Fantastic Horizons - Battle Valor Games

It is not often that I get to report a completely new, never been released before line of 15mm fantasy miniatures but today i get to do just that. Battle Valor Games just sort of popped up out of nowhere for me and when I went to their site, I expected to find a few offerings. Was I ever wrong.

Frigian War Mammoth and Crew

Battle Valor Games is a fantasy miniatures company that appears to have hit the ground, not just running but bounding. With a rules system in the works, they have several ranges of fantasy goodness well along and are adding new ranges and new packs to their existing ranges. 

Orcians Axemen with shields (35) - $23.00

Moving on past their admittedly derivative faction names, I found a range of fantasy figures that strives to present a number of options familiar and new in a style that seems cohesive and well planned. They have orcs, dwarves, elves and all the usual suspects along with plans for many others that do not quite sit in the tidy check boxes we have seen before. There seem to be a number of races of men in their plans and the Frigians (picture below) are a good example, sitting somewhere in between historical vikings and fantasy barbarians.

Frigian Swordmen with shields (35) - $23.00

Whether or not you have any interest in a new set of rules, this line of miniatures promises to have a huge variety of new figures to add to any army or to start new ones. I look forward to watching the growth of this line and to see their world expand.

To check out more pictures of released miniatures, soon to be released and upcoming faction descriptions go - HERE

Black Friday Sale from 15mm.co.uk, the Ion Age, and Loud Ninja Games

Hey folks, 

Starting today through December 1st, 15mm.co.uk, The Ion Age and my Loud Ninja Games (as well as other Alternative Armies) brand will be having a Black Friday deal going. Free WORLDWIDE shipping on all orders of 10.00 GBP or more. If you need to order a combination of products from both 15mm.co.uk and the Ion Age or other AA labels, feel free to email in your order.

Five New Fantasy Packs From Splintered Light Miniatures

David McBride at Splintered Light Miniatures is one of the powerhouses of 15mm fantasy miniatures with extensive ranges of several factions as well as adventuring miniatures. This month, he releases five new packs of Fantasy. Like a lot of fantasy miniatures, many of these are suitable for use as science fiction miniatures as well.

For more information you can visit their site at  http://splinteredlightminis.com/

Catching up With 15mm.co.uk Fantasy

I have been quite busy keeping up on all the releases for 15mm science fiction that I have been a bt behind in reporting all the great stuff coming out for 15mm fantasy. I'll start today with a bunch of the releases that have been coming out from 15mm.co.uk.

15mm.co.uk holds the molds to many classic ranges and has continued to remaster and release these models. In addition, they have been expanding on some and releasing brand new sculpts as well, such as what they did with the Trolls and Ogres. I am sure this post won't cover all of the releases that have come out so if you want to read more, visit the 15mm.co,uk blog - HERE

PH11 Old English Dragon

535 Arch Demon

HOT101 and HOT102 Leonardo Da Vinci and his Tank

551 The Ent

HOT Ogres

HOT32 The Sphynx

Fantastic Horizons - Fund Raiser

Help David McBride of Splintered Light Miniatures

David has reached out to the gaming community to ask for our help in fulfilling his family's dream of adopting a son. So far the response from the gaming community has been very positive and he reached out to use here at Dropship Horizon to help spread the word.

So, to explain what is up, here are David's own words...

As you may know, Lucy and I began the process of adopting a little boy from China almost a year ago. We have approval to adopt and are months away from being able to go get our boy. We are naming him Caleb Robson McBride, and he is 2 years old. 

The cost of this adoption is roughly 35k, including the cost of traveling over to China to get him. We have several plans to raise money, including a garage sale, a t-shirt sale, and a special pack of miniatures from my side business, Splintered Light Miniatures. 

One of the exciting things we have seen in this process is how the whole community of our family and friends has been involved in helping us. I would like to ask you to consider contributing to our adoption in two main ways.

1. BUY a T-SHIRT! I've attached the design for our t-shirt fundraiser. Each shirt is $20. Sizes are youth xs-xl and adult s-xl, (2xl and 3xl are two dollars extra) Cash and check or EASIEST....go to paypal.com and choose send $ to friends and family and send to Lucy’s email lucyjmcbride@gmail.com Indicate which sizes you want in the comment section. We are closing out this on June 1st, so just a few more days left! Photo attached!

2. Buy a pack of special unpainted miniatures for $25 or get a set painted and on a wooden base for $50. These figures were done by 3 of my sculptors—2 of whom donated their time and expertise to get them done. The link to get these figures painted or unpainted is http://www.splinteredlightminis.com/chco.html

After we have paid for the adoption, $22 of every set sold will go to House of Grace, the foster home in China that has taken such great care of our boy thus far and is a home to 15 precious children at a time. They live by faith for resources to come and do a great job with what they are given. It is our hope and prayer that we will be able to support them and their work long after Caleb is home with us.

Included in the pack is a Chinese Dragon, 2 Panda Bears, a Panda Kung Fu Master, a Chinese Princess, 2 Fu Dogs, a Hu Hsien (Fox Spirit), all sculpted by Faron Betchley; as well as a Chinese Warrior, sculpted by Rodrick Campbell; and a Kirin, sculpted by Sandra Garrity. All figure are for 15mm.

Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions about anything,

David

May - New Month New Goodies

Some news from Gavin and crew at 15mm.co.uk both scifi and fantasy oriented (and we know those crossover nicely).

May is a new month and while we had an epic time during April the work and the fun continues apace. Really it does, no rest for the awesome. There are many new releases coming in May for 15mm.co.uk and these will be delivered weekly throughout the month. While we begin next week with 15mm science fiction from Loud Ninja Games (you all know what I am talking about don't make me Kickstart your brains!) the following week will see the release of our second 15mm fantasy set of buildings. 

The image here is a little teaser of what is coming in less than fourteen days time. Have a ponder and rub your tusks and think if you prefer yours with brown or green skin. The second half of the month will be historical and SHM and also fantasy as well but more on that later.

Stay tuned for more info in the new week including information on the retail sales of the hinted at Kickstarter items. 

Fantastic Terrain

 Amazing New Fantasy Human Buildings from 15mm.co.uk

There are very few miniatures that get released that truly take my breath away and even fewer terrain items, but 15mm.co.uk's upcoming Hordes of Buildings line is one of them.

Promising to be an amazing series of releases, this first installment of structures brings to gamers five human buildings with a decidedly fantastic bent. These are not just regular old medieval buildings. Each of the five new buildings is bubbling with faerie tale charm. Hovels in two sizes and houses in three, it's almost as if we are perfectly poised for a witch, a hidden princess or the dark streets of some village, stalked by wraiths or the thieves of the guild.

For more information on the release and the pre-order offers, head over - HERE

15mm.co.uk's - Free Shipping, 15% Off Code, and Monster Survey

Closing Out The Year With 15mm.co.uk

Hey All,

There is a lot to update here, so I am going to let Gavin's own words speak for 15mm.co.uk's end of year specials and announcements.

Welcome fan of 15mm.co.uk and customer of one of the greatest collections of 15mm scale miniatures in the world. Its been a good year for us with a scattering of releases and surprises that saw us continue to grow and to do excellent things that make people happy. Top among these were HOF27 Maginot Defence Turret and V106 Law Officer Air Raft for 15mm science fiction, HOT3T Troll Value Pack and the Tabletop Dungeon Adventurers packs for 15mm Fantasy and the Altuos 15mm Renaissance range for 15mm Historicals. In our range of book titles we sold out of a whole print run of Age of Might andSteel. We also saw a really awesome surge in the SHMP20 Prang Bosses pack designed by Eli Arndt. Not seen these? Click the links and have a look.

Classically Fantastic

15mm.co.uk Remasters Asgard Classic Adventurers

Like the headline reads, 15mm.co.uk has continued its project of re-mastering and breathing new life into classic miniatures from the golden age of fantasy miniatures. This time around it is the brilliantly arranged and presented adventurers from the Asgard Miniatures from the 1970s.

Far from the extreme fantasy depicted in many ranges these days, these miniatures hark back to simpler, purer age of elves and warriors, barbarians and sorcerers. The range includes several depictions of what I think of as classic aadventuring types and even includes a trusty pack mule.

These figures are being released with an extra 10% off the packs and singles. You can get them all together in the skirmish pack, packs of several, or as single figures.

As always, for more info, head - HERE

Creak and Rattle

New Undead Released from 15mm.co.uk

New fantasy releases from 15mm.co.uk today. Two new packs of skeletons adding bows and spears to the list expand the list of figures in their HOT 15mm Fantasy range. The range will be expanding further in November. For full info, read - HERE. 

HOT40 Skeleton Missile Troops

HOT41 Skeleton Spears 

New 15mm Dungeon Dwellers From Splintered Light

Likely the most prolific company in the realm of new 15mm fantasy is Splintered Light. They have continuously made this genre their focus and have released several army factions over the years. Lately, they have been adding traditional fantasy RPG dungeon dwellers to their mix. This began with adventurers and a pack of Dungeon Encounters and have added two new packs of nasty creature encounters to menace intrepid adventurers. And, if this wasn't enough, they have also added a dragon.

Dungeon Encounters 2

Dungeon Encounters 3

Black Dragon

Who's Who in 15mm Fantasy

Cataloging 15mm Fantasy Miniatures Mnufacturers

When we introduced this new segment to Dropship Horizon, I lead off by introducing some of the companies who have been really moving on the leading edge of 15mm Fantasy. However, there are plenty of long-standing lines covering this very same subject matter. This article will attempt to catalog as many of the manufacturers out there offering products to grow your 15mm fantasy armies. I'll list them alphabetically with links after their names so you can go explore them as you read about them. I have remarked on these ranges based on my knowledge of their content.

15mm.co.uk (http://15mmcouk.blogspot.co.uk/p/fantasy-15mmcouk.html)
Offering several classic ranges of miniatures, including the HOTT and Tabletop ranges.

Copplestone Castings (http://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/)
Offering a new range of dwarves, barbarians, and associated troops.

