Am I Too Late?

[Pilot905]

As the title implies I only recently discovered this interesting game. Is the game still in production or am I too late to enjoy Wings Of Glory? Are the plane minis and game components still in production? I ask because I read that one of Ares Games series, Battlestar Galactica, has already ceased production and the Aerodrome Store has also closed.

[Marechallannes]

Too say there's anything in production would be risky.

We're waiting for some WW 1 reprints and there is still WW 1 & WW 2 Stuff available.

Get yourself a duel set ore a rule & accessoire pack and some minis that fit together.

For BGS there definitely won't be anything new or reprints.

[Diamondback]

WW1 reprint Duel Packs on the way, WW2 South Pacific theme series in advance development, Sparviero and Blenheim bombers further along in development.

Best advice, get what you can afford from vendors, then start watching the Marketplace here. None of us are getting any younger, and there are some opportunities to pick up others' surplus materiel there.

[Pilot905]

I am assuming from these comments that Ares Games is still in business. I know that they are a small company so product releases might come out slowly especially during the pandemic.

I guess Wings Of Glory is a niche market but I hope that it has a small but loyal group of supporters/players.

[Diamondback]

I am assuming from these comments that Ares Games is still in business. I know that they are a small company so product releases might come out slowly especially during the pandemic.

You assume correctly. Most of their recent bandwidth has gone to boardgames; the problem with being a very small company is they have very limited working capital, which means basically they only have the profits of the previous release to pay for current development. (Admittedly I'm oversimplifying, but when you have a little company trying to deliver Big Company product that's a huge cramp on their finances.)

I do work for them on historical research along with a few others here, but unless explicitly stated otherwise everything I post is personal opinion only, not to be construed as official policy or speaking for them.

[flash]

As the title implies I only recently discovered this interesting game. Is the game still in production or am I too late to enjoy Wings Of Glory? Are the plane minis and game components still in production? I ask because I read that one of Ares Games series, Battlestar Galactica, has already ceased production and the Aerodrome Store has also closed.

Ares re-released the duel packs, the rules & accessory pack & some game mats this year so you should find enough to get you started, Ken.
BSG was dropped from the line due to licencing issues and the Aerodrome Store closing is unrelated to Ares production.
The rest is up to your search fu and the size of your wallet !

[Pilot905]

The rest is up to your search fu and the size of your wallet !

Sigh, I am making WW1 wages in 2021, not a good outlook for WGF. Be that as it may I am very encouraged by everyone's feedback, thank you for sharing.

[OldGuy59]

Ken,
I was introduced to Wings of War, the predecessor to Wings of Glory, just as it was going out of print. Everything on line was being sold at ridiculous prices (I thought. It has gotten much worse). I started making planes out of paper to get something at a reasonable price. I made the bases out of thick card stock, and got decks from other Forum members.



Around that time, I started to find little shops around the country that were selling out their meagre remaining stock of models and accessories at, or below, MSRP (I was in the Canadian Forces at that time, and on an investigation that took me around three Western Canadian provinces in a few months).

However, now, there are still lots of options for people getting into Wings of Glory. Some vendors on Shapeways are selling 3D printed planes at 1/144th scale, some even in colour!. Prices are a bit high, compared to Wings of War models at MSRP, and some are a bit high for Wings of Glory MSRP, but you can pick and choose your planes and finishes.

Or there are lots of plastic models at 1/144th scale, too.

Other than the expensive (to me) colour Shapeways option, the others require some work. But, the fun of the game is worth the effort, if you choose to expend it.

[Von Scharf]

Well said, Mike.

There are some less expensive models out there (Kissenberth Camel, Richthofen Albatros, etc.) that you can pick up and repaint yourself. A few Vallejo paints and some of the relatively inexpensive decals can go a long way. I had not modeled since I was a teenager ( turned 60 last week), but found that I CAN paint these things up - with a magnifier, of course . As with most things in life, just get in there and try things and you'll surprise yourself.

Welcome to the community!

Mike, that's a hell of a paper Camel!

[Dak21]

Miniatures Market has about 30 different WWII and 60 different WWI planes in stock now for fair prices. For WWII, there are only a few models that are hard to find.

[OldGuy59]

Link: Zio Prudenzio Model Cards - My 1st Project

Where I started to learn about paper models: "How To" Card Models (Unfortunately, a lot of the pictures were lost in the Great Hacking in 2012)

[Zoe Brain]

