"28mm Battle Honors WWII Figures" Topic

Whenever a discussion of 28mm WWII figures comes up, I always see someone refering to Aritzan, Crusader and Bolt Action, but wondering why people don't seem to mention Battle Honors? I think they have the best poses and sculpting and are the most complete line of WWII figures out there. I know they have been around a while and wondering if that is the reason. People just buy what is the latest and greatest. I don't think any of the others really compete. Black Tree was good, but getting hold of them is a difficult thing and they are a lot more expensive. I know they stopped going to the shows and I am wondering if that might be part of the reason? I am not a dealer, so I am just curious what people are thinking. The other manufacturers are too stiff and unnatural in their poses for me. I liked the original Crusader Germans, but the U.S. are not the same. Just want to hear opinions.

Honestly,

I can't tell you why I don't own any. I started with BA and Artizan and kind of stay there.

I've heard they are quite a bit smaller than BA and Artizan, but I have not tried it.

SO, if they have something I need that the other two don't, I'd buy some….

I completely agree that BH is underrated. I wonder if a part of that is lack of promotion and online pics.

Dear Sir,

You are not alone in your thoughts.

link

Regards,
CP

"I've heard they are quite a bit smaller than BA and Artizan…"

I've heard that if you rub yak butter on your… oh, never mind.

I have both Bolt Action and Battle Honors WWII French, and am happy with their compatibility.

I have quite a few platoons of BH WWII infantry for various odd or obscure (in practical terms, non-SS) subjects, and am quite happy with them.

Allen

It was BH that sold me on 28mm – figures with nostrils for crying out loud…

the only web-store I've seen is based in the US and has very few pictures…

The uk show agent is, I think, Timecast… and i've not seen them carry the figures to shows – it's almost self-fulfilling – the figures don't get on the van to shows because there's no demand, they aren't seen at shows so no-one asks for them…

oh, and my BH stuff plays nicely alongside my BTD, Crusader and Westwind chaps..

I think it's a big problem if you don't know a range exists, they aren't advertised, no pictures are available. A search on Google for Battle Honours brings up threads on TMP rather than a website.
I don't want to be spoon fed but if a manufacturer seems to want to hide their ranges…

Allen, what ARE you doing with that yak butter!?!?! Where's our review of WAB 2.0!?!?!? :)

I'll have to take a closer look at BH based on the talk here…

Please do. They're truly quality figures (and see combatpainter's link for their lineage). Sometimes the really good things aren't well known, except to the cognoscenti.

Allen

Probably 75-80% of our group collection is BH figures (a few hundred figures) and I think they are great. Its a shame they aren't promoted more or have more photos on the website.

I have a bunch, and really like them.

They are 25mm scale though, so as mentioned, a bit smaller than the others.

"A search on Google for Battle Honours brings up threads on TMP rather than a website."

A Google search for "Battle Honours" first brings up a *suggestion* for "Battle Honours Miniatures". Selecting that brings up the first hit: oldglory15s.com , who make Battle Honors USA. The second hit is WarWeb. Hardly hidden.

Also among the top ten are the TMP listing, and the defunct Battle Honours UK site. It's been a few years since Battle Honors were sold as "Battle Honours", but they're still not hard to find.

Timecast seems to have been very responsive to requests to bring in more of the former Battle Honours ranges. Talk to them; they can get it if you ask, I suspect. Might even desplay them at shows, if there is interest.

Noting that manufacturers do not show pictures online is futile. It doesn't get results. Nobody knows that better than I, having gotten into a micturating contest with Old Glory 15s about the lack of photos years ago! The companies with very large ranges (like theirs) aren't going to go back and comprehensively cover them with images. And if they're selling as much as makes them happy by doing so, more power to them!

Take the advice of those others (you don't have to listen to me) who are pleased by this range, and enjoy.

Allen

I agree on the pictures. It is something we have been working on. I completed the 15mm Ancient, Renaissance and Medieval range last year. I just need to get the time to get through the full catalog of everything we have.

