More previews for the early 2026 Blood & Plunder project from Firelock Games! Today we look at the new sculpts for the English Freebooter unit, one of the core units for the classic English Buccaneer faction.
English Freebooters New Sculpts
This new set of English buccaneers sailors, or Freebooters, includes 4 new poses to compliment the original set of 4 models from the original Kickstarter a full 10 years ago!
Here are WIP renders from mid way though the sculpting process.
Once again, the models in this “Wave 2” are a bit more dynamic than the original set of sculpts, made possible by printing instead of casting models.
Let’s take a look at a set of these models painted again by Dr. D.
We have a good bit of diversity here in terms of clothing, hats, faces, facial hair, and prominent weapons.
Models are armed with buccaneer guns, one pistol, and a blade of some sort. I appreciate who one model is using his “sidearm pistol” which can be easy to forget. And I really like the model with the cutlass out as well.
You can watch a full review of these models from Dr. D in this video below:
Wave 2 Freebooters Compared to Originals
These models look great together with the original set of 4 Freebooters models from 2016.
The older Freebooters are much more focused on shooting their long guns, while these newer models are more focused on a boarding look. They do both well in Blood & Plunder, so it’s good to have a mix of poses.
We have one more classic “army man shooting” pose here, but the hat and outfit are very distinct from the original standing/shooting model.
Three of the four new Freebooters have a very wide stance which pushes the limits of a 20mm base, but I didn’t have any issues mounting on the bases. They just cover the whole thing!
Let’s look at each mini up close.
This model with the cutlass has a big bold face and he’s ready to fight! I love the pistol, cutlass and buccaneer gun all in high profil.
This guy has a sharp and trim little beard, and is showcasing that sidearm pistol.
And we have another boarding and threatening pose that again, looks a little crazed! These faces have lots of character.
And finally we got our “Stand & Shoot” fellow.
Timeline for Wave 2 Blood & Plunder Miniatures
Firelock Games announced they will be running this project as a Kickstarter in the first quarter of 2026. With all miniature production done in the US, fulfillment should be accomplished fairly quickly after the project concludes. I have heard very optimistic goals!
Blood & Plunder: Rise of Buccaneers – Jamaica will focus on the English and Spanish conflict in Jamaica and the raids eminating from Jamaica in the next decade after the English army secured the island.
These Freebooters will be central to the Early English Buccaneers faction, as well as important in a couple other English (and a Dutch) faction.
We have a full line of new English sculpts for this project, including English Militia, Freebooters, Sea Dogs and Buccaneer Storming Party. In addition, there will be at least 1 Legendary English Commander, 1 Generic English Commander, and several unique buccaneer commander models. The English will make out like pirates in this expansion!
Final Thoughts
We’re really impressed by these new minis and eagerly awaiting the project to launch early next year! These new Freebooters really add some character and some action to the existing set of Freebooters.
There are more mini previews on the way!
A big thanks to Firelock Games for getting us preview minis to paint up and another big thanks to Dr. D for sharing pictures of his paint jobs with us!
Article by Joseph Forster. Painted minis by Joseph Forster and Dr. D.