Posts made by FieldMarshalGames

@bbrett3:

Are you gonna be posting pics of the units?
that’s what will probably win me over in the end :wink:

As we are doing this from scratch, we have no units at this time to show.  Just making the molds and getting the sculpts together is an expensive task, that is why we are having the community help with the pre-order.  If I had that kind of cash lying under a mattress somewhere I would have produced them already and have pictures everywhere…

We are doing the prize give away as a thanks and an incentive to help pay for some of the enormous upfront costs.  I will not see any units myself until after I have spent about 7K on the first mold.  As soon as I have the first proto-types, I will post here.

As the sculpts come out I will report on the types.  Right now we are just finalizing the costs with the factory, collecting and making sculpts and finalizing the set.  We are also busy because the ITALY and CHINA COMBAT DICE will be ready in two weeks so we have that launch and all the work that goes with it.

As for the surprise:  We will have a draw for an awesome prize for all the members who participate in the pre-order.  For Each pre-order your name will go in a British WW2 helmet…  We will draw the name once the 200 level is reached and ship the PRIZE to the winner…  (I sooo want to tell you the details but I am sworn to secrecy until it is ready for release  :-o)  This is just a little thanks to all those who are helping with this project.  We will make a YOUTUBE video of this event so all can see that it was fair etc…

@ElCapitan:

When and how much do you need per sets on pre-order?

Jeff

Next week we will have the pre-order system set up.  We are aiming at 200 pre-orders to do the entire project.  That is almost half the cost.  FMG will put up the other half.

We also have a surprise that will be revealed at the same time  :-D

(Back from vacation and well rested….  Back to work)

I understood going into this that it would be impossible to make EVERYONE 100% happy but I am sure the final product will be acceptable to everyone.

So far we are resolved on the following:

The colors with match the COMBAT DICE

The number of the units for each nation will be the same (no cheaping out on some)  Each nation will have around 200 units so they can be used for ANY AAA game or varient aswell as other WW2 games.

The quality and detail of the units will be far superior to ANYTHING that has been released to date.

We are going to to make TWO sculpts for INF and ARM for each nation.  They will be the same color but will give the game a great look OR can be used for varient rules etc…

As for Naval units and Air units we will stick with the ICONIC types.  (I think we will do the Hurricane for UK as this is more historiclay acurate)

The bases will fit on AAA chips with the same rounded base type

If this goes off well we will continue with the line and do FRENCH, ANZAC, CANADIAN, POLISH, SPANISH, TURKISH and other types.  But to start we will do the SIX nations in AA50.

We are working on all six of the moulds concurently but the first off the production line will be the ITALIANS.  These will be shipped to all those who have pre-orders so you have something to show for your investment as soon as possible.  I hope the release of the ITALIANS will show the quality of the product and increase the interest thus making it alot easier to fund the entire set. (without having to morgage my house  :|)

More details on the final set and pre-order information will follow soon.

Thanks

Jeremy

I have been working on this varient in my free time for a while now.  I always thought it would be a great idea.  In my version, the game mecanics are like Axis & Allies Europe but the reinforcement works like D-Day to give it a historical character.

It begins with the fall of France and the Italian advance on Egypt, and ends with the occupation of Rome.

I was inspired by reading W S Churchill’s Second World War…  The ever changing situation in the Med / North Africa front was one of the most interesting back and fourth campaigns of the entire war.

I will let you know once I have worked all the buggs out but this has been my secret passion for some time now.

Im always excited to see another AAA out there, but I agree that AAE needs a revision and they should have just printed more copies of AA50.

Regardless of my vacation…  the project is moving forward.  At this point it is moving on its own.  I just will not be here for a week to hang out and chat about it with you guys. :-)

Thank you for all these suggestions and the support!

Just wanted to let you know that I am leaving on vacation for a week, BUT I will be back to answer all your questions.  I have several people working on the project and I will report their progress when I get back.  Please just ask your friends to check out this thread and take the poll so we can gauge the overall interest in this.

If all goes well we will have the pre-order set up within a week and get this thing moving!

I will post pictures of the finished Naval sculpts one they are ready.  I am told it will be a few weeks to complete.  We are still looking for models for the LAND units so please PM me if you have anything to offer.

I am watching this thread everyday so all your posts and recommendations are being taken seriously.  Thanks for the continued interest.

CLARIFICATION: The Italian sculpts I posted earlier are NOT the sculpts we have or will be using.  They were just posted to demonstrate the ship classes and the level of detail we are aiming for with this project.  We do not have any physical sculpts to display at this time but will post as soon as we do.

Indeed those pictures were just posted as an EXAMPLE of the kind of ships we are going to make.  We will not use those models.  People are requesting pictures of prototypes but we are not yet at that stage.  What I wanted to represent was the ship classes we are going to use and the level of detail which these models have.  I’m not even sure if they are the correct scale.