Jay
BH/OG 15s

Well since you asked for opinions on why people don't like the Battle Honors and use Artizan etc. here goes.
In your opinion you don't like the poses of the other brands but I do.My couple thousand 28mm WW2 figures are Artizan,Black Tree,Crusader and soon to be Bolt Action.I like the sculpting and poses better than the Battle Honors I have seen.I bought some of the Italians on Ebay and sold them and there have been a few Germans sprinkled in batches of used figures I picked up.I don't even bother to paint them.I'm not knocking anybody who likes BH figures I just don't.So I guess the answer to your question is personal preference.There ya go.
Pete

SS link

link

I don't understand the "smaller" thing. WWII French (from left to right: Battle Honors, Bolt Action, Battle Honors, Bolt Action):

picture

Allen

The poses I have in my Japanese army seems to be the standard ones. A few I like less than the others but they are all pretty much what you would expect.

Second hand figure batches are going to be filled with cast offs that other people didn't want so they aren't always representative of the whole line.

I posted this on our own Yahoo Group in response to a thread about BH French. This was my response reposted here in case it would prove helpful to anyone.

I have some pics of my BH Dragons Portees on my Photobucket I can share, and some of the EW SS and Heer mixed together.

Here are the pics.

SS:

link

Most of the pics in that album are vehicles from Army Group North. The SS are from the BH SS range with a few Heer models from the BH EW German range mixed in. I just shaved down the Heer collar tabs and made them look like SS, did some head swaps with helmet covers and mixed them together to get SS in smocks and tunics.

The SS and EW German range from BH are all the same sculptor and are a very nice range of models.

You can also use the HMG pack which has teams in both set up and moving poses and the moving models in those packs make a nice LMG model for your squads as well to add variety, plus the extra ammo bearers come in handy.

French DP:

link

Nice range of French by same sculptor. The pack contains 10 models with one NCO looking chap and one LMG. The real DP squads had 2 LMGs, so you might have to buy extra packs or just go without for the squads. There are no Rifle Grenades in the packs, but I converted mine from cups taken from extra RG models in my Crusader minis collection.

The rest of their French line is just as good and I just absolutely love the models. They require very little prep work and paint up very easily with nice crisp detail.

That goes for all of the BH stuff, especially the lines done by this sculptor, whose name I do not know. He also did the Russians and Finns and Americans IIRC.

Don't be foooled, BH is not "true 25" like so many people say. They are scaled in line with lots of the other 28mm stuff on the market. A few of the older lines of BH are smaller and perhaps a little more slight, but not by much and they will still mix ok.

They really are the overlooked range in WWII and the most complete out there. Where else can you get packs of Dragons Portees, French Alpine, and even Groupe Franc?

One little secret…when you order from 19th Century, you can ask to have all advancing poses for some of the packs. Many of their packs are randomly selected poses, and sometimes you find a prone LMG or an advancing LMG in the same pack number…this is a nice feature that you can ask for the ones you want. You will still get a random selection of an NCO, LMG, and rifles, but with this you can at least be sure you get all advancing poses or what have you. I took advantage of this many times when ordering.

For purists the one drawback to the BH French squad packs is that for line infantry packs, there are only 10 models in a pack and French squads had 12 men. Also, the LMG assistant in French squads carried a pistol instead of a rifle, though I don't begrudge players who give their scrounging assistants rifles…maybe they won it in a card game or found it on the road…

(The following was in response to the OP who mentioned Propaganda Kompanie, a range of resin WWII and modern vehicles in 1/48): Thanks for posting that link for Propaganda Kompanie…I had completely forgotten about them!

They do have a Gnome Rhone, and lots of other French goodness, but they are just a little too on the expensive side and probably a little too fragile for me…and no crews…but I was thinking about converting my own one day if I someone ever releases a 28mm French motorcycle. I am handy enough with the green stuff to cut off legs, a torso with head, and make my own. At least I think I am.

Now all we need are 1/56th Laffly S-20s, Lorraine 38L VBPCs, and Kegresses!

