Miniature War-gaming

[penguinism]

Ok this is basically a question for the designers. I read about the history of Slitherine and it said that most of you guys have war-gaming history. I just want to know what type of models do you have (are they Foundry?). I always wanted a painted Roman army and I think I will get one now. Can you tell me what make of miniatures are the best in quality in your experience.

[IainMcNeil]

I've always been more into the gaming side than the painting, so am not an expert on it. There are hundreds of manufacturers and the quality these days is pretty good, but the styles do vary. There are different scales and periods and each manufacturer specialises in a different area. I'd check out the websites of foundry, tin soldiers, chariot miniatures etc. There are many more but I dont know the names off teh top of my head.

[penguinism]

Sorry I forgot to be more specific. When I talk about war-gaming I mostly meant the 28mm (1/72) type as to anything else. Personality I perfer 28mm as it is small enough to fit well on the battlefield and large enough to be sufficiently details. I suppose you play with 28mm is that right? I feel that 15mm is just to small and any larger than 28mm is pointless.

As for the material I perfer metal (tin-lead alloy) because I feel that they are somewhat better quality but thats just my view. I am looking for a larger range as models from the same manufactures tends to be more similar and produce a better coherent army on the table.

I also assume by war-gaming you lot plays historical ancient games? Thats because of the setting of Legion and Chariots of war (I found lots of names of units to be similar to war game miniatures such as sea people etc) and Spartan etc but I could be wrong there.

From different internet sites I found that for historical ancient they mostly recommend Foundry as the best quality (and most expensive). I heard about A&A and other plastic kits as well but from the looks of it I found that Foundry have the largerest range and quite a few decent quality photos of their painted models.

Here is just a quick link: http://www.wargamesfoundry.com

As for painting I always enjoy it and wants my army to look as good as possible. So how good will you say your painting is? Is it OK, quite good? I don't consider myself a Pro or expert but I think I can work towards that in time.

[IainMcNeil]

We only do ancients & medieval, though others play in more modern eras. We use 15mm figures, though some people play at 25/28mm.

If you're really interested i'd go to www.bhgs.co.uk (British Historical Games Society) and look at their news group. They have hundreds of dedictaed gamers & painters there who will know a lot more than I do

My painting is ok, but not amazing.

[honvedseg]

First, 28mm is more like around 1/60th scale; 1/72nd scale is closer to 20mm.

28mm gives you enough detail that you can add eyebrows, buttons, and other tiny details to make the figures look like individuals with actual personalities. 15mm is generally better for large field battles, where you need to simulate a large formation of hundreds or thousands of men.

The cost per figure varies dramatically with size, 15mm figures costing in the $.30 to $.45 range, and 25-28mm figures going for between $1 and $2.50 per man, unpainted. In 28mm, Foundry figures tend to run toward the high end of the price range, as well as on the quality. Essex also produces a broad selection of excellent figures for both 15mm and 28mm scales, and a handful of smaller companies also do outstanding work, but only produce a limited range of figures. Old Glory produces a wide range of historical minis of decent quality for the price in both sizes, but are a little too angular looking in my opinion to compare with the first group.

The quality and actual size of figures can vary a lot, even by the same manufacturer and for the same army, where I've gotten 28mm minis for under a dollar with better quality sculpting than typical Foundry figures (which also vary somewhat in quality from range to range), but other figures by the same company look like they were sculpted with a chainsaw. It really pays to see the figures before you buy. I've even seen poor quality castings painted up to look outstanding on the game table, and you can generally get "good enough" figures for about half the price of the better ones.

The usual guideline for quality is "arm's length", which means if it looks good at arm's length away, it will be fine on the game table. If you are looking for collectable quality figures and painting, that's another issue entirely.

[honvedseg]

Here are a few 15mm Greek figures from my gaming collection, a strange brew of Essex, Museum Miniatures, Viking Forge, and old Minifigs, plus other stuff. I also have a few shots of some 28mm minis of various makes on the Voidgamers site, including a few of Foundry's Assyrians and Newline Design's Hittites.

http://www.voidgamers.com/channel/histo ... ian_01.jpg

In the US, check out HMGS.org, the Historical Miniature Gamers Society, which runs the annual Historicon game convention at Lancaster, PA, USA.

[penguinism]

Hi there sorry about the scale(1/60) my mistake. In the photos on the link, the pattern on the shield are they hand painted? because if it is than you must have very good hands + skills!

