@GeneralHandGrenade Thank you very much!
1936 Base Set First Impressions?
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Can any proud new owner give me their impressions of the 1936 Base Set miniatures? I am thinking of buying some, but the images shown on the HBG website make it appear to me as if the level of detail is significantly less than that achieved with either OOB components or HBG’s own past standards.
Specifically, I would like to know about the torpedo-boat destroyers and mountain infantry.
Right now, I use the submarines, battleships, and destroyers from the Eagle-Gryphon Games Attack! Expansion as coastal submarines, light cruisers, and torpedo-boat destroyers, respectively.
I supplement OOB and HBG infantry with 1:72 scale pieces from Airfix, Zvezda, and HaT. The latter vary widely in quality, whereas OOB items are always consistent but lack for dynamism. After rounding out my collection of colonial armies for the major combatants, I am currently working on adding Chinese infantry and suitable armies for Axis and Allies minors. A large set of Polish infantry by HaT was very unsatisfactory.
Cheers!
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I received a boat load of base set pieces this week. All of the pieces were of very good quality with plenty of detail, especially the infantry molds. The only piece I found underwhelming were the coastal subs but they were definitely nicer than what the photos show on the website.
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Thanks much!
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Hey Trenacker!
Just wanted to chime in here as well. I just received a ton of base set pieces as well. I should have all the mountain infantry, militia, coastal subs, torpedo boats, and cavalry I will ever need to play the game now!
I didn’t do an extremely detailed inventory (we store all our gaming stuff at my dad’s place for play), what I did get a good look at was great quality. Everything looked great.
The mountain infantry are probably my favorite new sculpt, super cool looking. The torpedo boats looked great as well. Not a lot too them, of course, but they look great, and now I don’t need to worry about how to signify what they are on the board!
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I’m waiting for my order of the long anticipated Base Set. I will only use Coastal Subs and Torpedo Boats though. I’m actually pretty happy with the plastic roundels with an Infantry unit on top (Militia, Mountain, Ariborne, Marine, US Marine, Veteran, Volksturm, Blackshirt etc.)
So far we’ve used a yellow chip underneath to specify “worse than” (the unit on top).
We have used the same approach for units not available (Italian Medium Bomber for example). I have now bought the Italian set from IwillNeverGrowUp (waiting for that delivery as well), to get rid of the last yellow chip on the board :mrgreen:
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I’m waiting for my order of the long anticipated Base Set. I will only use Coastal Subs and Torpedo Boats though. I’m actually pretty happy with the plastic roundels with an Infantry unit on top (Militia, Mountain, Ariborne, Marine, US Marine, Veteran, Volksturm, Blackshirt etc.)
So far we’ve used a yellow chip underneath to specify “worse than” (the unit on top).
We have used the same approach for units not available (Italian Medium Bomber for example). I have now bought the Italian set from IwillNeverGrowUp (waiting for that delivery as well), to get rid of the last yellow chip on the board :mrgreen:
I was actually gearing up myself to buy the plastic roundels before they announced that base set! I’ll still need some. Afrika Korps (I don’t intend on making them a different color), Volkstrum, Blackshirts, Axis Marines, Italian airborne, etc.
I love to try and have unique sculpts for everyone if possible! I love the flavor on the map. I’m sure this goes back to our other conversation, Munck, about streamlining games vs. just digging in for the long haul!
Also, I’ll still need to supplement other units too. Light tanks, heavy tanks, medium bombers, armored cars, tank destroyers, light carriers, motorized infantry, self-propelled artillery, heavy artillery. I think that’s it. All in good time :)
You’ll have to let me know how that Italian set looks. I assume it’s the FMG set? Never did business with FMG after hearing terrible reports about them, so never bought. If you like them, I may have to visit IWNGU’s website and get them myself one of these days.
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I’m waiting for my order of the long anticipated Base Set. I will only use Coastal Subs and Torpedo Boats though. I’m actually pretty happy with the plastic roundels with an Infantry unit on top (Militia, Mountain, Ariborne, Marine, US Marine, Veteran, Volksturm, Blackshirt etc.)
So far we’ve used a yellow chip underneath to specify “worse than” (the unit on top).
We have used the same approach for units not available (Italian Medium Bomber for example). I have now bought the Italian set from IwillNeverGrowUp (waiting for that delivery as well), to get rid of the last yellow chip on the board :mrgreen:
I was actually gearing up myself to buy the plastic roundels before they announced that base set! I’ll still need some. Afrika Korps (I don’t intend on making them a different color), Volkstrum, Blackshirts, Axis Marines, Italian airborne, etc.
