"Troop Choices - WWII 25mm & 28mm Scales?" Topic

I've been away from these scales, for Western/Eastern Europe in WWII for a while now, and it appears there are more figure options than when I stopped collecting/painting them, so would appreciate an update on who is making figures in these scales now.

I am aware of some, but probably not of many others:

25mm

Battle Honors (translation for my UK brethren Battle Honours)

Westwind Berlin or Bust range (supposedly smaller 28mm figs in height, from what I've read – more heft to them than the BH figs)

28mm

Black Tree Designs

Brigade

Perry (who knew they made these? – alas, no US troops yet, but I see they do American vehicles, so perhaps there is hope)

Warlord

Others?

Please, if you can, when listing others, provide info on scale/size, overall pose and weapons quality, casting quality, compatibility, etc., etc., if you own, or have seen them. It'd also be helpful to know which figs from different ranges match up with others.

I'm especially interested in some dynamically posed, Russian/Soviet, and mid-late war German tank hunters equipped with teller mines, multi-headed or A/T grenades, limpet mines, molotov cocktails, satchel charges, etc., for close-in work vs. tanks.

Of course, other dynamically posed figs with bazookas, panzerfausts, panzerschrecks, PIATS, and RPGs would be appreciated too, especially if there are several in a pack of tank hunters, in varying poses, e.g. firing from different positions, walking and carrying the weapons, etc..

General opinions as to which companies make the best figs with the most pose variety, and requisite weapons mixes for creating squads/platoons would be appreciated too.

28mm

Crusader Miniatures

Artizan Designs

Great Escape Games

1st Corps (but they are bigger being 1/48 scale)

Thanks for those.

I ran across Empress too, which have superb looking sculpts.

28mm
Offensive Miniatures, very compatible with the Perry's line. offensiveminiatures.com
Gorgon Studios link
Gothic Line gothicline.webs.com
May ‘40 Miniatures may40miniatures.com
Heer 46 link
Iron Cross Miniatures ironcrossminiatures.com/shop
Wargames Foundry link
These are all primarily miniature figure makers, but they do a few vehicles.
Firms that make 1/56 vehicles and possibly a few figures.
Rubicon rubiconmodels.com
Mad Bob Miniatures madbobminiatures.co.uk
JTFM diewaffenkammer.com
Army Group North Miniatures agnminiatures.com
Trenchworx trenchworx.com
Blitzkrieg Miniatures blitzkriegminiatures.com they also make 1/48 vehicles.

Offensive Miniatures, Foundry and Iron Cross are at the slimmer end of the range and match Perry's. Heer 46 are at the chunkier end like Warlord. Don't have any Gothic, Gorgon or May ‘40. Be aware that the figures Rubicon do are true 1/56 scale and smaller and much slimmer than any of the other ranges of figures.

Perry (who knew they made these? – alas, no US troops yet, but I see they do American vehicles, so perhaps there is hope)

Perrys have sculpted a set of plastic US infantry, which is currently being tooled at Renedra – likely release date somewhere in the late spring.

Presumably this release will be followed by a series of additional metal packs.

Rubicon is showing some infantry packs: link

I don't won any, so I can't comment on size et. al. It looks like they are very realistically proportioned.

Great Escape Games minis are just repackaged minis from Artizan Designs and Crusader.

Others to consider are Wargames Foundry, Victory Force, Chiltern Miniatures (now SHQ) and Renegade Miniatures in metal and PSC and Wargames Factory in plastic.

1st Corps. is considered to be 28mm, not 1/48. Only Northstar made 1/48 gaming figures for this period. 1st Corps. figures are just chunkier than most other 28mm figures. Only Chiltern's are bigger in fact.

Great Escape Games minis are just repackaged minis from Artizan Designs and Crusader.

No they are not. They have their own line of Romanians both summer and winter uniforms, Hungarians and winter Italians. They also sell Crusader and Artizan.

Others to consider are Wargames Foundry, Victory Force, Chiltern Miniatures (now SHQ) and Renegade Miniatures in metal and PSC and Wargames Factory in plastic.

Didn't know SHQ got the Chiltern line. Big chunky figures with massive guns, not really compatible with any other ranges. Wargames Factory are pretty hard to get now and not great sets IMHO. Shame PSC didn't do more 28mm, I think it just the Russian infantry, heavy weapons and 45mm guns they do. Renegade are not currently trading, firm is on an indefinite hiatus according to info on the Lead Adventure forum.

Here you go, a few here to investigate…

link

Thank you for all the suggestions.

Lots of ones I've missed mentioned here.

Time to do a bit more research.

Does anybody know with which figures the Empress figures can be compared?
The new british seems great!

Doh! One range I completely forgot about. The Assault Group.
theassaultgroup.co.uk
Figures match Warlord, Artizan etc.

Does anybody know with which figures the Empress figures can be compared?

Yes. Empress are compatible with Perry's, Foundry (sculpted by the Perry's when they were there), Offensive Miniatures, Battle Honours, Brigade and Iron Cross Miniatures. I think they would be ok with Great Escape Games own ranges, but I only have the winter Romanians, which being in winter gear are a bit chunkier. Maybe others, but I don't have any Gothic Line, Gorgon or May ‘40 Miniatures. Warlord, Heer 46, Artizan, Crusader, BTD and 1st Corps match quite well and a bit bigger although I mix them on the table with the other ranges without problems. Victory Force are tall, but nicely proportioned, Chiltern (now SHQ) are big, chunky figures with massive heads and guns. One thing to mention about Warlord is that the various sets are variable in bulk. The personality sets, such as the Home Guard and Kelly's Heroes and the early war SS are much slimmer than the bulk of the ranges.

Wartime for 28mm Japanese and Australian