Gaso.Line has some 38Ls and probably more, but again, expensive, in 1/48th and fragile…

Maybe if I win the lottery…

I love EW French stuff. I want to add more to my 28mm DP platoon and I have a fully painted French rifle platoon by Crusader miniatures as well.

My next project for EW will probably be BH Alpines and EW Germans to do Norway…then I can use the Alpines against Italians too.

Keith

They are 25mm scale though, so as mentioned, a bit smaller than the others.

The only ones we found to be small were some old, old Russians I picked up in the flea market. They were packaged 15 or 20 figures to a bag, rather than the present 10, and the wear on the bag and fading on the card indicated they had been around for a long time. I have found that the figs mix just fine with Artizan and Black Tree.

Nice range of French by same sculptor. The pack contains 10 models with one NCO looking chap and one LMG. The real DP squads had 2 LMGs, so you might have to buy extra packs or just go without for the squads. There are no Rifle Grenades in the packs, but I converted mine from cups taken from extra RG models in my Crusader minis collection

Will let you in on a little secret. If you ask nice you can order specialty packs. They charge and extra $5 USD but you get what you want. You can order a pack of just LMG teams if you like. That is how it works. This all happens if you are nice.

Thanks, Keith. Great collection, BTW…

From the looks of Allen's comparision pics, they DO appear to mix quite nicely with BA. They also look REALLY well sculpted.

Take me as an example of a potential customer that has bypassed BH due to lack of pics/hype.

Where's a good place in the US to pick these up?

The BH Japnese fit right next to the Brigade Games Japanese. I'd to look at BH to fill out the range where Brigade Games could not fulfil. For example, Japanese officers/communications and smgs.

I've a few of the other BH WW2 ranges an all are very good. There are some doubtful ones, but you do get that.

Helen

RE: "Where's a good place in the US to pick these up?"

I have ordered on the web directly from the current makers, Old Glory 15s, in Michigan. The web site is here- link

They provide prompt service, in my experience, and in the WWI line they have added many photos.

Also, when you order from the manufacturer, you can take advantage of their discounts for larger orders. See details at: link

-- Jeff

@Cincinnatus That maybe true of the "second hand" Germans but the Italians were NIB ,about 5 packs.I gave my opinion(the op asked for them),I don't like them.
Looking at Allens comparison pics I would not mix them with BAM either.Not because of the size but style.
Since I seem to be the only poster who doesn't like BH figures(which is what the OP asked for) I'll leave it at that.
Pete

I'm painting up a bunch of BH Soviets and they match well with BA, Crusader, and West Wind minis. I really like the packs of Maxims and AT rifles.

Wow, I'm surprised I got so many responses so quickly! Some of your responses were what I expected. No pictures, no promotions and they don't go to shows anymore. But as one of you said, they were the manufacturer that got me into 28mm WWII originally. And I haven't seen anything better come along. Of course, that is my opinion. fitterpete has his, and I thank him for his honest opinion. I don't sell them painted or unpainted, but was just curious about the lack of talk about them. The guys at 19th Century Miniatures or Old Glory 15's are great to work with, and they give good discounts when you by a little quantity. And I recently ordered from them and asked specifically for a prone figure in a pack and they gave it to me. Thanks for all your responses!

John

Oh, and yes, I don't understand the statement about them being small. I don't believe they are any smaller than the others mentioned. I have Crusader, Bolt Action and Black Tree, and they are all comparable. The only figures I won't purchase anymore are the West Wind figures. Don't like them at all. They are definitely smaller than all the others mentioned. But I would still mix them in with my figures.

I am convinced that the BH 28mm figures will fit with others of that scale. I have many of their Great War range and those fit with 28mm. By no means 25mm. 19th Century Miniaures is an excellent company.

I would like to get some of the WW2 figs, especially the French "dragoons." Now someone tell me where to go to see pictures of the French, British, and others in the World War 2 range. Thanks

I've got BH germans mixed in with BTD from back when I was building Eastern Front units.

I actually found a couple of MG teams skulking in a box at the weekend -- They ARE distinguishable from Artizan/Warlord/Crusader, but not by very much.

