Balloon Busters set

**Ritterton** · 10-25-2009 09:56

Originally Posted by Angiolillo

For the markings, decals should be included for different nations.

The yellow is the typical ones for Austria balloons. My fried Paolo Varriale had an original piece in his hands and can attest the color.

These look amazing. I have this on my "future presents" list - so whenever it comes out, I can be ready to hint loudly as to what Dad would like.

**Oberst Hajj** · 10-25-2009 11:19

Originally Posted by ego

According to what I've heard from Nexus in Essen yesterdy, you'll have to wait till next year...

I wonder if this means Series 4 (which was said to come out in Dec 09) will get to use before the Balloons which were due in Oct. Or are all the Wings of War releases pushed back this far now? That would be a shame with Christmas coming up soon.

**Ritterton** · 10-25-2009 11:59

I agree with the Colonel on this one. One would think they would want to have these available by Thanksgiving (USA) time at the latest so they can be put under trees, menorah, kwanzah candles, etc. Another option FFG could consider is doing preorders with gift certificates...be interesting if they could work out a deal with end dealers where you redeem the certificate there at their shop. That would probably trigger a bit of additional spending by the certificate bearer.

Colonel, Sir, you may want to link this discussion over at FFG's forums again - so that the company can see the dialog. Adding some option to their 4th quarter sales could only help them I would think

**ego** · 10-25-2009 14:05

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

I wonder if this means Series 4 (which was said to come out in Dec 09) will get to use before the Balloons which were due in Oct. Or are all the Wings of War releases pushed back this far now? That would be a shame with Christmas coming up soon.

Well, to produce in China is cheap, but if you want a new product manufactored you have to take a few fallbacks into account.
If we are lucky, there will be no major Problems with Series IV and they'll hit the shelfs in time....

**Oberst Hajj** · 10-25-2009 22:53

Someone that went to Spiel '09 in Germany this weekend is quoting the price as 45 Euros... that would convert to about US$67. Again, this is based off of pre-production pricing and converting currencies.

**Greywolf** · 10-25-2009 23:08

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

Someone that went to Spiel '09 in Germany this weekend is quoting the price as 45 Euros... that would convert to about US$67. Again, this is based off of pre-production pricing and converting currencies.

Ouch! that's around $89.80NZD mmmm might have to save up for them....

Cheers
GW

**Angiolillo** · 10-26-2009 02:15

This is a second, longer video:

http://richardbliss.typepad.com/rich...k-preview.html

**aarondpjames** · 10-26-2009 04:05

Originally Posted by John B

I have had my set on order for a month now. I sit by the front door waitnig for the post to deliver.

John,

Where did you get them ordered from?

Aaron

**John B** · 10-26-2009 06:14

I ordered mine from Stafford Games.

I find them very friendly and helpful.

John B

**Angiolillo** · 10-27-2009 00:15

More pictures there (with a view from above):

http://www.gioconomicon.net/modules....&page=18&sort=

**aarondpjames** · 10-27-2009 09:29

Originally Posted by John B

I ordered mine from Stafford Games.

I find them very friendly and helpful.

John B

I've had loads of stuff from Roland at Stafford games. He's a great guy that runs a really good company. I used to wargame there before i moved down south, earlier this year.

Richard Bliss · 10-27-2009 11:20

Originally Posted by ego

According to what I've heard from Nexus in Essen yesterdy, you'll have to wait till next year...

In my discussion with Roberto with Nexus Games he continually stated that January was the probable time frame for delivery of the Balloons. I know it isn't a guarantee or an official statement so you will have to take it with a bit of patience.

After getting to handle the minis, I can promise the wait will be worth it.

Tomorrow I will post the first half of a 15 minute interview with Roberto Di Meglio on the worldwide distribution of Wings of War. I enjoyed the interview and Roberto opened the box for me to show the contents of the Balloon Busters Expansion.

You can watch the interview on my blog at http://richardbliss.typepad.com or you can see it now on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/richardbliss#p/u/4/znRE2s_hZ3I

**Oberst Hajj** · 10-27-2009 21:29

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

I wonder if this means Series 4 (which was said to come out in Dec 09) will get to use before the Balloons which were due in Oct. Or are all the Wings of War releases pushed back this far now? That would be a shame with Christmas coming up soon.

I just got word from FFG, Series 4 is at best 3-4 months out. So, look for them around February or March most likely.

**Oberst Hajj** · 10-27-2009 21:51

Thanks for the links to the videos and doing the interview and such for us.

Richard Bliss · 10-28-2009 12:07

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

Thanks for the links to the videos and doing the interview and such for us.

It was a treat for me to be able to sit with Roberto and talk about the game. As you are already aware, I like to use the game at my conferences, having 50+ people all playing in a single battle. Oftentimes these participants have never played a boardgame before and Wings of War is their first introduction. Getting a chance to sit down with Roberto and discuss the game, its impact and success, the growth in other markets, was a great pleasure for me. He gave me far more time that I could have hoped for, especially since he was incredibly busy with the interest around other events in his booth.

