Salute releases now available

Welcome one and all to the pre-Salute update post.  Yes, the big event is just a couple of days away.   Preparing for a show of this size is both demanding and time consuming, especially when you had a very ambitious new release programme planned.

In the end, we will have most of our planned new releases available at Salute, but what has simply , been impossible has been to get them all photographed for your delight and delectation.   I do apologise for this, but normal service on this front will be resumed in the next few days.

There are two groups of new codes and packs for your consideration.  

Now, I have long been asked to produce a ‘Byzantine’ range.   The problem is that you are looking at an Empire that lasted a thousand years or so, and there are some very distinct ‘flavours’ in terms of troop types and army composition.   As a result we will be releasing a number of Byzantine armies to complement our Ancients, Late Antiquity, Crusades and Medieval ranges. (Don’t get TOO excited, these will all take some time to make their way into the catalogue.)

The first era for consideration fall into our ‘Early Medieval’ range.   We’ve included all the troop types that you need for the native Byzantines, including the awesome fully armoured Klibanorophoi, and the various mercenaries employed can be easily found or proxied from existing codes.

Illustrated here are the heavy cavalry lancers.   You can add horse archers, and riders with frontal armour on their horses should you see fit. The group photo shows Heavy Cavalry and Trapezoiti light cavalry in the back rank, with Generals and Skutatoi heavy infantry in front. 

You can find full details of this brilliant new range if you click here.   You will also find a breakdown of the Comnenan army pack that we have put together to accompany the basic codes.

We did have quite an extensive package of releases planned for the Second World War range, but our mould supplier ran out of the mould blanks that we use, and this has forced us to cut back on our ambitions.   What we have got on offer, is, however, something very special.   One of the most-asked questions that I’ve had to field over the past few months is, ‘Why don’t you have any Tiger tanks  for the Germans?’.   No need to ask that one any more, as we now have mid and late production Tiger I’s and a Tiger II ready and available for purchase.  

Once again, no photographs of the finished items, but have a look at the models in primer and prior to being painted by the talented Wing Commander Luddite.

This photo really does bring out the wonderful level of detail that comes with our models.  Before you ask about the commanders popping out of the hatches, all of our turreted AFVs come with four turrets and three hulls.   Three of the turrets are standard with hatch closed, while the fourth has a commander popping his head out for a breath of fresh air, so you get to choose.

We’ve also taken the opportunity to add some larger formation packs to the German AFV section.   Now available are half-company packs for PzIVH and Panthers, and company packs for Tigers.   We also offer a ‘veteran’ pack of Tiger IIs.   The models in here have ‘been about a bit’ and have various bits of armour missing and are festooned with extra bits of spare tracks, enabling you to build a great, ‘same but different’ formation.   You can find all the details here.

Now’s the time when I usually encourage you to get your Salute order in promptly.   If you haven’t done so already, you are too late!   The van is packed and we set off tomorrow morning (Friday before the show), heading for London town.   If you are going to Salute, please do pop round, and if there is a quiet moment, have a chat.