One of the reason I started this topic is that there are just so many miniatures availble and so many website, books etc on the topic that I don't know where to start or get information without being inundated with what is there. So I would appreciate one or two pointers from you experienced people who knows what you are talking about. Like I said I am mostly interested in 28mm ancient historical (Imperial Roman). I am mostly looking to build a display army.

[honvedseg]

This site has one of the most comprehensive lists of miniature manufacturers I've ever seen. A lot of them are defunct, and it includes fantasy and sci-fi as well as historical companies, but this should keep you busy for quite a while.

http://theminiaturespage.com/man/sort/a

My recommendation would be to start with a handful of cheaper minis, just to figure out your techniques and paint scheme, unless you've got a LOT of painting experience, or aren't too picky about the results. I hate soaking and scrubbing a bad paint job off of a miniature, and a lot of first tries don't turn out the way I expect.

BTW, the shields are hand done. I'm happy with the way they came out, but I've seen much nicer work at the conventions. I consider my workmanship better than average, but nothing that's going to win a painting contest.

[penguinism]

Hi honvedseg
Thanks for the link, I will have a closer look when I have time to go through them all.
As for my painting I consider myself to be quite good to average, however I believe with lots of practise I can be very good at it. I have been painting Games Workshop miniatures and even sold some as Pro paints on ebay!
Have a look: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 5199781286
Please note this is a completed auction so I am not trying to advertise my things.
I always enjoyed painting miniatures as I consider it a from of art.

My recommendation would be to start with a handful of cheaper minis, just to figure out your techniques and paint scheme, unless you've got a LOT of painting experience, or aren't too picky about the results. I hate soaking and scrubbing a bad paint job off of a miniature, and a lot of first tries don't turn out the way I expect.

Yes I also brought some plastic mini to try on. My plan is to test my skills and see what the results is like before I go on the more expensive metal figures. With some luck I might also sell these painted plastic ones on ebay for some money. I brought 4 boxes of HaT Romans, they are quite cheap at ??5 per box with about 45 minis each. I think the quality is good too looking at the pictures: http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Rev ... &code=8082

I chose the Legions, Auxilliaries, Praetorian Cavalry etc

[SMK-at-work]

Plastics are great value for money, and some are jsut as detailed as teh best 28mm figures but with correct proportinos!!

However some are carp too - and the good and bad can be in the same box!

I'm a recent convert to plastics, with a Carthaginian and a Nubian army so far.

The problems ppl used to have with painting are over if you use a new primer by Rustoleum - it's just called "Plastic primer" and only comes in white - it coems in a spray can and has a picture of a plastic lawn chair on the front - the chair is half white half red IIRC.

I get it off teh shelf at my local hardware/DIY store, so if it's that common in New Zealand you shuld be able to get it anywhere else too!!

After priming you can use whatever paint you like, and I also varnish my figures with a floor varnish that adds a wash to them - see http://www.geocities.com/dbplastic/plas ... stain.html

and the home site - http://www.geocities.com/dbplastic/home.html for a web site devoted to wargaming with plastics, and

[honvedseg]

The only problems with plastic minis that I can see are:

1) Repainting can be difficult, because a lot of paint removers will also remove the miniature as well.

2) Most of the plastic figures are available in 18-20mm, or HO model RR size (1/72 to 1/76, or 1/87), so it may be difficult to use them in typical wargame tournaments where everyone else has either 15mm or 25-28mm figures.

3) The available selection is much more limited than for metal, especially in the 25-28mm size range.

4) Plastic gets no respect. Try basing your plastics on top of low value coins, thick steel washers, or punch-outs from electrical boxes, which makes them FEEL like metal figures.

On the other hand, the price is almost free, so if you drop one, who cares. Either it bounces and comes up totally undamaged, or winds up with a tiny paint chip or two.

[SMK-at-work]

So:

1/ Paint them properly in the first place! with varnish finishes that paint ain't comin' off!

2/ 20mm figures looks fine in a 25mm tourney - that's what I base mine as

3/ The available selection is growing all the time, and if what you want is already there then that's not a problem!

4/ Plastic gets plenty of respect precisely BECAUSE they are light - you should see how keen the guys who take their armies overseas are to get lightweight armies, and how the guys with hundreds of big, heavy 28mm armies look at you jealously when you lift your entire army up with your little finger as they're struggling through the crowded hall to get to their table!!

And if anyone still has a problem then the best revenge is to beat them!

[ste]

I remeber trying to paint models one time... bought some 40K off my mate, and then bough some nice... OIL BASED paints (i was 11, lol... schoolboy error)... they took over a week to dry, and then they had hairs in them where the dog had got near them (they look like 70's afro-men)...

ahhhh memories.