The gaps in our hobby

[Flambeau]

While companies like Hat, Stelets, Redbox, Caesar and Orion have done a lot to supply us with figures from periods I could only dream of in my childhood and have even produced a wide range of "special" units, there are still some large gaps in 1/72 plastics. To name but a few:

Prussian-French war (1870/71):

- Prussian Cuirassiers


Napoleonic period:

- Austrian Uhlans and Hussars.
- Russian Don cossacks and Dragoons (yeah, there is Strelets "Borodino" set, but ...)
- French Dragoons and Gendarmes of the Guard.
- Prussian Cuirassiers (late)
- Italian Guards of Honor
- Spanish/Argentinian troops (British expedition to the River Plate)
- Haitian troops (French expedition to Santo Domingo)

Seven Years war:

- Prussian Cuirassiers
- Austrian Cuirassiers and Hussars.
- French, Russian and British troops.

War of Spanish Succession:

- Austrian and Bavarian Cuirassiers
- Dutch, Spanish, Prussian, Danish troops

Feel free to add to the list and name what you'd most like to see.

[Wiking]

WWII

Dutch soldiers
Soldiers for the Netherlands (I think announced by Cäsar decades ago.)
Norwegian soldier
Czech soldier 1940 /41
Hungarian soldier (I think Strelets do ...not so good ones.)
Bulgarian soldier
Greek soldier

To name a few ...


Falkland War

Argentine soldier

[Ben Bob]

Early medieval near east e.g. Komnenian Byzantine Empire (there were so many different troop types that cannot be covered in the single set available!). Also their many opponents: Steppe warriors like Pechenegs, Magyars etc.; proper Islamic opponents since the current sets seem like very generic caricatures; and Eastern Franks and Italo Normans which had a slightly different appearance from the Norman sets currently available.

[Minuteman]

This is a good list, thank you Flambeau.

I think there are significant gaps for any European army in the 17th century. Although Revell produced some excellent Thirty Years War sets, both of the infantry sets and also the Imperialist artillery now seem to be permanently out of production. Mars have produced a range of sets but some of these are out of scale and poorly sculpted. And there is very little for the period 1660 to 1699, even though Strelets have 'accidentally' produced a set of War of Spanish Succession French Pikemen which are actually only appropriate to the 1690s.

I am not sure that any of the active manufacturers have an appetite to produce much for this interesting period, which saw a major transformation in European warfare. If any of them did wish to tackle this subject, then for a start about 6 sets would be very useful:

1630s generic infantry musketeers
1630s generic infantry pike
1660s+ generic infantry musketeers
1660s+_ generic infantry pike
1630s harquebusiers
1660s horse and dragoons

This is of course only a starter, and artillery, TYW dragoons and cuirassiers would all be useful 'extras'.

[Flambeau]

You're of course right to mention the TYW and the period after that up to 1700.

TYW Cuirassiers were always wanting, Revell did only a mixed set with a few super heavy cuirassiers. Of course there's the Waterloo 1815 set of "Cromwell's cavalry", but it has too few poses. I switched to 28mm for this period for this very reason. My best guess would be Redbox or Strelets coming up with something, as they have produced some sets for the not so well known conflicts.

And of course, I forgot to mention the whole range of Far East armies, China and India especially. A Sikh army might be cool.

[Ochoin]

We really can't complain but there are gaps. Anything Asian, as noted, tends to be forgotten and below are just a few items of my personal interest:

SYW
Prussian Artillery
Austrian Grenzer

AZW
Several of the irregular & volunteer mounted units aren't covered (pill box hats)

Napoleonic
Russian Horse artillery

Bronze Age
Babylonian army

Indian Mutiny

Abyssinian Crisis (1868)

donald

[pedro]

Certainly, there is many gaps in my opion. Here is my list

-Spanish Tercios and Conquistadores

-War of Jenkins' Ear (Britsh-Spanish War 1739-1748)

-Spanish-American War 1898

--Rif War (1921-1927)

[Flambeau]

Yes, and more:

Napoleonic Spanish Cavalry (Line, Dragoons, mounted guerilleros).
Napoleonic Portugese Cavalry
Napoleonic Polish Grenadiers (Strelets made some once but not as good as their recent sets)
South American Wars of Independence (Bolivar).

Conquistadores might just need a re-release, Revell's set was quite good as was Caesar's.

War of the Holy League (1683-1699)
Austrian and German troops (might also be useful for early WSS).

[steve_pickstock]

This is a good list, thank you Flambeau.

I think there are significant gaps for any European army in the 17th century. Although Revell produced some excellent Thirty Years War sets, both of the infantry sets and also the Imperialist artillery now seem to be permanently out of production. Mars have produced a range of sets but some of these are out of scale and poorly sculpted. And there is very little for the period 1660 to 1699, even though Strelets have 'accidentally' produced a set of War of Spanish Succession French Pikemen which are actually only appropriate to the 1690s.

