Manufacturing Underway

We hope you have had an enjoyable festive period, we certainly have! 

Apologies for the relative silence, we decided to take a well earned break and are due back in the office on the 3rd of January. Regardless of that, we thought it would be a great opportunity to get in touch with you all and let you know the progress of our project! 

Manufacturing Progress

So all of the figures for our first wave (the Starter Set and all unlocked freebies that come with that set) are 3D rendered, 3D printed and have made their way into Master Moulds. The next step will be to start making Production moulds and casting the miniatures to fulfil the first wave of shipments. 

Worth pointing out that we played around with the Wings on the Wyverns and we think they better represent their historical counterparts! 

Please also be advised that these are master castings, which we will use to make production moulds. There may be some variation in terms of placement of the supporting rods, to aid better casting, etc. 

Orc Spitfyre

Orc HurriKane

Dwarf Kampfkondor Bomber

Close up of the Kondor's Bombs

A feat of digital sculpting ingenuity! The Dwarf crew of the Kampfkondor!

Having finished the first wave of sculpts, Darko is now back to sculpting the last few units and characters for our Panzerfäuste Kickstarter before resuming work on this one. Any backers for Panzerfäuste should be prepared to see some more visual progress on that project too! 

...No Battle Plan ever survives contact with the Enemy...

...and I don't mean the Coventry-based popular music group... Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there has been a little stumbling point beyond our control and, in the interest of open and honest communication, we thought we should tell you. Dice.co.uk are the UK and Europe’s main supplier of gaming components, including many of the plastic bases you will get from other manufacturers. They have been supplying flyings stands for a good number of years and well, sadly, their mould tool for the Flying Stands has broken and they have been out of stock for quite some time now. We have calculated that we’ll need roughly 10,000 flying stands, so we have been added to their queue of people waiting to get them. 

I cannot stress enough that we have costed the Kickstarter around these particular bases, at a price previously agreed with them so, although we would appreciate any suggestions you may have, please understand there may well be other reasons than ‘we don’t like them’ that we decide to not go with your suggestion. 

We will, of course, keep you in the loop with this. If it's clear the original plan has completely fallen on it's face, then we will absolutely make sure to find another solution.

Pledge Manager

We have been promising you that for some time and I am very pleased to announce that we have finally signed an agreement with Crowdox after a shining review of their service from our good industry friends, Warploque Miniatures. Given that both Steve and Rob have used Crowdox before, we both believe it is a very smooth and simple service that will make it very easy to see what options will be available. Right now, we are working on populating the Pledge Manager with products, getting the images sorted and making sure all is well. 

Der Hogsnachtswatchmann

We currently have a deal on our webstore that, if you spend over £25.00, you get the Hogsnachtswatchmann Dwarf (an £8.00 model) totally free! 

This is available until the 31st of January. If you have yet to explore the world of Panzerfäuste, this might just be the way to do it. Visit the Hysterical Games Webstore for more information!

Spitfyre: Dwarf Vulture Dive Bomber

The feared dive bomber of the Dwarf air force - the KampfGrier 87 vulture dive bomber...

Spitfyre: Dwarf War-Eagle

The main fighter of the Dwarf air force - the KriegAdler 109 "Messer" war eagle...

Post-Kickstarter Update XXVII: Troglodyte Infantry and Gnome Command & Support

Ok, we said the last parts of Wave Two would be in production by the middle of January and Rob and the team have been hard at work making sure we hit that target.

The final three sets, Gnome Command Set, Gnome Support Weapons Set and Troglodyte Infantry Section are now in production and the team are now busy casting up all the sets needed up to fulfil the final Wave Two pledges.

The pictures aren't brilliant as Rob took them on a potato phone in crap lighting but here is a photo of a Troglodyte Infantry section...

Troglodyte Infantry section...

And the Gnome Command set...

Gnome Command Set...

Rob will take a photo of the Gnome Support Weapons once he has had a chance to make up a set.

Once the Wave Two pledges have been despatched the sets will go on general sale and we should have some at Crusade in Penarth on the 28th January so come along and say "Alla i brynu rhai o'ch corachod newydd rhagorol gwelwch yn dda?" and we will gladly serve you...

So three cheers for the team and all their hard work!

And if that wasn't good news enough the Futbowel rulebooks eventually turned up and the pre-order sets are now on their way to lucky gamers across the globe.

