""Man at War" Miniatures - "Napoleon at War" 18mm line" Topic

I was at my local hobby shop today (they were having a 25% off sale) and in the wargame figure section there was a new product I had not heard of before called "Man at War" miniatures.

They had boxes of Prussians and French for the 100 Days period. The French box contains 114 foor figures and 2 mounted figures. They are made in Spain.

I bought the box of French "French Infantry Brigade". The seem good value at approximately .43 (43 cents Canadian) per figure.

They are case in metal and it is quite soft (likely a lot of lead). They are larger than AB's 18mm (taller and stouter), and the detail heavier and a little less refined. I think they will be fairly easy to paint given the heavier details.

They are mostly attack march in a couple of poses, a few voltiguers skirmishing and plastic bases. The details look pretty accurate for the period.

Anybody know anything about these minaitures?

Cheers,

Kerry

Vancouver, Canada

@ Kerry,

If you Google 'Man at War Miniatures' you'll find all you need to know really.

I have not read any reviews and know nothing more I'm afraid.

Bill

Never heard of them. Any images?
VR
James Mattes

Search "Napoleon At War" on TMP, it's pretty new.

TMP has a lising for the company and their URL:

manatwar.es

I am 99% sure these used to be traded under the name "NapoleoN miniatures" (capital N intentional), from Spain. They aren't 18mm, they're 1/72, or 20mm.

Dont look like NapoleonNminiatures to me

Some of the figures (eg the British infantry) put me in mind of Campaign Game Miniatures – which would certainly tie in with the Spanish connection.

However, although I don't recall the NapoleoN range having Prussians, or having more than one marching pose for the infantry, Mr Jackson could well be right. That range did "disappear" rather suddenly.

"99%" gives me a bit of leeway to be completely and utterly wrong, of which I am more often than not!!

I think they are done for them as they have greens of the new models up on their site etc.

I understand these are NOT 1/72 – more's the pity.

seems difficult to tell to be honest … they are very tall for '18mm' look at this pic in this thread:
link

23mm to top of shako – how tall is a plastic french line marching?

So, basically, 15mm has scale creeped its way to become 20mm.

Ok, the question for me is: Will they mix with AB Miniatures?
(es, I read "Taller and stouter"), but by how much? Any 'side by side' comparison shots out there?

follow the link in my message above as there are a few photos on there now.

Ok so using that link ^ there and this one -

Looks like they are compatible with AB. Good news indeed.

Hi Surferdude
Thanks for the link, (which I had already seen). My problem is I am in Afghanistan, so don't have one of my multitude of ABs with me to measure against a ruler. I do take it however they (the NAW figs)are compatable with ABs, which is great news.
Now I just have to work out if my current figs which are based on 20mm wide (4 Infantry figs in two ranks) or 40mm wide (8 Infantry figs in two ranks) will work with these rules.
I'm not going to rebase, but if the rules are good and given how cheap the figs are I might just build a couple of armies using the NAW figs, (or the BLUE MOON naps when they are released) hahahahahahahaha.

I

The units are the same size as Lasalle large units even down to the same skirmisher stand appearance. I have both rules sets and will probably only play solo or with a couple of friends so will probably use the same basing though may double up Lasalle for the look.

Now that a supplier has brought NAW to Oz I'm thinking I may go with AB figs as they are essentially the same size and the imported NAW sets are really not that much cheaper then buying a bunch of AB off Eureka with the 20% discount. Of course, AB looks better and has a much larger range. Apart from that The Hundred Days would be my least favourite Nap period.

ABs are without doubt the best 18mm Naps on the market.
But BLUE MOON will soon be releasing their 18mm Naps, (Sept / Oct apparently). That gives reason to consider cost.
With 40% off, (with an OLD GLORY Army Card) and a very strong Aussie dollar the Blue Moon naps could prove very tempting.
But the AB's a magnificent miniatures and the Range is pretty comprehensive. We've never had it so good for figure choice.
Spoilt even,…

@Malekithau,

Thanks for the picture but I noticed the AB comparison figure is from the Early French range.

I have some AB 1815 French Napoleonics and they are quite a bit smaller than the CGM ones which represent those from the 100 Days.

