1/72 Bookmobile, available again

I'm happy to announce that, after a compulsory unavailability lapse, our 20GEV024 Ford AA Bookmobile can be found again on our webstore.

Some tooling had to be remade; and we've taken advantage of it for changing a bit the kits' composition, so that it comprises now a slightly smaller number of parts than before. We hope this measure helps users to assemble and paint their model kit with a little more ease.

This remodeling operation is seeking a secondary effect too --no other than making it easier to design and produce a future pickup variant using already created parts. This new model is already on the pipeline, so I'll be able to show WIP on it soon, hopefully.

A new WSS flags set

I'm happy to show you our latest addition to the War of Spanish Succession flags ranges, released at 1/100, 1/72 and 1/56 scales together --under form of a DIN A7 sized PDF sheet, for users to download and print at will. Regardless of scale, each sheet comprises two flags preformatted for the intended scale: King's and Regiment's colours (known in Spain as Coronela and Batallona flags, respectively).

We're already working on more of such flag sets, belonging to both WSS sides.

More on the same painting commission

Some ships else added to the current commission. It's been now the turn for the smaller ships in the client's collection, a total of five single-masted sloops --one of which, painted as a Spanish escort warship while the rest have been dressed as pirates.

As it can be seen by the picture above, one of the pirate ships has had a second mast attached to transform it into a lateen sailed tartane. Although own to the Mediterranean Sea, tartanes and other lateen rigged ships were'nt uncommon at all in the Caribbean --manned by French and Spanish crews mainly, but also by Italian or Maghribian sailors in foreign service. I've taken advantage of this for assigning her a red-yellow striped flag, supposedly flown by one Edmund Cooke, but that could also belong to a French or Catalan buccaneer (even it could do for a Barbary pirate!).

The other three pirate sloops show slightly different rigging configurations, making them close to either a 'pure' Bermuda sloop, or to a square course sail cutter instead. All this, with the aim to make every ship unique. Spare parts from brands other than PP have been used for this, as well as some conveniently shaped plasticard pieces.

On its side, the Spanish escort ship follows quite a standard pattern, with no other modification than making the gaff sail a bit smaller. After this batch, the current commission is almost over now --there are left only two large indiamen, that I've already started painting.

War of Spanish Succession flags sample

I'm happy to share what a sample of our recent WSS flags range looks like, once fitted. Work has been done by I.S., a customer who is building a 28mm Austro-Catalan army and hqas kindly granted me permission to show his pictures.

I know I can't be objective because I'm these flags maker --but don't they look terrific?

Painting commission WIP

Let me show you a second group of ships belonging to the current commission, that consists of all the two masted boats in the commission, all them from Peter Pig. The one in the middle is a 18-008 medium warship or brig, while all the rest are 18-007 small warships --with some variations amongst them, making them look like either a small brig, quetch, schooner or brigantine.

Two of those smaller warships have been painted as Spanish escorts. One of them has been enlargened the stern castle, as well as assigned a lateen sail on mainmast, as if a primitive form of brig or quetch it was. The other one has been dressed as a proper brig with a gaff sail. Both are flying 1701-1785 Spanish war ensigns as well as long commission pennants.

On its side, the larger brig has been given an austere look as a pirate ship, showing flags allegedly belonging to Christopher Moody. Red on red all along the ship!

And last, the other two smaller ships have been built and painted having pirates in mind too. I assume that purple is quite an anachronistic colour for a ship of that era, but if you watch her flags set you'll understand why of such odd choice --for these are the ones that some sources state for the french pirate woman Jacquotte Delayahe. As for the second warship, it shows the flags supposedly flown by another french pirate, Olivier Levasseur.

I've already started working on this commission third batch, that is to consist of all its single masted ships --again, five models. Worth to warn that one of them is going to be assigned a second mast and rigged with lateen sails, with the aim of making a tartane of it. Despite what is commonly believed, lateen sailed boats were quite common in the Caribbean, manned by Mediterranean powers such as France and Spain.

20mm SCW dispatch riders preview

I'm happy to acknowledge our readers that our upcoming set of 1/72 scale SCW figures is ready now. The set will consist of two Republican dispatch riders along with their Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Unlike their 1/100 scale counterpart shown below (where bike, rider and stand are cast in a single piece, with only handlebar and arms apart), the 1/72 scale version has separate motorcycles, figures, handlebars and stands (so allowing multiple customization chances).

(15mm version)

As you can see, the first figure of this new set shows a man leaning on his right foot, as if he was talking with someone else, or watching something perhaps.

The other one represents a rider seated on his bike --which is obviously supposed to be running.

In the next few days we're going to take them to foundry for production.

More Spanish Succession flags

Now that the headquarters move is over, we are restarting activity by sharing with our readers the release of a new set of War of Spanish Succession flags --devoted this time to a third Austro-Catalan infantry regiment: that one oficially named "Saint Narcissus", but also known by locals as "German infantry". The set has been released simultaneously in 1/100, 1/72 and 1/56 scales versions altogether, following our purpose to develop all three ranges simultaneously.

This is not all, though. Two former sets, that were put under pre-order some months ago, have now been made ultimately available too. I'm talking about "Saint Eulàlia" and "General Deputation" regiments, already announced in previous posts.

All these sets are now available under form of a DIN A7 format PDF file, that can be downloaded for €2.00 and auto-printed at will --with the only exception of "St. Eulàlia" 28mm version, that had been brought to printshop some time before. This later will be sold as printed paper still for a time, until end of stocks; only afterwards we shall re-release it as a PDF file too.

In the next months we'll keep developing these new, multi-scale PDF ranges focusing on the peninsular armies of WSS (both sides Spanish and Portuguese mainly, but hopefully also from those countries having deployed troops there).

We're moving!

It's been an unusually long time since our last news update, I must agree. There is a reason for such silence, though --and this is no other than Minairons miniatures moving their headquarters to a more convenient place. No need to hide why we're moving, for a sudden rent raise has persuaded me to choose between accomodating to that increased expense, or enjoying earnings room enough to impulse new projects. That simple. To a passionate of miniature modelling and gaming (as I am indeed), the choice was obvious.

Those of you eventually interested, please note our new address is:

Minairons miniatures
Avinguda U, 139
08794 Les Cabanyes
Catalonia, Spain

The moving process itself will still take me all long February. Both the webshop and my e-mail server will keep up and running at full in the meanwhile; however, it's not unlikely that for this short lapse of time my e-mail responses, or even orders processing, can speed slow down noticeably. Please have a little patience to us in the next few weeks.