Post-Kickstarter Update XXIV: Deathless Zombi, Command and Support

From the frozen north come the Deathless marching onto your tabletops...

Deathless Zombi (photo by Ant)

Well Panzerfäusters we have some good news and some not so good news and some teasing news...

The Good News:

We have shipped out LOTS of wave two pledges, with a pile more to go early next week once Rob and Vince return from the show in Derby this weekend. The Deathless Zombi, Command, Support and Brute are now all moulded and being cast up at a rate of knots. If you have opted for Wave Two and picked Deathless, here are some pics Vince took yesterday in the workshop of what you're going to be getting...

Deathless Command set

Deathless Pulemet

Deathless Okhotniki

Deathless Minomet

 The Not So Good News:

The Troglodytes need some more work on them to allow us to mould them. Rob will be working on fixing the 3D prints next week then getting them moulded and cast asap. This isn't a complicated job, just one that eats time.

We have been having some issues with the Gnomes, especially the separate arms, and have decided that they would work better with the arms cast in white metal. This is going to delay the Gnome Command and Support packs a little whilst we get the bits moulded, but we think it is the right decision to make. The Voltigeurs will also see their arms replaced with metal ones.

The Teasing News:

Well no one worked out the forthcoming product tease in the last update, so here is another...

We are hoping to release this product in November to enable Ol'Piggy to bring you one for Hognachtswatch! :-)

In Other News:

It is great to see what gamers around the world are doing with their Panzerfäuste miniatures and we hope you have all joined the Panzerfäuste Facebook Group where you will have seen photos of Robyn's latest models posted from Australia. Her Zinn Mann here has a magnet in its neck to allow the optional head to be swapped with the regular one, and another in his arm that allows Hansi the cat to sit on it without falling off...

More news soon Panzerfäuste fans...

Post-Kickstarter Update XXII: Dwarf Support Weapons, Deathless Zombi & T-shirts...

On the Kickstarter front Rob and Vince have been beavering away on the 26 sets coming in Wave Two, which is all going to schedule, and to whet the appetite here is a picture of the Dwarf Support Weapons Set - cool or what?

And talking of cool, you will look so cool in your Panzerfäuste t-shirt that you pledged for in the Kickstarter. Rob will be getting these printed soon and as all wargamers are not all 2XL, can you email him asap with your preferred t-shirt size at hystericalgamesorders@gmail.com (even if you are proper sized 2XL wargamer).

AND if you are thinking, "oh no I won't look as cool as (insert name here) in their exclusive Panzerfäuste t-shirt" and that makes you sad, don't be sad, send Rob an email and he will send you back a Pay Pal invoice for £15 so it can be included in your pledge when it ships.

Wave Two will also include the first Deathless models and Steve was lucky to grab a set of the Zombi on one of his visits to Hysterical Towers and have painted them up - and jolly nice they are too in their blood splattered uniforms...

Panzerfäuste Unarmoured Released!

Panzerfäuste Unarmoured, our introductory skirmish starter set, is now available to buy on our website - at the reduced price of £40 for the remainder of July (normal RRP £50).

Panzerfäuste Unarmoured comes with a 32-page full colour rulebook, a section of Dwarf Grenadiers and a section of Orc Infantry, as well as 4 Panzerfäuste D6...

Post-Kickstarter Update XX: Kazak Cavalry & Steurmer's Stormers

We've had a busy few weeks of design work and a host of wargames shows in the UK and Germany but things still progress!

Manufacturing:

Some of you will have spotted Rob's very naughty sneak peek on Facebook of the Deathless Zombie Elves shambling into battle against an Orcish Sausage Shredder team!

This IS a sign that there are Wave 2 moulds in manufacturing. However, we have not moulded everything yet (we have moulded 6 Wave 2 items - we won't share what they are until we are 100% that we're happy with the quality, even these elves need a bit of work in our opinion!).

It's worth pointing out that we now think that a sensible estimate is that Wave 2 will ship in SEPTEMBER and that Wave 3 in January or February. We do apologise for this delay and hope that you can forgive us, given that it was a project that funded at 600% of it's target goal with many more sets to produce than originally planned, we think we've done remarkably well to stay at least close to our deadline.

Of course, the same rules apply as before. We will not sell anything from Wave 2 or Wave 3 until we have started shipping it.