I love to try and have unique sculpts for everyone if possible! I love the flavor on the map. I’m sure this goes back to our other conversation, Munck, about streamlining games vs. just digging in for the long haul!
Also, I’ll still need to supplement other units too. Light tanks, heavy tanks, medium bombers, armored cars, tank destroyers, light carriers, motorized infantry, self-propelled artillery, heavy artillery. I think that’s it. All in good time :)
You’ll have to let me know how that Italian set looks. I assume it’s the FMG set? Never did business with FMG after hearing terrible reports about them, so never bought. If you like them, I may have to visit IWNGU’s website and get them myself one of these days.
I just bought some of the FMG Italian pieces from IWNGU, I can comment on what you get and their customer service.
As for the pieces I got, to me the pieces look about exactly the way they look on IWNGU’s website. The color is that darker brown of Anniversary and First Edition 1940, not the lighter brown of the Second Edition 1940. The pieces are about as detailed or more so than the pieces from WotC/Avalon Hill. The plastic seems to me to be softer than the plastic from WotC/Avalon Hill, for better or worse.
As to customer service, I can’t speak about FMG, I never did business with them. But IWNGU? Great people, great customer service. I ordered some sets of FMG Italian and some loose FMG Italian pieces. I got hundreds of little brown plastic pieces about a week and half later. I was unhappy with two things - a mis-molded piece and one piece was switched with another, leaving me short a piece. I sent an email to IWNGU to ask how to fix this issue - they replied the same day saying that they were sorry and that replacement pieces were on the way. Less than a week later, I had them in hand. No charge for the replacements, no charge for shipping.
Very happy IWNGU customer here, will be ordering from them again.
-Midnight_Reaper
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Thanks for the info Midnight! Good to know. They definitely seem like good guys from the posts I’ve seen them make here. Good to know on the FMG Italians too. I’ll have to seriously consider it. I haven’t heard any word on HBG making an Italian set, but would be pretty cool.
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I ended up with the base sets (still can’t figure out how missed the preorders on these as been doing the preorders since 2013.) and happy with them.
Industrial complexes: happy enough with them that it’s convinced me to upgrade my GW 36’ from the tokens to these. Possibly upgrade some of the regular A&A 40 games as well.
Mountain: great sculp!!!
Partisian: I am not to sure what’s on the head…looks like might be a turban…but no…maybe special forces night vision goggles…but WWII…maybe kill two birds one stone and will be used in GW 2025… So happy to have a different sculpt but not my most favorite. Possibly even meh on getting more (but I’ll probably will still purchase knowing me)
Milita: Nice basic guy. Good decent sculpt. Very easily identified from a infantry unit on board. Although I am considering still painting the round base yellow as well as throwing a washer on bottom of him and magnet inside the Milita chip… still working it out.
Commander: Like him. Very Patton like stance. Or at least how imagined. Hope for more and rules for commanders in 36’. Always have a use for commanders in Struggle for Europe and Asia WWII.
Anti-Aircraft Gun: basically identical to A&A grey generic AA gun. I like but since have A&A 40 2nd ed AA guns not sure will grab more. Although these are much more compact which might be a need since I have the 4x6 foot map.
Costal Gun: I like this more than I thought I would. It won’t be immediately but plan to upgrade to these from my custom creation.
TBD: I do like the detail if one looks close at it. Like how can’t confuse it with anything else. Don’t like have so many now and can’t be built (although some nations start up from 36’ don’t have them but do have them in 39’. So as a player we can’t buy them but the different set up does allow them so as a player it’s not possible they o duplicate the start up of 39’ if even wanted to. )
Costal Sub: meh. Like having them but could of just as easily not got them. As will either still place something under it or buy the Costal marker from HBG. (Have a butt ton of bases 1/2” by 3/4” wooded bases 1/8” thick might paint up as original game got them for I do t play any more.)
Overall I am happy with me grabbing one of each color. Would of grabbed more but already purchased stuff the week before. Plus only one black available and miss not able on o get a “blond” for FEC. Wish I had not grabbed a bunch of TBD the week before the Base Sets became available. Probably list some of the extras later.
