"1/200: Skytrex / Warlord Games in Partnership" Topic

(Posting here, in response to comments on the 'Skytex & Warlord Games Now In Partnership' Topic Header.)

There are SOME pics of 1/200 on the Skytrex site, but nowhere near enough and some that are there do not seem to do the minis justice as the paint jobs sometimes appear very heavily applied.
Some of the moulds have definitely been replaced/revamped, eg, the M10 now shares the more detailed hull of the M36 and think the PzIV has a new hull. Sadly, the Churchill I. which does seem to be a new sculpt, is larger than the Churchill VII!.
Detail can vary and is basic, anyway. Not in same class as GHQ 1/285…BUT, I bought into 1/200 because they ARE BIGGER…to use without bases alongside some 6mmm or 1/285 infantry based on coins.
Being just that much larger, Skytrex 1/200 are more easy to 'work on' cleaning/'nicking in' track links/adding Commander and hatches…and also adding stowage/cammo.

1/300 stowage from H&R looks good. Tank command 'heads' from Skytrex Brit R Marines in Beret or Paras for Beret/helmet…Afrika Korps for German Field Cap. Some very fine sand on superglue makes for good cammo! Applying decals should be a bit less fiddly than in 1/285, too!

Where some of the pieces Do suffer, is in the turret proportions. They are ok if you are not that pernicketty about accuracy, but often belong the 'old style' microarmour camp from the 1980s…just a little 'squashed' or elongated…definitely useable though! (Apart from the 2 hatch T34 which is TERRIBLE!).
However, I personally have been gradually, re-turreting many of the pieces with turrets 'as 'special orders' from Butlers Printed Models. These are slightly 'small' and may have a rough finish in places…but profiles are often better to MY eyes. However, the Skytrex hulls need drilling and filing out to take the Butlers turrets! This is what I am currently engaged in…and as my 'hobby time' is extremely limited, that is why I cannot yet show any pics of finished models!!

LOL! I initially bought just a few Skytrex with the intent of VERY small, 'troop level'combats in Normandy…using resin Bocage hedging and 6mm Buildings which looks great to me. THEN, I started to 'detail/add stowage/commanders', etc. So bought some more! THEN I got some Eastern Front T34s, which do benefit from a bit of light work, carving…and adding grab-handles, etc..so bought MORE! THEN, I asked Butlers if they could produce special orders up-scaled to 1/200, 8mm from 6mm…yes. These are slightly smaller than Skytrex but can work together pretty well.. and they can supply 'Turret Only'…
So. NOW, I have LOADS of Skytrex, Butlers…and MY personal favourite 'hybrids' with Skytrex hull/Butlers turret…all to 'do'…clean, drill out, add stowage/commander…and maybe even paint/add markings, etc!!!
THEN, there are the INFANTRY..Skytrex's limited range..together with some of the larger, (6mm figs vary!), figures from GHQ, Scotia, Ground Force (from Magister Militum) and now have some Adler on order! All to do! And "Tharsands of 'em!" lol.
AND scenery!!!
My eyes and fingers will probably 'go' before all done! And, I have also, masses of stuff in other scales!!!

I must add that Both Skytrex and Butlers have been excellent firms to deal with, in ordering, delivery and customer service.
I wonder what the Warlord Games 'Partnership' may bring?

When Warlord took over Bolt Action Miniatures they got rid of all the original BAM figures. Hope that does not happen here.

HH!

Thanks for taking the 'reins' here, and posting your excellent intro to the Skytrex 1/200th miniatures, along with delving into your customizing work and targeted ordering through Butlers.

As another 1/144th scale fan, I've got a ton of these, but interestingly, was also looking to a slightly smaller scale to do a similar tactical infantry project with – though have resisted the scale creep and stayed with 1/144th so far (pics below). Still, I look to the 1/200, 1/160, 1/285, even the 1/600th scales as other sizes to play games with when the forces are organized as KGs, Task Forces, or from around the command level of reinforced companies and upwards.

Hopefully, Warlord will want to build a ruleset around their newly acquired 1/200th scale line (it's something they've demonstrated they can do as a business concept). If so (and could be years away of course), there's probably little that might keep gamers from using these other scales with such a ruleset.

HH, would still love to see some pics of your Skytrex collection!

Anyway, here images from my 1/144th scale stuff for this infantry-centric WWII project (working right now on two terrain boards to take this tactical level of combat to the Eastern Front, w/new 4' X 4' temperate and winter tables) –

FlyXwire. Wow! Your stuff looks fantastic! Not sure whether it would be worth your while to go for 1/200 as vehicles aren't THAT much smaller…and there is a problem over Infantry…having to find suitably compatible figs from 6mm sources to 'beef up' forces.

Rather think that for 'larger forces'…KGs, etc. ,1/285 may be a better option. GHQ have great detail…it just depends on whether you would wish to glue/pin turrets and base vehicles or not. Skytrex 1/200 would need work to put on the table comparably to your 1/144 stuff!
In either scale, your hedges would work fine for NWE!

If you are intending to go for Eastern Front, Skytrex 1/200 are rather 'dated' in appearance…hence MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE for Skytrex/Butlers hybrids. I like the 'chunkiness' of the metal hull with a very slightly 'small' but better proportioned turret for T34s, KVs, Panthers, etc. The Skytrex T34s share a common hull…with 'dustbin' fuel tanks…so not good for pre-Kursk. Butlers, scaled up from 6mm to 1/200 8mm as a special, would be much more accurate. For me, they 'feel' a little 'light'…and as the 'ride height' is slightly lower than the Skytrex hulls, I hope to use Butlers for 'Winter' snowfields…or for pre-Kursk. EVENTUALLY! LOL!

Another LOL! I have now got an VS electric drill…and drilling Skytrex hulls to take Butlers turrets…with hand filing to finish to size…has just got A LOT easier! Have just done a troop of the non-catalogue Chrchills III-VI/VII with less hassle than one…and I like the result…so have ordered MORE LOL!
Maybe a Warlord revamp of the Skytrex catalogue might be a bonus! Just Hope that 1/200 will not go as a low seller!

Thanks HH!

Love hearing about your 1/200th modding and model adaptions here.

I did once have a sizable GHQ collection of over 3500 vehicles which I sold to a friend a couple years ago, and also passed along a 3mm kit to another chum – doing multiple WW2 scales can be habit forming (sounds like you might also have that lead poisoning disease too….and now with early resin & 3D filament onset coming along). :)))

Way back in the '70s or early 1980s I remember running across a 1/200th scale line from a company called Mercator, that made pre-painted vehicles and with plastic infantry troops that were molded in strips (these were brought from Germany by Tractics author Mike Reese). It was love at first sight – for the scale and the models, but it would have been too difficult to try and acquire these at the time on my youngster's budget back then, so I went into 1/285th scale instead. Still, that 'middle-size' scale and those few early games we got to play with them still remains "back in the fog" as being such good times (one of the driving reasons I duplicated collecting in 1/144th scale I think).

One of our local gamers did buy a bit of the Mercator stuff when it was still available then, and supplemented it with Skytrex miniatures to fill in the gaps (that must have been 35-40 years ago)! I guess the 1/200th scale Skytrex line has weathered fairly well then – surely some sculpts having been updated over this time too.

Fun to see new potential for the scale and for this model line maybe getting renewed attention by some others (all sort of seems – 'back to the future')….. I hope so, if just for the segment's possibilities.