1/100 Fiat CR.32 available

Once solved the issue we experienced about decals delivery, we're glad to finally announce release of our second 1/100^th scale aircraft: the ubiquituous Fiat CR.32, known as "Freccia" (=Arrow) in its motherland, and as "Chirri" (literally, "C-R") in Spain.

Model kit itself consists of 2 resin main parts and up to 12 white metal smaller pieces --these latter, comprehensive of a pilot, besides of a decalsheet including basic Italian, Hungarian and Spanish Nationalist markings.

What Ever Hobby, from Belgium

We're delighted at welcoming What Ever Hobby of Bart Van der Taelen as our first retailer in Belgium. This shop, which is devoted to modelism, wargaming and collecting stuff is going to carry from now on all of our ranges, from 1/144^th to 1/56^th scales.

Their www.what-ever.be regular webshop is currently under re-construction work, but they can nevertheless be found at the Facebook URL www.facebook.com/pages/What-Ever/116679165072503. We strongly encourage Belgian aficionados to get into touch with Bart of What Ever Hobby --you won't be deceived!

1/72 Militiawomen sneak peek

When talking about Milicianas, those of you fond of Spanish Civil War gaming are most likely familiar to images like these below:

Such is certainly the most widespread appearance in our minds of those women having volunteered for fighting the military uprising against the Spanish Republic. Despite such look does respond partly to truth, for there actually arose a "revolutionary dress fashion" in Republican Spain following the uprising, it is not less true that these images also responded to the kind of appearance war reporters of the time were seeking. So becoming quite of a sketchy, mystified image.

In the end, one can reasonably understand such kind of overalls dressing in the first weeks of street fighting and turmoil... But, can any believe that such costume would be that widespread once the conflict had stabilized along regular front lines? Or after the hot, sunny Summer had given way to a less comfortable climate?

I'd bet not that many of you are so familiar to this other kind of images:

At the time of projecting a series of Republican Militiawomen, sure that we shouldn't neglect those first captions above –in the end, this is precisely what many are actually expecting us to make. But it is our bid not to restrict ourselves to merely sketchy figures, but to reveal some of the real, quite more assorted thing behind too.

Unlike the whole of our 1/72 SCW figures range, whose sculpting has been entrusted to Juan G. Bautista of Xan Miniatures, this particular series has been commissioned to a different sculptor; one Angel Terol of Madrid town, who is ill-known in wargaming circles still, but holds a wide experience at sculpting larger scale miniatures (mainly for collecting purposes), besides of being an expert at sculpting female body.

Thus Angel and I agreed short time ago a first, testing figure to be sculpted; with the aim to meet size, style and proportions according to the male figures sculpted by Xan. The selected figure would be one of the 2 NCOs that should lead a female fighters set, accordingly to our sets composition settled schema.

Well, this below is the result.

As said above, one of our main concerns regarding this series is to get ensured they will match fully with the whole range Xan is creating. General look is conceived as to show a relative fragility of body if compared to their male mates. Body proportions have been faithfully adapted in correspondance, as well as size (about 1mm shorter than men). I'd say we've fully achieved the goal, IMHO. But, may we know your opinion?

1/72 Hispano Suiza MC-36 released!

Once decals printed and delivered, we are happy to announce the release of the 1/72^nd version of Hispano Suiza MC-36 armoured truck.

Model consists of 16 resin and hard-plastic parts --including those optional ones, intended for an alternative T-26 tank turret. Kit is complimented by a decals sheet with markings for both SCW sides, just as we did at this stunning AFV's 1/56^th and 1/100^th scales versions.

1/72 Hispano Suiza MC-36 comes in a single model box and retails at €10.95. It can be already found at our website, and pretty soon from our main distributors and retailers too.

Just for having an idea of what kind of beast we're talking about, here it goes a picture of its 1/100 version along with a Zvezda BT-5 tank!

Not that good news

We're experiencing a serious setback, that threatens to prevent us from releasing the new models we had forecast for this month. Such obstacle consists of an unexplainable delivery delay of the decalsheets that must accompany those models. There are up to 4 new decals sheets affected --those of 1/72 Hispano Suiza armoured truck, 1/100 and 1/144 Fiat CR.32 fighter, and 1/100 Panzer I ausf. B / Pz. Befehlswagen.

According to what we've been told, all 4 sets were printed by Fantasy Printshop (UK) on Wednesday 12, March and shipped to us that very same day --roughly accordingly to deadlines, then. However, they haven't been delivered to us yet, as for today March 21st.

