"Which 28mm WWII figures?" Topic

So my gaming group is going with Bolt Action and they are dragging me kicking and screaming into it. WWII not my main period. So I need to buy some figs. I did a TMP search and no reviews came up.

I like that I can buy a 1000 point BA army kit and be done with it. But I have been told their plastic figs are difficult to assemble.

I have been told that BA makes metal kits too. But I don't see them on their website. So how does BA figs match up to other brands?

They are not difficult to assemble. They ARE multi-part figures but as soon as I switched over to plastic glue instead of super glue they go together fairly easy.

Black Tree Design has some great sales and if you wait a little while they seem to have a 50% off sale at the end of the year.

I prefer metal because they're more robust and do not require assembly. Artizan Designs and Crusader Miniatures are my favorites.

Mine are a mixture of Warlords plastics and Artizan metals. They are both the same size.

I mixed and matched. Bulk is plastic, plus plenty of BTD, Artizan, and maybe others for more variety!

Artizan Design are my favorite but I also have BTD, Crusader and Warlord. Metal only because I am not a fan of plastic.

I have all of the above-mentioned, plus The Assault Group and Battlehonors.

Black Tree make some decent figures that can be had for a good price if caught on sale, but my overall favorites are Artizan and Crusader. They match well together and are quite robust.

Paul

Forgot to mention that if you are doing the Pacific, TAG (The Assault Group) makes some nice Japanese and U.S. Marines. If your eye is on the Pacific, I would recommend them first.

Paul

If building for the East, you might checkout the Eureka Russians. They are very nice figures.

Brigade Games also does some figures for the Pacific.

There are a fair few options…

link

I find the Warlord figures kind of caricature-ish. I have a few, but I'm not fond of them. I have some old BAM from Black Tree Design. The earlier ones are good, but the later ones seem to have small helmets. Look like men wearing children's helmets. Artizan are nice. Large hands and guns, limited and strained poses.
I have a bunch of Perry desert figures. The plastic DAK and 8th Army are great starters, and I have a bunch of metal to back them up (Italians, Free French, metal heavy MG's).
I recently got a batch of Perry metal Paras that looked like someone was mad at them. All bent up and poor castings.
It's tough being a wargamer…

Does anyone know how to get hold of the old BEF Miniatures figures? They had some lovely 1940 figures. Miffed I never got them…..

Swallowed up by Warlord and never seen again I believe.

I use Crusaders, Brigade Games, early Bolt Action Miniatures (before Warlord bought them out) and Black Tree Designs. I like them all, but I used to think the BAM models were the best. Over the years, however, the BTD have really grown on me and now I prefer them by far… They may seem a little cartoony (like the old 1950's WW2 comic books), but they have a ton of character and do not look soulless like a lot of models do these days. I play skirmish in 28mm (mostly Battleground WW2), so I have fun painting each base with a character name and of all the manufactures, BTD sculpts are best suited for that.

By the way, does anyone remember when mini companies sold all their models with individual names in the catalogs? I certainly remember Games Workshop's Citadel Miniatures doing that.

I'll go for Victory Force Miniatures, they're the best. 28mm/30mm

Don't "Fence" yourself in, check them all out and use what you like!

I use MANY different makers and it adds to the character of the various armies.

Warlord

Does anyone do US infantry for NW Europe that look like real people? The Warlord figures look a bit of a caricature to me? Like their legs are a bit short?

I'd say variety is the key. Most of my British paras are warlord metals, but there's loads of Artizan etc mixed in. Even the handful of (enormous) Renegade figures are n't too noticeable, though I will probably change them for more Warlord metals in the fullness of time

There's also West Wind.

I've always liked the Warlord plastics. Decent figures with a lot of weapons options. But are my preferred metal figs.

I use Westwind figures as metals are more robust for me. Decent for the price. I also use Warlord plastic and metal. I actually like the sculpts on their plastics better, but they are more brittle, particularly the Germans. However you can make lots of variation. Assembly is no big deal. You don't need a lot of figures anyway.

If you're looking for reviews, I've a ton on my blog here of various types of model link

Rallynow. Excellent question. I also would like to share some offline thoughts about BA rules with you. As for figures I love the Bolt Action aka Warlord Games plastics. True they are brittle and I've lost a few gun barrels but I've also had lead ones break off. Wear and tear. The key thing for me is to be able to build the exact weapons and poses I want with the plastics. From two feet away on a gaming table I can't tell that the rifle barrel broke off but I sure can see how realistic the poses look. The limits to metal castings simply don't allow same level of realism IMO. Cheers! Lee

gothiclineminiatures.com

For Dutch,Romanian and other less comon armies we have heads for conversions including Serbs,Danes,Cossaks,Slovaks etc.