With this kind of product there is no such thing as a prototype.  The mould cost is so great that you have your sculpts…  then you have finished product, no in between.  We have a model maker we are working with who is providing the Naval sculpts and he sent us those pictures as an example of the kind of ships he will make.

We are still in need of LAND unit sculpts.  Once again, if any of you have a lead on these please PM me the details.

Thanks again!

POSSIBLE SCULPT FOR ITALIAN NAVY

ITALIAN CA - AQUILA CLASS
ITALIAN CR - ZARA CLASS
ITALIAN BB - LITTORIO CLASS

@AG124:

I will definitely buy at least one set if the quality is what I am currently expecting it to be. 8-)

However, I do need more information from FMG first, (although I realize you/FMG may not yet be in a position to supply said information):

• What units have been ultimately chosen for each unit of each nation?

• How many moulds, if any, will have to be shared, and which ones for which nations?

• What level of detail can actually be expected (although I assume from this thread higher than the current plastic units)?

• What quality plastic can be expected (although I gather from this thread that it is at least as good as that of WoTC?

• What will the colours look like when applied to the actual plastic from which the units will be made? Will they look exactly as the colours of the dice, including appearance in terms of hue and lightness?

• What colour has been chosen for Italy?

• Will our discussion re unit choices be factored in your actual choice of units for the set?

And of course, eventually, I would like very much to see a prototype or prototypes of some type.

To answer some of these questions above:

1. We are still in the process of obtaining sculpts for all the units.  We can’t show prototypes YET as we have only priced out the mould and production cost with our factory.  Once I have MORE sculpts I will post them here

2)The level of detail will be BETTER than the current WOTC units. The plastic quality will be the same or BETTER than current units.

3. The only moulds that will be shared are most likley the Russian and US Aircraft Carrier.  The Russians will also use the US LIBERTY SHIP as a transport.  Russian Naval sculpts are limited but this is still BETTER than the current units where ALL Russian Naval units are copies.  All other Nations will have SPECIFIC sculpts for each unit!

4. Colors will match COMBAT DICE.  (Russia is not PINK! Im sure some of you can vouch for that).  See other COMBAT DICE pictures on the FMG site under AXIS & ALLIES CUSTOM SETS and you will see the correct colors. http://www.fieldmarshalgames.com/board-games/axis-allies/field-marshal-combat-dice/field-marshal-combat-dice-axis-allies-custom-sets.html

5. A Dark Brown has been chosen for ITALY.  The USSR / ITALY color contrast will be more than it is now.

6. Of course the wishes of the community will be taken into account before the mould is finalized.  Dependent on the availability of sculpts.  See link to other thread above where this project originated and many ideas where presented.

@d142:

if the project is a success, would there be one print of these pieces, or would the sets be available at the field marshall games website

We will carry them on our site also.  This is a “community” project so it will start here.  The on site price may be higher dependent on final cost.  The AAA.org pre-order price will be $59.99.

@dinosaur:

Field Marshal,

You can make the pieces any color you want, cause I’ll be painting mine (well my son’s) pieces anyway.  Just kidding … I’d rather start with the base colors anyway.  It takes a long time to paint them little guys.

As far as making marines and stuff, I would look at it another way.  We already have a set (sets?) of AA pieces, so these new pieces can become the “elite” units and we can keep using the former units as the regulars if that suits you.  My question, as I said before is no small matter, was posed because my Chinese pieces are just Red Russians and I don’t have but one UK soldier, and I think they could benefit from two, especially for Pacific.

The new Task Force markers could be smaller than the Pacific ones and could have little waves and wakes behind the ships instead of a shiny smooth blue plate.  Then they look better when I paint them, too.  It would be nice if they had a different ship pattern than the Pacific set too.  Could they have different numbers than 1 thru 6?  I know some folks will be confused by that, but those of us with Pacific will appreciate it.

For that matter, would it be too difficult to make up “Army markers” with a flat plate containing small vehicle shapes, a spot for a country marker and a Roman Numeral format?  Then I could have Patton’s Third Army marching to Berlin.  Another crazy idea would be to have a set of small flags for these markers instead of roundels.

I think I’ll shut up before this project costs $200 a set.  Thanks for taking this up.  I hope it works out great for you.

Just wanted to let you know that your request for multiple INFANTRY types is being considered.  It is just a question of sculpts at the moment.  We will be making the TASK FORCE markers different from the Pacific set.  We have also considered the LAND ARMY Marker because I know some spaces on the boards are to small for LARGE ARMIES.  This is all being taken into consideration.

Im sure you know this will not be the last FMG special AAA project so there is always room in the future for other units / accessories if the projects break even and pay for themselves.