Quite of a worrying situation, because we have no suitable alternatives at hand at the short term. Wish next week begins with better news.

Welcoming new traders

We would like to welcome a handful of shops having decided recently to carry Minairons Miniatures stuff. Such is the case of Tas Modelshop in Netherlands, for instance. They have just got into touch with us for this reason.

Modelists and wargamers in the capital city of Aragon region, Saragossa, would perhaps know that Kits shop in their town is already selling our 1/72 models and figures, and do also have some of our 1/100 stuff with the purpose of allowing curious customers to inspect it. Kits shop have no website yet, but they're located in downtown (calle Mayor, 45).

And last, the renowned Kaburi shops net in Barcelona city (Catalonia) are also carrying for test some of our products since last Christmas. Hopeful that their experience becomes satisfactory enough for permanently retailing Minairons Miniatures from now on!

1/72 Sadurní Carrier preview

Here it goes a sample I've painted for myself of the Carrier version of IGC Sadurní tank --one of the couple 1/72 AFVs we're going to release in the next few weeks:

The crew you can see here is not the original one of this set, but a collection of modified figures of other makes. I don't remember where the driver comes from, but in any case its head was replaced by the Adrian helmeted one of a Pegasus Hobbies plastic french infantryman. The officer to his right is by Irregular.

As for the soldiers carried on, they all are from Xan Miniatures catalogue: late war German soldiers, that have also suffered some modification. Two of them have been fitted Pegasus Hobbies heads too, while the third one's head has been swaped by that of a BUM soft plastic spanish republican soldier. Otherwise, decals and paper flag are Minairons own.

Here below you can see the ultimate crew of this nice AFV --depicted a few days ago, before completion. Now they're actually finished and on their way to foundry:

All these figures will be included in IGC Sadurní Carrier set (20GEV013), but are to be sold separately too, so as to allow their use as truck passengers or tank riders, under reference no. # 20GEF005.

As to have an idea on the vehicle size, here you have it depicted alongside to a (slightly modified) Universal Bren Carrier of Plastic Soldier Company:

It must be admitted that Sadurní crew is relatively unprotected, if compared to that of Universal. It seems obvious that, had it been finally approved for mass production, Sadurní carrier walls should have been made one or two feet higher. BTW, here below you have a Sadurní carrier in an odd, what-if role as a VBCW alternative carrier for Scottish troops:

In this case, the (still unfinished) vehicle has been painted as if an eventual post-VBCW Scottish Republic had been thrown into WWII --on the Allied side, indeed. An unusual 5-pointed star pattern has been chosen, so as the blue in it matches with that of the Scottish flag.

More Benach M1935 sketches

Following the article recently published that showed our Benach M1935 Fast Tank ultimate design, now I'm posting some complimentary views, so that its general look can be fully appreciated.

Let's see first of all the tank profile in on-wheels running mode, with regard to its normal on-tracks look. According to the patent text, the tracks would automatically withdraw and lay over the wheels. The whole strip would be kept tensioned thanks to a couple of removable supports --presumably aided by mid wheels, that were supposed to rise up automatically too.

A decision we had to take was determining the tank size --for neither the original blueprints or patent ever bothered specifying such. At a first attempt, we found it likely to match its size with that of Christie M1932 Flying Tank, but we found this latter to be bigger than expected: 5.5 m long! Too large for the average European tank of that time, we thought. So we saw then to match our what-if Catalan AFV size to that of a slightly smaller tank sharing that same design: a Soviet BT-7, that measures just 4.5 m long. We felt fully satisfied with the result, so such is to be the ultimate size of our tank too.

And last, this is the ultimate kit parts composition (sorry for the low resolution render!). As you can see anyway, hull is to be subdivided into two parts, in order to allow an empty inside and save some resin. Also, set will include two sets of running gears, with the aim to allow each one to build the model in the running mode he wishes. As a matter of fact, we've decided to pack the tank by the two in a box, so as to ease users choices. Quite obviously, the alternative running gears will have to be cast in white metal, rather than resin as the rest of kit.

As for other accessories, the ultimate kit will include a decals sheet as usual. It's been a hard choice too, due to the what-if nature of this tank --so that we've had to choose what-if markings too: i.e. Turkish roundels for if the tank had been finally purchased by this country, Liverpool Free State markings so as to allow its eventual use in VBCW, Spanish Republican roundels to cover those settings that imply the involvement of the Spanish Republic in WWII at the time of Blitzkrieg, and last, Catalan Republican markings fulfilling a what-if French intervention in SCW after Ebro battle and the creation of a puppet state beyond its southern border.