Fighting 15s: advance orders for Carronade and Triples

Fighting 15s’ next shows are Carronade (Falkirk, Saturday 11 May) and Triples (Sheffield, 18-19 May). Advance orders are essential in order to ensure that we have what you want at the shows. Fighting 15s travels very light to shows outside the south and leaves a number of ranges behind.

We’ve said it several times but we are away in the week between Carronade and Triples, taking a holiday in Scotland after making it that far north. That means we cannot take advance orders in the week running up to Triples.

The last date for advance orders for both shows is 7 May. We are packing on 8 May and in transit from 9 May.

Fighting 15s is now able to take card payments at shows from customers with Visa, Visa debit, Mastercard or Maestro cards. We now have a chip and pin card reader linked to our phone, so provided that mobile reception is strong enough we will be able to take card payments. Because of the transaction fees involved, we do not give discounts for card payments: cash will earn the usual discount. We no longer take cheques or PayPal mobile at shows.

Fighting 15s takes card payments at shows

Fighting 15s is now able to take card payments at shows from customers with Visa, Visa debit, Mastercard or Maestro cards. We now have a chip and pin card reader linked to our phone, so will be able to take card payments provided that mobile reception is strong enough.

The system was put to the test at Salute, using Black Hat Miniatures‘ identical set-up, and now we are aware of certain failings – like making sure the card reader is fully charged and can last the day… – Fighting 15s has acquired the same set-up. We are delighted at long last to be able to accept the most commonly available credit and debit cards at shows.

The change is entirely because an affordable, easy to use set-up for smartphones has become available: the only option up till now has been mobile terminals, which simply don’t make economic sense for the 11 or so shows that Fighting 15s attends each year. Technology has at last worked in favour of the small retailer. The system also gives Fighting 15s a back-up online terminal for phone orders in the event that PayPal, our usual card processor, is unavailable.

Of course, cash is still welcome at shows, and will earn the usual discount.

Fighting 15s’ next shows are Carronade (Falkirk, Saturday 11 May) and Triples (Sheffield, 18-19 May).

Latest releases from Oddzial Osmy arrive at Fighting 15s

Oddzial Osmy of Poland has released the following additions to its 1:600 and 15mm ranges:

1:600 Moderns
SA-699 Mi-24P Hind-F
WP-608 Project 709 landing craft

1:600 WWII
WUS-637 M15A1 and M16 anti-aircraft half-track
WUS-638 M4 81mm MMC half-track mounted mortar

1:600 Napoleonic
NAP-616 Hussars in colpack
NAP-617 Hussars in colpack with command
NAP-618 Artillery crew in bicorne

1:600 Scenery
TR-613 Small MG bunker
TR-614 Earthen MG bunker
TR-615 Pantherturm

15mm SF
SF-1523 Insurgents command pack

Fighting 15s now has stock of all of the above codes, plus restocks of many codes that have gone out of stock. Packs are still £3.00 inc VAT, contents as described in the webshop, but in general 15 vehicles, 8 helicopters, 6 terrain items. or 15 strips of infantry or cavalry (there are exceptions).

Fighting 15s and Salute

Salute 2013 is almost upon us. The show takes place on Saturday 20 April at Excel in London Docklands, and Fighting 15s is there on stand TM03 along with Black Hat Miniatures, our partner in Oozlum Games.

Nic Robson of Eureka Miniatures will be on stand TF01, a modest walk away, with the very latest releases and forthcoming lines from Eureka. He will not have the existing ranges of Eureka Miniatures nor AB Figures, just new products.

Fighting 15s will be packing the car tomorrow (Thursday 18 April) and leaving for the mainland early on Friday 19 April. It may still be possible to make small advance orders by phone on the Thursday, but you may have to persevere to catch Ian while he is loading the car.

At Salute, Fighting 15s will have 15mm Napoleonic AB Figures, our top-selling ranges from Eureka Miniatures and samples of many of the 28mm lines,  28mm Shadowforge Miniatures, and 32mm Laughing Monk figures.

Fighting 15s is now unable to obtain items that have gone out of stock from overseas suppliers in time for Salute. Our expected, imminent delivery from Oddzial Osmy is not likely to arrive until after Salute, so Fighting 15s will not have any Oddzial Osmy figures at Salute except those ordered in advance. Nor will Fighting 15s have ranges that are cast to order, such as 40mm Flashing Blade and our own 30mm Huzzah! Miniatures range. Please order these figures in advance.

Fighting 15s in international postal trial for Scotland (April Fool)

Fighting 15s, along with all mail-order businesses on the Isle of Wight, has been asked to take part in a trial postal scheme involving Scotland, given the country’s looming independence from what will still for a while be known as the United Kingdom.

