After much huffing and puffing and more than the odd false start, we finally got the first of the WW2 straight line models into production.  This simple release of half a dozen models has generated a huge amount of correspondence and queries.  As a result, I'm going to put bit more information down here about our immediate plans and where we are going.

Firstly, we are starting with and concentrating on Normandy/NW Europe 1944/45.   We won't be moving anywhere else until I feel we have got this sorted.  I KNOW that lots of you want Russians, I KNOW that North Africa has loads of really interesting kit, I KNOW that early war stuff has a huge attraction, but this is a huge undertaking for us and we're in it for the long term.   This means that in our usual fashion we'll get proper coverage done on the task in hand before moving on to pastures new.  

What will we be doing?   We've got a list of vehicles/artillery for British, German and US forces that we want to do.  These are in turn broken down into three levels of priority.   The initial plans for the three groups are as follows:

British:

• Sherman 1  75mm & Firefly
• Sherman V 75mm & Firefly
• Churchill
• Achilles
• Sexton
• Universal Carrier
• 15Cwt Truck
• Cromwell

German:

• PZIVh
• Panther
• Tiger I
• Wespe
• Stug IIIg
• Sdkfz 251/1

USA:

• Sherman M4A1
• Sherman M4A
• M10
• M7 Priest
• 105mm Howitzer
• 57mm

There are lots more to follow behind these, but that's what you can expect to start with.

The next question to look at is the size of the models.    We gave a huge amount of thought and consideration to this question prior to starting this process.   In the end we took the decision to scale our models to match our existing infantry ranges rather than throttle them back to fit with offerings from existing ranges.  

The feedback from gamers over the years showed a real frustration that while they were well catered for in terms of vehicles, the infantry and artillery crew side of things was lacking.   Either the infantry on offer wasn't up to the standard of the vehicles, or there were nice sculpts, but they didn't match the scale of the accompanying models.

We could have designed all of our 20thc models on new dollies and tried to reproduce what we had done to date at 1/300 or 1/285 and then followed suit with our straight line models, but that would have caused a huge disconnect with all of our existing rnages and meant restrictions on what we could offer in terms of our usual standards of animation and detail.   In the end we gave the designers of the models the brief of matching our figures sculpts.   The results are outstanding models but they are a tad larger then those used to offerings from H&R, GHQ et al.   How much a difference that will make is up to the individual - for some it will be anathema, to others something they can live with in exchange of the quality gained.  I am sure that comparison photos will soon start popping up over the internet, but here is a first reaction with a very useful side by side view of ours, H&R and GHQ.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeDgTTX9uNw&t=9s

The next batch is well in hand as I type this...

Hi Peter - no Panther for the Germans in Normandy/NWE?

Just looked at the video, that Sherman looks very nice. I like the idea of having a turret that moves, it could be held in place with a suitably small sized rubber o ring and still move. Compared with other offerings I have seen, the model is nice and crisp and lacks the "blobbyness" of some other makes at that scale.

Regarding the size, the only aspect that might bother me is relative scales. Does the Sherman look large enough for the infantry to be able to sit inside it without stretching the imagination too much?

In real life, the Tiger 1 was larger than the Sherman. Would this be true with the models or are they made to fit the same footprint for basing? 

I'm definitely interested in the tanks and other vehicles, if only to collect and paint as models or dioramas. Look forward to the next releases. My congratulations, Mighty Overlord.

John,

Panther will be in second set of releases, along with lots of other goodies.  Don't worry!

Froggy, the scale between vehicles, artillery and infantry will be completely consistent.

scale consistency is the only dogma...

M3 halftracks??? My 4th Armoured can't go anywhere without M3's

I'll look forward to the Eastern Front Soviets and Germans.  I'll console myself with ghq for moderns. :)

michael

Okay,  I can see this won't rest until you lot get more informaton out of me.  Here's the list for the second wave of releases.   Any absence of inclusion on this list does not mean an absence of inclusion on our planning - it's just further down the list!

British:

• Cromwell Mk III
• Cromwell Mk IV
• Daimler AC
• 3 ton truck
• M5 Half track
• 5.5

German:

• Tiger 2
• Jagdpanther
• Hetzer
• Hummel
• Jagdpanzer IV
• Puma
• I'2 ton truck

USA:

• M3 Half track
• M5A3 Stuart
• Jeep
• M8 Greyhound AC
• 76mm ATG

Happy now?

Ecstatic, thank you. I think this range will keep Baccus very busy as they become available. 

Peter, how do you manage to fit all this in timewise? I have enough problems organising breakfast...

Oh and a USA truck!