I have often complained that a lot of sci-fi figure manufacturers limit their ranges to a handful of trooper poses and the odd heavy weapon team.

Where are the technical specialists? The engineers? The recon teams etc? Generally you have to mix and match across different ranges to construct a force that even resembles what I would call an 'army' or a company-sized force for Q13.

One manufacturer who has recently bucked that trend and really expanded out from his basic range is Micropanzer with the Gitungi. Now available is a full set of figures from basic troopers through to veterans in heavier armour, troops wearing powered armour, scouts, add-on jet-packs, and a whole set of specialists and support weapons.

Funding for this expansion was via a voucher system: you paid up front for what you wanted and got lead to the value of your investment plus a multiplier. I can't remember what the multiplier was, but it certainly gave me good value for money as the large box in the lead mountain testified.

Here are the first two support units for my basic Gitungi force: mole mine specialists and sloag-rider knights.

The first, the mole mine specialists, are a brilliant idea. You get a drone operator, complete with remote control and finger-poised-to-press-a-button, and a selection of mines that, in the fluff, travel underground until they are next to their target...then "boom"! The Gitungi army list already notes how they will work in Q13, and I can't wait to try them out:

Next up is a really wacky unit that I just love: the Sloag rider Knights. They are Gitungi with long power-lances riding giant armoured slugs or sloags in the fluff. I can see these as being very useful for worlds with a very boggy surface, and although I don't think they would last long on a Q13 battlefield (being the equivalent of modern cavalry) I do think they would work well in a more skirmish-game environment. Again, I can't wait to try them out...charge!

There's also a unit of sloag-riders with guns, but I haven't got them yet.

More new Gitungi to follow soon...