Ad Astra miniatures for Traveller

[The Shaman]

The Ad Astra Games forums have a renders preview of their upcoming minis line for use with BITS' Power Projection: Fleet:

That's a Plankwell, AHL, Gionetti, Chrysanthemum, and Fer-de-lance on the right, plus three Zhodani ships on the left.

Pretty cool.

 

[Border Reiver]

Sweet.

Looking forward to these. Hope the price isn't too extreme.

 

[savage]

nice stuff

 

[The Shaman]

Ad Astra is taking pre-orders on the first Imperial and Zho box sets - according to their forums, the sets will be produced once at least seventy-five sets are pre-ordered.

 

[far-trader]

So if I read that right they won't make either set until both sets have preorders of 75? At $60 per set plus s&h.

My guess is we won't be seeing any new ships for Traveller I could be wrong, I'd love to be wrong. Maybe there's enough interest in them as PP elements to do it but I haven't seen that kind of interest in ship miniatures in the general Traveller community in the past.

There are maybe a couple who might buy them, a few more who would buy some if sold individually, but to get that kind of preorder from general Traveller players I'm pretty sure they'd have to be player scale ships.

I'm not saying they aren't beautiful, just not terribly useful for RPGing. So like I said, meeting the preorder will be up to the PP fleet action players, So, how many of those are there?

 

[mike wightman]

I have to agree with you Dan

There are quite a few space combat wargames out there that these miniatures could be used with. Here's hoping that there's enough interest in the wargaming community to boost the numbers of pre-orders.

 

[The Shaman]

Always with the negative waves, Moriarity. . .

Seventy-five sets between the whole of North America and Europe (and a few points beyond)? That really doesn't sound insurmountable - clearly Ad Astra must think it's in the ballpark based on sales of PowerProjection to have acquired the license and invested in the renders in the first place.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by The Shaman:
Always with the negative waves, Moriarity. . .

Ok Oddball, but I've had nothing but good thoughts for new Traveller miniatures for oh about 5 years now and every damn time we get to the bridge it ain't there

Originally posted by The Shaman:
Seventy-five sets between the whole of North America and Europe (and a few points beyond)?

But it's not 75 sets, it's 150 sets, 75 of each. How many may be interested only in one or the other? How many PP players already have all the big ships they need/want? I have a box full of a fine line of miniatures from a previous company that did absolutely excellent spaceship minis (not Traveller) at a good price and they went under a year or so back. I'm not in the market for more fleet size ships, especially when I'd have to order two whole sets, make that pre-order, and wait, and wait, and...

Originally posted by The Shaman:
That really doesn't sound insurmountable - clearly Ad Astra must think it's in the ballpark based on sales of PowerProjection to have acquired the license and invested in the renders in the first place.

Yep, I expect they have run the numbers, I give them that much credit at least. But projections don't always come to fruition.

Maybe it is a good number. If not they'd be the 3rd company to venture into Traveller minis in recent years and fail. I did say I'd love to be proven wrong but I won't be holding my breath. My projection is from experience too and if they were counting on some early sales to the RPG side of Traveller that ain't gonna happen in the pre-order phase. It may not even happen if they break it into individual minis for sale. I'd probably like a couple just for the display case but frankly I'd rather spend my money on small character size ships that might actually get used in a game.

 

[The Shaman]

Originally posted by far-trader:
. . .I've had nothing but good thoughts for new Traveller miniatures for oh about 5 years now and every damn time we get to the bridge it ain't there

I hear you, and believe me I keep looking for that same missing span.

But maybe this time it'll be different!

In any case, I plan to order both sets, so I'll be crossing my fingers that there are at least seventy-four other suckers. . .uh, I mean hopeful gamers. . .like me.

 

[The Oz]

I've ordered my sets, so that's one more sucker..... customer.

 

[mike wightman]

Make that two...

 

[Hal]

What they should do is place on the web site itself, the number of pre-orders that have accumulated up to the present time. If I weren't unemployed right now, I probably WOULD put an order in for the ships in question.

Heck, someone who had an eye towards the future might even go so far as to put in an order for two extra sets, and then sell them on ebay later on either individually or as a set and see what prices would fetch a few years later...

 

[Liam Devlin]

Well, they'd make a dandy mantlepiece set, or an atajarre' case collection (If I could keep my three cats from tipping things off the shelves that is, clever girls..).

I don't wargame, but they'd make a fine Christmas prezzie for a friend or two...

 

[Hemdian]

Looking at their forums it appears they need 70 pre-orders of the Imperial Fleet Box to make the Imperial Fleet Box, and 70 pre-orders of the Zhodani Fleet Box to make the Zhodani Fleet Box. Not 75 of each or 150 total.

Anyway, I've just placed my order (for both) ... works out at just over 40 quid each including P&P for us Brits. And they do take Paypal if you prefer that payment method.

I hope thay make it 'cos I'm looking forward to additional ships in a second Imperial Fleet Box (I want a Ghalalk, an Atlantic, a Skimkish, a Wind, and some PFSloans), as well as a Vargr set and a Sword Worlds and Darrians set. So go prod anyone who hasn't ordered yet.

Hmmm ... I want to do a squadron. I might go and order a few more sets myself.

Regards PLST

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Hemdian:
Looking at their forums it appears they need 70 pre-orders of the Imperial Fleet Box to make the Imperial Fleet Box, and 70 pre-orders of the Zhodani Fleet Box to make the Zhodani Fleet Box. Not 75 of each or 150 total.

It is now

Originally it was a paired P75 + P75 listing for each. I'm not sure what that bodes for the production? I wish they did like other preorder sale points and listed the current perorder total so people knew where it stood.

Despite everything I find my resolve for fiscal responsibility weakening

I may yet go for it myself...

 

[Hemdian]

Originally posted by far-trader:
I wish they did like other preorder sale points and listed the current perorder total so people knew where it stood.

Agreed.

Despite everything I find my resolve for fiscal responsibility weakening

I may yet go for it myself...

[psionics]Go on, you know you want them. Your collection wont be complete without them. They look so good. You have to have them.[/psionics]

Regards PLST

 

[Hemdian]

Quick update as of March 10th ...

We need 13 more orders (out of 70) to launch Imperial 1
We need 18 more orders (out of 70) to launch Zhodani 1

Nearly there.

Regards PLST

 

[far-trader]

OK, I guess I'm in as soon as I can arrange sale of some stuff to cover part of the cost

Watch the Duty Free shop over the weekend for some Traveller bargains.

 

[Darkhstarr]

I'm very financially disciplined right now. But if my insurance reconsiders & pays for some of my surgery Tuesday, that might go out the window.
$59.00 for a set is a very nice price. Better than ebay, & better for what I pay for some of the ship minis I buy locally.

 

[Baphomet69]

I have (pre-)ordered my sets of the new Imp and Zho ships, but I'm sitting here looking at an 'Imperium - 3rd Millennium' game sitting on my shelf. I've never played it due to lack of opponents, but I got to wondering...

Can anyone that HAS played it tell me if it would be feasible to use the new ships with that game?