2020 Our Work in Review...

[Rubicon Models]

2020 Year in Review

There is no simple way to sum up this year.  The last 12 months have seen an unprecedented amount of disruption with our work and new releases, fuelled in large part by the coronavirus pandemic.  It can be hard to feel optimistic when there are still so many challenges ahead.  But in a year of unprecedented change, we also feel hopeful; against all odds, we were able to get two waves of new releases out of our warehouse with flying colours!  As 2020 comes to a close, we share this look at some of the year’s milestones and what we’re looking forward to in 2021 (in a separate posting later).

- After 4 years, we had finally completed our M4 Sherman Digital Library project by releasing 8 Sherman plastic kits plus several resin & pewter upgrade and conversion kits.

- We had also completed our Panzer III Digital Library project by releasing 3 Panzer III plastic kits that covered 8 variants covering 22 possible built, including flamers and command tanks.

- Despite production and delivery issues, a total of 16 plastic kits were released this year.

- We had released a plastic Tiger II with full interior details & Panzer crew, with or without Zimmerit, a first in 1/56 scale with very positive feedback and reviews.

- We had announced a new Vietnam War range at the beginning of 2020, and by the end of the year, we had our first Viet Cong Male Fighter plastic sprue in preview.  We currently have over 10 Vietnam War related projects in the work.

- We currently have over 20 plastic and resin projects that are waiting for production or in mould making.  They will soon be available in the first half of 2021.

- We had finally completed the setting up of 3 independent webstores covering Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific regions.  Each webstore has its own warehouse to support their territory too!

- We had also completed our studio expansion to include a self-contained manufacturing facility to produce high quality but small commercial run items.

BTW, the Staghound project is missing from the graphics below, it is still alive and kicking!




















Goodbye 2020!

[Tracks]

Sadly, still no M3 Medium Tank (Lee/Grant) in the near future. 
But still some good stuff coming out soon from Rubicon Models.
In particular, there are some nice items to note here:

SdKfz.10
Panzer II
M3 37mm AT gun
M2A3 75mm AT gun
British trucks

With a Soviet artillery tracker coming out soon, does that mean some Soviet AT guns?

[Tracks]

I wonder if it is at all possible to convince Rubicon Models to replace the BA-20 with a BA-64 instead. Or at least produce the BA-64 before they produce the BA-20.

Rubicon Models already produces very nice plastic model kits of the BA-3/6 and BA-10, so maybe it is time for the BA-64? Even though the BA-6 and BA-10 stayed in service (even after production stopped), the Soviet army started to replace the BA-6, BA-10, and BA-20 with the BA-64. With over 9,000 BA-64s being manufactured, the BA-64 was one of the most produced Soviet armored cars for the Soviet army, and the BA-64 was used until the end of the war and for a short after.

[EarlyWarGamer]

Well, the BA-20 was designed and built in the 1930s, with several thousand available to fight in the Spanish Civil War, Poland 1939, Winter War, against the Japanese in the far east, and against the Germans in 1941-1942.

The BA-64 while designed in late 1941 was not actually produced in any sort of numbers until the early part of 1943, so it is a mid-war vehicle.  Soviet units didn't start receiving these as replacements for older vehicles until 1943.

So as an early war guy, I am happier that the BA-20 is coming first.  For pure numbers, however, I can see why some would like the BA-64 first.

The BA-64 is based on the GAZ Jeep.  I don't know if Rubicon have a GAZ 64 jeep, but if they do, then the BA-64 would be a natural continuation of that line.