September Newsletter!

[Leon]

Welcome to the latest Pendraken newsletter!

With the second half of the show season underway and a load of new releases inbound, it's busy times as usual at Pendraken HQ!




Pendraken Future Plans...

We start this month with a big thank you to everyone for the positive feedback and messages after our update last month.  The loyalty and support we've always had from our customers is overwhelming at times and we'll always be grateful to you for it.

If you missed last months news, you can catch up on it here.




AWI Additions!

We'll dive straight into the releases now, with some new codes for our AWI ranges up first!  Clib has been working with one of our customers to fill a few gaps in the AWI ranges, so there's some good stuff in this batch.  The pioneers and camp followers in particular will happily serve in other 18th century games too.

More info on these can be found on our Forum https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,22545.0.html.




New Bridges and Tents!

We've got some new 10mm scenery up for you next with a few additions to our Bridges and Tents ranges.

First up we've got a fantastic large bridge in both intact and ruined versions.  This is a single arch stone bridge with a roadway width of 43mm, so loads of room for your vehicle bases to drive over.  The span of the arch is around 30mm as well.

Over on the tents side we've added a few new types aimed at the Colonial period and specifically the Anglo-Zulu War.  Firstly we've got some small Zulu grass huts, a type that would have been used when out in the field as opposed to our larger family huts.  We've also got a British HQ marquee tent that should work fine in most Colonial conflicts.

And finally there are some ridge tents in erected and collapsed types that should be fine for any number of 19th C. games.  These are around 14mm overall height so will be a little taller than a 10mm figure (on a base).






New Napoleonic releases!

We originally planned to have these released last year alongside the Peninsular project but they're here now!

These new generic Confederation troops are designed to fill some of the minor contingents provided to the French army in Spain.  They adopted French organisation with grenadier and voltigeur elite companies, wearing either French or German-style uniforms.  Figures wearing the French 'habit' can be sourced from the existing 1809 range and then these new figures in a jacket-type 'habit-veste' and 'kollet' will fill in for the rest.

As well as the above, we've also added some extra Spanish infantry in march attack poses, just for those folks who prefer their units to be in more regular formations.




Chieftain tanks now available!

We've had a lot of messages asking about these so we can now announce that the Chieftains are available!  With almost 2000 produced, these were used by the British army in the BAOR but saw all of their active service in the Middle East during the Iran-Iraq War and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

All 5 of our versions have the same 120mm gun, with the Mk 2 being the first service variant and the Mk 5 being the main production version.  Mk 2's were then upgraded to Mk 5 spec to create Mk 6's.  Further improvements were made during the 1975 'Totem Pole' programme, resulting in the addition of Stillbrew armour (Mk 10) and later the TOGS (Thermal Observation Gunnery Sight) system on the Mk 11.

More info on this release can be found here.

The FV432s are also in the pipeline but the open rear hatches were proving to be a bit thin for metal casting.  We're currently thickening those up a touch and then we'll get them all prepped for release.




Blitzkrieg Commander Army Builder!

We've had a few people asking where we are with the army builder so the good news is that it's not far away now!  The builder software is all built and has been thoroughly tested by our feedback group.  We're just making some final tweaks based on the feedback, as well as making it all look nice, and then it'll be ready to unleash!

More news soon...




Upcoming Shows

We had great days out at both Border Reiver and Colours these past two weekends, although it was a little warm in Newbury!  We're sure it was over 30 degrees C in the hall at times!

We've got a short break now for a few weeks but it won't be long until we're back on the road for Partizan in Newark on Sunday 8th October, and then Fiasco in Leeds on Sunday 29th October.

Please remember that we always need your pre-orders sending through at least 7 days in advance to give us chance to get them ready for you.  You can place these through the website by choosing the Collect at Show delivery option.


Important Dates

Sat 2nd Sept - Border Reiver in Gateshead (pre-orders before Fri 25th Aug)
Sat 9th Sept - Colours in Newbury (pre-orders before Fri 1st Sept)
Sat 11th/Sun 12th Nov - Warfare in Farnborough (pre-orders before Fri 3rd Nov)
Sat 25th Nov - Battleground in Stockton-on-Tees (pre-orders before Fri 17th Nov)



Next month we'll definitely have those FV432s along with some new fencing!  We'll also have previews of all the upcoming Sci-Fi ranges...

[sebigboss79]

New scifi you say? You must have sensed my 'Nam orders are complete for now and I need a new project 

[fsn]

Yes ... I have 4 projects "on the go", and don't need any more ... but tell me about your new SF ranges?


BTW - Any news on the Amazons?   

[Leon]

... but tell me about your new SF ranges?

BTW - Any news on the Amazons?   

Sci-Fi previews should be up on the Forum in the next week or so, just waiting for the last few 3D designs to come through so that I can start photo'ing them all.

Amazons are at the bottom of the pile currently, we need to get a lot more sculpted for those before we can start moulding them.

[sebigboss79]

Let's open a poll what lists we gonna get?

Aliens, Marines, Predators, Bugs and not-Starhip Troopers is a given.

