1:72 Wine Cellar WIP

Despite still awaiting a roof to top the thing, I've thought you would like to see what our upcoming modernist styled Catalonian Wine Cellar is starting to look like. Better than trying to explain it in words, let's share a few captions on the prototype:

Please note the main trick we're using to make a relatively lightweight model kit from this otherwise massive building: the thick cardboard box of its packaging is going to be the building main body, on which socles, windows, false towers, terraces and other architectural details are to be fixed, so as to build the ultimate kit.

Such trick will allow us to set an affordable pricing for the model kit, as well as to keep its total weight below 400g --a measure that ought to permit shipping expenses economy too, while still allowing for a durable, tough model building on tabletop.

Two long side terraces will allow for miniatures to be placed on top, so as to help using the building not just as a simple background decoration, but as a terrain element by itself. And last, users will have the choice not to glue the roof on top, thus allowing indoor practicability too.

1:100 SCW Flags range expands

We've just launched three new SCW flags sets at 1:100^th scale --that is, intended for 15mm wargaming. This time it's been the turn for Moroccan Regulars, Catalan Army and Falangist Militia, all them previously released in 1:72^nd some weeks ago.

Our Spanish Civil War 15mm flags range now comprises 14 different sets --each consisting of a DIN A7 paper sheeet with three different historical flags.

Range will keep growing next year, along with its sister collection of 1:72^nd scale flags, also comprising 13 different sets. Besides, good news are also awaiting 28mm wargamers too!

Upcoming 1/72 scenery range

I believe this will be exciting news for all 20mm SCW wargamers: we at Minairons are about to start a new 1:72 scale scenery range, specifically intended for re-creating the common (and not-so-common) Spanish landscapes of those years.

True that some first timid attempts were performed not long ago, by creating a couple of battlefield scenery pieces (a bailed out command Panzer and a downed I-15 fighter), that have proven to be successful enough to encourage us to try and expand the range with a new series of elements --either large buildings or simple widgets.

So that, taking advantage of the mutual trust arisen after our retailing partnership with Surus Creations (by which we became a vendor of their Belchite 1:100 scale SCW scenery), we alongside met a further agreement with them for a similar 1:72 scale range to be made in exclusive for Minairons, under our own make.

Little afterwards, work started on a first project --under some kind of deliberate news blackout, admittedly: a modernist style Wine Cellar, inspired on the numerous cooperative farming facilities built between 1914 and 1925 by the Commonwealth of Catalonia, a semi-autonomous government institution of these years.

Despite work on masters is well advanced now, so that some preliminary pictures might be already shown, we've preferred to let the whole prototype be finished before sharing with you. Pictures will follow in few days, I promise. meanwhile, I've thought you would like to take a glance on the thing plans, so as to get a first taste on the thing:

Front view

Side view

Architectural detail

Some kit elements (such as chimney, for instance) have been devised as optional, depending on whether the user plans to build an industrial factory in an urban background, or as an oil or wine cellar for his countryside settings instead.

As said above, work on this superb building masters is well advanced now, so that we'll be able to show you pictures of it in not too many days' time.

Three more SCW 1:72 Flag sets

Once again, our range of 1:72 scale flags for 20mm Spanish Civil War gaming has just grown with three new sets: Catalan Army, Falangist militias and Basque Army. As customary, these A7 sized sheets contain three historical flag designs each, all slightly textured so as to simulate waving shadows.

After this addition, the above mentioned range now ascends to 13 different flag sheets, that can be found in this page. Such range will keep growing in the next months at a good pace; as a matter of fact, we are now preparing three new sets in this scale: Foreign Legion (already released for 15mm time ago), XI International Brigade and XIII International Brigade.

1/144 Breguet XIX preview

After a somewhat longer than wished lapse, we've retaken the range of Spanish Civil War aircraft; this time, we wished to place on workbench the Breguet XIX. This two-seat biplane was the Spanish Republic Air Forces standard bomber before the burst of civil war.