@TG:

Great idea!  I’m 100% behind this project!   :-D :-D :mrgreen:

I wouldn’t mind preordering either as long as we have a safe, legal system in which to do it. 
I know FMG is honest, but sometimes orders get lost/misplaced and people forget. ;)

We will take orders through Paypal (you can pay with Credit Card in PayPal also).  This way the buyer is 200% protected.  You can charge back/dispute charges in Paypal to get your money back OR reverse charges with your Credit Card Company.  Paypal protects the BUYER more than the VENDOR.  If you can not use PayPal we can make other arrangements with you.

You are not insulting my honor, BUT every owner of COMBAT DICE or member who has purchased an AAA game off us can tell you we only deal in QUALITY PRODUCTS.  We LIVE and DIE by the AAA community and messing this up would be company suicide as AAA.org gave us our start and maintaining our rep here is essential to the continuance of our company and the AAA products we want to continue to make.  We have NEVER had a negative review or charge back from a customer on this board, BGG, Europe in Flames or anywhere.

Aaron from FMG is making a special page which I will post on Sunday where you can make your pre-purchase and invest in this project.  If for ANY REASON the project does not take off we will 100% refund the pre-orders with our apologies.

We are only asking for pre-orders due to the HUGE cost and risk involved in making these as we are a GAMER BASED company…  not millionaires.

Thank you

Jeremy

@d142:

i would defeinitely purcase a set, over 1000 pieces for $59.99, that is a reasonable price tag,
are the pieces of the same durability as the avalon hill set, i hope that they are not too stiff and rigid that they break at the slightest knock, i would be very concerned to know the color scheme, if the pieces are of bright cartoony hew, that is harsh to the eye when under a spotlight, i would not be interested,
i have seen other attempts to craft similar copy’s of the axis and allies pieces, and i have not been impressed,
although i have seen the field marshall games dice at the website, and they are of a good quality,
however, for me to indulge a pre-order scheme, i would have to see some examples of this new endeavor,
i would imagine that a set of mold’s would take time to make to a high standard,
what sort of a guarantee do you offer the investor,
i would not like to be swindled, and i would not part with my $59.99 at the whisper of a mold, and some free dice or somesuch

Colours will match COMBAT DICE colours.  The quality will be BETTER than Avalon Hill (These will be the best or we will not bother). Each unit will have a new detailed sculpt.  For those out there that know us, Im sure they can tell you we are honest.  We will refund 100% if the interest is not there and offer something to those who tried to help the project.  There is nothing to loose in this deal.

@Black:

I am sorry we could not make ALL the special units requested.  The cost is very high and each new unit increases the mould cost.  There is still a possibility that I can add or subtract a few but I will require a sculpt for this.

Yes, I understand that.  That’s why I’m still supporting you because I appreciate your efforts.

If there are still possibilities for changes I would like the following in this order.

Medium Bombers
Dive Bombers
Light/Jeep Carriers

Out of curiosity, why a Task Force piece?  I think the current one is fine.

Thanks

I will see what I can do with additional parts.  As for the TASK FORCE part, it is a great accessory and is only available in AAP.  AAP is now out of print and will soon be hard to get.  I think it is a great tool in a large game like AA50.

@Shakespeare:

What is the time frame for this project?

Is this something that we can look forward to by the end of Summer 2009?

We will do it as fast as possible.  We have never attempted something like this so I can’t give an accurate time line.  I expect it will be about 4-6 months? We are working now on getting the the correct sculpts at the moment.

@Krieghund:

Have you settled on colors and models for all of the pieces yet?

We are still working on that.  We just got a cost quote from the factory and designed the sprites.  I will keep all here posted on ALL developments and provide pictures when I can.

@Black:

I’m a bit disappointed that some units that I really wanted to see added to the “New” list are not there.  Depending on what the special surprise is and the quality of the new units.  That may change my view.

However, I do want to see this project succeed and I am willing to make an advance payment for at least one set for now.

FMG, out of curiosity.  Are you able to give us a sneak peak of what some of the units will look like?

Also, is there anything that those of us on this forum can do to help this project move further along?

Thanks

I am sorry we could not make ALL the special units requested.  The cost is very high and each new unit increases the mould cost.  There is still a possibility that I can add or subtract a few but I will require a sculpt for this. ( I will look into the ALTERNATE infantry issue re: dinosaur)

To aid in this project I still need ITALIAN sculpts.  I am having a hard time finding adequate models for this.  If you have any recommendation OR if you have models we could use that would be great.  Please PM me if you have models you would like to LEND for this purpose, we will do our best to ensure these get back to you.

As for pre-payment, I will set something up on the weekend and post the link here.  THANKS GUYS!