before I start a new one”!).
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Are you able to do a comparison image of the new range against Bloody Miniatures, Redoubt and/or Bicorne? Proportionately they look much alike so it’d be very useful to see how the sizing works. Realistically, I have more than enough of the limited poses from Redoubt/Bicorne so I’m wondering if these would also work in the mix.
Sorry no idea as I do not have any of the ranges you mention to do a comparison. Cheers, paul
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Sorry no idea as I do not have any of the ranges you mention to do a comparison. Cheers, paul
That’s a shame but thanks. :)
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That’s a shame but thanks. :)
Here is a quick snapshot:
Redoubt-Renegade/Bicorne-Bloody-Bohemia/Empress
(https://i.postimg.cc/8PFCQmng/4-FA733-C5-0-F22-432-C-93-AC-0-E9-CDD7-FBE8-B.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Tp6xng6t)
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Not too bad then. Its the musket size thats the most important comparison and they seem similar. ;)
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Agreed :)
Here is a quick snapshot:
Redoubt-Renegade/Bicorne-Bloody-Bohemia/Empress
(https://i.postimg.cc/8PFCQmng/4-FA733-C5-0-F22-432-C-93-AC-0-E9-CDD7-FBE8-B.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Tp6xng6t)
Thanks for the photo; much appreciated 8)
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I think they all go well together with the same variation in height and heft as among us all. If I look across all the ECW/TYW miniatures I have I would say that Redoubt are taller and slimmer. Bloody/Renegade/Bicorne beefier/bigger but the same height as Redoubt. Bohemia/Empress, TAG and Perry very similar in height and heft but shorter than the other two. The odd one is really Foundry that are notably less in height. Anyway, I mix them all :)
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They are lovely minis, great to have them in the UK.
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Great addition to the Empress "stable", really good news about all those discontinued and unreleased figures - should lead to much excitement :o
www.gallopingmajorwargames.co.uk (http://www.gallopingmajorwargames.co.uk)
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I'm delighted to see the range back, and in safe hands. I've bought loads of these figures in the past, and no doubt I'll continue to do so.
Paul: may I make a plea? I'd love to see you expand the range - a light cavalry officer was one figure I asked Emil to commission for years - and if you do decide to expand it, please ask Paul Hicks to do the sculpting. I know that you have a relationship with Paul and it would be wonderful to have more figures sculpted by the man who sculpted the original range.
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Great addition to the Empress "stable", really good news about all those discontinued and unreleased figures - should lead to much excitement :o
www.gallopingmajorwargames.co.uk (http://www.gallopingmajorwargames.co.uk)
Cheers ;)
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I'm delighted to see the range back, and in safe hands. I've bought loads of these figures in the past, and no doubt I'll continue to do so.
Paul: may I make a plea? I'd love to see you expand the range - a light cavalry officer was one figure I asked Emil to commission for years - and if you do decide to expand it, please ask Paul Hicks to do the sculpting. I know that you have a relationship with Paul and it would be wonderful to have more figures sculpted by the man who sculpted the original range.
We do not mix figure sculptors in ranges and so the ranges that Paul has sculpted for Empress he will continue to sculpt. This policy has been in place since we started 14 years ago and will therefore continue.
Will we actually sculpt more figures? That's the plan although it is dependant on interest and therefore sales. In short buy them and make it worth our investment. ;)
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glad to hear the ex-bohemian miniatures range will be expanded. It will be nice to see more diversity in the pikemen and musketeers so we can build units easier.
personally I am hoping for a few more pikemen in the vertical/upright pose.
jim
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Paul: I acknowledge that you know infinitely more about marketing a range of figures than I do but.....I wonder whether you might get a better idea of the range's potential if you were to bring out a few new figures. Looking back, I think Emil's first batch of figures came out in 2010 or 2011 and the last new figures came out in 2018. You might find that existing collectors have already bought quite a few of these figures and really need some new poses to encourage them to buy again. Just a thought.
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Or at least new heads! (Separate head set I mean...)
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Paul: I acknowledge that you know infinitely more about marketing a range of figures than I do but.....I wonder whether you might get a better idea of the range's potential if you were to bring out a few new figures. Looking back, I think Emil's first batch of figures came out in 2010 or 2011 and the last new figures came out in 2018. You might find that existing collectors have already bought quite a few of these figures and really need some new poses to encourage them to buy again. Just a thought.
I wouldn't bet on your opinion of my marketing expertise lol
Don't worry we will be doing head changes to increase variations but main line new complete sculpts may take a little longer to come through. ;)
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and if you do decide to expand it, please ask Paul Hicks to do the sculpting. I know that you have a relationship with Paul and it would be wonderful to have more figures sculpted by the man who sculpted the original range.
I'll most heartily second that idea!
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By the way Paul, do you have plans to bring this pikeman back from the dead ? Emil discontinued him a while ago but he is a very nice figure and I would like to purchase a few more. Dunno if you have the master casting and mould for him though :
This figure is now released just for you.
Others can also buy it ;)
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Now that's what I call service.
