Minairons, a new miniatures company

[Lluís of Minairons]

I'm proud to acknowledge you all that, after a lot of months of hard planning and working, a new miniatures company is born and will be fully operational by the end of summer.

It has been christianized as Minairons miniatures and it's aimed at producing fast assembly, multi-scale hard plastic miniatures. Our ranges will usually have a close relationship with the military history of the nations of Iberian Peninsula –with a particular accent on Catalonia, where the brand is born. However, it's our aim that our productions can be used for a wider range of wargaming purposes.

This way, our starting range will consist of a selection of Spanish Civil War fighting vehicles, starting with those among them with a wider use in other Inter-wars conflicts, or even early WWII.

Minairons' first releasing is scheduled by mid-October: the ubiquitous Panzer I A, whose Spanish nickname was “negrillo” (=”blackie”). It will be released in 1/72 scale first, to be re-scaled at 1/100 later –expectedly by Christmas.

PzKpfw I A model kit will consist of a sprue of just 9 parts, with the Breda 20mm gun turret as an optional, tenth part. Kits are to by sold by the box, within each one you'll find 3 sprues as well as a decalsheet with basic markings for making your tank Spanish, German or Chinese.

Production hasn't started yet, for moulds are still being made right now. However, you can see our 1^st and 2^nd generation prototypes at our news blog: http://minairons-news.blogspot.com. Naturally, these are quite crude in report to the hard plastic final product –especially the first one, 3D printed. However, they've been good enough for verifying the model basic characteristics and checking eventual flaws. Those of 2^nd generation have been made of resin and, once painted by the talented Heresy Brush artist, will be used for promotion –that is, to show in this forum for instance!!

Our website is http://www.minairons.eu, but won't be operational until some months' time. In the meanwhile, works progression and news can be watched at our blog, http://minairons-news.blogspot.com as said.

Hope you like it!!

Lluís of Minairons

[Dr. The Viking]

YAY!


EDIT:

Shute.. I thought it was 28mm  

Obviously nice and a very good idea... but not my scale. Plastic 28mm tanks, now that would have been major news.  


They look very lovely though. Nice nice nice.

[Lluís of Minairons]

Dr. The Viking,

Models are digitally designed in a larger than 1/56 scale, so that they could be re-scaled to 1/56 too.

As a matter of fact, we initially planned each model to be released in all 3 sizes (28, 20 and 15mm), but the interest degree created among users of your scale has been lower than expected so far. This has refrained us a bit, admittedly.  

However, re-scaling still keeps being technically possible.  

[Dr. The Viking]

Dr. The Viking,

Models are digitally designed in a larger than 1/56 scale, so that they could be re-scaled to 1/56 too.

As a matter of fact, we initially expected each model to be released in all 3 sizes (28, 20 and 15mm), but the expectation created among users of your scale has been lower than expected so far. This has refrained us a bit, admittedly.  

However, re-scaling still keeps being technically possible.  

Oh I completely understand. I guess Tamiya must be pushing the envelope on plastics in 1/48 a bit hard too.. Although I'd love to get rid of the hassle of:

1) Assembling detailed kits 
2) Assembling ridiculously expensive resin kits, that don't fit together anyhow! 

So I'd be a customer. 

[Arlequín]

Si, yo concuerdo. Plastic tanks in 28mm would have been quite an announcement!

The cost of vehicles in 28mm is quite prohibitive, so a source of vehicles in a potentially cheaper medium, in an easy build format, is very good news. That they would be for the SCW would be even better news.

I anticipate the response here to 'potentially in 1/56' may surprise you! 

[Dave Knight]

I would be in for 28mm

[The Dozing Dragon]

I would be in for 28mm

Oh yes!

[Centaur_Seducer]

I would be in for 28mm

So would I!

[Lluís of Minairons]

Oh wow... I'm feeling as if looking at Pandora's box bottom   

Well, here you are our releasing schedule revised, after our first (and small by numbers) poll on the matter: http://minairons-news.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/first-poll-closed.html.

Cheers,

[flags_of_war]

28mm,28mm,28mm

Can be used for VBCW as well.

[fastolfrus]

Oh wow... I'm feeling as if looking at Pandora's box bottom   

Well, here you are our releasing schedule revised, after our first (and small by numbers) poll on the matter: http://minairons-news.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/first-poll-closed.html.

Cheers,

You could always post another poll on here.

1/100th is fine by me, but I would also like 28mm for VBCW

[Predatorpt]

Ok, another vote for the 1/56-28mm versions of the tanks 

[Dr. The Viking]

Oh wow... I'm feeling as if looking at Pandora's box bottom  

Well, here you are our releasing schedule revised, after our first (and small by numbers) poll on the matter: http://minairons-news.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/first-poll-closed.html.

Cheers,

Maybe scales are just a bit off in Spain!?  

EDIT: I almost feel sorry for this total derailment of what was meant to be the heralding of a new line of toys. Sorry man!

[WillieB]

28mm for sure and if SCW double.

[Lluís of Minairons]

I almost feel sorry for this total derailment

Don't be that optimistic, Dr. The Viking! Not that easy to make me derail... 

It's good for a just born company to dialogue with gamers --even compulsory, I believe. No matter what you can be told, everything is useful provided there's no aim of offending. So no problem 

Wargaming in Spain is currently unbalanced towards 15mm, although it has started changing lately. However, as you can see for our releasings schedule, we haven't got that influenced by this fact --although it keeps having some influence on us, of course.