When the new UK postage rates on 2 April are announced, Isle of Wight businesses will have to charge international airmail postage rates to all addresses in Scotland. The Isle of Wight will also figure as an international destination for items posted in Scotland. The postal service can regulate this because all Island post goes through the Portsmouth sorting office, for which a special international section has been built. The Auchie Old Hall, which used to deal with international post, has been demolished and rebuilt as Auchie – The New Hall. (April Fool clue, loosely: Och Aye the Noo Hall)

The often uneconomic cost of delivering to and collecting from remote areas in Scotland is cited as the reason for the change, as airmail rates will allow much of this cost to be recouped.

Fighting 15s regrets the change because it means that Scottish customers will pay far more for delivery compared with customers in England and Wales. Unfortunately, independence looks as if it will have some unforeseen costs.

The trial will last at least until the referendum on Scottish independence in autumn 2014.

Please bear with us when we switch the shop over to the new rates.

Mcommerce interface arrives at Fighting 15s

Our webshop provider ekmpowershop has introduced a new mcommerce interface for its hosted websites. This will affect how Fighting 15s’ shop looks on mobile devices, such as smartphones, making it a lot simpler to shop.

The system is now live on the Fighting 15s’ site. We will be working out how to tweak its appearance over the coming weeks. Mobile users can switch between mobile and desktop sites in their browsers.

Fighting 15s will not be alone among wargames businesses experiencing this change, as to our knowledge at least two other wargames businesses use ekmpowershop for their shopping carts, including East Riding Miniatures. So it’s not anything we’re doing, it’s just part of the continuing improvements ekmpowershop has made to its product: one reason why Fighting 15s has stuck with ekmpowershop since January 2005 is the fact that it continues to implement new and desirable ecommerce features, and get rid of some of its less desirable or quirky ones.

Oddzial Osmy re-releases from Fighting 15s: Teutonic infantry previews

Next up in the 15mm re-releases of former Oddzial Osmy ranges from Fighting 15s will be the Teutonic crossbowmen and spearmen. We now have the production masters made for the moulds, using the original master figures as a starting point, and hope to get the production moulds made in the next few weeks.

The figures were originally part of a small range that Polish company Oddzial Osmy made for the battle of Tannenberg. Fighting 15s now owns these figures. They are on the tall side for 15mm.

Inked versions

 

Fighting 15s re-releases 15mm Krakus cavalry

15mm Krakus cavalry 1813

At long last Ian at Fighting 15s has got his act together and started re-releasing the 15mm figures originally produced by Oddzial Osmy of Poland. The company produced a small range of 15mm Napoleonics and Medievals, to which Fighting 15s now has the rights. Fighting 15s is in the process of making new moulds from the masters.

The first re-release is the 15mm Napoleonic Krakus cavalry for 1813, one of the most popular sets in the range. Three units of Polish cossacks (Krakus) were raised in 1812, but combined into one regiment. Headgear varied, and the Oddzial Osmy set represented two variants: a tall czapka, and a lower, more traditional Polish cap, but not the melon-shaped cap shown in some pictures. The Krakus fought loyally for Napoleon, serving into 1814.

The original set was released as a box of 15 figures, but Fighting 15s has re-released the troopers and command separately. The troopers are available in a pack of four for £3.30 inc VAT (£2.75 ex VAT) and the command is available in a pack of two for £1.70 inc VAT (£1.42 ex VAT). The troopers now have cast lances – the originals were open-handed.

The figures are best suited in size to smaller 15mm figures from other manufacturers, but as the Krakus were mounted on small horses they may work with larger 15mm figures.

Oddzial Osmy, of course, still produces its own 1:600 ranges and 15mm SF range, which are stocked by Fighting 15s.

Product Link: http://www.fighting15sshop.co.uk/polish-180-c.asp

Size comparison (left to right): Old Glory, Essex, Oddzial Osmy, AB Cossack, AB

 

Fighting 15s: Eureka shipments resume

Our first shipment of 2013 from Eureka Miniatures is expected to leave Australia shortly, alleviating the shortage of some codes.

After Eureka’s two-week closure over Christmas, and because of its preparations for CanCon, there is inevitably a hiccup in shipments in the new year, and a resultant delay in being able to fulfil some orders here at Fighting 15s. This year, however, we seem to have done something right, with fewer than 10 orders still awaiting fulfilment, instead of the traditional sheaf. Fighting 15s aims to be able to fulfil the outstanding orders shortly and thanks those customers affected for their continued patience.

Update (7 March). Eureka is still waiting for more set-price shipping boxes to arrive from DHL before it can send our consignment, which we now do not expect to be sent until after Nic Robson of Eureka returns from the Adelaide show this weekend.

Huzzah! Glorious Empires: Basing

Here are two taster pictures of formations in Huzzah! Glorious Empires, the grand tactical Napoleonic rules based on Huzzah! Work on the rules is progressing with the aim of publishing them later this year.

The Yahoo! group for the rules, formerly known as Huzzah! GT, is at: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Huzzah_GT/

The latest version of the rules for playtesting will shortly be uploaded to the group, along with more beta-version army lists.