"15mm on a budget" Topic

I'm interested in starting up a Napoleonic army, probably British Peninsular, and 15mm seems to be a popluar scale with local gamers.

Which figure range would people recommend? Particularly if I'm trying to keep the cost down. Hard Plastics dont seem to cover 15mm NAP yet.

Essex Miniatures are reasonably cheap.

Warrior our best bet for economy followed by Lancashire games.

If you are in the United States, and have an Old Glory Army card (40% discount), or a friend with one, perhaps Blue Moon 15mm Napoleonics may do the job for you. They are very nice.

By the time you have finished painting the infantry they will have their cavalry ready for sale.

I wasn't aware the hard plastic folks were doing 15mm?

I have a reviews web site which compares most of the major brands side-by-side:

link

If you do the Peninsula at about 1:50 it can be quite reasonable. It's mainly an infantry war, so there's not corps upon corps of cav, nor are there the hundreds of guns of Wagram.

I sell Warmodelling/Fantassin – as they are Spanish their range overs the Peninsula better than almost anybody. They are available in the UK too.

I wasn't aware the hard plastic folks were doing 15mm?

As far as I know they aren't, except for PSC's WW2 figures.

Can one actually do napoleonics on a budget? Good luck with that.

Old Glory/Blue Moon/Battle Honors are all great 15mm mfgs with good figures at a good/fair price. Can't go wrong with them.

+1 what bruntonboy said. Warrior miniatures are a extremely good value. If you are already in the UK as well, then save a tonne on postage costs.

If you are just starting napoleonics, then grab one or 2 of their army packs – you do a get lot of lead for GBP 18, and there is enough figures in each army pack to build up a combined arms team for each side. This is a great way to get some forces on the table and start rolling some dice without spending a fortune.

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If you like the way they turn out for you, then they good to build the bulk of your core forces for gaming.

The british infantry are some of the earlier casts, so they are not the same lively figures as ABs .. but the detail on them is clear, nicely raised and easy to paint up.

Here are some I cooked up earlier – Brits in Portugal :

link

The other thing with warrior miniatures is that the napoleonic range is not very broad … but if you are prepared to be creative, you can get, say a 'British light Dragoon', and paint it up as a French chasseur a cheval, and things like that. They do have enough variations across the range to be able to handle such 'conversions' with just the paintbrush.

Once you get into it, you will probably start broadening your army ambitions, and desperately start up a whole range of projects within projects within projects within the same period. Thats the point where the broader (and more expensive) 18mm ranges like AB / blue moon, etc come into their own. Fantassin have some really great figures too !

In my case, I am using warrior for the basic core forces, and then adding in some a few ABs or other brands for special units that deserve that something a little extra.

Unfortunately, the concepts of "I want to start Napoleonics' and 'I am on a budget' are diametrically opposed ideas that are in somewhat of a conflict with each other :) Thats mainly because there is no end to the variety of really interesting units to collect.

Have fun !

Thanks for the advice. I'm in the UK, so the warrior look a good starting point.

Cheers.

I f you're on a budget, E-bay and flea markets are a great source for discounted lead….

While my 15mm Napoleonics include Battle Honours, Essex, and some Minifig, the great majority of my collection is Old Glory and I'm very happy with them. However, you may want to hold off until you can get a good look at the new stuff coming from Blue Moon. I recently bought a large number of figures from their French and Indian War line and I'm very happy with them. You can see my Old Glory 15s Napoleonics at link

I just picked up a couple of starter armies from Museum miniatures in Jan to take advantage of their sale. Very good figures at a great price. Check them out.

Bob

just one point : Warrior minis are not bad at all but they are very small compared to AB, Warmodelling, etc.

Personally, I can't see the point of starting with a Napoleonic army with a manufacturer that has a limited range or is not adding to their range occasionally.

What a happens when you want artillery, and other units ?

And really, does the extra few pence from one brand to another make that much of a difference ?

Hmmm more to think on. I may hold off until I've had to time to wander around "Colours" or "Warfare" later in the year. Though there may be some interesting deals out in March wih the FOG rules coming out.

Many thanks again.

The Battle Honours and Old Glory 15's are a decent price.

For overseas shipping they charge the actual postage cost.
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WIth bulk discounts
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