Miniatures for WW1

[Poliorketes]

I tried to do an overview on available 28mm-Miniatures for WW1, +/- 5 years, for the german Sweetwater Forum. I guess it's far from complete, but the most popular ranges are included.

The Manufacturers

Battle Honours (25mm)
Some what older, sized in between OG/Foundry and GWM

Black Army Productions
http://www.blackarmyproductions.com/

A range of miniatures ranging from suitable characters for WW1 to armoured cars

Blaze Away Miniatures & Models (28mm)
Australian Company with to few pics on their site to get a real impression of their minis. Edit: I've seen these figures and they match up okay with the other companies. They are slightly on the chunkier side, Helen.

Brigade Games (28mm)
Large Range, in size and style they look good next to Renegade and Copplestone (exception: late war germans steel helmets, it's looking somewhat different to Renegade or GWM). Vehicles from Company B or old NZWM are in 1/56.

Brigade Models
Don't confuse these with Brigade Games. New series, Starting with Belgians. From photographs they fit in well with the Battle Honours Belgians.

Company B (1/56)
Specialist for vehicles in 1:56, most sold through Brigade Games.

Copplestone Castings (28mm)
Centred on Asia. Most miniatures mix well with Renegade and Brigade Games. Beware of everything british, though - these are very large even compared to other Copplestone stuff.

Eureka Miniatures
Closes some gaps in other ranges. Size seems to vary, most are rather small.

Great War Miniatures (28mm)
High-End. Perhabs the most complete range of late war germans available in 28mm. Size comparable with Brigade or Renegade, though slimmer. Should work well with Woodbine an/or Battle Honours.

HLBS (25mm/28mm)
A larger older range. Sadly pics are hard to find, most of those don't make me want the minis. Vehicles are 1/64, that's really small, and most aren't in production any more - in May 2008 there is a limited re-run, though. The Great White North Range is new and 28mm.

Old Glory (25mm)
One of the largest ranges, looking rather good for Old Glory. Nice selection of vehicles. Size comparable to Foundry, maybe usable with Battle Honours, too.

Musketeer Miniatures

http://www.musketeer-miniatures.com/index.php
Early BEF including Scots. Russians and more goodness on the way.

Pulp Figures (28mm)
Size comparable to GWM, but they definitively have their own style. They are meant for Pulp games, and that shows.

Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Large range for Western/Russian/Italian Front, looking good next to Brigade Games and Copplestone.

Scarab Miniatures

http://scarabminiatures.com/
The start of the A-H range for late war and upcoming Italians and Russians. Concentrating on Italian campaign an Eastern Front. Late War French are now avaialble. Characters sets available as well. These miniatures fit in nicely with Brigade Games.

Reviresco (25mm)
Small and ugly looking miniatures. But they have a marvelous range of vehicles - sadly in 1/72!!! They got nearly every kind of armored car build in the great war. marienwagen, Pom-Poms, eye candy!

Sloppy Jaloppy (1/48)
A handful  of 1/48 vehicles. Building them is a horror (authors own opinion) (full metal kits), but the results are worth it. Much larger than Company B.

Spyros Koumousis (25/28mm)
Sadly no longer available, a range for the balkan wars which closed some gaps in the miniature lines for early WW1, too.

Strategia e Tattica (28mm)
Do some Italians

Tiger Miniatures (30mm)
A new series for Balkan Wars, some might be used for WW1. According to one source they are very large, about 30-35mm! However, don't be put off by their size as they produce some unique miniatures for the period and the quality is improving all the time.

Tradition of Scandinavia (30mm)
Old school with very interesting german nobility

Wargames Foundry (25mm)
An older range, size as Old Glory and maybe battle Honours.

Wartime Miniatures. Australian Light Horse mounted and dismounted. This range also includes the Hotchkiss autorifle.
http://www.wartimeminiatures.com.au/

Woodbine Design Company/Gripping Beast (28mm)
new series, size comparable to GWM.

*************************
Arabs
Artizan (28mm)
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Gripping Beast (Woodbine Collection) Arabs in Ottoman Service (Uniform)

Belgium
Western Front
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Models
Great War Miniatures

East Africa
Battle Honours (25mm)
Wargames Foundry (Darkest Africa range)
Brigade Games
Wargames Foundry (Darkest Africa range)

Bulgaria
Balkankriege
Tiger Miniatures
Spyros Koumousis

China
Copplestone Castings (28mm)
Pulp Figures
Brigade Games (Selected)

Deutsches Kaiserreich/Germans

Personalities
Tradition of Scandinavia (30mm)

Early
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Great War Miniatures
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
Reviresco (25mm)

Late
Brigade Games (28mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Great War Miniatures
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Pulp Figures (28mm)
Reviresco (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)

Asienkorps
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Woodbine Collection (28 mm) includes future head sprue with assorted heads and headdress

Schutztruppe, Marines
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Copplestone Castings (28mm)
Pulp Figures (28mm)
Reviresco (25mm)
Tiger Miniatures
Wargames Foundry (Darkest Africa range)

