"28mm figures for Armies in East Africa 1914-18?" Topic

Hello everyone,
Please which manufactures have 28mm figure ranges for Armies in East Africa 1914–18?
Thank you.

Brigade Games, HLBSC, and Battle Honours have dedicated East Africa Lines. Check out Tiger Miniatures, Copplestone, Tin Soldier and Woodbine for additional British and German figures that could also be co-opted.

I could be wrong, but think the BH figures may be Paul Hicks sculpts, from back before he became the celebrity he is today?

Maha, you are correct. They were done by Soapy and Paul back in the day.

I have some of the Brigade Games figures, still unpainted. They are nicely done sculpts.

Jim

Askari Miniatures

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Not familiar with the 28 mm offerings but if you are willing to explore other options, take a look at QRF miniatures range for German East Africa. Troops for India, the British, the KAR, the Germans, and the Askari already released. Portugese, Belgian, Ruga-ruga, porters, and more pending. And they will be releasing 'scenics' to go along with Africa (non-period specific so useful far beyond GEA) – I have an advance peek at at least one of the scenics but don't want to give anything away until properly announced. I have bought in to this manufacturer in a relatively big way for this period, last I plan to add to my miniatures collections.

Zimbabwe puts you relatively close on the ground for visiting the real theater. Not sure the impact of shipping from UK to there.

Yes that QRF ranges looks really good in 15mm. And going smaller in scale offers a lot of advantages. Lots of pics on the QRF site.

Yes that QRF ranges looks really good in 15mm.

I'm surprised you think that considering how crappy and blurry those pictures look. But judging from the chunkiness of the sculpts, I guess they're the handiwork of Martin Baker?

Having virtually all of the GEA figures already released by QRF in hand, I can assure they are nice figures. The only legitimate criticism one might make is that the poses are similar across the range but I am certain that is a factor of using the same sculptor dollies for each set and then adding pertinent details. However, that dollies approach saves the company and the sculptor a vast amount of work and permits the variety that is already available – with more to come – in a much shorter time frame. And QRF is hardly the only company to follow this approach – and without this approach we would have a much narrow choice of options all over the miniatures gaming universe.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, my opinion is that QRF have offered we gamers a wonderful range of figures that I don't think is matched for completeness by any other range in any other scale for GEA – including the nice range from Pendraken in 10 mm.

So, Maha, can you please list for us which other ranges provide the same completeness of offering for GEA from one company? And if you are going to say the completeness is available from different companies then, I'm sure, others will want to know how they match up to each other so please include that information as well. I'm sure it will be appreciated by those who don't want to go the QRF way.

Thank you to all, me, it's only the 28mm that interests me and by chance, there will not be a specific rule for this particular theater of operation?

Lots of figurines that look good, but which are compatible with which.

And there is even a specific rule with Brigade Games.

Lots of figurines that look good, but which are compatible with which.

You're in luck, Paskal – just head over to this blog for top paintjobs and some very divine scratchbuilding. There is also a good compatibility guide here.

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And if you are going to say the completeness is available from different companies then, I'm sure, others will want to know how they match up to each other so please include that information as well.

Not being a Games Workshop fanboi, I have no trouble going through the "extra" hassle of ordering from a variety of manufacturers and helping spread economic prosperity to all. Plus the wonderful thing about 28mm is its sheer popularity, which has resulted in different companies paying top dollar for the same talented sculptors, which in so far as East Africa is concerned means Mike Owen and Mark Copplestone.

But if you are looking for a one-stop shop, Brigade Games would be the way to go. As a manufacturer they have all of the main troop types covered except for the Portuguese, from German sailors and Sikh infantry to Belgian askaris and the Nigerian Brigade, to say nothing of the giraffes and rhinos. Moreover, as a shop they stock both North Star and Copplestone, great sources for European militias and African porters and irregulars, as well as wildlfe.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, my opinion is that QRF have offered we gamers a wonderful range of figures that I don't think is matched for completeness by any other range in any other scale for GEA – including the nice range from Pendraken in 10 mm.

Very commendable of QRF and definitely an approach all other manufacturers should aspire to. But the original poster was very clear in specifying 28mm from the very first, so not sure why it's worth shilling another scale here, especially since said fellow has ruled out 15mm in a follow-up reply?

Thank you Maha Bandula,

So Brigade Games is doing everything in 28mm for this theater of operation except the Portuguese?

Where to find the Portuguese in figurines compatible with the Brigade Games?

Maha, for scales I only like 28mm, so that when army does not exist in 28mm, I deprive myself of it even if it exists in 15mm, like the Mughals of the 16th century.

Paskal, the Portuguese active participation was fairly limited (and the first act was incorrect, fighting before their country declared war against Germany!). It is possible to live without the Portuguese and do most of the theater's actions.

Having said that, without the German portion of the campaign within Portuguese territories, GEA would have been over a good year earlier and perhaps von Lettow-Vorbeck's reputation as the "German who never lost" wouldn't exist – even if he didn't lose but just surrendered. Who knows?

Of course, a large portion of the fighting at that stage was done by the Africans – even with the Portuguese, though they had a higher proportion of metropolitan troops from Portugal (if memory serves).