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Now that's what I call service.
lol lol lol
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Some more releases in the shop.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/empress-miniatures-thirty-year-war-150-c.asp
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Artillery crew.
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Also sold individually.
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And the medium cannon.
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Today we have some more releases for the Empress Miniatures Thirty Year War range.
This time some cavalry and horses. Staying with the Bohemian Miniatures logic of selling figures individually and the riders on their own we have also added horses for the range which were never provided and save customers ordering them from elsewhere.
Life is just too complicated to mess around.😉
Still more to follow in the coming weeks.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/empress-miniatures...
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:)
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o_o
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:-I
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Oh b4gger…. Here comes another new period. (Love the trumpeteer!). Lovely to see many of them so distinct from ECW.
I know a lot of people looking at these will be thinking Lutzen/Breitenfield etc but I’m wondering about Rocroi or the Franco-Spanish battles in Italy in the 1630’s? Time to dig the books out…
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The cuirassier firing his pistol on his rearing horse is superb :-*
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Thanks chaps :-*
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Iirc the minis had separate/attachable swords but I saw on Facebook you say they are now single piece, swords now fixed?
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These are lovely :-* The horses are some of the best sculpted,and it is nice to see a horse standing,very useful :)
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Awesome sauce indeed! I already have a regiment of the Bohemian cuirassiers, but it is very tempting to get more on the new horses. I really like the option to have cuirasssiers on standing horses; I like them to look look a steady reserve, waiting for their crucial moment. The more dynamic horses also look great, who can resist a general waving his sword on a rearing horse?! So pleased to have this further option for the TYW again 👍.
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Iirc the minis had separate/attachable swords but I saw on Facebook you say they are now single piece, swords now fixed?
Nothing has changed. Some have attached swords some come as a separate item. ;)
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Cheers guys. We still have a few more figures to release. Just sorting out moulds and stock levels. :)
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Wow, those are some fantastic horses!
So good that I'm wondering if I can make use of them in other periods, with a little conversion work....
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Lovely horses. I too wanted my Bohemian cuirassiers on standing horses, and I really struggled to find some good ones. I eventually settled on Calpe horses because they're nice horses and have lots of variety but, because they're designed for the Napoleonic era, the horse furniture isn't accurate for the seventeenth century. I just decided to live with that. They're also quite wide at the shoulder and need some work to make them fit. Now you're giving us another option, and I suspect that I'll be using your horses for another unit or two. Apart from your standing horses I really like the rearing one and the horse sat back on its haunches.
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Some more releases for our 28mm Thirty Years War range.
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My favourite is the Falstaff inspired musketeer.
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Great looking minis there!
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All fabulous 👍
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My favourite is the Falstaff inspired musketeer.
Agreed :-) he's a belter.
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Agreed :-) he's a belter.
Probably because we know a few like him lol lol lol lol
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Probably because we know a few like him lol lol lol lol
Bitch lol
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Bitch lol
lol
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This is a great range. Do I remember correctly that you might add some head variants to increase flexibility? Some Morions on the (upright) pike would be nice.
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This is a great range. Do I remember correctly that you might add some head variants to increase flexibility? Some Morions on the (upright) pike would be nice.
I agree with jcspqr that more head variants with Spanish / Imperial Morion helmets would be warmly received.
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Very nice figures.
Cheers,
CB
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On the subject of potential additions to the range, a couple of cavalry officers (one for the cuirassiers and one for the arquebusiers) would come in really handy as Emil never got around to commissioning them despite many appeals by yours truly - and quite a few others no doubt. This was the most obvious gap in the original Bohemian Troops range in terms of basic figure types. The only mounted officer available so far is the bloke in 3/4 armour wearing a hat and he is obviously meant to be a general rather than a generic cavalry officer.
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I second Arthur's suggestions.
I know that Emil was also hoping to bring out some advancing and some marching figures.
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Any chance of some Dumas style musketeers?
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Any chance of some Dumas style musketeers?
I agree we need some French (lots of ribbons / feathers, silks) cassoque musketeers ( their first use in battle was at the Susa Pass 1629) ;)
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I was thinking of four gentlemen in particular........
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If I were a manufacturer, I'd consider some French for Rocroi. I don't recall anyone ever having made any. I'd be reluctant to bring out a specific Three Musketeers range, however, because Brigade Games already makes some nice 28mm Three Musketeers figures, and I'd wonder whether any I had sculpted would be significantly better. Does anyone know who sculpted the Brigade Games range? Is it Paul Hicks?
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I have the Brigade musketeers but to be honest I think there is still room for improvement. They are a little generic for me.
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The musketeers are also covered by Redoubt and Steve Barber. I have also seen a few 3D print options.
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If I were a manufacturer, I'd consider some French for Rocroi. I don't recall anyone ever having made any. I'd be reluctant to bring out a specific Three Musketeers range, however, because Brigade Games already makes some nice 28mm Three Musketeers figures, and I'd wonder whether any I had sculpted would be significantly better. Does anyone know who sculpted the Brigade Games range? Is it Paul Hicks?
