Fantasy miniatures in 40mm/ 1/43

[jhonpog]

Hey all I'm starting a fantasy project in 40mm or 1/43rd scale.

I really like this size of these figures and there seems to be quite a few options out there.

My take on the dreaded scale question is this:  6ft =183cm.   183/43= 42.5mm.

So I'm collecting and customising figure with this size in mind. No pics yet but I have started with the following:

Mindstalker minis. I have about 12 of these the sculpts are awesome I am using this as my basis for figure heft.

LOTR combat hex. I've managed to buy about 50 orcs, a bunch of humans and some elves.  They are very errr lord-of-the-ringsy. I am going to try and change them to be a bit more generic.  Also I'm not fussed about the wood elf figs . But they are a quick way to get started and they cut and glue very easily

Games workshop bits. I've a bunch of heads, arms etc that are very well suited to 40mm and make conversions easier

That's about it so far. I'd love to get hold of some elastolin figures and I'm looking at v&v miniatures for some more generic human types

Oh yeah I'm also basing everything on 25mm squares (ish).  I've mucked around a bit but I think the small size base works well. 

My question to you all is what else is out there? Has anyone got any recommendations that might work in the scale and this size?

[Hobgoblin]

Have a look at the Reaper Bones (or just Reaper) orcs - the ones that were called "black orcs" in metal. They typically have very broad stance but would be more than 40mm tall if they stood up straight. I use them as ogres in 1/72 and 28mm, with 40mm bases, but they'd go onto a 30mm square or perhaps a 25mm square. These are some of the ones I mean (Reaper does various other types of orc, some of which are smaller). Their heads are relatively small, but you could either accept them as pin-headed dolts or replace the heads with GW orc or ogre heads (conversion is very easy with the Bones material, which is easy to cut and superglue).





There's also a recent Reaper hobgoblin around the same size - I think he's slightly bigger than those orcs - and various hefty humanoids - trolls, ogres and giants - that would be bigger than human-sized in 40mm scale. The Reaper ogres, for example, dwarf my old 28mm Citadel ogres (Golgfag's one and two), for example. The hobgoblin is the first below:





In general, Reaper monsters are very large compared with most 28mm figures. So ogres, trolls, bugbears, gnolls, ettins and the like will all look fine with 40mm figures (a Reaper bugbear might make a fine D&D-style hobgoblin in 40mm).

The photo below shows a Reaper Bones gnoll amid some 28mm Frostgrave gnolls; you can see that the big Reaper one will be at least the same size as the Frostgrave ones in 40mm:

[jhonpog]

Hey thanks very much Hobgoblin I will definitely look into those orcs from reaper. I do need some man-orc/ not-uruk types as I find the combat hex ones too small.  A head swap for those pinhead orcs looks bang on cheers!

[Michi]

Hey all I'm starting a fantasy project in 40mm or 1/43rd scale.

I really like this size of figure and there seem to be a few options out there.

My take on the dreaded scale question is this:  6ft =183cm.   183/43= 42.5mm.
My question to you all is what else is out there? Has anyone got any recommendations that might work in the scale and this size?

There is EL VIEJO DRAGON in true 1/43rd scale. Probably not perfectly matching heroic 40mm gaming sculpts though.

https://elviejodragon.com/categoria-producto/dragonettes/

I bought some anyway... 

[Bloggard]

I'd have to suggest that finding a reliable 3D printing shop who'll resize to your taste is the way to go here. (this assuming you don't have a 3D printer).

for example, in the UK I gen. use Warrior3D.

some shops will charge you extra for the enlargement (as the above does) - some don't.

But it's true, that this can be a frustrating exercise if you select minis from different sculptors and / or print-shops, as scale would appear to be very 'relative'  (of course same problem with 'off-the-shelf' figures from 'proper' companies really ...)

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

The obvious omission so far is Parabellum. Depending on faction, many of their figures perhaps only suit their own setting for Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings but as you’re clearly prepared to kitbash this may not deter you, particularly as they’re in hard plastic. The size of a human figure seems to be 38 mm.

[Hobgoblin]

If you want lizardmen, have a look at Mantic salamanders. They're cheap, hard plastic and quite bulky. They're also designed to go on a 25mm square base (just!) although I use them on 40mm bases as giant lizardmen/troglodytes/kroxigors/tyrants. These ones are on 40mm squares. They're about 35mm to the eye - but that's with them standing in a crouch. They're easily as big as the old Citadel troglodytes (both the Tom Meier and Trish Carden ones) - bulkier if shorter.