We are planning to supply the model kit with a decals sheet including markings for both SCW sides, but had also in mind to supplement it with some early WWII markings. We're thinking of Greek and Polish markings --would you support this choice?

As for model itself, it will be quite easy to build --with no more than 8 parts besides of pilot and gunner.

More 1:100 SCW flags released

Just as promised last month, we've just made available three new sets of 1:100 scale flags for SCW 15mm gaming. This time it's been the turn for the Republican militia Fifth Regiment, Nationalist Cavalry and Basque Army.

New sets come, as usual, under form of small DIN A7 paper sheets with three historical flag designs each, slightly textured so as to simulate fabric waving under wind effect. Thanks to these new additions, our range of flags at this scale now comprises 11 different sets --and will keep growing all 2017 long, for the most immediate releases we've forecast in 1:100 scale are Falange militia, Catalan Army and Moroccan Regulares. We expect to release these before Christmas.

Regarding our equivalent range of 1:72 scale flags there will be further news soon, too --in one or two weeks' time as late.

Requeté Militia WIP

After a lapse of frantic activity time either re-vamping the miniature ranges of his own, or launching a new WWII 1:72 models and accessories company christened as Steel 72, our sculptor Xan has finally met the time for sculpting a new set of Spanish Civil War figures for Minairons. Such new set is devoted to Requete militias and will consist of 18 figures, comprehensive of NCOs and officers, an LMG team, flag bearer and christophore. Here below you have his preliminary sketches on it:

It's soon still to give an ultimate deadline for them. It depends not just on sculptor's own speed at making the greens, but also on other factors to be kept in mind: boxart progression, packaging design and printing... However, my overall feeling is that we'll be able to release them reasonably soon.

Manila Galleon first preview

Well, I admit there isn't much to show yet, because 3D designing of our announced 1:600 Galleon has revealed to be a little harder than expected at start. However, when designer showed me a few captions on his work progress, a few days ago, I couldn't resist the temptation to post them on blog. Ship's hull, a part of which you can see above, will measure around 70 mm long --Manila galleons were really big!-- and perhaps around 17 mm wide.

As you can see by the picture above, we're taking a lot of care about detail --even at the risk of having to reduce it later!--. Only after having 3D-printed a first prototype, we'll be able to determine parts and materials, although I'm currently considering as most likely to finally make hull in resin, with masts and rigging in white metal.

Unless something gets really wrong, ship will be released as a boxed set including a DIN A7 format paper sheet comprising not only its main ensign, but minor flags and jack as well. Here below you have a draft of such flags sheet:

New set of 1:72 flags for Spanish Civil War

Just as promised some days ago, here you have the three latest additions to our range of 1:72^nd scale flags for 20mm Spanish Civil War gaming: Requete militias, Moroccan Mehalla and 5º Regimiento. They come under form of small DIN A7 paper sheets with three historical flag designs each, slightly textured so as to simulate fabric waving under wind effect.

Range will grow further in next weeks, alongside to its 15mm equivalent. Upcoming novelties will be Falangist militias, Spanish Foreign Legion and Basque and Catalan armies --all of which already on workbench.

Please check our current offer of 20mm flags in this page.

New 1:100 SCW flags added

Our range of 1:100^th scale flags for 15mm Spanish Civil War gaming has just grown with three novelties: Female battalions, Requete militias and Moroccan Mehalla. As usual, these A7 flags sheets come with three historical flag designs each, slightly textured so as to simulate fabric waving under wind effect.

Range will grow further in next weeks, thanks to the addition of flag sheets for Falangist militias, Communist 5^th Regiment, Nationalist Cavalry and Moroccan Regulares, as well as Basque and Catalan armies --that are already being drawn right now. Please check our current offer of 15mm flags in this page.

A similar range of flags in 1:72^nd scale will also experience a substantial growth soon, too. Please stay tuned!