For me Paul, aside the King's Guard - Mousquetaire du Roi (dragoons / musketeers) and Richelieu's Guard - Fusiliers ŕ cheval de son Eminence (dragoons / musketeers), I would love to see French TYW figures from 1620's onwards, as many wore the cassoque and there was a look and feel to them that made them stand out from opposing troops at the time. There's also the swiss - heavily armoured pikemen front and rear ranks, they would be a nice touch too.
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Yes, that would be interesting and, so far as I'm aware, never manufactured before.
My guess, however, is that if Empress decide to expand the range (which, of course, I hope they will), they'll start by adding some more figures which match the existing ones and see how the range sells before branching out into figures for different countries. Personally, I'd love to see some historically accurate, Paul Hicks - sculpted, Swedes, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Personally, I'd love to see some historically accurate, Paul Hicks - sculpted, Swedes, but I'm not holding my breath.
I'll second that!!!
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Re TYW French, I think 1898 Miniaturas still intend to get to them in the fullness of time : they were definitely on the cards when the expansion of the TYW range was last mentioned a year ago or so and Javier Gómez stated that it was his intention to provide opposition for his Tercio range. The Spaniards have yet to be added to (1898 Miniaturas don't have artillery yet) but the plan seemed to move on to the French as soon as the Spanish part of the range was completed. 1898 Miniaturas being a small company, this is probably not going to happen very quickly (they are currently focusing on their French colonial range with some very nice Moroccan cavalry coming up in the next weeks/months) but unless the plans have changed, the French should happen one day.
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Thanks for all of the interest in this range. We have finally finished releasing the original range in all its glory and so can moving forward look at what we do next with it. What ever we do it has to be commercial for obvious reasons.
The three musketeer suggestions are logical as is developing the current figures by adding more variants and finishing off the groupings. For example more pike types and cavalry variants. It all sadly and rather frustratingly takes time however.
We also sell the 1898 range and there is a logic in dove tailing the ranges and trying not to cover off the same figure types. I know that the guys are working on the Spanish/ French part of the conflict (arguably the most interesting?) but there are a lot of other areas to cover.
Here is todays release.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/empress-miniatures-thirty-year-war-150-c.asp
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Will I be able to see some of these at Partizan on Sunday? I'm curious to see the sizes of the horses in person.
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Yes we will have the range. Just ask as they are not on display as such.
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Yes we will have the range. Just ask as they are not on display as such.
Thanks that would be great.
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Paul: I think there is another cuirassier - part of Emil's first release. He is wearing the same armour as TYW40 but he's facing forwards and he's carrying his pistol pointing upwards. I'd send you a photo but all my examples have had conversion work done to them.
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Paul: I think there is another cuirassier - part of Emil's first release. He is wearing the same armour as TYW40 but he's facing forwards and he's carrying his pistol pointing upwards. I'd send you a photo but all my examples have had conversion work done to them.
I will have a look ;)
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He would be the chap on the left :
(https://www.horcata.eu/picture/2/tyw-heavy-cav-1-jpg/)
(https://www.horcata.eu/picture/2/heavy-cav-3-jpg/)
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Yes indeed. He wasn't available from Emil for quite a while, for some reason.
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Thanks for all of the interest in this range. We have finally finished releasing the original range in all its glory and so can moving forward look at what we do next with it. What ever we do it has to be commercial for obvious reasons.
The three musketeer suggestions are logical as is developing the current figures by adding more variants and finishing off the groupings. For example more pike types and cavalry variants. It all sadly and rather frustratingly takes time however.
We also sell the 1898 range and there is a logic in dove tailing the ranges and trying not to cover off the same figure types. I know that the guys are working on the Spanish/ French part of the conflict (arguably the most interesting?) but there are a lot of other areas to cover.
Here is todays release.
https://www.empressminiatures.com/empress-miniatures-thirty-year-war-150-c.asp
There's a whole other conflict* these can be used for and one just as interesting and certainly a lot more exotic than the TYW. these are well suited to the Dutch-Portuguese War, which spanned much of the globe and a time span of 40 years. With the judicious use of some other ranges including the Empress ECW and 1898 Miniaturas TYW ranges you can cover off much of what you need for the world's first global conflict.
* Yeah , I know that can be mixed in to ECW armies as well.
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He would be the chap on the left :
(https://www.horcata.eu/picture/2/tyw-heavy-cav-1-jpg/)
(https://www.horcata.eu/picture/2/heavy-cav-3-jpg/)
Well done Arthur.
Found the sucker hiding in a master mould. Will get some in stock ASAP. ;)
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Now released.
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Great. Order placed.
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Lovely :-*
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Cheers guys :-*
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This must be the last figure from the original Bohemian Troops range you had not released yet. I don't think there are any others left, unless Emil had unreleased sculpts he never previewed.
Time to gently persuade Herr Hicks to sculpt a few more TYW miniatures, methinks - say those cavalry officers we've been pestering you about for a while for instance