American deer & elk: where are the minis? WOODLAND SCENICS O SCALE DEER

[Will Bailie]

And Sergeant Major Miniatures has these, which don't look all that great:

http://www.sgmm.biz/H5-4-Deer_p_464.html

[Will Bailie]

One more:  Mega Miniatures used to produce all sorts of animals, but they're going out of business and I don't know if anyone picked up their moulds:

http://megaminis.com/

[oabee]

The Ral Partha deer's ears are way too big, but other than that he's the best mini I've seen yet that could pass as a white tailed or mule deer. 

[oabee]

And Sergeant Major Miniatures has these, which don't look all that great:
http://www.sgmm.biz/H5-4-Deer_p_464.html

Here they are:

Hard to tell how good they are with that heads-on photo. At least they're not too chunky (see below). Maybe I'll pick up a pack just to see what they really look like.


[/quote]

One more:  Mega Miniatures used to produce all sorts of animals, but they're going out of business and I don't know if anyone picked up their moulds:

http://megaminis.com/

Here are the MegaMinis deer:



Too hairy and chunky for American deer. I suppose you could sand the hairy texture off their bodies.....

[snitcythedog]

WHITE TAILED DEER (Most of USA except arid/desert areas in west; SE Canada, most of western Canada)

Going to have to disagree with you there.  For most of my life I lived less than 90 miles from the border in Arizona and hunted white tails more than once in the desert.  They are well adapted to arid conditions.  Sorry I can't help more with the figure hunt. 
Snitchy sends. 

[Will Bailie]

Have you looked at model railroad animals?  S (1:64) or O (1:48) would be either marginally too big or too small for 28 mm (which is more or less 1:56, depending on who you ask).  But as animals can come in different sizes that might not be too much of a problem.

These are O scale from Woodland Scenics:
http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/images/NewWSWeb/A2738_f_1.jpg

[Vermis]

Oabee, you're my brother from another mother. I've looked at too many animal minis that only resemble the purported species by having the same number of legs, same number of heads, etc... I saw the Brigade moose recommended on another forum recently and stared slack-jawed at them for a minute. I suppose they could pass for moose if you assume they're doing their usual thing of wading through marshes or ponds.

I've sometimes thought of sculpting some halfways accurate animal minis, but didn't know if there was enough demand to make a go of it. (It seems the big four in wargaming are horses, elephants, and fantasy wolves and boars.) This topic and all the linked examples are starting to make me think otherwise, and you bring up a point about old west gaming. There've been a couple of times I've weighed up my options for sticking grizzlies in games of Gutshot...

[oabee]

I've sometimes thought of sculpting some halfways accurate animal minis, but didn't know if there was enough demand to make a go of it. (It seems the big four in wargaming are horses, elephants, and fantasy wolves and boars.) This topic and all the linked examples are starting to make me think otherwise.

I think that's what Kickstarter's all about. I'd be your first backer! As long as your sculpts are in 28mm......

[oabee]

These are O scale from Woodland Scenics:
http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/images/NewWSWeb/A2738_f_1.jpg

They sure do look like white tails. Since they're O scale, you're right, you have to wonder about their size. Only $16.00 on eBay, so price isn't too bad.  Worth a look!

[oabee]

So I picked up a pack of Woodland Scenics O Scale Deer (A2738) on eBay for $16.00 and free shipping. Here they are:





You hunters out there can verify this, but I do believe they are (slightly?) too big for 28mm. On the plus side they are more accurate depictions of white tails and mule deer than any other minis I have seen. And they're cheap. They are plastic and come pre-painted. You can use them as is or repaint (as their paint job is rudimentary). As to their size, out there in the woods or on the prairie by themselves, I believe they'll look just fine.

I apologize for using the Conquest Woodland Indians in the pictures on the Old West forum, but all my Old West minis are unpainted, as I am in the plannin' stage and haven't reached the paintin' stage. Imagine that---piles of unpainted metal littering the landscape: I bet no other wargamer has had that experience.  

Mike