April 2010 New Releases

[GHQ]

We are happy to say that we have just posted our April 30th, 2010 new releases on our website. The new releases are:

TW-12 Individual Irregular Infantry - 3rd World
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/tw12.html

TW-13 Irregular Heavy Weapons - 3rd World
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/tw13.html

N-534 Berliot GBC 6x6
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/n534.html

G-547 SdKfz 351/7
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/g547.html

GWS-10 ACR-10 Tennessee
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/gws10.html

ACW-64 Advancing Infantry in Frock Coats & Forage Caps (USA)
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/acw64.html

NAP-62 French Ligne Lanciers
http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/nap62.html

Thanks for looking,
GHQ

[Theodore]

Well I am saddened to say as a 20+ year customer that I am not happy to see what you call iiregular third world infantry. Do you even begin to understand the quantity of miniatures that go unpurchased because your customers can not buy figures to play both sides of modern wars from your catalog, so we buy neither and purchase items from you competitors and in other scales and periods.

Would you produce a line of Napoleonic figures and only make the French not the English? Would you make a Wermacht 47 line and make every troop except for the Germans?

Show me among you products who all those American, British, and Israeli modern troops are supposed to fight? The Russians will not come through the Fulda Gap and blow up our MRAPs with T80s, take the Cold War blinders off and produce the troops and edquipment neeed to fight both sides of modern 3rd world warfare.

I am truly baffled by this, and angered because since you announced the modern 3rd world irregulars on the schedule I have restricted my miniatures buying anticipating that I could finally buy insurgents and the US and Israeli armies and middle eastern civilians and buildings to go with them.

I've said it before so no usetyping it again I guess.

Skirmish systems don't sell huge numbers of figures, if that is what someone wants there are plenty of insurgents in 20, 25, and 28 mm scales. The IED and unseen insurgents is how I envision a skirmish, not a battle. I want to see a few dozen stands of insurgents representing fireteam sized groups hiding amongst dozens of buildings and stands of civilians, and fighting against squad and individual vehicle level regular troops in multiple company strength.

With no good insurgents, I have not bought any of the troops necessary to fight them.
No companies of US Marines in Amtracks, no companies of US Army in Humvees, Strykers, Bradleys, or Abrams, No Brits or their vehicles, No Israelis and their vehicles, no civilians, no buildings, etc.
SO essentially because they don't think there is enough profit in providing both sides of a battle, I have bought zero of the following miniatures:
M1A2 Abrams $9.95
GHQ Stock # N115

M1A2 with Mine Plow $9.95
GHQ Stock # N132

M1A2 Tusk Abrams $9.95
GHQ Stock # N531

M109A6 Paladin $9.95
GHQ Stock # N118

M992 FAASV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N121

M119 Gun $9.95
GHQ Stock # N521

M2/A2 Bradley $9.95
GHQ Stock # N101

Cougar 4 x 4 APC $9.95
GHQ Stock # N517

Cougar 6 x 6 APC $9.95
GHQ Stock # N526

FAV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N522

M113A3 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N70

AAVP-7 A1 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N143

AAVC-7 A1 Command & AAVR-7 A1 Engineer $9.95
GHQ Stock # N144

LAV 25 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N68

LAV AT $9.95
GHQ Stock # N69

LAV LOG+C2 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N109

LAV Rec / Mortar $9.95
GHQ Stock # N110

M1126 Stryker IFV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N136

M1126 Stryker IFV w/ Applique Armour $9.95
GHQ Stock # N504

M1127 Stryker Cav $9.95
GHQ Stock # N502

M1128 Stryker MGS & M1131 FSV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N137

M1129 Stryker MC $9.95
GHQ Stock # N509

M1130 Stryker Command/ M1133 MEV Ambulance $9.95
GHQ Stock # N508

M1134 Stryker AT $9.95
GHQ Stock # N503

Stryker 'Slat Armour' $9.95
GHQ Stock # N505

M1132 Stryker ESV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N511

M1078 2-1/2 Ton Truck $9.95
GHQ Stock # N128

M925 5-Ton Truck $9.95
GHQ Stock # N86

M1083 5-Ton Truck $9.95
GHQ Stock # N129

M977 Cargo HEMTT $9.95
GHQ Stock # N95

M978 Fuel HEMTT $9.95
GHQ Stock # N96

MTVR Mark 23 Truck $9.95
GHQ Stock # N524

M997 Maxi-Ambulance $9.95
GHQ Stock # N117

M1117 Guardian ASV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N523

M1025 HMMWV w/ AOA $9.95
GHQ Stock # N513

M1114 HMMWV $9.95
GHQ Stock # N518

Buffalo EOD $9.95
GHQ Stock # N514

M1A2 with Mine Plow $9.95
GHQ Stock # N132

M104 Wolverine Bridge Layer $9.95
GHQ Stock # N146

Individual Modern US Infantry $9.95
GHQ Stock # N125

Individual Modern US Infantry Weapons $9.95
GHQ Stock # N126

Individual Modern UK Infantry $9.95
GHQ Stock # N139

Individual Modern UK Infantry Weapons $9.95
GHQ Stock # N140

AS-90 Braveheart 155/39 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N135

