1/72 Landesa tank released

We've just made available another 1/72 scale tracked fighting vehicle --the little known Landesa tank, one the first Spanish attempts to produce a tank of their own, back in the late 1920s.

As usual among us, ultimate model kit is quite simple, easy to build --for it just consists of three main resin parts, complemented by a hard plastic MG. It has been priced at €10.95 and can be already found in the Interwar page of our webstore. As you can see thorugh the image below, this model shared chassis and running gear with the Landesa tractor it was based on, as well as with the later Trubia-Naval tank.

Perhaps some of you might wonder why we have labeled this AFV as an Interwar one, instead of SCW. The fact is that, despite up to two of them fought in the first stages of war (around Oviedo town, one on each side), it had been used in action before --during the 1934 Asturias Revolution, to be precise.

1/72 Landesa improvised tank preview

I'm happy to show you the new piece of armour we shall release at 1/72 scale. This tank was improvised on Landesa tractor chassis and, despite a couple of them did see some action at Spanish Civil War outbreak, we're going to label it as an Interwar tank (20IGV003), due to having been first used during the 1934 Asturias Revolution. You can see the prototype of it at the picture above, with a Trubia-Naval Basque tank as background.

Minairons Plans for 2016 (II)

As a second part to the 2016 plans review written some days ago, I'd like now to let you know those other plans regarding 1:72 scale. I must admit these are our most extensive and ambitious plans; and this shouldn't catch anyone by surprise, for it is 1:72 stuff what actually keeps Minairons standing and holding the line. So that we are going to expand our Spanish Civil War range even further in 2016 - this involving both new white metal troop types and high quality resin vehicles.

As for figures, we'll go first for the Foreign Legion - this implying not less than two boxed sets, and quite probably up to three: legionary infantry, command and PaK 36 AT teams. Such will take us the first four to five months of 2016, likely. Once the Legion is done, it will be time to choose between the two best positioned sets behind: either Assault Guards or Requetes - or whatever is adviced by our wishlist status. BTW, I'm saying nothing about Militiamen because this is an upcoming set to be released very soon, still within 2015:

Going now for SCW vehicles, we are working hard to release Trubia-Naval "Euzkadi" tank soon, as already explained in a recent thread, so this will likely be our first AFV release in 2016. Other SCW vehicle projects in portfolio for 2016 are CV-33 Carro Veloce tankette and its Lanciafiamme version, Lancia Ansaldo IZ/IZM armoured car, Fiat-SPA Dovunque 33/35 truck and BT-5 fast tank; except for the truck, all of them are currently at various design stages. I'd also like to take a decision regarding BA-3/6 armoured car - a decision that must compulsorily have into account the excellent model already produced by Pegasus, which is nevertheless little known in Europe.

As for other ranges, we shall keep dropping a few WWII and Interwar models amidst, such as a Landesa improvised tank, or a OT-130 flamethrower version of T-26 tank, for instance - but we don't expect these ranges to grow significantly yet, for SCW is to be prioritary still for a long time. One important exception to this rule is our range of 1938 Grand Prix racing cars, that will be expanded further during 2016 with new racers, a ruleset and probably racing circuits too. At present, the British ERA type B car is already being designed at both 1:72 and 1:100 altogether.

A possible new range we are still pondering is related to War of the Spanish Succession - although little can be explained about yet, for it is currently at a very preliminary stage. In any case, it's in our mind to produce some 20mm items complementary to the plastics 1/72 GNW range already launched by Zvezda. Logically, we would then focus on the Peninsular theatre of WSS, making those troop types not covered by Zvezda plastics --such as southern European grenadiers, Spanish and French dragoons, Catalan Mountain Fusiliers, mounted personalities and so. Nothing at regard can be considered as final, though --not even year 2016 as a start.

1/72 Vickers 105mm Gun

Sometimes, our designers are commissioned projects that lay apparently aside from our "official" pipeline and wishlist. Such is the case of the design I'm happy to present you now - the Vickers 105mm gun:

Not that aside, though. It belongs to a global project embracing several different models and figures - in a way quite similar to that other one including IGC Sadurní tank, carrier and tractor, altogether with the Schneider 155 howitzer. Besides, the fact of already having two guns (Schneider 155 and Vickers 105) will ultimately allow us to develop artillery crews for both sides - a set of figures admittedly long expected.

Following this global project concept, this new gun will be developed alongside to the Landesa tractor and a white metal driver - and released all together. The running gear we design for this tractor will be also useful for endeavouring next a Landesa improvised tank and last, the Trubia-Naval Basque tank too.

Back to our Vickers 105mm gun concept, it will consist of a pretty small number of parts - roughly, those you can see below:

This whole series will be developed in 1/72 scale first, to be re-scaled later, as usual in Minairons lately.