Proposals for entirely (mostly) new GHQ line(s)

[pibber]

Hi all !

UlrichWW write :
"Good, WWI would be nice."
" But why new lines ? For example lacking field hospital and most maintainance equipment, airfiled accessories."
"Pontoon Bridges with transport vehicles ( can be a really new line Surprised) )"
"And BUILDINGS... more building..i got the orthodox church... really great. But why not doing some Berlin City Builings for example, or Stalingrad factory and housing areas ?
And of course my V´s Wink."
"So, there are so much possibilities for add ons, that i guess, they will be busy for the next 50 years Wink"
"So it would be good, perhaps, if the aa guns show their barrels in " AA job " , not only in their ground " job " . ( must be possible to make them without too muchg efforts i guess ?? ) "

In GHQ MicroArmor, I think there is a very very big lack in engineers WWII equipement (in all important nations) and sanitary equipement. (When I play, I used to play the evacuation of wounded figurines)
During WWII, most stacks are around rivers, hills and towns. Why don't we have engineers boats (rubber and/or hard design) or engineer specials trucks with trailors ?


UlrichWW, I'm complety agree with yours suggestions

Maybe GHQ should finish or complete actuals lines before create others

[cbovill]

Given the small size of GHQ as a company, I would prefer they continue to flesh out the existing lines rather than add any new ones that are going to dilute efforts towards getting my current wish list fulfilled. Some ideas for existing lines (outside of the new models we all want) would be:

A line of photo-etch brass parts for vehicles, ships and planes.
- skirts for German tanks (turret and hull) and assault guns
- radio aerials (those big bedstead frames) popular on German and Soviet equipment
- masts for ships - boy would I love to see these!
- aircraft carrier pole masts

More decal sets
- decals for flightdecks for WW2 carriers - and not just for the USN and IJN, but all of them - especially the British.

...and I've been recommending for years that GHQ market its products as a whole wargaming system as many have mentioned above.

Chris

[thetourist]

So far I think the idea that has the most wings is the battlepack idea. I have been saying for along time that the combat command line should be and could be easily expanded. The models that exist now could easily be repackaged into many interesting and fun Combat Commands:

Arab and Israeli CC's from the sixties
US and Soviet CC's from the seventies (M60's, M113's, t-62's etc.
Modern US Artillery Battery
Modern Soviet Airborne (BMD's)
and so on....

I don't know why GHQ doesn't take more advantage of this line. I for one would buy these in droves because I don't always need five of a particular vehicel and it's always more fun to get an assortment.

I really like the battle pack idea as well

[WHM]

My 2 cents.

How about plastic kits of buildings that are molded in the appropriate colors?

This would be beneficial for those of us who are "modeling challenged" and it might spawn a range of buildings that are not seen, such as commercial buildings. More othen then not towns are just grouups of houses on the game board. With contiguous store fronts towns would look like towns.

With the time, labor that goes into creating the various armies and terrain modled this might save time and result in a appaeling piece of accessory.

[Der Kommandeur]

WHM: I think one of the key attractions of the scale is the challenge of its smallness ... we all simply have to 'raise our game'. No more calls for 'dumbing down' please ... it's rife enough in the areas controlled by politicians and so-called educational institutions ... I want to get away from it in my pastime!

DK

[WHM]

Der Kommandeur; If I follow you are more of the "Do it yourself" school and that's fine. But consider to there are a number of folks (it is a small industry) who offer painting services. They can offer a superior paint job that others feel desireable. Does that represent a dumbing down? If so, why?

I think small plastic kits for buildings hardly comes under the heading of "dumbing down". In fact those that build plastic kits in the larger scales might take exception.

As to whether these kits are doable, well, that's another storey.

[Der Kommandeur]

Hi WHM

My response was to your phrase 'modeling challenged' ... that's what I meant by 'raising our game', that is to have a proper go I do feel that we should rise to the challenge set by designers and manufacturers of the calibre of GHQ ... if they have worked so hard to cast the detail in the first place, the least I can do – I feel – is attempt to paint it.

In any case, although my observation was prompted directly by you post, please don't take it personally.

While I don't regard myself in the same league as the handful here who exhibit really remarkable work (I have only recently returned to the hobby after some 15 dormant years), nevertheless I am, as you observe, of the 'do it yourself' school ... I'll have a go at (minor) modifications to figures and vehicles, scratch building terrain and detailing buildings.

