The Coming Changes to the WW1 Middleast Range

Started by noel zaal, 10 June 2016, 03:45:49 PM

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noel zaal

Yaay!   As a keen WW 1 in East Africa Pendraken fan, I was thrilled to hear that 1 of the designers at Pendraken is currently working on a long overdue revamp/ extension of the MiddleEast range for Brits vs Turks. As in real life, this range was for a long time a "forgotten front," as large numbers of Western front stuff improvements left me cold over the past 2 years!

May I suggest as priorities: 1) remake the Brit artillery crew figures so that they have the correct Wolesley sunhelmet with the wide brim - the current figs have helmets with incorrect brim. Sell the new crews in separate packs for customers who already have the guns, or just want to use the poses for other purposes.
                                      2) Please give us some dismounted British cavalry in Wolesley sunhejmet - cavalry often needed to dismount, and these would have many uses, eg also in East Africa.
                                   3)  Please, at least 1 more British infantry pose in shorts and Wolesley sunhelmet - having only 2 poses makes units look like Napoleonics all doing the same thing!

If any other MiddleEast ideas are welcome, Indian infantry in shorts and turban, plus Ghurka infantry in shorts and bush hat.  The latter would be useful on Northwest frontier of India and as British late war East Africa askaris (who started to wear bush hat). The designer should generally watch strength of ankles, and use a rifle strap to keep rifles strong enough for wargaming.

Thanks to the good folks at Pendraken for considering these thoughts -  I do love your figures, and look forward to MiddleEast coming up to standard of your later figs, since it was an early range, but does have lots of good stuff.

Leman

Welcome to the forum Noel. All pretty good thoughts on this range. We need more Arab types as well.
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Leon

This is the initial list we've sent to the sculptor for the next few months work:

British
2 x Infantry - In shorts, helmet and western front equipment

French
3 x Mounted dragoons - 2 poses + officer

German
3 x Dismounted Uhlan - 2 poses + officer

High Command
2 poses for each of Russian / Belgian / Turkish (total 6 figures)

Generic Officers
2 poses each for all major nations (British/German/Austro/Russian/French/Belgian)
... in both early and late varieties.

Middle East Imperial
2 x Infantry - Firing & Kneeling/presenting
1 x Lewis Gun team in pith helmet and shorts
3 x Cavalry - 2 poses + 1 officer
4 x Gun crews - in pith helmet
2 x Indian infantry - Advancing please

Middle East Turkish
2 x Infantry - Firing & Kneeling/presenting
4 x Turkish Arab Legion - 3 infantry poses + officer
4 x Turkish Stormtroopers - 3 infantry poses + officer
3 x Cavalry - 2 poses + 1 officer
3 x Sharifian regular cavalry - 2 poses + officer
4 x Irregular Arab cavalry (Lawrence of Arabia!) - 3 poses + officer
4 x Gun crews - in kabbalak (spelling?!)

Middle East German
4 x European Infantry (Asia Brigade) - 2 in German pith helmet / 2 in forage cap

Middle East Australian
3 x Cavalry - 2 poses + 1 officer
3 x Dismounted cavalry - 2 infantry poses + 1 officer
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paulr

Welcome Noel :-h

Just as my 1917 project winds down  :'( ~X(

A very good list for the Middle East, are you going to do a German HMG? It would be very useful given the high number of HMGs in both Pasha I & II The East African one has the wrong loader for the Middle East
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noel zaal

Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Leon, the list sounds exciting! A few comments which I hope may help... There is already a nice Lewis gunner prone with a correct Wolesley pith helmet, but I guess the new one could add a different pose.  What I would really like to know, which of the Brit infantry and Brit cavalry you refer to in the list will be in Wolesley pith helmet with wide brim?? ( I'm hoping all, so they can be used in other tropical/colonial theatres as well.)
The Indian infantry in the list -if one counts NW Frontier of India range, there are already 3 different packs  of Indian infantry available.  So I humbly suggest a new one would be most useful if it differed by being in shorts.

With thanks for the chance to make some suggestions, and will certainly be looking forward to the new range.

Warm regards to all fellow WW 1 gamers - 10mm is such a perfect scale for WW1!
Noel


FierceKitty

Greetings, Noel. Alexander here, formerly of Durban.
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fsn

So the generic officers, early and late, are they ...

and

Or am I missing the point?
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