When I put the AB and CGM attack march figures together, the differences are quite marked. It was like putting a Foundry Napoleonic with one from Front Rank in size and heft. I wouldn't mix the two in the same unit. The AB Napoleonic was much slimmer, shorter and generally much lighter that the CGM figure.

I started to clean up my box of CGM miniatures. The metal is aquite soft and easy to cut, file and sand away the odd seam line. The guns and bayonets are quite easily broken and bent, so be careful! The bayonets are quite tick and crude, but clean up nicesly with a file but use a light hand and support the area as you file. I was able to sue CA to glue those I broke off quite easily and reinforce with the same.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Kerry
Vancouver, Canada

AB 1815 French? Have I missed something or are these the Eureka ones?

@colinjallen

If I remember correctly, the AB range is produced by Eureka.

Cheers,

Kerry

Vancouver, Canada

Who in the USA carries these?

A Texas company, great hall games I think the name is. I got my rule book through them, fast service, great people.

Thanks, inquisitor.

Yes, we have the entire range. (Well, I just ran out of the French Infantry Brigade box, but more have been ordered.)

You can order at greathallminis.com

Best,

Rob

Hi

As there is likely to be some delay before a full range of miniatures is avaliable I started looking for ranges that might fit. Despite their quality AB are a little weedy in comparison and they are the largest of the 18's. I decide to look at Newline Designs newlinedesigns.co.uk 20mm range. I ordered French (the force I have from N@W)mounted command and some sappers. Based on the sappers I believe the infantry should mix in the same unit, however while the cavalry are also close sizewise, the difference in horses and having the saddle sculpted on the Newline horses would make mixing in the same unit a problem. However separate units would be OK IMHO.
Some comparison photos:
link
link
link

My plan is to add different Cavalry types to start with.

Paul

I don't think that AB or War Modelling are very compatible with CGM (Campaign Game Miniatures) as they are both appear much taller and are much thinner than the CGM ones, which look more realistic (imho)

Napoleon at war is a new Napoleonic game published by Man at War. The marketing approach is Flames of War and GW. "The Macdonald's approach" as I like to call it. Yes you ewven get fries with that :) They have brigade boxes of miniatures to go along with their rules and the brigade has plastic bases as well so you get everything you need in the box to develop your army. The brigade boxes are packed so as to allow you to field the minimums for each army list choice, whether Organic, support or reserve. The figuresa are definately 20mm classification NOT 15mm or 18mm even.

The rules run pretty well and are very suitable for shop, club or tournament gaming. Its a geat way to introduce new players to Napoleonics or alllow the Grognards to get back into Naps. Please note this is not an historical simulation but a game with some measure of Napoleonic feel thrown in. If you after a fun game that does not take all day to play then please this is a game for you and your mates to try. If you are looking to recreate in full historical regalia the specifics of Napoleonic warfare then perhaps you have missed the point of it being a game and this set of rules is not for you.

Here at the shop in Brisbane I have a growing number of die hard Napoleonics players who swap between this set and Blackpowder and Naps Battles as their Naps games of choice and newbies to Napoleonics. The great thing about this game is becuase the company has smartly given you not only a set of Napoleonic rules but also their own miniatures with bases its easy for new players or Flames of War players wanting that bit more colour and dash in their games to switch over without too much hassle.

It certainly is a game to try out if you are looking for a set of Napoleonic rules for the local CGS or Club.

I was waiting for someone to take the Flames of War marketing idea to other eras of gaming!

Too bad these aren't in my scale, but what can you do?

yes, but shouldn't he have started on new thread ?

Ummmm! New Thread? I think perhaps we should read the actual question posed by KLJang at the top of this topic, it was to his post I was replying :)

Some of the figures (eg the British infantry) put me in mind of Campaign Game Miniatures – which would certainly tie in with the Spanish connection.

I thought the same and wrote to Dermot at Campaign Game Miniatures (CGM) a while back to ask the question, they are definitely not his work. These are from the same gentlemen who offered NapoleoN miniatures previously, hence the similarities people are seeing. Same sculptor perhaps?

Just a word about CGM, they are great for those looking for 1815 Netherlands figures and I am hoping to see the Netherlands limber teams soon from them.

Shame they are 20mm and not 1/72, so they are probably too small for me and Newline are. But a good move to try and make "retail friendly" packs – shops need product to sell, and a nice box is easy to put on shelves, unlike loads of blisters or loose figures.

