Comments: That finishes off the Italian set! Great to finally have one of each of the trucks, too.
Now, the real question: which will be the last rare? Money is on axis, based on the case so far. So I think we're looking at the StuG, the 88, the Panzer IV Ausf E, or the Messerschmitt Ace. Obviously would prefer not the Ace, but we shall see 😁
The Maxim MG is nice also, the Russians need all the goodies they can get. Congrats on the Semo 90, a bland paintjob sadly, an inkwash helps but mine is repainted. Sort of like the Hummel paintjob, a darker tan base with green & brickred touches, looks good next to granite rocks.
The 88 or the Stug III G would be icing! Merry Christmas!
The distribution in most of the North Africa cases was not entirely random. There was generally two different case load-outs, one with all of the axis rares and two random allied rares and one with all allied rares and two random axis rares. Looks like you got the axis pack. It kind of sucked for people that bought two cases hoping for a complete set and got two of all the rares of one side or the other, but it seems to be working to get most of your wants.
How distressing. I got an na case for Christmas and need only the veteran panzer to complete the set
To you from failing hands we throw the torch be yours to hold it high. -In Flanders Fields. John McCrea
Comments: When I saw that it was a small plane, I steeled myself for disappointment. But against the odds, it turns out I was rewarded! If I have to get a plane, at least it was one I didn't already have 😁
If you use the Chinese Flying Tiger card from the database, for 15 pts. you get : 1941, 8/6 AI...3/2 AV, Superior Armor 2, you lose Steady Firing but Superior Armor is worth it....depending on house rules & other variables...
Thanks for sharing your pulls in a fun & different way.
curtm1911 Thanks! I'm in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Final thoughts:
The last case I opened before this one was for set 5 (Reserves), back when it first came out. That was the last set in the old scale and also the last set with 9 minis per booster. The set itself had 15 Rares, 15 Uncommons, and 15 Commons. I can't remember exactly the breakdown of the booster packs, but I remember getting a lot more commons for a set that had only 45 miniatures!
Contrast that with the NA set, with 24 Rares, 24 Uncommons, and 12 Commons. On paper that sounds terrible to me: more miniatures in the set, plus way more rares, plus fewer miniatures per booster, does not sound like a good recipe for collectors.
But in practice I found that good case distribution (at least in this one) made it much better than it could have been. I got exactly one of every uncommon and exactly two of every common.
Is that a fluke? It seems a bit too perfect for coincidence, but it's much appreciated 😁 chasing commons and uncommons in boosters is kind of pointless as it's so much cheaper to pick them up in the secondary market... That is, until the set has been out of print for a while and the supply of commons and uncommons in the shops begin to dwindle...
I'm kind of bummed that one case only contains half of the rares for the whole set, and that getting a second case has a significant chance of containing mostly duplicate rares. Then again, I welcome the chance to get some duplicate uncommons. And arguably getting duplicate Axis rares would be fine by me... I'll have to price it out and see what's still available in the singles market before I make my decision.
The miniatures themselves in the NA set exceeded all of my expectations. I hate to say it but the official photo galleries on the old WotC page really undersold the miniatures for the later sets. These minis look great and I'm very happy to have them in my collection.
I believe you, that's why I live where I do, we can deal with summer, that living in an icebox just don't make it. A Hoosier transplant, I know about "Alberta Clippers".... no thanks......