(As an aside, I can't actually see the 28mms on the timecast site..)

i sent a couple of emails to OG15 & Timecast…. Timecast don't, as yet, carry the line in stock, so can;t take it to shows – but they do offer to give a GBP price inclusive of shipping/ customs to the UK – just allow 6 weeks for them to place and receive the order.

I've got a mix of their stuff – the original style Soviets, their later Early War Soviets and Germans, and their Early War Far East range (Commonwealth & Japanese)- and I think they're very nice. I've not seen the Italian range so can't comment on them.

I have some of the original German figures and they are bigger than when they released the Afrika Corps figures. I didn't get the Afrika Corps because of the noted size difference. True all men are not the same size but I wanted them to match and for me they didn't.

I found a pic of the Italians on the net once- don't know where -there looked excellent.

Coming in a bit late… They ARE smaller than others, but I mix-n-match 'em just the same. I use 1:48th vehicles though, so "smaller" than 1:56th 28mm is getting pretty small.
I have a ton of the Americans and have them in this review…
link

I also have a ton of Germans, and am much less thrilled.

I have Germans here from most vendors that I was going to do a review of, but real life got in the way so I scratched that idea when I realized some were three years old and some brand new. I'm painting them now… Could post a picture at least.

I really don't like the Germans as much as the Americans. Honestly. They're just not as pretty.

Don.

I have Battle Honors early war Germans. Very Nice figures, mix well with Crusader and West Wind Seperate head system. Also the BH SS mix well with Artizan Late War Germans. I've been on the Old Glory 15's site, they have some pics and i like the look of the Italians & Rumanians. Want to do some Eastern Front Campainging.

I've had Battle Honours British and Germans in the past. I found there to be a HUGE discrepancy in quality throughout the lines. Some were great. Some I never used. And casting quality varied greatly as well. Finally, I have come to enjoy the chunkiness of lines like Artizan… As my eyes get older the newer figs seem to have a blend of definition and size that make them easier to paint.

Inconsistent. BH have some great minis like their Winter Soviets and Early War French, but some others are truly 25mm scale like their Japanese and Germans. They also make use of generic weapons – the Soviets, French and Italians all carry some type of Austrian or Dutch Mannlicher = lazy and inaccurate.

Iron Ivan,

I am interested in why you call them "Dragoon Portes". I am not saying you are incorrect, but I always thought of them as "Chassuer Portes". It was a few Chassuer battalions that converted to mechanized infantry and rode in the armored Lorraine 38L. Inside a four-walled rocking armor vehicle would warranted the armored crewman helmet and coveralls. The Dragoons rode in trucks and wore the adrian helmet as far as i known.

Of course the M35 helmet was to be standard issue and maybe Dragoons got them but not for reasons of "porte".

They are awesome figs and i am glad BH made them.

I am working on resin Lorraine 37 and trailers as conversions for 38L.

Found this thread while hunting for something else! Glad I found it though!! This thread has prompted me to order some BH "French Mechanized Infantry" and paint 'em up and use 'em as mech-troops "clearly distinguishable" from my BA (WG) French "line-dogs…"

I'm not worried about the helemt issue… For one thing, Olivier Bellec in 1940 Le Soldat Francais Tome 1: Uniformes, Coiffures, Insignes (French Edition), CLEARLY indicates (despite my POOR French), that in fact NOT even all the units of Chasseurs Portés received the Model 1935 motorized troops helmet. Seemingly, priority went to the crews of armored cars and tanks first. Indeed, Bellec's illustration of a Chasseur of the 16e Bataillon de Chasseurs Portés (pg. 20) shows him in the general issue (Adrian-style) helmet.

Further, the BCP were assigned as the very limited (one battalion) infantry support in the "armored divisions" or Division Cuirassée de Réserve (DCR). The Dragons Portés on the other hand were the (also limited) infantry support in the "mechanized cavalry divisions," the Divisions Légères de Cavalerie (DLC) or Division Légère Mécanique (DLM).

All that said -- again, many thanks!