The booth itself was always packed with people. I have to believe that Roberto and the team were pleased with Spiel 2009.

**Grinneth42** · 10-28-2009 18:28

These look amazing... this may not make sense, but as I work my way through purchasing the first few sets, I find myself slowing down so that I won't need to wait for the next sets to be released... that being said... I'm failing miserably...

hardrada · 11-01-2009 11:03

Ah - so now it's January 2010 for release........

At least my bank balance will have a chance to recover from the October wargames
shows, a visit to London and an unexpected car repair bill!

Do Nexus actually use the same calendar as the rest of Earth or are they still using the
Julian calendar? Even the Russians abandoned this after the Napoleonic wars!!

Neil, bemused as ever

**Scoop** · 11-14-2009 10:49

Nexus is very late on the news on their english version of the website. But if you switch to the italian version, you'll suddenly see other news ... well you won't understand much but they are there

Does anyone know if they actually sold this Balloon Buster Sets in Essen? Or was it just to show off? Can't believe it, for the first time I did not go there and now I see those pics ... aaaarrrg

**Oberst Hajj** · 11-14-2009 15:37

It was not for sell at Essen.

**Scoop** · 11-15-2009 03:52

Ahh, that's good to hear

Someone mentioned a price about 45€ or so, I thinks that's pretty expensive for two models. Is there anything else included (propably a maneuver deck for the plane, I guess)? Say the plane would cost about 10€ to 12€, that makes 35€ to 33€ only for the balloon. That thing looks pretty tempting, yes, but I really have to think about it for this price. There are not even insignias on the balloon (or was this just a provisional version?.

**ste_marthe** · 11-15-2009 04:29

There seems to be decals you can put yourself on the balloons.

But hey, I had completely missed this news! I was too stuck in my WWII WoW gaming but I'm so exited to see this! This is incredible to have a mini (huge) balloon!

Cant wait at all...

**Oberst Hajj** · 11-15-2009 05:46

There are decals so you can make it Entente or Central Powers.

About the price, it appears that it is going to be priced at the same price point as the Deluxe Sets. Compared to the Deluxe Set with four planes in it, I think it is an okay price. That balloon is pretty big and probably costs about the same to make as three planes.

We know the set will come with the one plane and it's maneuver deck, the balloon min and it's clear stand (quite large), rules for it (assuming they are the same rules as from BD, but not sure) and I'm sure it will come with counters of some type and possibly even a flight control board for the one plane and range ruler.

**Scoop** · 11-15-2009 09:31

Ah, all right, so there are at least some extras included. The price for the Deluxe Set differs quite a lot in Germany. The official retail price is about 48,-€, whereas you can also find the game for about 35,-€ (in big shops, especially at Amazon).

**The Blue Baron** · 11-16-2009 02:14

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

About the price, it appears that it is going to be priced at the same price point as the Deluxe Sets. Compared to the Deluxe Set with four planes in it, I think it is an okay price. That balloon is pretty big and probably costs about the same to make as three planes.

We know the set will come with the one plane and it's maneuver deck, the balloon min and it's clear stand (quite large), rules for it (assuming they are the same rules as from BD, but not sure) and I'm sure it will come with counters of some type and possibly even a flight control board for the one plane and range ruler.

I would suppose the the costs of making one balloon are the same than the costs for one plane. The balloon has more material but less detail... Therefore I think the set should be a little less expansive than the Deluxe Set. But on the other hand they will sell less copies of it. Therefore the same price than the Delux Set is realistic.

MrPeace · 11-25-2009 08:35

Originally Posted by Scoop

Ahh, that's good to hear

Someone mentioned a price about 45€ or so, I thinks that's pretty expensive for two models.

It´s too expensive for me too, i was thinking in buying the two models (are so cool), but now I have to take a decision, pay the gas for the car, or get the minis... oh, hell, i can walk too :P

I´m pretty sure than here in Spain it´ll cost arround 50€. I hope to win a lottery or something before.

**The Blue Baron** · 11-26-2009 00:10

I am also not sure if I buy one or both... Depends on the price it will cost eventually.

**ste_marthe** · 11-26-2009 07:08

Actually for the price I would tend to say that the price of a model is based on multiple factors. Material being one of the factors, I would tend to guess that size does not have an enormous effect on price. It is not linear. A bigger model will not cost more linearly compared to the size difference.

I would say the size of the model will have an effect on the mold used to make the parts. Bigger model, bigger mold and then more expensive. The other factor to add is in fact the number sold. You will calculate your return on the number sold and have to include the tooling prices in your models. If I take any 1 plane in a series, it comes in 3 paint jobs but the plane itself is the same. You might buy one of each so you have 3 models out of 1 mold. So if i buy 1 plane of each that comes out, i will have bought 3X more products in a mold if I buy 1 balloon.

