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  4. Mystery Set Conjecture - January 2023

Mystery Set Conjecture - January 2023

  • JTam

    Wargames Atlantic's Release Schedule still has to this:

     

    Based on previous sneak peaks I was assuming it was female French Resistance.

    However, the STLs for female French Resistance we're just released today 13 JAN 23.  That doesn't rule them out as the mystery WW2 set... But it certainly seems less likely.

    There was a sneak peak of possibly Polish Cavalry about months ago.  That would be AWESOME in plastic.

    Any other guesses?

    (On contemplation this will probably become wish listing... But that's fun too).

  • Grumpy Gnome

    Soviet Naval Infantry or German Kriegsmarine Infantry. 🌊 

    Home of the Grumpy Gnome

    https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/

  • JTam

    @Grumpy Gnome 

    Soviet Naval Infantry would indeed hit the spot.

    Black Death for the win.

     

  • JTam

    Just noticed there's a second WW2 mystery set further down the pipeline:

  • JTam

    Strange the WW2 releases are secret.  Everything else is very transparent.

    A little pre-release crowd review might have prevented the completely inaccurate helmets in the Italian Infantry kit.

  • MD

    The release schedule hasn't been updated for quite a while. Most likely one of the two secret World Ablaze sets are the female Partisans and they're just behind on refreshing it. 

  • JTam

    @Mark Dewis 

    This is the release schedule for plastic sets though. 

    Unless your think they plan to release plastic female French Resistance a short while after releasing female French Resistance STLs.  Which I suppose they could do.... But it seems like an odd technique to me.

  • GM

    Would be great to see the female partizans , as plastic  but I wonder if its two totaly different sets say a American  and Japanese pair to start another area of the "War" just a thought.

  • JTam

    @Geoff Maybury 

    That would be amazing.  Love me a "Battle in a Box" / opposing forces.

  • MD

    @JTam two of the release schedule sets (Napoleonic Camp Followers and Farm Animals) have been released as STLs. Farm Animals are now "additional sculpting" (possibly due to feedback on the STL files) but the camp followers are in file prep. Any of the three listed secret sets could be ones that have been released as STLs (and I strongly suspect one is the female partisans since we've had hints about those for a while now).

    When a set is made available on STL has no bearing on what stage of the pipeline it's at, after sculpting. Should they choose to, WGA could make the STLs for existing plastic kits available. I expect quite a few people might like that, to use up spare parts.  

  • BVD

    @JTam Honestly, I could see them release the plastic female French Resistance set sooner as that make sense to do (though I do hope they add more rifles to it and go easy on the SMGs, I know Boltactin is "Call of Duty the wargame" to a degree but still. 😆)

  • MD

    @Brian Van De Walker Pistols and SMGs were generally preferred until open fighting began after D-Day because rifles are harder to hide.

  • BVD

    @Mark Dewis Thats fair I suppose, but Thompsons and German MPs seem like the wrong guns to pick if your looking for guns you can hide😆, particularly over say the small French Carbines, some of the smaller hunting guns, or even sawed off shotgun.  I mean actually look at the Tommy gun its almost the same size as a US carbin: 

  • JTam

    @Brian Van De Walker 

    Good example.  The Tommy gun is bulkier and significantly heavier than a M1 carbine.  

    I first noticed the weird ratio of SMGs to rifles in the Resistance kit when I tried to make a 500 point Bolt Action list from one Wargames Atlantic Resistance box. 

    https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/81618/500-point-bolt-action-armies-from-a-single-wga-box

    The lack of rifles actually forces you to go one direction in your build.   

    The truth is the Resistance carried what they could get. 

    1)  They obtained civilian arms floating around.  And on the Continent there always has been and probably always will be more long arms (rifles and shotguns) than anything else. 

    2)  They had stocks of French military arms they might be able to acquire.  The French Army was almost bereft of SMGs. 

    3). They captured arms from the Germans.  There are only 5 SMGs in the entirety of a German Infantry Platoon (Notionally 52 men, you can call it 40 because real life) to potentially capture.  The ratio of SMGs to rifles only gets worse among German rear echelon and garrison troops that the Resistance would have actually targeted.  The Resistance would have to wipe out a Company or more worth of Germans to get half the number of SMGs in the Wargames Atlantic Resistance box.

    4).  Yes they received arms drops.  This would have raised the ratio of SMGs but not like we see in the Wargames Atlantic Resistance box.

     

    But what about picture X or Y? 

    I'm sure at times and places all the SMGs a cell could get were concentrated.  Which means a squad of 6 with SMGs is plausible.  Thirty some Resistance fighters built from the box with SMGs is not.

    Also bare in mind most of the famous Resistance pics are probably post liberation cosplay.  Village or city liberated?  Time to take some SMG selfies with the passing through GIs for post war street cred.  