This will not affect our future release plans.

We are planning a small Kickstarter campaign to go live in November. This is not a swift cash grab, we have been working on the concept art for this next Kickstarter since October last year. Sculpting is due to begin as soon as Wave 3 sculpting from our initial project is complete.

Speaking of which...

3D Sculpting:

Herb has completed the Deathless Zombi Kazak! These are HUGE models, the Undead Elves are 36mm tall, literally head and shoulders over an Orc. The demonic Nightmares which they are riding are really imposing (imagine them painted black with flaming eyes, mane, tail and hooves!). The heads are all interchangable on the riders, so you can pose them slightly differently and create at least a little variety.

Irek has also been continuing his work on the Dwarves and has completed Steurmer's Stormers - the Dwarf Straftruppen section, which, as you can see, look absolutely amazing...

Panzerbär!

Steve has painted up a test casting of the forthcoming Panzerbär model...

The  model comes with an alternative turret (Panzer II style) and bear head as well as some more accessories to hang off the Panzerbär.

Post-Kickstarter Update XVIII: Dwarf Penal Troops and Fomori Brute

Hail fellow Panzerfäustians...

Sculpting:

We've had quite a bit of progress on the sculpting front. We have two 'T-Poses' ready at this stage, we're not going to show them yet as they tend to lead to confusion. It's the step in 3D sculpting you take before posing the model, you lay it out like a mannequin almost, and then repose it.

However, Irek has finalised a number of his 3D renders for us, some of the Characters from the Dwarf Straftruppen set!

I think you'll all agree with us, they have a great deal of character and will really add something to any Dwarf army.

3D Printing and Casting (Wave 2)

We're still working away on this. Our 3D printer is due to arrive in the next couple of weeks, then we expect it will take a short while to learn how to use it properly. Once that has smoothed out, we will be able to really update you on this front. In the meantime, Rob has managed to mould up the Fomor Brute a few more times and has put it into proper production. Word Forge Games kindly offered to cast the Kaiser's Cat for us and is working on casting enough of the little guys to fulfil all of your orders.

Pledge Manager

Please, if you haven't filled in your Pledge Manager, try and fill it in as soon as possible. We really need to lock it down and still have 30% or so of the pledgers (not including £1) that have not filled in the manager. We're only a small company, so it's very important to know exactly what we need to do to get everyone the products they deserve.

If you have an issue with, or you do not believe you have received, the pledge manager, please email craig@shattered-glass.co.uk for advice.

Webstore Open, Skøgtroll Released...

Our brand new webstore is now up and running so you can mail order any off our existing product line (Maveryc figures to be added soon).

Which is where you can buy the brand new Skøgtroll released today!

Post-Kickstarter Update XVII: Local Orc Volunteers and Skøgtroll...

Greetings fellow Panzerfäustians...

Sculpting:

Heriberto has started work on the Deathless Kazak cavalry which should be awesome and Irek is beavering away on Steurmer’s Stormers (all the character heads are done now) which we are really looking forward to given their history in Panzerfäuste over the last eighteen years...

Great news is that Victor has almost finished the Local Orc Volunteers (LOVies). There are a still a few tweaks required on all the models but we thought you’d like to see some now as they are brilliant!

"Don't tell them your name..."

"They don't like it up 'em!"

"We're doomed..."

"I got some 'essential supplies' lads..."

"I'll tell mum..."

"Bloody hooligans!"

Salute:

All hands to the pump this week to get ready for Salute (well Rob’s hands as Steve will be working in Germany and sadly miss the show).

Where are we?



We are on stand TH06.



What will we have there?

We apart from all the wave one releases we will have the first non-Kickstarter Panzerfäuste models, the mighty Skøgtroll sculpted by Warploque maestro Alex Huntley. They are amazing and will no doubt prove very popular. Rob has cast up a lot but to make sure you get your mitts on them rush over to TH06 as soon as you get to Salute!

Skøg! Skøg! Skøg!

Where if you are very quick you might be able to buy one of our extremely limited edition Panzerfäuste mugs! (we will have some for sale for those of our not able to attend the show so don’t panic).

Two Panzerfäuste mugs - only one on sale!