All this to say, your mold and what you get out of it I say is your deal breaker for the price.

I'm getting one as soon as it comes out!

**Oberst Hajj** · 11-26-2009 07:40

I'm getting one as soon as it comes out as well... And some lucky person on this site will get one for free if they win the Balloon Buster Contest!

**ste_marthe** · 11-26-2009 07:47

Originally Posted by Col. Hajj

I'm getting one as soon as it comes out as well... And some lucky person on this site will get one for free if they win the Balloon Buster Contest!

I'm working on my entry!!

**usmc1855** · 11-26-2009 08:12

I'll eventually pick up two, most likely three of them once they are released. With three Parsevel-Sigsfeld balloons for the Allies to tear into, I need a like number of the Coquet M Balloons for the Central Powers to go after.

And having a few of the Nieuport 16s as Minis will be great as well.

And then there is that Zeppelin mini that Skytrex is now producing.....

**Pseudotheist** · 11-26-2009 08:45

I gotta say, I was originally thinking of buying 4, giving me a couple Nieuport 16s to repaint, and maybe mount a set of rockets on another plane, in addition to a lovely balloon barrage. But if these prices are accurate, I'll probably have to content myself with one of each.

**Pseudotheist** · 11-27-2009 09:46

Anybody know what maneuver deck the Nieuport 16s are gonna be using?

**The Blue Baron** · 11-28-2009 16:16

I would guess that they use the same deck than the other Nieuports... but that is just guessing.

**Seiseki** · 11-28-2009 18:12

Hm, the Nieuport 16 seems quite useless though considering there's no plane to match it with, all other plane mini's are superior and from later years of the war.

**The Blue Baron** · 11-29-2009 02:28

Originally Posted by Seiseki

Hm, the Nieuport 16 seems quite useless though considering there's no plane to match it with, all other plane mini's are superior and from later years of the war.

The Nieuport 11 (the Nieuport 16 is a N11 with a better motor) was one of the planes that ended the Fokker Scourge in 1916. Therefore there are plenty planes from the same timeframe e.g. the Fokker Dr. I.

**Oberst Hajj** · 11-29-2009 07:16

Also keep in mind that series 4 and 5 are going to be adding more early war miniatures for us.

**Pseudotheist** · 11-29-2009 13:48

Originally Posted by The Blue Baron

I would guess that they use the same deck than the other Nieuports... but that is just guessing.

Well, Andrea mentioned it would be like the E deck, but without the deep sideslips, but that was back in February. I was hoping someone who had seen the contents could verify whether we actually got a new deck, we got an E, like the 11s, or a G, which would be fairly similar to Andrea's plans, but with steep indicators on the second sideslips...

**filtonflyer** · 12-03-2009 00:56

Sorry for being slow here, but am I right in saying these are now avaliable from stafford games.

**Oberst Hajj** · 12-03-2009 02:00

They are not supposed to be out until January some time and I don't see them on their website.... I would say you can not get them from them yet... maybe a pre-order?

**Jäger** · 12-03-2009 03:13

January is quite near but still... caan't wait! The price sounds moderate, but maybe I should still spend less on my girlfriend at christmas.

**Scoop** · 12-03-2009 10:32

Announcement, announcement... :-)

Anyone seen this?

http://www.wingsofwar.it/read.asp?id=3520

**usmc1855** · 12-03-2009 11:56

These are the great images of the balloon from the link in the previous post:

**Jäger** · 12-03-2009 12:06

Mmh, handsome testicl...sausages. I think they don't look bad without decals, do they? Should be easier to change the side without cosmetic factors. :)

**Oberst Hajj** · 12-03-2009 21:53

The light brown/yellow one looks much better in that photo... yumm!

Looking at the flight pegs, it looks like there are 3 normal sized ones at the bottom and then a much longer one at the top... interesting.

**The Blue Baron** · 12-04-2009 00:49

They look gorgeos!

But are that real photos? If yes the "painting" is great but I suppose the did a lot of photoshop work on the pictures...

**Scoop** · 12-04-2009 03:21

This is the complete set.

**Jäger** · 12-04-2009 03:42

I can't open it.

**usmc1855** · 12-04-2009 03:54

Originally Posted by Jäger

I can't open it.

Here you go:

**Oberst Hajj** · 12-04-2009 04:22

Well, that is the mock up of the box using the final artwork the minis are made from.

**Scoop** · 12-04-2009 05:00

Thx, usmc1855. Still, no prices mentioned in the text - also no date.

But they say something about the content of the boxes:

"Besides the two models, you will find in the box a 20 pages booklet that introduces the rules to use all the new components introduced in the expansion: the balloons, the Le Prieur rockets, and of course new scenarios were they are present."