Where are all the 28mm Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Dutch, Norwegians....

[Johnnytodd]

So this is something of a rant.  I just placed my order with Emil Horky for a small group of his WW2 Czechoslovak soldiers and it got me to thinking... why are there so many makers of 28mm German Falschirmjaegers ( I can count 7 different companies off the top of my head), SS, and every possible configuration of Wehrmacht, when so many other combatant nations are completely ignored?  There were maybe 150K german paras who served in WW2 but nearly 600K hungarian soldiers,  not to mention Holland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Bulgaria, etc.... I understand that elite units sell but 7 makers of Falschirmjaegers?!?

Johnnytodd

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

Yeah, it's slim pickings. Here's an OstFront guide with sources for Hungarians and Romanians in 28mm:

http://sbminisguy.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/resource-guide-for-28mm-ww2-eastern-front-gaming/

[Galland]

I would love to see some Hungarians, well Romanians as well I suppose, but alas, there are not that many that would be really interested perhaps - but a few would be good at least :-P

[Lowtardog]

I think Outpost sell Romanians in 28mm

[Remington]

Good question... Also... With all the people being fascinated with the Crete campaign... Were are the Cretan partisans?

[Galland]

Good question... Also... With all the people being fascinated with the Crete campaign... Were are the Cretan partisans?

There are plenty of commonwealth figures to use for Crete. The Cretan partisans mainly killed and mutilated wounded and incapacitated soldiers, could use any civilian I suppose, give them an axe or a knife, and you are all set.

[Captain Blood]

why are there so many makers of 28mm German Falschirmjaegers ( I can count 7 different companies off the top of my head), SS, and every possible configuration of Wehrmacht, when so many other combatant nations are completely ignored? 

Because they started it? 
Or maybe because they had the best uniforms, best gear, glamorous, dashing reputations, and won a lot - until they started losing.
Compare and contrast several of the smaller nations you mention - whose gear was drab and unflattering, and whose armies (and I generalise) got steamrollered by one side or other, or played inglorious or inconsequential roles in the great global conflagration.

In short, the main players are represented because that's what the market wants. People want to play the best-looking armies with the most heroic and / or notorious records, and whose force of arms decided the main outcomes of the second world war.
Ergo, Germany, Japan, America, Russia and Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
To a lesser extent Italy and France, for the same reasons above.
You might be enthused about playing Balkan or Scandanavian 'minor powers', but I suspect most WW2 gamers aren't.

Compare and contrast the Finns - also a fringe player in WW2 proper, but with that glamorous, dogged, heroic reputation for ski-ing commandos bravely resisting the mighty Soviet bear. People like that kind of thing, so there are figures for it...

Most wargamers are shallow creatures. We want to play glamorous roles, just like in our favourite war movies. We don't mind playing the goodies or the baddies - but not many of us want to portray out-and-out losers.
(Be that right or wrong, I fear that's the way it is )

[Keith]

... and as for the companies making the figures?
The sad truth is that a single German, American, British etc. figure will cost you the same to produce as a single Hungarian, Romanian, Dutch etc. but outsell them by many hundreds (I suspect thousands).
The best hope is that companies that already sell the 'popular stuff' might consider branching out a little (such as Bolt Action have in the past) or some kind soul (with deep pockets) might persue them as a personal project and sell them to the public.

[Steve F]

It's worth remembering that, while there have always been some marginal ranges (1st Corps springs to mind), 28mm has only recently become a popular size for WW2.  For decades, WW2 simply was 20mm.  So as yet, the variety of coverage that there is in 20mm has not built up in 28mm.  Manufacturers are concentrating on the most popular units first, unless indulging a personal interest.

Units such as falschirmjager and Waffen SS are in plentiful supply because of the confluence of several streams:

i) the historical wargames industry is largely based in Britain and other anglophone countries, so manufacturers prioritise wars and campaigns that are familiar in those countries;

ii) at least in those countries, Nazis sell - just look at Osprey's catalogue or the History Channel schedules.  To judge from the history shelves of a typical British bookshop, you'd think that German history began in 1933 and ended in 1945;

iii) "elite" military units also sell - hence the relative overabundance of special forces in modern miniatures lines (reflecting the popular cult of the SAS), or French Imperial Guard and British Rifles in Napoleonics.  As well as glamour, they tend to have the best equipment, which appeals to power gamers;

iv) objectively, a German army is a good buy for WW2 because you can use it against so many different opponents.  The British may have fought on more fronts, but they tended to do so in different uniforms.

[answer_is_42]

I blame the politics of historiography.  For example, the history of Romania during the conflict was restricted by the communist regime to only the period fighting against the Axis, obviously for propaganda reasons, and obviously Western historians didn’t have access to any sources.  So we’ve only really had a chance to even look at the history for 20 years.

Romania’s contribution to the war was on par with the likes of Italy, but she has been forgotten due to subsequent events.

[David]

i understand your point of view, still waiting for Warlord to release there New Italians.
My greeks are all produced at the master stage and hopefully be complete for the end of march.
I will paint up all the new ones to show.
David

[Galland]

Early representatives of Spanish troops are on my wishlist, along with primarely Hungarians. Also Romanians in german dienst would be most welcome. However, it is, alas, as allready mentioned, simple economical reasons behind this, and quite frankly, I do understand that and fully support it.
However, Warlords have allready started to make some "fringe" troops, something I appreciate, as I am sure that others do as well. I hope they will give at least some of the "other" nations a go in the future. Do remember that Hungarians and Romanians where a major part of the war effort for germany.
The problem is that there have been a influx of interest in the early stages of the war, since its fashionable to play at the moment, all the pretentious wargamers love this period, so they can run around like crazy with their hordes of PzIIs and Samouas. This means that the miniature and vehicle manufacturers have to accomodate to their (obviously wrong) taste and start making all that early war crap, further pushing our brethren from Hungaria away from my painting table. Rude, to say the least. My taste of the war must be more important than the early war crowd, ehh? :-P

I just realised, that perhaps there are Empress miniatures that would work as spaniards for the early part of the war? This must be explored, I got really exited. I cant belive I havent thought about this before. Oh dear, early signs of Altzheimers perhaps?

[carlos marighela]

It's just that you've picked the wrong scale for WW2. Romanians, Norwegians, Bulgarians, Slovenes etc all exist in 20mm.  Count yerself lucky though. Try moderns in 28mm.

[Galland]

It's just that you've picked the wrong scale for WW2. Romanians, Norwegians, Bulgarians, Slovenes etc all exist in 20mm.  Count yerself lucky though. Try moderns in 28mm.

What is this 20mm that you are talking about? Oh... ah now I see, the poor cousin of 28mm Wargaming? :-P

[carlos marighela]

No, actually it's the wealthy uncle of 28mm gaming, at least as far as WW2 is concerned.