"What’s the oldest miniature you still field?" Topic

What's the oldest miniature you still put on the table? Not the oldest you own — the one that still regularly sees action.

Mine has chipped paint, a shine no modern varnish can explain and has fought under more rule sets than I can remember: a Hinton Hunt Napoleon, moulded as a one piece figure on a horse

You get bonus points if it's older than the rules you're currently using it with.

Extra credit if it's survived lead rot, house moves, and at least one rules ‘rewrite'.

And why can't you bring yourself to retire it?

I fail on some of your bonus points but I have and still have some figures from the early 70's and I still use them with rules from the same period.

Easy – a goodly number of Napoleonettes, French purchased 1980, plus for some reason I bought a Napoleonettes British command/personality pack (despite not having a British army).

Their numbers have swelled recently with some more French line (new old stock so 1982ish at the latest) and Prussian and Russian commanders

"Strip" Minifigs French line infantry, purchased and original paint job 1975, since repainted and rebased (twice). Besides their sentimental value to me (and they were joined by quite a few other "strip" brethren in the next 3-4 years, who all also regularly take the field), one can never really have enough line infantry can one?

My original from 1981, they are old veterans now
Minifig 2 and Heritage

Airfix Napoleonics, Union Cavalry, and WWI British converted to Mexican War from the late 60s.

That would be my Custom Cast and Heritage Lord of the Rings figs. They're from 76 to 80. Also my Der Kriegspieler Naps. Just as old and were last used a couple of months ago. The are much older than my rule set Valour and Fortitude. They are veterans of multiple house moves and a variety of rules.

Thanks.

John

I have Airfix Napoleonics going back to about 1977 and acquired Airfix ACW some years older.

My oldest that still see the tabletop are from the early 80's, so I am a youngster I guess. At least compared to you 70's guys. I sold my Heritage 15mm Confederette ACW armies (much to my sorrow now) in the 90's and replaced them with Old Glory 15mm ACW which still see action. The 80's figures are Minifigs 15mm Crusades range figures.

Three 12-man units of German WWI Lancers from Jack Scruby 1961

1970s Airfix Union infantry face off against newer other 1/72 plastics. Also 1970s Grenadier and Dragontooth fantasy miniatures still engage in dungeon crawls, and my 1970s Minifig Napoleonics are on the bench to be rebased for AoE and Napoleon's Battles

Probably my Mythical Earth Huorns (large and small) which I keep thinking about repainting as they are comically bad.

Glovers Marbleheaders, 30mm Jack Scruby 1960

70's Peter Laing 15 mm Normans still fight on my battlefields

My Mike's Models Parliamentarian and Royalist armies. Bought back in 1987. First wargame figures I ever owned and the first I ever painted too! See action about 1-2 times a year with 1644 rules.

My original D&D character figure shows up in various medieval/fantasy skirmish games. He's a Minifigs English 100-year War man-at-arms in chainmail, with shield, helmet and mace, which matched my cleric's equipment.

It's a nice reminder of how much better I've gotten at painting.

For lead miniatures my Westfalen corps of Minfig 25mm. Painted in 1976-77 and still as sharp as my latest painting and black lining. Twice rebased. Used for my Napoleonic rules since their creation and painting. For plastic I have a collection of WW2 20mm or 1/76 Airfix painted and they go back into the early seventies. Currently rebased for FOW Ver 3.

For most recent… units of Palmyra cavalry and camels for Clash of Empires 25/28mm gaming. Finished in December 2025.

My 1973-ish Airfix Ancient Brits still provide back ranks for my 25/28mm Ancient Brits and/or Gallic army.

The Airfix Romans of similar age have not been used for years but I have recently refurbished them for re-use.

Probably my old 15mm Confederates, which are I think about 45 years old and still kickin'

I also have a few ancient GW figs about the same age as well as some of the original beckie Marines from about 1986

From John: " I still play with quite a few AWI regiments from the late 70s and early 80s.
The 38th Foot being the oldest, and 1st Maryland."

Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles (with Graf Spee as their original foe), CnC lead models.

All the Brits have seen action in the Med and Pacific since the mid 1970's.

Started with Seekreig IV, moved on to GQ1/2, and now play mainly GQ3. Kept these through moves through three cities.

What a cracking set of replies — clearly a lot of veterans still reporting for duty. I thought there might be just inertia keeping old figures in the ranks but clearly nostalgia is the chief reason.

I'm struck by how many of these figures must have survived not just decades of gaming, but multiple house moves, rebasing campaigns, and entire generations of rules. Jack Scruby, Airfix, Minifigs, Heritage, Peter Laing… proper old soldiers.

It also seems once a figure has earned its place on the table, it never really retires — it just gets promoted to "too experienced to replace".

Thanks all — keep them coming if there are more old campaigners lurking in the lead or plastic piles.

These! Some date from the early 1970s…

Skytrex models.

I have a Navwar 1/3000 Blucher in resin from the mid-seventies. It is somewhat yellow from the original matte coating but has fought many times over 50 years.

Heritage Confederates

I got them back in the late 80s.

I have some beautiful "S" range Napoleonic French and British Napoleonics….Glossy and starting to yellow.
I love them.

I have a bunch of the original Martian Metals Ogre miniatures from 1979 that still make it onto the table occasionally.

Custom Cast Confederals and Minifig Napoleonic Brunswickers circa 1976. And I recently have been playing with Dragon Tooth Saurian and Crocodylian figures I first painted in 1977.

That's quite an impressive list, you've all compiled.

But how many of these veterans still look perfectly at home alongside newer figures?

I'm assuming it doesn't matter to you or else you wouldn't keep using them but do any of yours regularly march alongside much newer castings without anyone really noticing or commenting?