[Bloggard]

The obvious omission so far is Parabellum. Depending on faction, many of their figures perhaps only suit their own setting for Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings but as you’re clearly prepared to kitbash this may not deter you, particularly as they’re in hard plastic. The size of a human figure seems to be 38 mm.

good example of what I mention above - some of the latest cavalry are absolutely humongous (check out yt vids), and, in general, human size infantry would appear to be somewhat larger now than in the original core-set (which I had at one point).

but yes - good source of larger scale figures. - and some very striking figure design too.
keep on meaning to get some of the roman-y undead bunch.

[jhonpog]

Thanks Michi for the recommendation I checked out the link it felt like looking at a scene from conan the barbarian or something ha ha

Cheers Bloggard yep agreed a decent printer will be a good way to add some options but yeah I am going for as close to mindstalker mini's heft as I can so I will have to be chosey

Cheers Cholmo I'll have a look at those I do like the idea of finding something in hardplastic! the steel legion figures look promising

Thanks again Hobgob I'll have a look at those too.

There are a handful of 40mm-related posts on this board which have been good to look at plus a few posts on the 40mm wargames FB page.  There's one pic in particular that is  a good example of staying in scale and size. I think the bloke in the post was talking about how it's no so much body size that matters but head size.  So you can have two body sizes that are somewhat different but if they head sizes are the same they can still be in-scale.  I have found this to be a really useful approach.  The figures are GW and old elastolin unpainted.

The elastolin head and GW heads are  basically the same and interchangeable nice!

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

That is a really interesting idea, which I’d never considered, though I have some unpainted Elastolin minis and, like everyone, plenty of old Warhammer. I got my unpainted Elastolins from a US-based eBay seller called Mr Airfix about 8 - 10 years ago. He had a large stock at the time but I’ve never got around to looking since then.

BTW, in case you don’t know there was another German manufacturer of 40mm figures called Merten. For a long time all I had of theirs was an ACW Zouave which was quite good, and I was on the lookout for their medievals that I’d heard about. When, after many years, I eventually acquired some - via eBay, no doubt - the quest was over as they were quite abysmal in every respect, and had no conversion potential.

[jhonpog]

Agreed it gave me a good grounding point for how to deal with pesky scale issues

Great that you have managed to get hold of some elastolin.  I am late to the party so have not been able to source any medievals for conversion they are mostly too expensive for me.  I am trying to get hold a broken lot or two on ebay for conversion.

Yes thanks I have had a look at merten but that's good to know that they are not suitable for conversion.

Oh yeah another couple of potential sources:  1525 do some lovely figures very in-line with Elastolin and MS:

https://1525miniatures.net/

And oddly enough I think so of the larger heroclix figures have enough of a fantasy/ medieval feel to them that they might be good for conversions. 

Two very different sources in terms of price and quality but both are useful I think

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

I wasn’t aware of 1525 Miniatures, which I must say look very good indeed.

I’ve just recalled seeing advertisements several years ago - probably 10+ - for some ready-painted Vikings and Saxons, from a company in the Far East, possibly Malaysia. They came in two boxed sets and the sculpts may have been identical, though I’m not certain. They were only available direct from the manufacturer, I think, but I don’t remember their name. I can only hope this triggers someone’s memory.

[Hobgoblin]

A couple more ideas: first, GW or Wargames Atlantic plastic ogres take work nicely with GW orc or black-orc heads (or work just fine as burly orcs or hobgoblins as they are!); and second, the ugly old GW goblin heads fit nicely on their orc bodies. I used them for trolls in 1/72 scale (below), but they'd also work as robust goblins in 40mm:

[jhonpog]

I wasn’t aware of 1525 Miniatures, which I must say look very good indeed.

I’ve just recalled seeing advertisements several years ago - probably 10+ - for some ready-painted Vikings and Saxons, from a company in the Far East, possibly Malaysia. They came in two boxed sets and the sculpts may have been identical, though I’m not certain. They were only available direct from the manufacturer, I think, but I don’t remember their name. I can only hope this triggers someone’s memory.

Hey Cholmo hmm that's interesting!  Hope someone can shed some light on this be good to find another source of minis

[jhonpog]

A couple more ideas: first, GW or Wargames Atlantic plastic ogres take work nicely with GW orc or black-orc heads (or work just fine as burly orcs or hobgoblins as they are!); and second, the ugly old GW goblin heads fit nicely on their orc bodies. I used them for trolls in 1/72 scale (below), but they'd also work as robust goblins in 40mm:

They look great hobgoblin yeah I think head swaps are key in putting minis together in this scale. GW are a great source of customising bits I must get more