SPECTRE miniatures Kickstarter is now live!

[AngusPodgorny1969]

Empress and Spectre appear to be doing it right. Toss in some of the WGF weapons from the survivors sprue for conversions and I think some cool things could happen.

The trend toward more realistic proportions (Red Box, Infinity, WGF, etc) has really affected the way I perceive older figures and the 'chunkier' style. I can barely stand to finish my Crusader Gladiators and even the Perry plastics are starting to feel like bobble-heads.

I think there are extremely valid reasons to NOT produce miniature figures scaled down precisely from real life. For one thing many bits such as rifle barrels would be too thin and easily broken. More importantly, exaggerating key features in miniature makes them easier to see and more identifiable.

This same approach is used in live theatre through the use of stage makeup and has been used in European painting and sculpture throughout history. For example, the vast majority of horses in paintings and sculpture tends to be the size of ponies rather than full scale horses. The reason is that you want to focus on the rider, not the animal. If artists rendered horses in their correct scale relative to the rider then with most statues, when viewed from the ground, all you'd see is the horse's buttocks, rib cage, and rider's boots. His torso and head would be mostly obscured.

In this particular case I don't mind if the entire figure is more realistically scaled compared to, say, the chunky GW or Perry Twin approach.  But the bodies seem to be rendered in that chunky style while the arms and weapons are rendered in a skinny, realistic style.

And for the record, the worst offenders when it comes to pumpkin heads has to be Dixon miniatures. They looked like the characters from the Peanuts cartoons. 

[marcusluis]

Any ideas for vehicles to go with this ? Would it just be technicals and light amourd vehicles??

[Col. Aubrey Bagshot]

There is a HUGE range of really good diecast vehichles out there...
From obscure military ones from Afghan, to everyday cars and pickups....
Far far better choice than any game manufacturer...

Ebay is your friend...

[Rob_bresnen]

Any ideas for vehicles to go with this ? Would it just be technicals and light amourd vehicles??

Your not going to want any MBT or serious armour as its only a squad based rules set

For Technicals try Britannia miniatures Somali range or Empress.
S and S, Sloppy Jallopy, and Airfix 1:48 are also good. Some old outmoded armour is still in use in Africa- even T34/85...so you might want to look at cold war or even ww2 ranges.

I would agree about the diecast too. I have used some - I find the Disney Cars range has a good 1/50 scale to them, and some of them are quite easy to convert. Some of them have an odd scale about them- exaggerated for comics effect, so it is bested to have a good look first before you buy.

Here is a link to my painted diecast...http://ultramoderngaming.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Die-cast

[Brummie Thug]

Interesting Review.

http://miniaturestrategy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/spectre-operations-infantry-rules-review.html

[Spectre Miniatures]

We've just added some new stretch goals for to our campaign. It's the last 7 days, so if you want any of our figures months before they are on general sale become a backer now!

[Wyrmalla]

I'm still holding off on throwing money at this Kickstarter (though I definitely will), but I like those new pledges. If you don't make those stretch goals will limited edition models be made available after the Kickstarter? Heh, and wasn't that technical £30 when it first went up?

[commissarmoody]

I like the Nigerians and really dig the ISA operator.

[marcusluis]

What is ISA??

[Witchsmeller]

Intelligence Support Activity, often just refered to as "The Activity".

[Spectre Miniatures]

I'm still holding off on throwing money at this Kickstarter (though I definitely will), but I like those new pledges. If you don't make those stretch goals will limited edition models be made available after the Kickstarter? Heh, and wasn't that technical £30 when it first went up?

Well if you were a backer or followed our Facebook page you would see our updates 

[juergen c. olk]

great looking greens,especially like the Nigerian  soldiers,now if they could only stop Boko-Haram. http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ModernAfricanBushwars

[Wyrmalla]

Well if you were a backer or followed our Facebook page you would see our updates 

Oh, I do have a gander at your Facebook page every now and then, but I'm not all consumedly interested that I can check every update unfortunately. So, for the benefit of those asking the same question on the Dakka Dakka thread about your Kickstarter, will Kickstarter Exclusive miniatures, like the Technical, be available at any point after the Kickstarter (notably where stretch goals aren't met too)? As the point has been posed that, at least in the case of that particular vehicle, it would seem a bit odd that they wouldn't be available in any form (not necessarily how you have the vehicle outfitted at present) in the future.

[Spectre Miniatures]

Oh, I do have a gander at your Facebook page every now and then, but I'm not all consumedly interested that I can check every update unfortunately. So, for the benefit of those asking the same question on the Dakka Dakka thread about your Kickstarter, will Kickstarter Exclusive miniatures, like the Technical, be available at any point after the Kickstarter (notably where stretch goals aren't met too)? As the point has been posed that, at least in the case of that particular vehicle, it would seem a bit odd that they wouldn't be available in any form (not necessarily how you have the vehicle outfitted at present) in the future.

The Kickstarter exclusive figures will only ever be available by being a backer of the KS - regardless of whether the goal is met or not (if it's not met, they won't be cast). 
With the technical it is harder to say.  If it is made available after the KS it likely will not be for some time and it may be manufactured slightly differently.
It all depends on whether there is the demand for it. If the technical goal isn't reached it won't be printed or cast as that would be very big expense to produce something that we haven't been guaranteed there is the demand for.

[Wyrmalla]

Ah, thanks for the clarification on that. Its unfortunate to hear that you want be putting any models that don't meet their goals into production, but I suppose that's just how it is. Oh, I can understand about the Technical, and yes, it is expensive to produce vehicle kits. Hopefully there is some demand for it however, though I don't know anything about the sales of vehicles by similar manufacturers, so that's difficult for me to judge beyond my personal opinion. Frankly at this point I haven't backed your kickstarter yet as I'm judging whether I want to go in for those exclusive models at an extra £32 (though that's discounted the extra four sets of miniatures). I'm definitely in, but my little head can't decide just how much for. Good work with the Kickstarter so far of course mind. ^^

Oh, and I have been wondering, would you make the weapons the infantry are using available separately at some point? I mean if there's interest of course? I think I've said before here, but finding loose modern weapons can be a right bother, though whether doing so would be any profit to you I don't know. Given that your models are metal I suppose the separate weapons wouldn't be much benefit to those wanting to use them on those in particular due to possible difficulties in modifying them, so weapons packs may wind up only being used with third part models and as terrain.