I am not sure that any of the active manufacturers have an appetite to produce much for this interesting period, which saw a major transformation in European warfare. If any of them did wish to tackle this subject, then for a start about 6 sets would be very useful:

1630s generic infantry musketeers
1630s generic infantry pike
1660s+ generic infantry musketeers
1660s+_ generic infantry pike
1630s harquebusiers
1660s horse and dragoons

This is of course only a starter, and artillery, TYW dragoons and cuirassiers would all be useful 'extras'.

A decent set of cuirassiers.
Cuirassiers were the desired troops of any 30 Year War army - 'normal' cavalry, the arquebusiers or "light horsemen" were considered the secondary types. What is needed is a set that covers all aspects of the type, command, and pistol armed cuirassiers as well as some lance armed figures.

[Minuteman]

I would be hugely surprised if any manufacturer tackled the 17th century in a serious way anytime soon...but you never know. Would have been excellent if Zvezda had continued to bring out 'big' sets and had modelled a set of cavalry (a mix of cuirassiers and harquebusiers) to complement their 1630s Austrian Pikemen and Musketeers set; even though the figures in that set are over-scale and a real fiddle to assemble.

I do have some optimism about the 18th century in 2021 though, and we may yet see sets for the Seven Years War, and possibly American War of Independence?? The new sets for the Jacobite Rebellion from Redbox are maybe the start of something bigger?

[ells10]

Regarding Cuirassiers and arquebusiers, have you looked at the Tumbling Dice figures?

[Minuteman]

Regarding Cuirassiers and arquebusiers, have you looked at the Tumbling Dice figures?

Yes! Tumbling Dice figures are excellent. The main problem that I have faced in integrating them into my current project - building Swedish and Imperialist armies for the Thirty Years War - is that they are quite 'chunky' compared with other sculpts (excepting some of the Mars figures); and they are quite expensive. TD cavalrymen, mounted, are around three times more expensive than a Revell/Waterloo 1815-manufactured equivalent.

I have some TD cuirassiers and musketeers, and will be using these to form the basis for several Imperialist units. These however will be separate from the more slender Revell figures, as they do not mix well at all. A look at the weaponry will show that, comparing the pistol of a TD cuirassier with the same weapon wielded by a Revell cavalryman, the TD weapon looks like a small cannon compared with an air pistol.

I suppose that I am wedded to plastics, and 1/72 at that. I might otherwise be building my TYW armies with excellent Warlord 28mms.....but I am not, and instead I am wrestling with lots of old Revell figures, plus various ACTA, Mars and Zvezda sets!

[zulu`s 1000`s of em]

If we all contribute this could be a very long list but here are my most wanted: AZW natal mounted police and Durban mounted rifles, these could be painted to cover just about all the irregular mounted units. WW2 Italian 75mm guns and crews (desert) Bohler 47mm guns and crews (the waterloo ones are poor and the crews are paratroops,also poor) Italian colonial troops Libyan and Askari , Italian Heavy weapons specifically with Desert crews. British Paratroops heavy weapons vickers mmg and a good 3in mortar all with good crews. British 8th army engineers mine clearing/laying . Falkland Brits and Argentinean infantry , heavy weapons and artillery. Korean war Brits, Malay emergency, Brits and Communist insurgents .

[Bessiere]

The list is endless but I remember how few choices there were 40-50 years ago. To be in this hobby now is a blessing having as many choices as we do. After working on Napoleonics for 2 years straight I took a break and am painting 28 and 32mm fantasy figures. The number of choices available is incredible and frankly I'm having a blast as I hope all of you are as well.

[Rich W]

If I could be really greedy I'd ask for a set of SYW French Inf and some more SYW British Inf.

[Ochoin]

If I could be really greedy I'd ask for a set of SYW French Inf .

You mean like these 20mm figures?



donald

[CraigD6]

Not very exciting, but one thing I would like to see would be decent, sensibly priced plastic civilians for dioramas and even games use. There is only so far you can convert the action poses we get. Primarily for me mid 20th century onwards, with the level of detail we now see in combat sets. A box or 3 of 40-50 figures at wargame prices rather than railway ones would be very gratefully received.

[Santi Pérez]

Not very exciting, but one thing I would like to see would be decent, sensibly priced plastic civilians for dioramas and even games use. There is only so far you can convert the action poses we get. Primarily for me mid 20th century onwards, with the level of detail we now see in combat sets. A box or 3 of 40-50 figures at wargame prices rather than railway ones would be very gratefully received.

I second your request, CraigD6. Decent and cheap plastic civilians are very scarce in this scale. It woul be great to see them made by any of major manufacturers like Caesar, Zvezda or Italeri, specially for 20th and 21st centuries.

Santi.

[fpt]

Historically accurate ACW artillery, including battery wagon and forge, and wagons would be nice. Improved ACW zouaves. ACW medical figures and maybe naval figures (a first for ACW miniatures).

[Peter]

Historically accurate ACW artillery, including battery wagon and forge, and wagons would be nice. Improved ACW zouaves. ACW medical figures and maybe naval figures (a first for ACW miniatures).

Maybe you should have a look here:

https://www.speira.net/product-category ... civil-war/