Mike Bravo Miniatures: Updates etc (28mm Moderns)

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Hello!  

This is a heads-up thread to preview (and seek input on) a number of upcoming 28mm Post WW2 ranges that I'll be releasing over the next 3-12 months as a new start-up business.

In the spirit of 'Go Big or Go Home', my aim is to commission a comprehensive 'main effort' range together with several smaller side shows over the next 12 months.  Initial plans (and feel free to tell me that I'm bonkers) are:

• Arab-Israeli Conflicts - three broad eras being Yom Kippur, Lebanon and current era IDF, with Syrian/Egyptian troops for the 1970s and PLO/Militia for the 1980s to present. We will also probably do some vehicle crews too...
• Current era African Union troops (based on Uganda PDF)
• Entebbe era Ugandan troops
• 'Wild Geese' suitable Mercs and generic sub-saharan rebels/militia
• 1970s British in short sleeve order and obligatory 'taches (think Cyprus 1974 etc)

As far as possible these will have swappable heads to increase utility (eg IDF to SADF etc)

I have an excellent sculptor on board who will be kept busy with the Arab-Israeli ranges for the next year and beyond probably, and I'll take on a second sculptor to help cover the rest in parallel.

Moving into mid 2016 I'd like to kick off a second main range to complement the Arab-Israeli lines - if only to generate cash to pay off my flights of fancy like the Cyprus Brits (an itch I need to scratch as I was an army brat on Cyprus and my old man was serving there during the invasion), so thinking caps on...?    I'm also open to ideas for little side projects / gap fillers?  I want to crowd source the ranges as much as possible so that we cover what people want to see (both in ranges and poses).

Our first commercial release will be a set of 4 war correspondents so that we can test run the sales/fulfilment side of things - these are currently at the armature stage, and should have final greens in 2-3 weeks.

The next commission will be the first of our 2014 IDF, which is at the final planning stage (follow up post to come).

If the mods permit, I'll keep this thread updated with greens and WIP reports, and to take suggestions/feedback etc.  Our blog will also be reasonably up-to-date with progress too.

So, err, watch this space??!

UPDATE 23/8: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=81476.msg1004111#msg1004111

UPDATE 24/8: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=81476.msg1004634#msg1004634

[Marine0846]

Boy, you are not half-stepping are you.
Lots of very cool figures could be on their way, fairly soon.
Great idea about the war correspondents, hope to see the greens soon.
Can you tell us who the main sculptor is?
I look forward to see were this leads.

[Mike Bravo Minis]

So our first main line after the war correspondents will be 2014 era IDF.  A test green has been produced and they'll look something like this:



And hot off the press:



The first tranche will be of 12 comprising:

3 x Leader w/ CTAR & 3xmag (3 unique poses for Officers/NCOs)
3 x CTAR (3 unique poses – one to have a folded stretcher backpack (potentially an optional loose extra?)
3 x GTAR (3 unique poses)
1 x CTAR w/ ACOG (unique pose)
2 x IMI Negev (2 unique poses)
Loose Matador & LAW72, for optional attachment to poses above.

Heads swappable with plain helmet and mitzfenet options.
 

A second tranche will include:
Support pack (5): Matador firing, STAR21 (needed?), Barak 2000 HTR, Medic pose, Radio pose (?), loose B-300 (?)
Reservist (5): 2 x M4, 1 x M4 w/M203, 1 x FN-MAG, 1 x RPG7 (slung, loose?)

It's all open to suggestion but the support pack is the one I'm most unsure of.  Any thoughts?

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Marine0846: Nope, no half measures here      I'm going hard and fast on the sculpting side, although we may release in a more controlled way so that we don't over-reach on the fulfilment side as it's not my main day job.

Initial sculptor is Anton Ducrot (currently of Flytrap Factory, formerly Weta Workshop).  Think I'm right in saying that this would be his first full foray into 28s but I'm confident he'll make a good fist of it based on everything I've seen so far.

Can't be sure who the second sculptor will be yet as I'm still talking to a couple and down-selecting.

[juergen c. olk]

Great looking sculpts! I am excited about the African minis and will post a album, and send notifications as they become applicable. Good Luck! Can't wait,! http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ModernAfricanBushwars

[Arlequín]

If the mods permit, I'll keep this thread updated with greens and WIP reports, and to take suggestions/feedback etc. 

I likes me some modern figures, so I see no obvious issues arising from this. This is LAF, we're all about the lead.

 

A Congo range would be good, but I think it might prove a little difficult in the sense that no two combatants seem to look the same. Past ranges have also looked a bit too 'spit and polish' as well.

'60s-70s Arab-Israeli Wars have been passed by in 28mm to date... I'd buy into them though.

The modern Israelis are looking good and if the rest are up to the same standard they should prove popular.

Good Luck!   

[commissarmoody]

I am looking forward to this range.

[carlos marighela]

Nice looking sculpts.

I'd most certainly be interested in Egyptians, ideally for the 1960s and not chaps in assault vests that mark them out solely for the crossing of the Suez Canal. My current Egyptians are all Kriegspiel and Eureka conversions but I'd be happy to have some new ones.