1:72 BT-5 Fast Tank released

We are happy to present you our latest addition to Minairons' ever growing 1/72 Spanish Civil War vehicles range: the BT-5 fast tank --another intermediate step in the tanks family started by J. Walter Christie's early designs and ending in the ultimate T-34 Soviet medium tank. Capable of a remarkable 72 km/h speed and reasonably well armed for its time, BT-5 was a potentially dangerous weapon. Up to 50 BTs were used by both sides in SCW latest stages (Ebro battle and Catalonia invasion, mainly).

As for model itself, it is quite easy to build as usual. It consists of just 6 main parts cast in resin, two of which are turret hatchets, while the seventh part is a finely shaped brass barrel. Kit is sold individually in box, along with a decals sheet --the same one already used for T-26 tanks.

Our 1/72 BT-5 Fast Tank retails at €12.95 and can already be ordered in our website, or alternatively requested from our retailers and distributors. Separate brass barrels will be available for purchase in the next few days too.

New 1:72 Downed fighter

We've got now available a new piece of scenery for 20mm SCW gaming: a shot down Polikarpov I-15 fighter at 1:72^nd scale. As it can be seen by the captions below, model is resin cast from a single piece:

It can already be found following this link of our website, where it retails at €4.95. Just for persuading you to purchase it, please take a look at the pictures below, where the model shows as painted by Rubén Torregrosa of Heresy Brush:

New release: ERA racing cars

We are happy to announce release of a new 1938 Grand Prix item, at both 1:72^nd and 1:100^th scales altogether. This new addition to range is ERA racer --an acronym standing for English Racing Automobiles.

Model kit is extremely simple at both scales, as you can see by the images below --first, the 1:72 version, that has been superbly painted by Carlos Vidal in Siamese livery:

And now its smaller 1:100 version, painted by myself. Well, not any master piece unlike the one above, but it will do nicely on a racing circuit anyway. Please do not take it as a suitable model of English livery, but choose a quite darker green for it instead --I admittedly mistook the shade!

ERA racers are already available from our website, if interested please follow the links: 1:72 version here and 1:100 version there. True that we had planned first a combined release in a 2-cars boxed set; but at one point we've found ourselves with ERA cars at both scales already cast, while the second car (a Bugatty most probably) hasn't ever started to be designed. So we've thought it better not to make you wait.

Battlegroup Spain supplement?

I guess that some of you already know (of have learnt about) the excellent Battlegroup WWII wargame rules series published by Iron Fist and sponsored by The Plastic Soldier Company; rules that are set mainly at 15mm to 20mm and can be played at different engagement sizes --typically, platoon to battalion levels. Well, the matter is that a group of gamers particularly attached to this ruleset have thoroughly prepared a supplement of it for Spanish Civil War --something that quickly attracted my attention like a magnet.

A PDF copy of that Spanish Civil War supplement draft was then submitted to Iron Fist and PSC teams, and they agreed it to be consistent enough for being worked out toward an ultimate version --provided that a more thoroughful testing might derive in any eventual amendment. It was also judged plausible to publish it in some form (even as a PDF), but for doing so it is compulsorily required to meet the designing high quality standards Battlegroup series has got us accustomed to.

Plain and simple, this means having lots of real contemporary pictures, as well as appropriate photos of figures and models in beatifully depicted scenarios. And I alone don't enjoy the resources needed for gathering such a large collection of pictures --or paying for these to be taken, either. This is why I would like to make a call to all those of you who would love a Battlegroup SCW supplement, to help us gathering as much and as good graphical stuff as possible, in order to illustrate such supplement accordingly to the high standards expected.

Related to all this, perhaps some of you will be glad to know that the making of appropriate Vehicle Data Cards for SCW is under study too. We would be granted full permission from owners above for doing so, provided the ultimate product meets their approval. I was thinking of a khaki brown for Republican AFV cards, while a khaki green for the Nationalist ones; would you agree to this, or would you suggest a different colour pattern instead?