Currently available according to https://www.aresgames.eu/upcoming-products

WW1 Wings of Glory

WGF001X – WW1 Wings of Glory – Duel Pack
WGF002 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Rules & Accessories Pack
WGF101 – WW1 Wings of Glory Spad XIII Airplane Pack (A/D/E version)
WGF102 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Sopwith Camel Airplane Pack (A/D/E version)
WGF103 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Albatros D.Va Airplane Pack (A/D/E version)
WGF104 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Fokker Dr.I Airplane Pack (A/D/E version)
WGF110 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Aviatik D.I Airplane Pack (B version)
WGF114 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Albatros D.II Airplane Pack (A version only)
WGF116 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Sopwith Snipe Airplane Pack
WGF117 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Nieuport 17 Airplane Pack
WGF118 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Albatros D.III Airplane Pack
WGF119- WW1 Wings of Glory - Fokker E.V Airplane Pack
WGF120- WW1 Wings of Glory - Nieuport Ni.28 Airplane Pack
WGF121 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Phönix D.I
WGF122 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Nieuport 11
WGF123 - WW1 Wings of Glory: Pfalz D.III Airplane Pack
WGF124 - WW1 Wings of Glory: RAF Se.5 Airplane Pack
WGF201 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Bristol F.2B Fighter Airplane Pack (B version only)
WGF202 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Halberstadt CL.II Airplane Pack
WGF203 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Roland C.II Airplane Pack
WGF204 – WW1 Wings of Glory – Airco DH.4 Airplane Pack
WGF205 – WW1 Wings of Glory - UFAG C.I Airplane Pack
WGF206 – WW1 Wings of Glory - RAF R.E.8 Airplane Pack
WGF207- WW1 Wings of Glory - Macchi M.5 Airplane Pack
WGF208- WW1 Wings of Glory - Hannover CL.IIIa Airplane Pack
WGF209 – WW1 Wings of Glory Sopwith 1½ Strutter / Comic
WGF210 – WW1 Wings of Glory - Albatros C.III
WGF211 - WW1 Wings of Glory: Rumpler C.IV Airplane Pack
WGF212 - WW1 Wings of Glory: Breguet BR.14 Airplane Pack
WGF303A – WW1 Wings of Glory – Handley-Page O/400 (RAF) Special Pack
WGF303B – WW1 Wings of Glory – Handley-Page O/400 (RNAS) Special Pack
WGF304A – WW1 Wings of Glory – Zeppelin Staaken R.VI (Schoeller) Special Pack
WGF304B – WW1 Wings of Glory – Zeppelin Staaken R.VI (Schilling) Special Pack

WW2 Wings of Glory

WGS003A – WW2 Wings of Glory Battle of Britain Starter Set
WGS103 -WW2 Wings of Glory – Kawasaki Ki-61 Airplane Pack
WGS104 – WW2 Wings of Glory – Reggiane Re-2001 Falco Airplane Pack
WGS108 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate Airplane Pack
WGS109 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Gloster Gladiator Airplane Pack
WGS110 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Fiat CR.42 Falco Airplane Pack
WGS111 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Republic P–47 Airplane Pack
WGS112 – WW2 Wings of Glory – Messerschmitt Bf.109 K Airplane Pack
WGS201 WW2 Wings of Glory - Bristol Beaufighter Airplane Pack
WGS202 - WW2 Wings of Glory - Messerschimitt Bf.110 C Airplane Pack (B and C versions only)
WGS203 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Douglas SBD Dauntless Airplane Pack
WGS204 – WW2 Wings of Glory - Yokosuka D4Y Suisei Airplane Pack
WGS205A – WW2 Wings of Glory: Dornier Do.17-Z Squadron Pack
WGS205B – WW2 Wings of Glory: Dornier Do.17-Z-10 Squadron Pack
WGS302 – WW2 Wings of Glory – North American Mitchell B-25 Special Pack (B version only)
WGS303A – WW2 Wings of Glory – B-17F “Memphis Belle" Special Pack
WGS303B – WW2 Wings of Glory – B-17G “A Bit o’ Lace” Special Pack
WGS304A – WW2 Wings of Glory – Avro Lancaster B Mk.III “Grog’s the Shot” Special Pack
WGS304B – WW2 Wings of Glory – Avro Lancaster B Mk. III “Dambuster” Special Pack
WG305A – WW2 Wings of Glory: Junkers Ju.88 A-1 Squadron Pack
WG305B – WW2 Wings of Glory: Junkers Ju.88 A-4 Squadron Pack
WGS401A – WW2 Wings of Glory – Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I Squadron Pack
WGS402A – WW2 Wings of Glory – Messerschmitt Bf. 109 E–3 Squadron Pack
WGS403A – WW2 Wings of Glory – Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Squadron Pack
WGS404A – WW2 Wings of Glory – Junkers Ju.87 B–2 Squadron Pack
WGA506A-WW2 Wings of Glory Damage Counter Bags

[Zoe Brain]

So... Ares games is going great guns, lots of boardgames in production, lots more in the pipeline.

The Wings of Glory lines are basically a sideline, and with the pandemic, releases have been thin recently. Thin, but not nonexistent. The basic WW2 game sets, some with aircraft, some not, have been replaced by the Battle of Britain starter set, which includes 4 aircraft and the complete rules.

Many of the aircraft you see photos of on this site are not currently in production.... BUT some are from 3 different print runs, one Nexus, two Ares, and reprints of one or more series have happened every year. Once you have one aircraft of each type, with some modelling experience, you can buy unpainted 3D models of that type and have many aircraft usable one at a time. Moreover, there is a list of unofficial aircraft, with printable images of cards. Buy one aircraft with the right maneuver deck, and one flight stand, and you can use many different aircraft types.

Examples of 3D printed official aircraft types, but different paint schemes.




This one is a 3D print for an aircraft only produced by Nexus as a card, never a model.



This is a mix of 3D printed unofficial, and repainted Ares models.



To some degree, this game is "open". Not open source, but owners are free to add models or repaint existing ones.

[Jager]

I will support what DB said; keep an eye on the market place threads here on the Aerodrome.
Things come up all the time, and sadly, there will be collection purging and estate sales.
Karl

[ReducedAirFact]

If you're willing to paint them yourself, there are -- at current count -- 308 different 1:144 WWI airplanes with models available! See https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/Cate...h_1:144_Models (I don't have a count for WWII.)

And that's not counting minor variants or when the same plane is available from multiple sources or paint schemes or modelers (i.e. the R.A.F. S.E.5a is only counted once.)

[ShadowDragon]

Ken

Meeple Mart in Toronto carries Wings of Glory. As mentioned there are other ways to get planes, but Meeple Mart has the all important ‘Rules and Accessories’. I’m in Ottawa and I get stuff from them by mail in a couple of days. I see your in Toronto so you could even pick up stuff. Link here:

https://www.meeplemart.com/store/c/1...30.aspx?ps=120

[Flying Helmut]

Hi Ken

Am I Too Late?

It's never too late, though it may become more difficult and more expensive as time goes on.