And if all this excitement is not too much for you, our amazingly talented concept illustrator Will Beck will be on the stand with pencil and drawing pad doodling away all things Panzerfäuste. We have given him the (top secret) list of ALL the planned Panzerfäuste races and historical equivalents so if you are lucky you might get to see what the Canadians or Chinese are going to be…

Oldfäuste:

Whilst looking for SWMBO’s Easter Egg Steve discovered a very small stock of the original 1998 Panzerfäuste skirmish rulebooks. Rob will have some of these on the stand at Salute but if you are not able to attend and want a piece of Panzerfäuste history send GBP5 (shipping included) via PayPal to Steve and he’ll send you a copy. There are just 21 left now and once they are gone, they are gone…



Community:

Aside from the official Hysterical Games Facebook Page there is a fans Panzerfäuste Facebook Group were Panzerfäustians across the world share ideas and photos. It’s a great community so if you want to find out how to make a Gnomish mushroom forest for example, and you are on Facebook, please join it - and if you are not on Facebook join Facebook just to be part of it!! :-)

Robyn's Gnome mushroom forest...

Ok, that’s it for this update.

If you can get to Salute make Hysterical Games your first port of call, if not watch out for the next update coming soon!

Post-Kickstarter Update XII: Fomori, Skøgtroll and Leutnant Isla Antonsdottir...

Apologies for the tardiness in our update this week! Rob's been busy with Age of Tyrants, which is becoming an ever-more demanding role as they start going into their last few days. They have 9 days left...

Anyway, regardless of Rob's blatant bumming around, SOMEONE got some stuff done at Hysterical Games this week.

Coming Soon!

Craig's been working frantically on the Pledge Manager, which is in fact also our webstore and website. He's also been helping on retail packaging and the layout for our Playtest rules for Panzerfäuste Mass Battle - which Ian has finalised to a point it's ready to publish. We will share these with you on Sunday, when we're happy with the general 'lingo' and other bits and bobs. There will also be some snazzy tokens for you to print out and use to try the game. Much like a few other companies, these will also eventually be hosted on our website so you can try out our games before buying them (here's looking at you, Guildball, you beautiful, wallet-emptying, people!).

Rob, Ian and Steve did meet up to exchange a few pre-production models, as well as discuss rules, release schedules and shows. It resulted in Rob having a lot more packaging materials, Steve having a bunch of figures to assemble and paint and Ian a load of things to think about in the rulebooks!

Here is what Steve did with the Fomori that Rob, so gracefully, handed to him fully assembled!

a little bit shiny due to the mould being brand new

Steve's very own Orc Fomor!

Steve also took some sneaky snaps of the workshop, whilst Rob wasn't looking. However, the Khoven Gralski Baba have redacted much of it...

Boxes that are steadily being filled with cast and packed miniatures!

Part of one of Rob's production runs. These are not cleaned up yet, for packing!

Dolly parts for the Skøgtrolls (see if any of you recognise the weapons!) and Zombie Trolls

A bunch of figures and buildings, for photography

There's a real buzz of activity in that workshop; Rob's put in an awful lot of work to get that running, so we thought it was only right to share with you what we can.

Artwork

So, the artists have been busy, Gregor has basically finalised Isla Antonsdottir, who will be available in the Pledge Manager!

Meanwhile, Will has been drawing the last of the two Steurmer's Stormers (Straftruppen) characters. He'll now officially be working on our next campaign - so you won't see much, if at all, from him for the next few months.

Sculpting

Sadly, our Zombie Dwarf sculptor went on holiday, so didn't get anything done this week and our LOV sculptor simply couldn't find the time. However, they've both been genuine and honest about their delay - which is more than can be said for some people and something we all appreciate massively here.

Monsiuer Huntley, Esquire, on the other hand (Alex Huntley, of Warploque Miniatures) has been working away on our Skøgtroll Gevärstrupp... He's assured us that they'll be done in the next few days and likely with us in time to mould for next week! No promises, but, by jove, we will try our best to make that happen!

3D Printing

Anders has been a busy bee, getting more prints made for us. He's currently working using a slightly higher quality printer, but it's much more labour intensive. He's a student though, so his time is quite precious. He's managed to get another 2 units in the post to Rob this week though, which should arrive any day now. Of course, we'll keep you up to date on this matter. Thanks, Anders!

Okay, so it's a short one this week, that's a wrap. Next week should be promising, what with more sculpts, figures and rules.