On the bench

What’s next? The smaller 15mm scale Crusader.

5.5” (140mm) tall with FAR less parts, this model will satisfy a few aspects left wanting from its full-scale 28mm brother. This kit will be far simpler to build, no cutting, cussing, and a bit more survivable on the game table regardless of its smaller size.

I had to go slightly larger than a true 15mm conversion on this kit due to the part thickness and casting concerns. I did not want any part thinner than 2mm. The model is roughly .5” taller than it should be, but as there are no windows or hatches to denote scale, this should not be an issue. I will keep this fact in mind when designing future releases and make sure no part is thinner than 4mm on the full scale 28mm models.

The desire to make a model with fewer parts and a lower cost, required making the model a more fixed pose affair. Not wanting to have all the models look the same if you are fielding an armored lance or armored company, I decided to make a few customized parts to aid in changing the pose from one model to the next. To accomplish this I created three versions of the waist hydraulics, this will give the upper torso a twist. The upper body can face directly forward, to the left and to the right. To change up the leg pose I created a neutral posed leg set, a leg set with the left leg advancing and one with the right leg advancing. All total nine poses possible not counting how you decide to position your weapons. This should give you enough freedom to field an entire table, without the cookie cutter look.

Price? Nothing set in stone, yet… I need to get a quote from the caster but I hope to come in at the $45-$60 range. My hope is that with the smaller model and FAR fewer parts that the kit will not be such a rubber hog when it comes to the molds and resin.

ETA? It’s being printed now, then I need to spend about 2 weeks benching the model to get rid of the stepping on the surface. After that, it’s up to the caster and their time table to get this into production.

Here are a few part renders.