"Beginners Guide to 6mm WW2 Infantry" Topic

Hi,

I'm thinking of starting a 6mm WW2 project. A lot of the vehicles look fine, but the infantry figures don't seem quite so good, judging by this link

The only figures I liked the look of were the GHQ and the later H&R. I have a few questions:

1. Do people think that the summary in the link is fair (i.e. did particular model choices not show a manufacturer to its best advantage)?

2. Of the H&R figures, which ranges are 'new' and which are 'old'?

3. Is there anyone in the East Midlands (UK) that sells these figure ranges in a shop or at shows?

Thanks in advance

Hello Whirlwind:

I am doing 6mm as well and after looking at samples of all the ranges out there, I thought GHQ were head and shoulders better than the rest. If you go to the GHQ forums you will see some absolutely amazing work with their figures.

After looking at the link you provided, I don't think the paint job there did any favors to any of the figures in all honesty.

Regards,

Mark Severin
Owner, Scale Creep Miniatures
scalecreep.com

1) It is what it is. Quite frankly, it's 6mm. The laid back gamer's question is "How does it look at 3 feet away?" 6mm at 3 feet away is all going to look about the same.

All of the figures are probably going to work just fine. I would consider staying away from Main Force. They are HUGE compared to other companies out there.

There are some companies that will mix well with others and some that won't.

So, to answer your question in full, since 6mm is really all about size/scale, I think the picture does an admirable job. I did not even read the intro.

2) Can't answer that. I really don't know. Sorry.

3) Not in the UK. Can't answer that either. Sorry.

John

I dont think you can judge the figures by those photos. After all they are showing them at 3X or more magnification. The painting may also look better at real size.

Sorry I cant answer your other questions.

Al

1. I think the the photos/text offer fair descriptions of the figs. I don't have a any Adler or Main Force, but otherwise wouldn't particularly argue with what he says. I think I like the CinC castings more than he does, but I only use some heavy weapons figs from them due to the fragile ankles issue. They can be reinforced with a little superglue though.

The thing that might also have helped would be comparison photos of units/based figures on the table top. The crispness of the GHQ figures stands out even at some distance, but I find that most H&R offer enough detail, that if painted decently, they look quite good. I use the newer GHQ and of H&R infantry (don't know what is new or old). I avoid mixing figs on the same base, and try not to mix them in units, though I have exceptions to both. Units from different manufacturers on the same table don't seem to bother me.

2. Don't know, but am guessing mine are the older H&R figs.

3. Don't know, located in the US.

The nice things about H&R is the packaging. You can buy one pack of infantry anyone pack of support weapons and you have a balanced force.

GHQ infantry are slightly prettier (although that is hard to see on the table) but you end up with really stupid amounts of left overs.

Back when I used to buy GHQ, the British weapons pack, for example, include two or three dozen Bren guns, but no Vickers. How is that a support package?

I think the review linked is fairly erroneous imo.

Taking such a small sample does not prove wether a whole range is good or bad…..and combined with the pretty poor paint jobs is giving very misleading impressions.

I have some late war GHQ figures but the vast bulk are Adler's.

The ghq ranges are pretty good although some of their early packs are reportedly a bit iffy and a common complaint is that the pack mix is decidedly strange in some cases. If you want to see more pics head to the ghq forums where there are loads.

Adler on the other hand are quite bulky but very well detailed with some great poses, and they paint up a treat as they are well defined. Some people dont like the chunky style but they are my favourite without a doubt. The ranges are quite extensive and the pack contents pretty reasonable…ie separate packs for support weapons etc so you can pick and choose.

I originally started (many moons ago) with vast hordes of H&R but the lack of defined detail made me swap every thing to adler.
One thing to note as well is that H&R are pretty true 5mm (ie 1/300, ghq are larger are 6mm (1/285) and adler about the same height wise but bulkier so look bigger.
You can mix ghq and adler to an extent but not H&r as they are tiny in comparison.

I would suggest buying a simlar pack or 2 from each one and seeing what you prefer as they are all fairly different in style.

hope this helps

1. Yes. In particular I loathe the pot headed Adler figures.

2. No idea, I guess the basic German infantry are 'old' (they haven't changed since I bought my first pack in the 1970s), while the panzergreandiers are 'new'.

3. Spirit Games in Burton-onTrent sells H&R, Wargames Emporium in Sheffield sells GHQ.

I have a mixture of H&R and Adler with a few odd GHQ for odd heavy weapons not covered by anyone else. However if I was just starting I would go totally for Adler their LMG's, MMG's and mortars are far superior to GHQ also you get more crew for the weapons. Adler produce engineer packs, the only thing missing is anti-tank rifles for the British and Germans.
Greg

The GHQ figures are very nice, but have limited poses, and are a bit oversize, e.g. roughly 1/225th scale, or so.

The H&R/Navwar minis are about the correct size, and have one of the widest ranges of poses available.

I suggest considering the latter, if you want lots of infantry for your games, in various poses.

Can I just say, re Main Force Miniatures, although they are bulky, they are not overtall. They have the added advantage that thay are ready cast onto bases and mostly come in the kneeling or prone position (the infantrymans preferred position for avoiding sudden death) and are easy to paint. This makes them very robust and almost unbeakable.
Paul F

Thanks everyone for the very informative responses. I notice that there has been a couple of negative comments about the composition of GHQ packs. I've seen on their website that you get 60+ figures per pack but nothing else. What is included in each pack (roughly)?

Regards

The basic infantry packs are fine usually ( I buy the modern combat ones), and usually just consist of basic soldiers in 1 maybe 2 poses.
The packs where the problems creep in are the special weapon packs. You get a lot of figures in there but it has weird mixes of numbers of each. They all vary and some countrys' packs are better than others in my experience.

Our gaming group uses German and French GHQ figures, and Soviet, British, and U.S. H&R. You can see how GHQ and H&R look up close on the ODGW website, odgw.com, in the After Action Report section (AAR's). We do not have a problem with them next to each other on different stands, and the huge variety of poses you get from H&R and the detail on their newer figs, plus the price advantage, keep me from transitioning to GHQ.

If you choose Adler, you will pretty much have to go with them, but you may not be put off by their chunkiness and out of scale heads. In any case, choose the one that works for you, and enjoy using infantry in the micro scale as much as the larger scales, just as we have.

Cheers,
gregoryk

Thanks Serotonin and gregoryk.

I found the AARs here gregoryk mentioned here link

Regards

I like GHQ best. Though they are the most costly in the scale, they remain a bargain.

The packaging complaints of others are true, but doesn't make a huge difference.

I have many leftover machinegunners and such because so many come in a package, but I have all the infantry I would ever want and have invested only $70 USD or so.

The figs look just great.

Jim

I use GHQ and Adler, they mix well as far as I'm concerned. GHQ packaging quotas does leave something to be desired but you can't have everything…