Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

The new design looks really nice, and keeps the overall UCM language far better than the "Titania" design one piece ships they offered as an alternative sculpt to the basic Hawk cruisers.

With 2.0, the previews are showing new options in the sprues, so if this indicates they've redone the plastic Hawk Cruiser Sprue it will probably come with options for the shoulder laser turrets in addition to the currently existing shoulder railgun turrets.

It does sound like they've gone to completely new molds for all the plastics. Redid the cruiser and frigate sprues, then cut new sprues for the light ships which we've seen, and it sounds like probably a sprue for the heavies as well.

Makes me think they either wore out the old ones, of whoever they were using to inject them presumably in China pulled the usuall hostage negotiations for the parts and TTC opted to walk out. So it makes sense to redesign them with new parts and pieces. Mold design has come a fair way since Hawk cut theirs in ~2014

There was a rumour that Wargames Atlantic is involved with the new plastics, as TT doesn't do plastic in-house.

LOL, as prolific as they're becoming, at this point the rumor would if they were using anyone other than WGA. But also if you look at the sprue design, the shape and placement of gates channels and vents, it looks precisely like WGA's current releases.

These days, when you see new plastic sprues, they’re either Wargames Atlantic or Archon. What is Renedra even doing these days?

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
These days, when you see new plastic sprues, they’re either Wargames Atlantic or Archon. What is Renedra even doing these days?

Continuing with their earlier clients I imagine; Perry, Victrix, Warlord (assuming Warlord doesn't do their own), and some of the smaller ones.

The dropfleet plastic sprues were made in the UK (at least during the Hawk Wargaming era, i guess TTC might have changed that),

and if i remember correctly it was by a firm that wasn't in the normal wargaming sphere of business (maybe rapid prototyping, mainly for the car industry?)

All this Hawk Games chatter got me looking at their stuff again and I MIGHT have made a mistake.


See I got myself one of the "event exclusive" ships for the new faction that's on the horizon.

but I also decided to get one of the first ground units that caught my eye - a Shaltari Ocelot. Which is now standing rather proud on my table.

I'm giving serious thought to getting it some friend! no one else is making tripod walker war engines and whilst I love the return of GW's Epic scale game I'm kind of on the fence till mechanicus appear (and even then that's a kind of compromise since they aren't doing Tyranids*).





*Or if they are its going to be in at least 10-15-20 years off or something bonkers like that

That UCM cruiser has signs of 3d printing, so it's hard to tell if it will be resin or plastic once released. Otherwise, so excited for new plastic ships. I gave up on ttc's resin casts long ago. Too picky for their awful mold slips of simple parts. I do my own casting better for God sake.

They uploaded another faction focus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwOtXu3uBXE

Near the end it looks like there is a new UCM battlecruiser coming as well.

axotl wrote:
That UCM cruiser has signs of 3d printing

Where are you seeing that? I don't see any visible stepping, and most of the ship is identical to the old plastic sprue which was a good cut with no 3dp master artifacts.

The only weird thing I see is they apparently keep their models on an open shelf and never touch them because that is a grungy amount of dust and hair all over something they're trying to showcase. At least blow on it. TTC plumbing new depths of laziness.

Possibly faint layer lines here



Fainter than on most GW rumour engine images

Could those be brush strokes from a slightly-not-dry-enough dry brushing?

Eh, could be anything. I've got some models from the tail end of Hawk that are direct 3d prints. I can show you the very visible steps on the top and the support scars on the bottom of my DZC resistance Strikehawk. They've show off 3d masters and prototypes before.

But at the same time, that part of the model is micrometer identical to the plastic sprue piece I know for a fact is injection molded and has no visible steps.

Mostly though, I know signs of 3d printing of this model are meaningless because it's going to be an injection molded plastic sprue kit because it's just a slight redesign of an existing one, they've told us so, and they've shown off the other sprues.

Here’s a pic of the new battlecruiser/battleship art.

Looks like a cross between the Kickstarter exclusive BC and the event exclusive CL

I can see both of those. Unfortunately the weapon load out is identical to the Beijing battleship, and as cool as this design is it just doesn’t convey “battleship” vibes. Perhaps it could if the front gap could be closed enough to make a single thick hull rather than a spindly tuning fork hull.

I'm really hoping it's not a redesigned battleship, the ucm bb was great as is

Do we know if they are doing anything with Dropzone Commander?

Haven't heard a peep about Dropzone Commander. The Kickstarter for 35mm Drop-Universe skirmish game called Striketeam Commander is supposed to happen imminently, and with attention on DFC and STC(?) I don't imagine their least favorite game is going to get any undue love.

Yeah I figure Dropzone will be in holding until the new Dropfleet is out. I'm actually a touch surprised they are leaving such a gap between the end of Dropfleet and the launch of Dropfleet 2.0

DZC is getting the new faction as well, but there hasn't been any pre-views other than a single CAD render. DZC models have already been getting reworked for the plastic sprues and better sprue design in general.

Durandal wrote:
DZC is getting the new faction as well, but there hasn't been any pre-views other than a single CAD render. DZC models have already been getting reworked for the plastic sprues and better sprue design in general.

No need for preview, it's a box of black triangles

 lord_blackfang wrote:
No need for preview, it's a box of black triangles

It feels given that DZC will get the new faction at some point, but all we saw was one render like a year ago and literally nothing since, no pics, no teasers, no statements, not even a sly mention or offhand quip.

If they're planning to launch Bioficers in DZC, they're apparently going for a Surprise! release which feels real dumb but then again we're talking about TTCombat so that's probably exactly what's going to happen.

Ever since they shut down the blog their news is a bit more sparring/scattershot/has to be looked for to find.

chances are they are just focusing on one game at a time marketing wise and production wise. Get DFC 2.0 out the door as it seems like they are doing a big fleet update plus a new faction. Hopefully all released pretty swiftly. Nothing would help kill a game than pulling it all off-sale then trying to tease it back on sale very very slowly*.



*unless you're GW with Old World behind you of course.

 slyphic wrote:
It feels given that DZC will get the new faction at some point, but all we saw was one render like a year ago and literally nothing since, no pics, no teasers, no statements, not even a sly mention or offhand quip.

If they're planning to launch Bioficers in DZC, they're apparently going for a Surprise! release which feels real dumb but then again we're talking about TTCombat so that's probably exactly what's going to happen.

Isn’t all the Drop stuff being handled by Dave? He’s probably working as hard as he can considering his bosses gave him the Striketeam kickstarter and Dropfleet 2nd edition in the same year.

No one knows for sure. I've heard conflicting answers from former TTC staff about Dave, from "all he does is CAD from his home" to "everything except someone else rewrites the rules and lore before publication" (but they're not called an editor for some bizarre reason). I've tried asking TTC and have been watching for any inkling, but there's nothing.

beast_gts wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:
No need for preview, it's a box of black triangles

Spoiler:

DZC ship model design has really taken a nose dive since the early days when Dave would post previews. At least the trek Borg cubes had gribblies all over them...

Honestly after seeing the infantry weapons its my one worry with the new faction that the ships, land and infantry are going to look so similar to each other that they'd almost look like just borrowed parts. Which will mean loads of conversion fodder at the same time.