I guess my feeling is that buildings, of all things, are on the easier end of the scale of challenges, but I would agree that a broader range would be attractive. And here I freely admit that buildings are not one of the items I would consider scratch building ... not yet anyway.

Thinking about the painting services you mention ... because my time is usually under a great deal of pressure – I'm a self employed designer, and my job is very detail-focussed – the last thing I often feel like doing at weekends is getting the magnifying lense out and assembling/preparing/painting such tiny objects.

So I considered outsourcing the work (since I could afford to do so). But, you know what? After I thought about it it seemed to me that the collection wouldn't quite feel like 'mine'. I think – and this may be a personal thing, but I'll be surprised if there aren't others here who feel this way – that the level of satisfaction I get out of my pastime is directly proportional to the effort I put into it. So I just have to accept the shortcomings in my efforts and enjoy the clear improvements shown in my more recent efforts.

That's a bit of a long-winded way of wriggling out of any offence I may have caused but an honest attempt to say it how I see it.

Thanks for your patience

DK

[WHM]

Der Kommandeur;

No problem, no offense taken.

Truth be told, I wasn't 100% sure I understood your point, but I had a sence of it.

Actually I've tried scratch building buildings as described by some under the different topic headings in this forum and have currently a half finished town of paper buildings.

It just struck me when you consider the expense, (models, tools, materials, etc.) as well as the time to paint the armies, terrain, what ever else, it struck me as a plausible idea to have plastic kit buildings. It would be a time saver for one and for the modeling challenged (sitting right here!!!) an opportunity to have a nice piece to put on the table.

Towns always seem to be made up of houses when in reality you see store frons, mutistoried buldings, and a difference in architecture. It might be nice to have a German town in a game look like a German town then have French looking buildings ( or American subrubia) being used.

A small point, not a biggie, but I thought a realistic looking town might look good.

Best Regards;
WHM

[Der Kommandeur]

Hi WHM
Hi UlrichWW

Thoughtful stuff.

WHM, by 'plastic' do you mean resin or injection moulded? The latter would most likely be prohibitive due to tooling costs, and there are loads of really beautiful resin models from other manufacturers suitable for all periods and theatres ... even a Stalingrad grain elevator from one well-known, high-quality UK manufacturer.

UlrichWW, the last line of your post made me laugh but you identify an obvious matter of differences in approach. As I indicated above, I try to make my own modelling efforts in line with the qualitative 'bar' that GHQ have set (though I do wish they would remodel the little Universal Carriers)... and although I'm constantly falling short I enjoy making the effort.

GHQ cannot be expected to make everything ... while their buidlings look fine I don't have any. Mine are all resin (though I think I may buy the little mosque). If I were collecting WWII eastern front or Vietnam I would certainly be buying GHQ buildings, since they produce items that no-one else does.

Just some more observations ... side tracking this thread a little more ... apologies to everyone for that

DK

[WHM]

UlrichWW :

[/For what " realistic " cities " ? For wargaming it doesn+t matter, if the front i typical for northern or western germany, southeast france aso. For wargaming doesn´t matter, if a panther g has the right washing. (Well, here's hoping I did the quote right

Dose it matter? Only if you think so, but then don't forget that wargamers are purists. Example: Would you use a M4A1 to doa a Golan Heights scenario or a M51? So in that regard, yeah, it might matter. Would you use a European building in a North African/Middle Eastern game? Could if you want, but it won't look right.

As for it to be a dilemma, how? One reason for scratchbuilding is because what is desired is not available. Frankly i tend to believe desent models of buildings that wouldn't need to be painted would cut down the work load. Besides, if you want to scratch build some houses you still can.

That prompts me to ask, have you got any to post? If you do would love to see them.

DK:
Got some of the buildings you mentioned. What got me interested were the city buildings.
Haven't painted them yet. Still fooling around experimanting with scrathbuilding paper houses. Trying different techmiques. The best ones I've seen on this forum were those by sfcgreger. He's posted some comments on how to them as well as pictures and papers.

I tend to think injection molded for the different parts. Basicaly I envisoned it as a kit such as found for model rail roads but in pre colored plastics.

As a designer I suppose you would have a better insight as to the costs and of course that would be a factor.

Regards;
WHM

[Ritter]

How 'Bout...

Parachutes...guys in flight. A 1/285th scale fellow hanging from his parachute. I have been trying to figure out what would look good for this and cant think of anything realistic short of vacuforming and wire...tried white plastic screw head covers from home depot but they just dont look all that good.

Troy