suggestions for 17th century

[giorgio]

To RedBox:
please complete your range with:
Ming
Qing (Manchu)

To Mars:
please complete your range with:
Dutch
Javanese

Thank You!

[steve_pickstock]

I would suggest that Red Box offer some Street Ruffians, and civilians, possibly adding in some foot soldiers on campaign, both Pike and Shot.

[giorgio]

RedBox Ming Infantry (honestly that single Ming pot-Handgunner is not enough! we want arquebusiers!)
RedBox Ming Artillery

RedBox Manchu Infantry
RedBox Manchu Cavalry
RedBox Manchu Artillery
(Useful also vs your Koreans for invasion of Joseon 1627)

(Siege of Batavia, 1628)
Mars Dutch Navy Infantry and Artillery (with mercenaries from China, Japan, Africa, India, Moluccas, Celebes..)
Mars Javanese (Mataram / Banten) Infantry and Artillery
(Something like Mars interesting sets of Pirates and Buccaneers!)

[giorgio]

Mughal Infantry
Mughal Cavalry
Mughal Artillery

Maratha Infantry
Maratha Cavalry

Safavid Infantry
Safavid Cavarly
Safavid Artillery (Zamburachi Artillery!)

Puebloan Warriors (1680 Pueblo Revolt)
Ayutthaia Infantry (1688 Siege of Bangkok)

..no, really, at least a generic "Gunpowder Empires Musketeers" set is strongly recommended!

[MABO]

Mughal Infantry
Mughal Cavalry
Mughal Artillery

Maratha Infantry
Maratha Cavalry

Safavid Infantry
Safavid Cavarly
Safavid Artillery (Zamburachi Artillery!)

Puebloan Warriors (1680 Pueblo Revolt)
Ayutthaia Infantry (1688 Siege of Bangkok)

..no, really, at least a generic "Gunpowder Empires Musketeers" set is strongly recommended!

Very special ideas. Impossible for any company who needs a real cash back, I think. But you can produce them yourself at Hagen Miniatures for example?!

[giorgio]

Ottoman Army has been extensively covered and it could serve as Mughals, Safavids, partially as Marathas... except for Janissaries, that are very recognizable elite troops, just generic musketeers are needed for these asiatic countries.
Same for Chinese troops, just Ming and Manchu Arquebusiers. Just one set, RedBox already made most of the work!
And a set for Southeast, Siamese and Javanese fighters.. like those Mars pirates sets.
...and Chinese (Ming and Manchu) Artillery (RedBox?)!
This way the 17th Century could be entirely covered.. if you you want to play Risk with miniatures!

[Minuteman]

I agree with MABO on this. It is an interesting list of some quite obscure military campaigns, important no doubt to those who took part in them....But, would these sets ever sell in any quantity? With 3D printing now taking off, one option is certainly to print your own. And conversion of existing figures is, of course the other well tried-and-tested option.

[Susofrick]

Some of Valdemar's civilians could pass as street ruffians, but they are probably quite hard to get now. And Jens' new civilians are not as good. I also think 3D is the best option. I think there are some from Munich Kits, but they also seem to be hard to get right now.

[giorgio]

obscure: it's a very subjective word.. in 17th century the main event was the 30yw (but only Revell (and Mars) covered, with them old and unsurpassed sets), then the many empire-turkish wars (only continental eastern european manufacturers Zvezda, Orion, RedBox -and Mars-..), then the ecw (just Call to Arms.. and Waterloo? and in a insufficient way), then the many conflicts between the polish-lithuanian commonwealth and the eastern european powers (russians, ukrainians, tatars..), the real core business for Mars, then the sengoku wars (Zvezda and RedBox).. European superpower like Dutch Empire did not receive any attention by manufacturers, Sun King Kingdom of France just had some dedicated set (mosty fencers!) just thanks monsieur Dumas, superpowers like Spain and Portugal nearly nothing or nothing at all! (but we could use generic european armies). RedBox tried to care of far east great powers, Ming, Joseon.. but not enough, Manchu, Mughals, Maratha, Safavids and to a lesser extent Ayutthaia and Javanese sultanates were geopolitical Great Powers and Middle Powers.
I'm not talking about "obscure" and exotic (but fashinatig) events like the Jamestown Massacre, Pueblo Revolt, the battle of Mbwila, Castro Wars but about the struggle of the Dutch Empire in Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, against the Portugual Empire, English East India Company, the ousting of the French from Siam, the seizure of power of the Manchu vs Ming and Joseon, the wars of the Mughal Empire vs Marathas and Persians Empires!

selling: is even about finding new areas of interest for new potential customers, Zvezda, RedBox, and others bravely tried to explore these areas.. napoleonics, ww2 germans and acw could be never enough but..

3D: a new world, full of expectations but still expensive and impratical.. at least for me

converting: don't like it but ottomans have potential for many asiatic armies (cut that janissary headdress, put a turban and you could have something resembling mughals, safavids, marathas..), south east armies need bare chest / turban / baggy trousers musketeers, RedBox chinese ming and koreans coul pass for siamese ayutthaia..? Zulu with rifles could pass for kongolese musketeers? wwi hat ruga-ruga could be used too?
Western european armies for 30yw and ecw could be used for any western european power..

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your attention, 17th century is still one of the most neglected and i have too much fun to try to imagine new obscure and exotic sets (and probably too much time to spend in such activity!)