A Henschel truck of my own

I've been taking advantage of this long Summer season for pushing forward some projects for my own collection. One of these is a Henschel type 33 truck, painted for Condor Legion service with some German crewmen of Xan Miniatures replacing the default Spanish driver. Not any master piece of work, but it will do nicely on tabletop.

Here you have the original article in my personal painting blog (Catalan language only, sorry)

Minairons next release

Once back from holidays, it's time for making things run again. As a proof of such, I'd like to share with Minairons friends our upcoming release, no other than BT-5 fast tank! - at 1/72^nd scale. Here below you have an ultimate sample:

Hull and mudguards are cast in one single piece, while running gears and turret are additional separate parts. Worth to be noted that following the suggestion of one customer, gun barrel will be neither resin or white metal but highly detailed brass instead! Such 45mm barrels made by RB-Models from Poland will also be separately available, so as to improve your T-26 tanks or similarly armed vehicles!

If everything keeps running as reasonably good as so far, we expect to release BT-5 fast tank in September. It will most likely retail in single model boxes inclusive of a decals sheet for Soviet, Finnish, Turkish and Spanish service (both sides) - same than for our T-26.

Holidays week

We're out for holidays since 1st to 7th August. This is why you might find that any your eventual e-mails to us is not being responded in due time, or the status of any eventual order you place does not change during that week.

We'll be back home on next weekend; apologies for eventual inconveniences!

New range ahoy!

Minairons Miniatures was brought to life by manufacturing figures, vehicles and accessories related to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and this is the period and range we have been devoting our hardest efforts so far --at such at an extent that "Minairons" has likely become a synonym of "SCW stuff" to many hobbyists.

However, our brand wasn't born to confine itself to one single range of miniatures only, but with the explicit aim to cover as much as possible all periods of Spanish Peninsula nations military history instead; so that we've decided to start a radically new range.

Every shot aimed to new targets always implies some risk of missing the shot, and such could be the case now. As sayings in most languages use to say though, for winning you must dare first, so here it goes our bid: we're going to start a range of 1/600 scale waterline ships of the Age of Sail, normally belonging to late 17^th or early 18^th centuries. Models will follow our usual trend of being CAD-designed for best detailing, accurately produced with quality materials and insultingly easy to build.

Following another of our dominant trends too, our upcoming models pretend to be compatible and complementary to those of other brands already producing age of sail ships, such as Peter Pig or Skytrex for instance.

We have already started design of a first model, the Manila Galleon --the huge 4-masted pride of the Spanish Pacific fleet. Other models in the pipeline are lateen-sailed xebecs, hybrid xebecs, WSS warships and galleys. We intensely hope this new range comes to please you!

Stokes-Brandt 81mm mortar & Republican crew

This is the second set of infantry support weapons we had announced some time ago. Following the release of a Nationalist Valero 81mm mortar and crewmen three days ago (cf. posting below), now we're glad to show you a Stokes-Brandt mortar, also 81mm, along with its Republican crew.

New set retails at €4.95 and is available right now from our website.

Hopefully available soon from our international main stockists too!

New 81mm Valero mortar & Nationalist crew

Here you have the latest addition to our ever growing 20mm SCW figures range. This time, it's been the turn for a 81mm Valero mortar along with its Nationalist crewmen.

New set retails at €4.95 and is available right now from our website.

Don't forget to stay tuned, for this very same week we're going to release another infantry support set --a 81mm Stokes-Brandt mortar with Republican crew!

1938 Grand Prix ERA type B racer

Our 1938 Grand Prix next set is progressing fast and easy. We have now completed the making of the first racing car such set is to include, the British ERA Type B racer. We have designed and produced it at 1:72 and 1:100 scales altogether, so as to be able to launch them both in a short lapse of time between them.

As customary in Minairons, these models are willingly easy to assemble while retaining the most possible detail: just one part for hull, four wheels, two shafts and driver. This is what its 1:72 scale version looks like once assembled:

And this is what both scales cars look like side by side (the 1:100th one is already primed too, this is why of their differing shades of colour):