L118 105mm Gun $9.95
GHQ Stock # N528

Challenger 2 $9.95
GHQ Stock # N130

MCV-80 Warrior (Improved) $9.95
GHQ Stock # N103

Magach 7D $9.95
GHQ Stock # IS7

IDF Individual Infantry $9.95
GHQ Stock # IS8

IDF Individual Heavy Weapons $9.95
GHQ Stock # IS9

Achzarit $9.95
GHQ Stock # IS10

Merkava Mk IV $9.95
GHQ Stock # IS11

So at least 50 packs GHQ has put into production that are pointless to me because they are unwilling to add one or two lines Insurgent Individual and Heavy Weapons packs to fight them against. That does not even include some of the other support vehicles that would be needed to round out a force. When you add in buildings and aircraft it is probably approaching 100 packs of miniatures that they have spent the money to sculpt that I have bought exactly zero of.

I have a few companies of their older stuff to do Desert Storm, and a lot more Arab Israeli and Iran Iraq War troops but have not bought any of their miniatues that depict post-1991 equipment simply because their are no post-1991 opponents to fight. I did buy a few packs of the arab civilians and toyota technicals at the first con after they came out to encourage that direction, but haven't even painted them yet since there is no one to hide behind them.

GHQ has manufactured dozens of vehicles that have never even seen action yet they fail to manufacture troops that would allow us to play battles from many real conflicts from the Middle East that seems to be the cockpit of the world. I'm not sure why this is, but I suspect that they have a distorted view of the ratio of infantry to vehicles purchased by microarmor gamers since the historic lack of infantry in their catalog has sent many people who buy their vehicles to buy their competitors infantry. But in this case the competitors haven't made good insurgents yet either, so their is no case to buy GHQ vehicles to equip an army made of competitors infantry. Of course GHQ would have zero competition in an active modern market since their competitors haven't introduced any new vehicles in years.

[stevecolletti]

I like the N-534 Berliot GBC 6x6.

[Xveers]

I'll second the overall crankyness regarding the "Irregular forces".

At least call them what they are: Multipurpose 2nd and 3rd tier armed forces. They aren't Irregulars in any way, shape or form. Irregulars are guys wearing civillian clothing, with perhaps the occasional looted helmet or coat, with older or looted weapons.

[Donald M. Scheef]

The very term "irregular" makes the figures inappropriate. How can a group be irregular when every individual is wearing the same style uniform. (Also consider the meaning of "uniform" - almost an antonym for irregular.

Don S.

[pvt64]

I third the responses regarding these new figures. I too expcted to de guys in shirts, pants, kafeyahs etc. Not regualrly dressed and armed individual. How may irregulars wear helmets?

[Panzerleader71]

Wow! Must be a lot of Black Hawk Down fans out there. Seriously, how many conflicts in the last 20 or so years did civilian militias actually play a major role in? Out side of committing genocide on their unarmed neighbours. The Balkans, Chechnya, etc. were all controlled by uniformed forces...whether actual soldiers or not, they still wore a uniform. Or, does The Mog scenario get played out more times then I've cared to notice in clubs and cons?

From what I can see the Mujahadin/Brushfire lines would cover any type of Irregular unit spanning Africa and the Middle East, as well as the Afghan/Iraq campaigns.

[av8rmongo]

East Timor comes to mind.



Tamil Tigers



Darfur



Congo

Having "a uniform" and being uniform are still two different things. There's lots of room for variation out there and from what I've seen on my brief internet search few if any rebel / insurgent groups have all the same kit much less steel helmets.

So a good second or third teir force - sure. Something with which to model rebels or insurgents in any of the world's conflict zones - I don't think so. But it's just my opinion.

Paul

[Panzerleader71]

It may just be me, but the Brushfire line would look to be able to double very easily for the Congo and East Timor. Also, a bunch of those guys from Darfur are wrapped up like the Mujhadin. Just need to be creative with the paint schemes.