Demonworld (http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/index.php/demonworld)
Extensive range of fantasy armies including several large monsters.

East Riding (http://shop.eastridingminiatures.co.uk/)

Essex (http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/)

Eureka (http://www.eurekamin.com.au/)
Includes several newer ranges offering some nice sculpts on some popular topics such as elves and orcs as well centaurs and monsters.

Highlander Studios (http://highlanderstudiosinc.com/shop/index.php)
Offering a range of very unique conquistador styled dwarfs.

Irregular (http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/)

Khurasan (http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/)
Offering some new, growing ranges of fantasy miniatures covering such things as orcs lizardmen.

Lone Gunnman Games - Armies of Arcana (http://www.lonegunmangames.com/products.php)

Magister Militum - Chariot Miniatures (http://www.magistermilitum.com/)

Old Glory 15's - Black Raven Foundry (http://www.oldglory15s.com/Black-Raven-Foundry_c6.htm)

Peter Pig (http://www.peterpig.co.uk/)

Rebel Minis - Mighty Armies (http://www.rebelminis.com/mightyarmies.html)

Splintered Light (http://www.splinteredlightminis.com/)
One of the most varied fantasy lines out there offering several races of beastmen, classic fantasy races and some unique groups of humans.

Tin Soldier (http://www.tinsoldieruk.com/)

Vexillia - Classic Grenadier (http://www.vexillia.ltd.uk/mirliton/shop15_fantasy.html)

Sengoku!

A New Range of Japanese Fantasy
By Eli

Last Thursday saw the release of an amazing new addition to the realm of 15mm fantasy miniatures. Sengoku is a range designed by John Bell and now released through 15mm.co.uk. It features a variety of very signature Japanese creatures that can form armies of their own or be added in with existing ranges of 15mm Samurai. I particularly like the whimsical inclusion of the anime style Japanese school girls who always seem to be falling through portals into the mythic past for adventures.

For more information read - HERE.

SGFP02 Tengu

SGFP03 Oni

SGFP04 Japanese Goblins

SGFP05 Kappa

SGFP06 Japanese School Girls

Fantastic Horizons

A New Feature
By Eli

Hello all,

Today we are happy to announce our plans to add a new semi-regular (as news comes up) feature to this blog - Fantastic Horizon. 

While Dropship Horizon has run as a nearly exclusive 15mm science fiction site for the entirety of its life, it has occasionally touched on other genres as they related to the theme of 15mm science fiction. What's more, we felt that there was a growing movement in 15mm fantasy miniatures that could use some extra face time, the same way that Dropship Horizon did for the growing 15mm science fiction miniatures market. 

We considered creating a new blog for it, but felt that adding it as a feature would better cater to players and collectors who are often multi-genre fans. It also keeps from adding another blog to the rest of the blogosphere that requires checking separately.

We hope to begin posting news items, hobby stories, and sharing blog posts from others who are exciting about this cousin genre to our beloved 15mm science fiction.

To start with, I would like to look at three of the bigger sources of new fantasy miniatures in 15mm scale. Mind you, this is not to say these are the only ones coming out with new stuff in fantasy or the only ones doing good fantasy miniatures out there, but they do represent a big push in 15mm fantasy. I speak of Splintered Light Miniatures, Copplestone Castings and Khurasan miniatures.

Splintered Light Miniatures
SLM has released an absolute avalanche of miniatures for fantasy gaming in 15mm. It is safe to say that they are on the forefront of new creations for the genre. With 17 (not including their fantasy dungeon crawl range) ranges covering everything from ratmen, to elves, orcs, fantasy Egyptians and a ton of others, it would be hard not to find what you are looking for in their extensive catalog.

While there is a lot of the familiar in SLM's products, they also have some nice unique takes on some of the usual subjects as well as offering some things not usually covered such as an army of hyena or lion men and the aforementioned fantasy Egyptians.

Wood Elf Medium Cavalry on Elk

Hill Giants

The Adventurers

Dark Elves

Khurasan Miniatures

A relatively new contributor to the fantasy genre, KM has struck out with some very strong offerings. Specialising in products that are central to the genre, they manage to bring a nice take on the subjects they cover. Most notable in their fantasy ranges is their Great Enemy range of Tolkien-esque orcs and supporting models such as trolls, wraiths and other foes from popular literature. dd to this a healthy range of lizardmen and several smaller ranges and one-offs and you get a good cross section of the familiar and the new.

Orc Melee Troops

Armored Trolls

Lizardmen

It should be noted that KM is poised to make a healthy new push into the 15mm fantasy market with several upcoming new ranges based on popular old school RPG monsters (pictured below).

Upcoming Old School RPG Style Lizardmen

Upcoming Hobgoblins

Copplestone Castings

Copplestone has quite the pedigree in fantasy having done a ton of it back in the day, but his 15mm offerings are much more recent and stunning. Focusing on a world of barbarians and dark age warriors, Mark Copplestone is creating a range that draws from the likes of Frazetta, Howard and other Sword and Sorcery styling. Muscular barbarians, stout dwarves and some monsters are just the beginning of a world that he promises will incorporate empires and tribes of all sorts.