    Moreover, just like many modern GIs grab a SAW or 240L for his Instagram picture, many real Resistance fighters probably grabbed a SMG for their photo.

  • JTam

    Going over this:

    https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/81618/500-point-bolt-action-armies-from-a-single-wga-box

    Reminded me of my other complaint on the French Resistance box / hope for the Female French Resistance fighters.  No prone or kneeling bodies.  Prone and/or kneeling bodies add variety, realism, and greatly aid in conversions for crew served weapons and snipers.

    Obviously we didn't get any prone or kneeling bodies in the Female French Resistance STLs.  Hopefully Wargames Atlantic follows up with some crew served weapons such as mortars with kneeling and  prone crew in later releases.  Anyone else want a female crewed light mortar?  Or is that just me?

  • Caratacus

    There are indeed two World Ablaze secret sets:

    Plus another one with the period marked 'Shhh' which I hope is going to be for a different period.

     

    I'm very surprised that the female French Resistance are not going to be one of those two, that was my top guess given all the teases we had.

     

    @JTam  

    The axe has already been revealed as belonging to a Late Roman Archer or Slinger:

     

    And I would have thought the cavalry body with rider leg looks like a Lancer from the Napoleonic period, or even WWI, where cavalry had their last real hurrah. I doubt WA would make WWII-era cavalry when the era of horse-mounted cavalry had really come to an end by then. Tanks had pretty much fully taken over at that time.

  • JTam

    @Caratacus 

    Horse cavalry being over in WW2.  Well yes and no.  

    Paralleling WW1, Cavalry saw some use in the early war in the West and remained active in the East the entirety of the War.  The Soviets finished the war with DIVISIONS of cavalry.  The Germans fielded cavalry out there too.  

    Lots of Japanese and Chinese cavalry knocking about in that neck of the woods the whole War as well. 

    https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/58080/which-ww2-cavalry

    0 likes
  • JTam

    One reason I think the two "Secret Sets" might not be Female French Resistance:

    The previous "Secret" sets were actually pretty secret.  

    There was one peak of a backpack prior to the Jungle Fighters.  There was a super close in shot of a belt buckle and hand for the Quar...which came out only a few weeks before the Quar announcement.  Compare that to all the teases for the Female French Resistance.

    Just a theory.  

    0 likes
  • fodzilla

    Beans spilt via Vox Populi: Female Partisans and Early War British.

  • Duke Exeter

    I know I'm going hard with all my votes for Early War British, I would love some nice plastic BEF. I'm just sad I made a big order a month before this announcement lol

  • ST

    My guess? 
    M42 uniform wearing US Airborne.
    Would fill the biggest remaining gap in the major nations line ups and should sell as who hasnt seen Band of brothers or Saving Private Ryan?

  • MD

    Hmmmmmm....

    My guess on that rider teaser is it's one of the two British Indian Mutiny sets, currently only designated (1) and (2). 

    In regards to the Thompson gun in the Female Militia, we've already sourced the photo that was based on, and it was indeed a post D-Day one. A digital set has the luxury of being able to include any number of unusual weapons; my guess is it was included because they had that one photo and had already done the sculpting for the tommy gun, so why not put it in? It may not make the final cut for plastic. 

    The mystery World Ablaze kit being Early War British makes sense, since the French infantry kit is good for 1940, so adding the other main Allied troops involved in the fighting then sets up the start of an Early War niche. Warlord have plastic Germans for early war, but I think their British are more 1943-45, with BEF in metal only. 

  • JTam

    @Sean Tighe 

    US Paras in the M42 uniform would be great.  It's an iconic uniform and suitable for North Africa, the Mediterranean, and D-Day.  I am certain it would sell very well as you said.

    I was genuinely surprised when Warlord made their plastic US Paras in the later uniform instead.  

    I wouldn't say it's the biggest remaining gap in the major powers line up though.  

    Just off hand -

    Soviet troops in M43 uniforms is far bigger gap.  The largest army of the war is unrepresented for half the war in plastic.

    https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/49886/suggestions-for-new-soviet-kits

    US Army Infantry in the Pacific wearing HBTs is a far bigger gap as well.  Dozens of Divisions versus the two Divisions (and some separate Regiments) wearing the M42 para uniform.

     

  • JTam

    @Duke Exeter @Mark Dewis 

    Early war BEF is a big gap in plastic and a great idea for a set.  

    If Wargames Atlantic makes the respirators and shovels/entrenching tools separate bits the BEF kit could also represent Common Wealth troops in the Italian theater.  Same rifles, bayonets, helmets, webbing, uniforms, etc., otherwise.  This is another large gap in the market.  Plenty of plastics to represent Common Wealth troops in Africa and NW Europe.  None fit the bill for Italy.  

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