France
Early
Battle Honours (25mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Great War Miniatures
Tradition of Scandinavia (30mm)
Brigade Games (French Artillery Crew)
Scarab Miniatures (French Artillery Crew in the pipeline)

late
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Scarab Miniatures (28 mm)

Greece
Balkan Wars
Tiger Miniatures
Spyros Koumousis

Great Britain
Early
Battle Honours (25mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Great War Miniatures
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
Reviresco (25mm)
Tradition of Scandinavia (30mm)
Musketeer Miniatures

Late
Brigade Games (28mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)
Great War Miniatures
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Reviresco (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)

Army of India
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Copplestone Castings (30mm)
Eureka Miniatures
Woodbine Collection

Colonials
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Copplestone Castings (30mm)
Pulp Figures (28mm)
Reviresco (25mm)
Wargames Foundry (Darkest Africa range)
Eureka Miniatures
Gripping Beast (Woodbine Collection)

ANZAC (tropical)
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Gripping Beast (Woodbine Collection) (28mm)
Blaze Away (28mm)
Battlescape Miniatures (28 mm)
Wartime Miniatures

ANZAC (Wwestern front)
Blaze Away (28mm)

South Africans
Battle Honours (25mm)
Gripping Beast (Woodbine Collection) Just use the British.

Canadians (Polar)
HLBS (28mm)

Italy
Brigade Games (28mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Strategia e Tattica
Scarab Miniatures (28 mm)

Japan
Pulp Figures (28mm)

Mongolia
Copplestone Castings (28mm)

Montenegro
Old Glory (25mm)
Spyros Koumousis

Österreich-Ungarn/Austria-Hungary
Early
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Renegade Miniatures (28mm)

Late
HLBS (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Scarab Miniatures


Portugese

Romania
Balkan Wars
Spyros Koumousis

Russia
Tsarist
Battle Honours (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Eureka Miniatures
Musketeer Miniatures
Scarab Miniatures (Soon)

Red
Brigade Games (28mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Copplestone Castings (28mm)

White
Brigade Games (28mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Copplestone Castings (28mm)


Interventionalist Forces
Battle Honours
Brigade Games
Copplestone
Great War Miniatures
Gripping Beast (Woodbine Collection)
HLBS
Musketeer Miniatures
Old Glory
Scarab Miniatures


Serbia
Balkan Wars
Spyros Koumousis

WW1
Battle Honours (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)

Tibet
Copplestone Castings (28mm)

Turkey

Balkan Wars
Tiger Miniatures
Spyros Koumousis

WWI
Battle Honours (25mm)
Brigade Games (28mm)
Woodbine Design Company/Gripping Beast (28mm)
Copplestone Castings (28mm)
Eureka Miniatures (28mm)
Blaze Away (28mm)

USA
Western Front
Brigade Games (28mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Great War Miniatures (28mm)

Marine Corps tropical
Brigade Games (28mm)
Pulp Figures (28mm)

Polar
HLBS (28mm)
Brigade Games

Central Asia Muslim/Basmachis

Artillery
Unless included in the ranges above. Note that many guns where used by different, even opposing armies - Krupp equipped almost everybody. For colonial theatres or Asian powers older designs have been in use so look for anything from Franco-Prussian Wars onwards.

Irregular Miniatures
Cannon Fodder Miniatures
Askaris Miniatures

armored vehicles
Brigade Games (28mm)
Company B
Wargames Foundry (25mm)
HLBS (25mm)
Old Glory (25mm)
Reviresco (20mm)
Sloppy Jaloppy (1:4
Lledo Days Gone
Matchbox Models of Yesteryear
Black Army Productions

armored trains
Company B
HLBS (25mm)
Copplestone

[argsilverson]

Dear Poliorketes,
A very good effort and very helpful.

Just a small contribution to complete your lists:

1.- East Africa and Schutztruppen should be listed together.

2.- Tiger miniatures should be listed in the manufacturers list, showing that has German and dutch colonials, suitable for WW1 colonial era battles.

3.- So, in the section for German colonials/schutztruppen should also be listed the Tiger miniatures figures.

4.- As, I mentioned above Tiger also has dutch colonials.

5.- I am not sure whether the Americans in Tiger's Spanish-American war range can also be used in some theters of the WW1

[Will Bailie]

Poliorketes,

Thanks for the great summary.  May I add the following:

Askari Miniatures has some smaller (say, 25mm) figures suitable for the French colonial forces, including Zouaves, Turcos, Tiralleurs Senegalais, Spahis and Chasseurs d'Afrique, among others.  Many of these would be suitable for 1914 on the Western Front.  Figures tend to be a bit "toy soldier" in style, but quality is improving.

The HLBS Great White North figures (Canadians/USA) should be listed as 28mm.  In size, they are comparable to Renegade and Copplestone figures.  These figures would be suitable for the intevention in North Russia (Murmansk and Archangelsk) or Siberia.

Arabs are also available from Old Glory - look in the Sons of the Desert range.  SotD also has some Chasseurs d'Afrique.

Regards,

Will

[Poliorketes]

Dear Poliorketes,
A very good effort and very helpful.