Curious to see what you do with the Brits. I should point out that there are currently figures suitable for that period in warm weather kit, the Eureka Aden figures. Glengarries and beret versions not far off.  Would be even more interested if you had Turks and Cypriots as part of your plans.

Swappable heads sound good. please do some bush hats and US tin pots that will make some of your other ideas quite useful.

Good luck with it all!

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Have to confess i was thinking assault vests for the Egyptians as an easy iteration of the Syrians but I'll look at 60s uniforms.  Would they be very much different to the Syrian uniform?

For the Cyprus Brits I'll probably go '68 pattern DPM with rolled sleeves to match the photos my father has of the period and the squaddies when i was there as a kid.  The Eureka Aden figures are in an older uniform, which doesnt look quite right for '74 to my eye.  This is the height of fussiness and I dont expect  them to be a bestseller ! Turks and Greek-Cypriots could be on the cards but it may just be me and you wanting them!

[Arrigo]

Well,

I can only applaud to your plan! I really think the current day IDF is a good idea and I like your breakdown. If you will do also a Merkava 4 it would be absolutely perfect! Seriously, well known army, plausible OPFOR already available (Empress insurgents, and for the lucky people like me the Mongrel Syrians and militias), and a distinctive look. On top of that a good sculptor.

Your other plans also look sound and well thought.  I really like the opportunity to do SADF (So I will have the excuse to buy lasercutcard SADF vehicles...). Anything in your plan appears sensible. I can quibble on Cyprus British. But they look, as often my friends Keith and Paul told me more a case of 'we like to do it for ourselves' than anything else, a thing you are perfectly entitled to do, especially considering you are bringing good main ranges all around. It is also a project that seems close to your heart for personal connections. I like the idea.

I am really looking forward to current IDF and to Lebanon ones to fill some gaps. While I love the YK range, I am afraid it will, for the moment, keep this project in 15mm and 6mm (ok buying done, just painting now), On the other hand if I become a fullt time lecturer...      

Just be careful about crowd-sourcing, I think you have a much better plan than a lot of other people, it would be a nightmare to see your good idea being derailed by the crowds... discussing the ranges and the poses is good, but please keep a steady helm. A focused single mind is better than the collective wandering minds of the wargaming community...

By the way what there will be in your 4 people war correspondent sets? I would like to have an Asian female in it... yes I am a tad otaku... and I have a plan...

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Arrigo - http://mikebravominiatures.blogspot.co.uk/p/reporters.html has the reporters I'm going for, but a 5th isnt out of the question, and a non-Western option sounds interesting.  What did you have in mind? PM me if easier.

A merkava would be nice wouldnt it? I'd want the Namer variant too. The YK line was an after thought based on discussions with a vehicle manufacturer who has some older IDF stuff in mind, so never say never...

[Marine0846]

Very nice looking figures.
Have always stayed away from this area of the world.
But being the war gaming butterfly I am, I don't think I can say NO.

[Mike Bravo Minis]

An African Union Green is up:  http://mikebravominiatures.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/ugandan-amisomafrican-union-green.html

Thinking a mix of 6-8 AK poses, with perhaps a couple of PKM and RPG poses (trying to nail down their platoon/section/fire team organisation).

[carlos marighela]

Have to confess i was thinking assault vests for the Egyptians as an easy iteration of the Syrians but I'll look at 60s uniforms.  Would they be very much different to the Syrian uniform?

For the Cyprus Brits I'll probably go '68 pattern DPM with rolled sleeves to match the photos my father has of the period and the squaddies when i was there as a kid.  The Eureka Aden figures are in an older uniform, which doesnt look quite right for '74 to my eye.  This is the height of fussiness and I dont expect  them to be a bestseller ! Turks and Greek-Cypriots could be on the cards but it may just be me and you wanting them!

Egyptians for the sixties? Soviet style webbing, Soviet helmets, khaki shirt  and trousers, combat boots. the only real difference would be the absence of the assault vests and RPG-2s instead of the RPG-7.

Here are some well equipped Egyptians in Yemen in the early 1960s.

As for Cyprus in 1974 pretty much all the photos I've seen show the old JG tropical uniform in use. The tropical uniform in DPM doesn't really seem to have got a lot of use until the late '70s/ early '80s.

Good selection of photos here:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=&items_per_page=10&f[0]=eventString%3ACyprus%20Dispute%201974-

Everyone, Royal Scots, Fusiliers, Ghurkas, Marines etc in JG.

Of course British Army in tropical DPM would be appreciated. Especially if you did a pack with M-16s.

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Interesting, thanks Carlos.  I'll check what my father remembers and that he hasn't given me pics of his second tour there...

EDIT: Yes, the old codger had a senior moment and gave me duff gen.  (although some DPM seems to have been in use, eg these 10 Ghurkas: http://www.nam.ac.uk/images/online/cyprus-1954-2008/images/104587.jpg.

'74 Brits for Cyprus What Ifs are now on the back burner (although who knows, as a '74 range would be nice to do), but I'm sure I'll find an excuse to do '68 pattern DPM Brits (which should be good for the later tropical pattern) 'just because'.  Who would M-16 armed guys stand in for?