[av8rmongo]

Maybe, but I think the issue is more about management of expectations than about what could be done to "make it right". Many people, I think, had an idea in their heads about what "irregulars" would look like and how they would fit into their games. And when the reality is something different from that idea there's a problem. I think GHQ had an opportunity here to have some really good sales for this item if the reality was more closely aligned with expectation. Reading the various threads though it looks like many people will just wait for a future release.

My own objections are all about size and scale, until those are remedied, which I know they won't be, it dopesn't matter to me what guns or web gear or helmets or uniforms they're wearing.

Paul

[Panzerleader71]

"And when the reality is something different from that idea there's a problem."

:: Shrug:: That's life.

" I think GHQ had an opportunity here to have some really good sales for this item if the reality was more closely aligned with expectation."

Whose expectations? You may have a different view of what constitutes irregular forces then I have. What exactly is everyone looking for? Tourists with AK's? Given the wide variety of what each of us view as "Irregular" a lot of people were bound to be upset which ever way GHQ went. At least they have taken the time to answer a, very small, niche in the wargame market, even though the answer was not what everyone expected.

Personally, I would have preferred if the time and resources had been used to fill out the holes in the WWII line, but I'm not complaining.

[av8rmongo]

Whose expectations? You may have a different view of what constitutes irregular forces then I have. What exactly is everyone looking for? Tourists with AK's? Given the wide variety of what each of us view as "Irregular" a lot of people were bound to be upset which ever way GHQ went.

I agree, we could all have different opinions about what might constitue "irregulars". My comment was that based on what others on this forum have said most of the commentors seem to have held a similar opinion of what the irregulars should have been and most seem to be disappointed with what they actually are. This is not a scientific survey its just an observation of what people have written. I'm not trying to advocate for any particular version, mine or anyone elses, of what irregulars should be. What I'm saying is that there seems to have been a missed opportunity here.

Doubtless a great deal of time and energy went into the production of these items. And equally understandable is GHQ's desire to achieve some return on that investment. A year ago when they announced the releases they could have included a brief description of what the release would contain. "Modern Irregulars 60 figures in various poses with mixture of weapons wearing generic web gear and steel helmets..." They could have synched up everyon'es expectations of what they were not going to be.

Over the past year there have been several "anticipation" threads where posters have speculated on what the "irregulars" pack would have. Most posts focused on irregular forces not in uniforms, sort of come as you are warriors. GHQ could have stepped in at that point and said something like our concept is more along the lines of... Point is it was obvious looking at the forum what many people thought the release should be.

Only time will tell if the masses buy what GHQ has produced. Maybe the vocal members of the forum are the minority but if the vocal members are any guide then it apprears this release missed the mark.

Again, not my fight just making observations.

Paul

[DAK]

I like the irregular soldiers it gives you more varity to work with. Thanks GHQ!!

[Panzerleader71]

"Again, not my fight just making observations. "

And not trying to hint in that direction. Just used your over all comments as reflectors of peoples "expectations".

I have been, in the past, guilty of flaming a gaming company because their products have not met with my expectations and I offer up my observations to those who are intent on doing the same here. It doesn't really do much good.

My advice state your grievence politely once, then take a breath and wait to see what happens.

[Donald M. Scheef]

With respect to the disappointment expressed over TW-12 and TW-13 and GHQ's "failure" to meet the expectations of some individuals: Do not despair.

I went through a similar round with GHQ's modeling of the British 'V & W' class destroyers in the Micronaut range. When they announced V & W class in the UKN series for the 2008-2009 release season, I began questioning which version. I most wanted the WAIR conversion. The long-range escort conversion and the short-range escort conversion were also interesting to me. I was least interested in the unconverted 'as-built' version, since few of the ships remained in this appearance by 1938.

When GHQ released UKN43, I was disappointed to see that they had produced the unconverted version and a 'modified W' type as well. These were too late for WWI and had almost all been converted before the start of WWII. None the less, I purchased enough packs to cover hypothetical conflicts of the 1920s and 1930s and then started posting requests for the modified versions.

Then, in the 2009-2010 releases, GHQ produced UKN45, the WAIR version. This made up for a lot of my disappointment.

I am still hoping for a long-range escort and short-range escort version in the future, but will continue to purchase from GHQ because I like the quality of their models.

For those of you who don't like TW-12 and TW-13, buy what you do like and keep lobbying on the forum for really irregular irregulars such as in av8rmongo's photos.

Don S.