Just a small contribution to complete your lists:

1.- East Africa and Schutztruppen should be listed together.

2.- Tiger miniatures should be listed in the manufacturers list, showing that has German and dutch colonials, suitable for WW1 colonial era battles.

3.- So, in the section for German colonials/schutztruppen should also be listed the Tiger miniatures figures.

4.- As, I mentioned above Tiger also has dutch colonials.

5.- I am not sure whether the Americans in Tiger's Spanish-American war range can also be used in some theters of the WW1

I think the Tigers are a bit to early for the era I had in mind, they do have an interesting range as does Askari, which I like even more than the tigers.

BTW, East Afrca & Schutztruppe aren't separated, the germans don't have an east africa entry

[argsilverson]

in fact the german army in africa has not received fresh supplies from Germany, so there is no change in their uniforms.  So, I wouldn't say they are early types.

However there are still photos depicting SWA camel riders on patrol during WW1 (ofcourse early stage) in slouch hats and slouch hatted schutztruppen sambotaging railways still in SWA. See also informations provided by http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk/

Furthermore Tiger has later period germans in tropenhelm, as well.

Further to the above I would like to mention another range, i.e. Alphacast;s range of miniatures. In hommage to my friend Spyros Koumousis, who passed away very suddenly a couple of years ago. The range is not anymore in production but still some miniatures can be found. So, is the website. The range was mostly aimed for Balkan wars, but included Serbians, Montenegrin and Romanians, apart Greeks, Turks,Bulgarians, which were suitable for WW1 as well.

 

[Poliorketes]

Further to the above I would like to mention another range, i.e. Alphacast;s range of miniatures. In hommage to my friend Spyros Koumousis, who passed away very suddenly a couple of years ago. The range is not anymore in production but still some miniatures can be found. So, is the website. The range was mostly aimed for Balkan wars, but included Serbians, Montenegrin and Romanians, apart Greeks, Turks,Bulgarians, which were suitable for WW1 as well.

Do you have an URL?

@everybody - feel free to add to the list, it can only improve.

[argsilverson]

http://www.geocities.com/cetakoudel/index.html

this is the link for the balkan wars page.
As I advised you the range is not anymore available since unfortunately Spyros passed away. He had plans to do virtually any figure for balkan wars. Cretan gendarmerie, romanian mountain infantry, personalities etc. A great loss.

He had also a very compehensive range of 15mm figures for the balkan wars plus the Greek War of Independence (1821).

Some parts of his website can be found also in the Virtual Armchair General's website, since he used to be the US agent. Sorry for the long reply but Spyros was a good fellow and friend.

[Helen]

Hi Guys,

My thanks to Poli for starting this subject and I think its worth being a sticky for all new and veteran adventurers into WW 1.

I echo Poli's statement please let us continue to grow this topic. Anyone can include any product that is very suitable for gaming/collecting WW1.

I'll ask nicely to White Knight for a WW2 listing which would be worthwhile too.

[argsilverson]

We have to add also Wargames Foundry. Except the WW1 figures which are already listed by poliorketes, there are figures in their Darkest Africa ranges that are suitable for WW1, too, mainly as reservist with older uniforms, officers and various adventurers. I think that their belgian Askari could also be used painted either in blue  or khaki.

I think but I am not very sure, some of the guns by irregular miniatures could also be used .

[Helen]

We have to add also Wargames Foundry. Except the WW1 figures which are already listed by poliorketes, there are figures in their Darkest Africa ranges that are suitable for WW1, too, mainly as reservist with older uniforms, officers and various adventurers. I think that their belgian Askari could also be used painted either in blue  or khaki.

I think but I am not very sure, some of the guns by irregular miniatures could also be used .

Thanks Arg,

Yes you are quite correct some of the Foundry's darkeat Africa figures are very suitable for WW1. I've used the Belgians and one of the Germans with monocle and hunting rifle as a character/officer for my German forces.

Some of the Europeans would be very suitable as volunteers for both sides.

Irregular miniatures do have some artillery that is suitable, but would need to be mineful of their smaller size in comparison to other current companies.

London War Room provide some interesting artillery pieces that would suit the period. Some are on the smaller side but do fit in.

Cannon Fodder miniatures have a Krupp gun that can be included in the list.

[DRDHauser]

We need to add Eureka Miniatures also: Ghurka's; Brits; Turks and Russians.

[Banderium]

You can add Strategia & tattica, an italian manufacturer that does a line of italian special troops

http://www.strategiaetattica.it/miniature_base.asp?tipologia=28mmWW1

[brigadegames]

Brigade Games has Belgians for Africa.

[pbeccas]

There's an Aussie company that sells 28mm Turk's in German helmets.  I can't remember the name but they used to trade as Dominion Miniatures.   They advertised on TMP a couple of months ago.  Anyone remember?

[Helen]

There's an Aussie company that sells 28mm Turk's in German helmets.  I can't remember the name but they used to trade as Dominion Miniatures.   They advertised on TMP a couple of months ago.  Anyone remember?

I'll chat to Dean of Olympian in Canberra where they were for sale many moons ago. I'll let folks know the outcome.