So I hope they can make a go of it – I have no problems with it being FoW style, or Napoleonic Lite. Anything that lets people game cannot be truly bad.

Hi, I'm Dermot from Campaign Game Miniatures. I have no connection with Nap at War figures. The photo put up above by Malekithau is one done by me to show how compatible my figures are with other makes and NaW figures are NOT in this photo. I can say that NaW cavalry are 20mm but their infantry more like 18mm. Very few variants.
Also that AB do not do French Infantry for Waterloo.
I do Waterloo figures for all armies, some finished like Dutch, Belgians, Brunswick, while others are coming to completion in the next few months. Also Borodino Russians to be finished soon and Austrians.
To see my Campaign Game Miniatures figures click this link: link
and photo gallery: link
and Painting competition with splendid prizes. link
I am also always open to suggestions for new figures.

Thank you all again for all the helpful comments since my initial posting wondering about the NaW figures. I have since bought a few more boxes to look at (thanks to my local hobby shop having a big sale), as well as buying and comparing a few more brands. Here are my observations so far:

Within the NaW range, some of the figures a better than others to my eye in terms of human proportions and crispness of detail. For example, the French Infantry figures are a bit flat chested, and although there is a lot of detail, its a bit soft but easily painted. The British Infantry box is very nice, crisp detail and well proportioned. The Prussian Infantry has nice proportions, but the detail a bit soft in places. The muskets on a few of the Prussian figures – the skirmishers, lack bayonets and the weapon as modelled looks a bit stubby and blobby – like it was miscast, but they are not miscasts. The British and French Artillery boxes are all nice, the figures are well detailed with good proportions. The one French cavalry box I have (Chasseurs a Cheval) is also quite nice and I have no complaints, especially given the price for the figures.

One thing I may do for all the NaW figures is to remove the bayonets and replace them with something more scale like. The NaW figures are distingished from the other ranges by the huge and oddly shaped bayonets.

I have some AB French Inmperial Guard and the NaW French Line Infantry are a bit bit taller and heavier. I though alarmingly so when I compared them in raw metal, but after painting and basing a NaW figure and putting it next to my AB unit, looked OK size-wise.

I also bought some CGM figures from Dermot to compare and his figures, along with my AB, and NaW all look OK together in separate units. The CGM figures are well detailed and have good proprotions and I am very, very happy with the ones I bought.

I also compared these three ranges to my samples of Eureka French and the Eureka ones are the smallest and didn't quite mix. Eureka would mix with AB well as they have the same slender proportions, unlike CGM, or NaW.

The last samples I have are Blue Moon French (pre 1815 range) and they are small as well, well below the size of the NaW.

In terms of painting, I found the AB's the hardest to paint as the detail is all there and all very fine, CGM was easy to paint, with somewhat less detail but what is there is quite well defined. NaW were quite easy to paint as they are larger and although some details may appear soft, is detail is defined well for painting. Both Eureka and Bluemoon were a little hard for me to paint as they are smaller and have nice but fine details.

My painting method is a black undercoat, white drybrush (so I can see the details), block paint in brightish versions of the colours required (a thin mix of the paints so the highlights show through), and a dip in Army Painter strong tone (splash on method). Once dry, I go over the white painted parts with Vallejo offwhite to pop them out, finished off with a satin varnish.

Each range has its charms and the NaW ones I like enough. Its kind of like those who like Elite style miniatures. For my armies, I like to have units from all different makes as I think that better represents the variety of human sizes and regiosn they come from. My Russian 18mm army is made up of metals from Old Glory, Elite, Sash and Sabre, Front Rank, Wargames Foundry, and Victrix. Each with its own charms and different enough to keep me from getting too bored with painitng the same thing over and over again!

I hope my comments are helpful.

Warm regards,

Kerry Jang
Vancouver, Canada

In 15/18mm scale, on the tabletop they all merge together and all you see are colours and general shape. Didn't Wellington say something along the lines of "pray, make our men look as different from the French" as en mass, the shape of the shako, colour of coats is what helps one quickly identify who is who?

OOps, should clarify – My Russians are 28mm and 1812. My new naps are 15/18mm for the 100 Days campaign. The two scales present quite different impressions on the tabletop.

Cheers,

Kerry
Vancouver, Canada