My favorite are Artizan. Go with metal plastic figures are shite.

d88 I would send those Perry metals back and get them swapped. I got a batch and the castings were fine. Offensive Miniatures also do German Paras, 8th Army and Italians and match Perry's well for size as do the Foundry WW2, most of which were sculpted by the Perry's when they worked there.
My collection has figures from most manufacturers including Warlord, Perry, Foundry, BTD (although they were Harlequin when I bought them), 1st Corps, Gorgon, Offensive Miniatures, Artizan, Crusader, TAG, Company B, Heer 46, Eureka, Baker Company, Plastic Soldier Company and even some of the old Easy Eight figures. I have metal and plastic figures. I find the plastics are good for conversions. They all mix fine. I don't have any Empress Miniatures WW2 yet, I have some moderns from them. Very impressed with the look of the WW2 Americans they have just released. The only figures I wouldn't buy as they don't mix well are Victory Force. They are significantly out of scale with the other ranges to make mixing a problem for me – YVMV. I also don't have any Gothic Line, not because I think they are bad or wouldn't mix, just haven't done armies for the ranges they produce.
Vehicles are a similar eclectic mix. Warlord, JTFM, Army Group North, Company B, Blitzkreig Miniatures, Rubicon and Mad Bob.

I think sometimes a cohesive 'look' can be an advantage. SWMBO's Falschirmjagers and Burma Sikhs are all Warlord and look really great, OTH her Vietnam Americans look fabulous as individuals but the styles vary enough that she's taken to dividing them into platoon more or less by manufacturer.

Most of my 28mm WW2 figures are Crusader (I have all of the WW2 sets), Artizan, TAG, and some Bolt Action, with a few Perry mixed in or West Wind, or Company B, or small amounts of others.

Most vehicles now are all 1/56 28mm with the largest by Bolt Action, but mixed in are JTFM, Army Group North, a few Mad Bob trucks, Blitzkrieg (North Africa), and 1st Corp jeeps (great).

I am really liking the new plastic kits from Bolt Action, and PSC, and Rubicon, which I have painted up a few, or even the Bolt Action battle ready tanks.

We will be starting a Kickstarter on Tuesday, May 9th at 11am for our new 28mm WW2 Range. The range covers the U.S. Army infantry (M41 uniform) and support weapons and German infantry and support weapons for the earlier part of the war.

The Kickstarter pricing will be very attractive and with several options on larger packages. There are Early Bird deals and many rewards as we push past our initial funding goal.

And…

We will be shipping in July, with backers being able to pickup at Historicon.

It is a short campaign so get in early.

I will post a link here and everywhere tomorrow.

-
Lon
BrigadeGames.com

Kickstarter link -

big update on additional stretch goals later today

link

I should clarify this "We will be starting a Kickstarter on Tuesday, May 9th at 11am for our new 28mm WW2 Range. The range covers the U.S. Army infantry (M41 uniform) and support weapons and German infantry and support weapons for the earlier part of the war."

The earlier part of the war I was referring to the beginning of the U.S. involvement in Europe and North Africa.

The Germans in the range are late war German Infantry.

Sorry for any confusion.

I'm working on 1944-45 European theater (both Western Europe and Italy). I've had lots of fun painting West Wind 'Berlin or Bust' figures (manufactured and sold here in the USA by Old Glory Corp.). Some of the poses are a little over the top, but by and large I've been satisfied with them. I really prefer metal minis over plastic too, and you cannot beat the price with the Old Glory card.

For UK: westwindproductions.co.uk
For USA: link

Any recommendation on which range(s) are best if aiming for 1/48 scale rather than the 1/56 of Warlord Games?
I've got a fair few 1/48 and even 1/43 vehicles and I'm looking for small numbers of US, British, and German troops (all late war, Western Europe) to go with them.
Thanks…

Somebody – Renegade maybe? – makes figures that are called 28mm but are much bigger; far too big to sit with my warlord/artizan/crusader minis, so maybe that would work for you?.

I prefer Crusader Miniatures.

There are firms that make figures for 1/48.
link
link
link
Tamiya do a range of figure sets designed to go with their 1/48 tank models.
link
And these guys have just done a Kickstarter to fund some 1/48 figures which should be on sale early next year.
1-48tactic.com

I wonder what the OP actually went with in the end….?

I have Warlord plastics, Warlord metals, Crusader metals, Artizan metals, Bad Squiddo metals, and 1st Corp metals. All are very nice in their own right but the plastics aren't brilliant – they are time consuming to assemble and can get frustrating. I prefer metals. Beware of Black Tree Design, I placed an order over 3 weeks ago and they have not replied to the messages I sent them requesting an ETA once the 3 week mark came around.

Spread your cash and love around and keep all of these guys and more going. Let them know they are all loved!

Oh and welcome to a proper wargaming period!

I have 8 of the brand new Empress German Volksgrenadiers and they are fantastic figures.

I have a very large collection and recommend Artizan, Crusader, Warlord / Bolt Action as they are all compatible. Black Tree are similar size but the sculpt quality varies a lot. Some are brilliant, others not. Perry are quite small in comparison with all of the others.

I have Brigade Games and TAG for the Pacific War and they are good too.