My guesses are

Greys/Martian ... speaking for themselves
Changelings .. as above
Avians
SciFi Apes

  

[fsn]

• The noble Star Union who travel bravely on their great star-spanning ships. The command element would be the  fearless and rather sexy Captain Church, a doctor, an enigmatic science officer and a shirtless helmsman with a rapier. Packs are sexy female crew in mini-skirts and male soldiers who go into battle in a bright jumper and die really, really easily. (They can create a shield the ship, but not even Kevlar for the soldiers.) Their goal in life is exploring the universe finding sexy females that Captain Church can impregnate.
• The nasty Star Union (not the same at all) who are composed mostly of masked, black clad troopers who bump their head a lot so have foam rubber around their helmets. There are also some sexy female maybe robots. They are lead by the sexy Curvy Lan who (against good battlefield logic and to the great distress of her laundry) wears white, and her evil henchman who is so evil he only has one eye and one hand. Their goal in life is chasing a rag-tag group of flamboyant (and mostly sexy) dissidents in a super ship. 
• The evil Star Empire. Like the nasty Star Union, except opposite. The troopers are white clad, their leader is an ugly old guy in black and the evil henchman is so evil that he is now mostly robotic. Their goal is also the chasing down of a rag tag group of dissidents - mainly not sexy, but sexy ones get to fly fighters.
• The morally ambiguous but probably a little bit evil Union of the Planets. These people are all grey. So grey. They wear grey, they look grey, they are basically ciphers. Their goal in life is ... well we're not sure ... but they are hated by a rag-tag group of mostly sexy individualists who scrape a living in a trader  ship and use Winchester 73 rifles rechambered for an ion blaster. The Union of the Planets are so grey that they may not have a command group, but if they do, nobody cares.
• The robotic, so it doesn't matter if they get destroyed, Psi Longs, who are robots except for some super sexy spies. They desire to destroy the final elements of non-robots, which are defended by the mighty Battleship Gattaca, which is commanded by the craggy Admiral Odometer and has a rag-tag crew of very sexy pilots.
• The peace loving crew of the space station Ninevah 1. There were going to be be more Ninevah stations but they couldn't be bothered so it's just the Ninevah 1. Anyway, these are black clad, peaceful deadly fighters who are mostly sexy. There is a command group of the craggy Commander M551, a beautiful but stoic 2nd in command Ivana Makeova, the craggy security officer Mr Biscuit, and the alien but sexy Mini Barry. There's also a pack of space orcs with funny haircuts. Their goal in life is to bicker with each other, make fleeting alliances and occasionally kill something. It's a bit like a perpetual family Christmas.
• The beautiful, exotic, and invariably sexy in a blue skin Pandrops. They are at one with nature and their goal is to avoid being destroyed by a rag-tag of ugly, but scientifically advanced nature-despoilers, who are undoubtedly evil. The Pandrops all look the same so there isn't a command group.
• The empire founded by  plumbers who took Dendra armour to its ultimate conclusion and now look like dustbins. Their armour covers them completely so their sexiness cannot be ascertained. Their main weapons are the hyper effective butane torch and the plunger. They are health freaks who eat apples every day to avoid the Doctor. They are contactable on old Roman phones if you Dial X.

 

[fsn]

Changelings ..

Couldn't anything be a Changeling?

If it's Techno has been given free rein, I'm gonna go for:

• Space ratlings
• Space kobolds
• Space goblins
• Space elves
• Space dwarves
• Space orcs
• Space nightmares (like really bad cheese nightmares!)

[fsn]

Amazons are at the bottom of the pile currently, we need to get a lot more sculpted for those before we can start moulding them.

<insert "Techno being distracted by research" quip here>

[Leon]

We're starting with some humanoid ranges to kick things off and then we'll get into some of the more weird/wacky space races next year.

Aliens, Marines, Predators, Bugs and not-Starhip Troopers is a given.

The existing ranges will be integrated with some of the new ones as we progress.  So the bugs will go into a larger 'buggy' range, the marines will become part of one of the humanoid ranges, etc.

[sebigboss79]

<insert "Techno being distracted by research" quip here>

This reminds me that the totty thread needs updating.....

[fsn]

This reminds me that the totty thread needs updating.....

I write about Techno.
That reminds you about ... totty.









.. err ... 



Nope. I've got nothing.

[sebigboss79]

I write about Techno.
That reminds you about ... totty.









.. err ... 



Nope. I've got nothing.

Which only means you have done your research 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Any chance of Attack Robots (Not Dalecks like the irregular ones) ?

[Ithoriel]

Any chance of Attack Robots (Not Daleks like the irregular ones) ?

Ideally more like the "Starfield" ones, which look like armed machinery than the "person in a suit" types one often sees.

[Raider4]

We're starting with some humanoid ranges to kick things off and then we'll get into some of the more weird/wacky space races next year.

The existing ranges will be integrated with some of the new ones as we progress.  So the bugs will go into a larger 'buggy' range, the marines will become part of one of the humanoid ranges, etc.

Having watched "Ad Astra" and read about "For All Mankind"* I suddenly desire realistic 70's/80's style armed astronauts/cosmonauts and a moon buggy.







* On Apple TV apparently, so I'll likely never get to see it