Yesterday I wrote about last year – or the closing out of ’07…
Today we embark upon a new voyage, know by many as 2008. We have quite a few “new” things lined up for 2008. The list of projects for this year was much longer, but we decided that we need to trim things down to a manageable list – no need to promise more than we can deliver…
I’ll start off by saying that we have new releases slated for all of our miniature lines: HistoriFigs, Jack Scruby, Bloodaxe, Blasted Planets and Resistant Roosters. In all cases these releases are brand new figures (not just recycled/re-released models).
Since I don’t know where to start, I’ll start with our own line; in 2008 we are finally releasing our 40mm American War of Independence range. This one was in the planning stages for quite some time and Tony Aldrich has been working on the first greens for a good part of the past year.
The first figures will be Americans and British from the Yorktown period. The initial release will consist of no less than 20 figures. All of the greens are in hand, and pattern molding is in progress. As you can see from the pictures, there is still a wee bit of cleanup to do, but work is progressing well. Target price for these models is $2.50 each, we will have a final price point for these next week. Later in the year we will release a second batch of figures to compliment this initial release. The first figures should be ready for release by the end of January (sooner if possible).
Five years ago, we promised that there would be new additions to the Jack Scruby line. This is the year that we fulfill this promise. Already in hand are a [large] number of new N-Gauge figures. The figures have been designed to expand and compliment the Scruby 18th Century castings. Some are updated versions of familiar figures and [many] others completely new figures. The main focus with the range expansion is the French and Indian War. These new figures have been sculpted by Jason Miller; look for pictures of these and other new French and Indian War themed products in the coming days and weeks.
Next up are some additions to the Bloodaxe line. Lance has been working on some brand new figures, the first of which will see production in the first quarter of 2008. We have in hand the first figures for a new 15mm range covering the US in the Philippines (early 1900’s). The figures on the workbench right now cover the basic US infantry troops. Next in line are the first of the Moro figures. These figures are expected to release early in Q1 – pictures as soon as the patterns have been cleaned up.
The Blasted Planets line has been [mostly] neglected since its release (June 6 2006, the same day a tornado danced through our property). We have had in hand for some time now new figures for this line and expect to release several of these new figure sets as the year progresses. The plan is for new releases each quarter. Among these releases will be the Space Hobbits sculpted by Jason Miller.
To round things out we finish off with our newest line – Resistant Roosters. It has been more than a year since any new figures have been releases under the Resistant Roosters label… Our plan for the first half of the year is to finish up some incomplete sets and to introduce a few new pieces to compliment the existing sets. Completely new sets are being planned for the last half of the year. To start things off we have in hand the first of some brand new late war Panzergreadier/Grenadier figures. These figures are designed to depict troops in winter kit – they are suitable for use in the Ardennes or on the Eastern Front. A few of the figures in hand need a wee bit more work, some shipping damage needs to be repaired and some final cleanup of the greens is in order. Additionally, we will be starting on a few more figures so that we can offer an MG Platoon to go with the Company HQ and Infantry platoons releasing shortly. Along with this new release we will be remolding the existing Late War Panzergrenadiers (they will be pulled form production for a short period of time while remolding work is in progress). The original set combined with the new figures/sets will provide a good deal of variety – allowing you to create some very nice units for your table top.
Randy Frye was up to HistoriFigs HQ this past Sunday and together we sorted out and planned the pack organizations for this new offering; I do believe that you will be happy with the outcome. Look for more pictures and details next week – we will try and have pictures showing all of the new greens for these sets along with some details concerning makeup of the new packs.
Well, that sure sounds like a lot of work. The good news is that most of these projects are already on the workbench and in progress, so if I play my cards right I should be able to get a wee bit ahead of the ball this year. Oh, and there is more in the pipeline, just hat some of it isn’t as well defined as we would like, but rest assured that there will be more goodies this year.