Italian sets from INWTGU are great! Very happy with them. Only thing not happy about is have like 10 BBs and CVs now. All them would never get to the table. But only way to get the number of tanks I wanted.
Also I play tons of 18XX games and found poker chips just make income tracking so much better than paper money. Highly recommend the IPC chip set. They are high quality. Not exactly cheap either but we’ll worth it. Grabbed two sets of each and extra 10 “1’s”. Giving me 60 “1’s”, 30 “5’s”, 20 “10’s”, and 10 “25’s”. Can tell when they had them manufactured they went the full month as one side isn’t always matching if flipped over. Ligned up is what I mean. Usually cheaper sets they could be twisted or turned just slightly. As well as the writing on ththe side of the chips.
Plus INWTGU has excellent customer service. Although I never had any issues with FMG either but think most my dealings with them was before they attempted to put that Singapore game out. Which have a sneaky suspicion started the trouble.
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I ended up with the base sets (still canÂ’t figure out how missed the preorders on these as been doing the preorders since 2013.) and happy with them.
Industrial complexes: happy enough with them that itÂ’s convinced me to upgrade my GW 36Â’ from the tokens to these. Possibly upgrade some of the regular A&A 40 games as well.
Mountain: great sculp!!!
Partisian: I am not to sure whatÂ’s on the head…looks like might be a turban…but no…maybe special forces night vision goggles…but WWII…maybe kill two birds one stone and will be used in GW 2025… So happy to have a different sculpt but not my most favorite. Possibly even meh on getting more (but IÂ’ll probably will still purchase knowing me)
Milita: Nice basic guy. Good decent sculpt. Very easily identified from a infantry unit on board. Although I am considering still painting the round base yellow as well as throwing a washer on bottom of him and magnet inside the Milita chip… still working it out.
Commander: Like him. Very Patton like stance. Or at least how imagined. Hope for more and rules for commanders in 36Â’. Always have a use for commanders in Struggle for Europe and Asia WWII.
Anti-Aircraft Gun: basically identical to A&A grey generic AA gun. I like but since have A&A 40 2nd ed AA guns not sure will grab more. Although these are much more compact which might be a need since I have the 4x6 foot map.
Costal Gun: I like this more than I thought I would. It wonÂ’t be immediately but plan to upgrade to these from my custom creation.
TBD: I do like the detail if one looks close at it. Like how canÂ’t confuse it with anything else. DonÂ’t like have so many now and canÂ’t be built (although some nations start up from 36Â’ donÂ’t have them but do have them in 39Â’. So as a player we canÂ’t buy them but the different set up does allow them so as a player itÂ’s not possible they o duplicate the start up of 39Â’ if even wanted to. )
Costal Sub: meh. Like having them but could of just as easily not got them. As will either still place something under it or buy the Costal marker from HBG. (Have a butt ton of bases 1/2” by 3/4” wooded bases 1/8” thick might paint up as original game got them for I do t play any more.)
Overall I am happy with me grabbing one of each color. Would of grabbed more but already purchased stuff the week before. Plus only one black available and miss not able on o get a “blond” for FEC. Wish I had not grabbed a bunch of TBD the week before the Base Sets became available. Probably list some of the extras later.
Italian sets from INWTGU are great! Very happy with them. Only thing not happy about is have like 10 BBs and CVs now. All them would never get to the table. But only way to get the number of tanks I wanted.
Also I play tons of 18XX games and found poker chips just make income tracking so much better than paper money. Highly recommend the IPC chip set. They are high quality. Not exactly cheap either but we’ll worth it. Grabbed two sets of each and extra 10 “1’s”. Giving me 60 “1’s”, 30 “5’s”, 20 “10’s”, and 10 “25’s”. Can tell when they had them manufactured they went the full month as one side isn’t always matching if flipped over. Ligned up is what I mean. Usually cheaper sets they could be twisted or turned just slightly. As well as the writing on ththe side of the chips.
Plus INWTGU has excellent customer service. Although I never had any issues with FMG either but think most my dealings with them was before they attempted to put that Singapore game out. Which have a sneaky suspicion started the trouble.
I too didn’t notice that there were still preorders available! I don’t have any partisans or commanders because of it. Will definitely get partisans once available.
I believe the partisan hat is supposed to be from the Balkan/Yugoslavian background, but I could be wrong!
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Recently received both the Base set I ordered (Coastal subs + TBDs) as well as the Flight Stands from IWNGU.
Both are great and I highly recommend them both :-)
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