Recommended 20mm WW2 Italian and Japanese Infantry

[DougA]

I'm building up my collection of AB Figures 20mm WW2 infantry. They don't make Japanese or Italian figures. Can you recommend some manufacturers of compatible Japanese and Italian minis in 20mm? AB Figures run a little large, but I like them because the faces are less grotesque/caricatured than many minis out there and the proportions are more natural. Thanks in advance.

[Flinty]

Im in the same boat - I bought some AB DAK figures, then started looking for Italians.

I bought a few Early War Miniatures to see what they were like.Pretty comprehensive range, late war as well, so colonial troops, guns, transport and tanks etc. I'd guess older sculpts, not as crisp as AB, size-wise I think they're close enough as separate units on the table top. They do paint up better than the bare metal suggests.

I also tried SHQ Range is not as comprehensive and the infantry are noticeably smaller than AB and EWM - I think the heads are a weirdly small, but that could be me. Body proportions are otherwise rather good, and the sculpting seeemd to be a little bit more refined.

Being a fussy/pedantic bugger, I wasn't overly happy with either range, but then I think AB set a very high bar as probably the best 20mm WWII miniatures.
 
But, what appeals the most to me are Simons Soldiers, look good and they do Italians and Japanese, limited range though. I don't have any (yet), but have seen examples of them against AB (check out the Wargamers Forum) and they look very compatible. Depending where you are, shipping from Australia might be pricey.

[DougA]

Simons Soldiers looks to be just the ticket. I'll order some and let you know my impressions. Thanks, mate!

[TacticalPainter]

I’ve used a mix of Eureka, SHQ, 172 Scale Mimiatures, Simons Soldier and a few others. You can see all these in a fairly long blog post with a lot of pictures here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2020/08/japanese-in-20mm-for-chain-of-command.html

[DougA]

Thanks so much, the side-by-side comparison is really helpful. I ordered a bunch of Simon's Soldiers based on this thread, now I just have to wait for them to arrive from the other side of the planet!

[bluewillow]

Mine are a mix of Simons Soldiers and Eureka

Cheers
Matt

[Iain R]

I too am in the same boat with regards to the sons of Nippon.

IMHO, AB are the gold standard for 20mm, and none of the manufacturers that do Japanese really match their style and finesse; most of the ranges actually do have some quite nice gigures, but the quality seems to vary within each range themselves.

I've just seen Fizzer's new Brits, which seem to compare well with AB, and have high hopes they might enter with some Japanese. The other option might be Elhiem; Matt does commissions and a more democratic "vote for the next range" type thing, and has already done Thais, so Japanese might be something he'd consider...

[DougA]

My Simon's Soldiers Japanese and Italian infantry arrived in the mail today and I'm very pleased. They are a bit smaller than AB but very compatible in detail and proportions. Looking forward to painting them. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

[Kikuchiyo]

I’ve used a mix of Eureka, SHQ, 172 Scale Mimiatures, Simons Soldier and a few others. You can see all these in a fairly long blog post with a lot of pictures here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2020/08/japanese-in-20mm-for-chain-of-command.html

They look great, could you share what paints you went with?

[MaleGriffin]

I'm long committed to 28mm, but this info sometimes makes me doubt my decision!

[elliesdad]

Grubbys Tanks do the Kellys Heroes range of Italians - which include the Blackshirts in their rather natty fez - as well as Japanese. I understand he’ll be a Partizan in a few weeks if that helps…
Cheers,
Geoff

[Kikuchiyo]

I'm long committed to 28mm, but this info sometimes makes me doubt my decision!

Plenty of 28mm threads do the same to me

[DougA]

I'm long committed to 28mm, but this info sometimes makes me doubt my decision!

And I look at how much is available in 28mm and feel just the same! Ultimately I love 20mm the best, though. You can fit more on the table.