Perhaps more than any other period in history, the Napoleonic Wars pose the wargamer with the problem of scale.

For some the choice is clear, Napoleonic wargaming means recreating the grand battles of the period, hundreds of battalions on the tabletop, pitting corps against corps in a refight of Leipzig or Borodino.

To others the attraction lies in gallant stands by individual battalions, identifying with particular units. Not for them the grand tactical - it's the divisional action for them.

The majority, however, fall somewhere in the middle. Wargamers who would like to play at both levels. This can create difficulties, not just with the scale of battle, but the figures used.

For the grand tactical the small 6mm figures come into their own, few of us have the space to refight a Waterloo on our normal wargames table using 15mm or 25mm figures, unless you adopt the system of scaling down the size or number of battalions, both of which give less than satisfactory results.

In single corps or divisional games 15mm or 25mm figures are usually more suitable, somehow 6mm battalions just don't have the same character as their larger cousins.

Recently, however, a new scale has started to emerge which may be the answer to those who want the best of both worlds - the 10mm figure. In America, where 6mm never really took off, wargamers have been able to take advantage of this scale for many years now.

The 10mm figure is small enough to allow most wargamers to play on the grand tactical scale without worrying too much about restrictions of space, while retaining just enough character to satisfy the individualists.

One company to take the plunge into this scale over here is Wargames South, who, in a relatively short space of time, have built quite a respectable range of figures across several periods.

As Wargames South's figures are generally of the same standard I do not propose a code by code review, but rather an overview of the range.

Detail is good without being over the top. Crossbelts, plumes and equipment are all there but you should not be put off by thinking you can't paint in this scale, the majority of each figure is quite plain. A simple one colour coat of paint is enough to bring them to life, although, like all the best figures, the good painters can add that little extra in shading and highlighting to get the most from them.

The best way to paint the figures is with a black undercoat, a technique I detailed last issue. Surprisingly the figures don't actually take much longer than a 6mm figure to paint and should be much easier for wargamers put off trying to paint 1:300 scale.

The figures are in campaign dress which I prefer making them more suitable as wargames figures. The poses are good, with slight variations in head and leg positions giving a nice touch of variety to a unit. Personally I think the marching figures have the edge over their advancing counterparts for detail and realism of pose. That, however, should not put anyone off the advancing figures, the new British advancing figure is a little stunner.

Like every new company working with a new designer, the figures do improve as time goes on. The later figures are vastly superior in detail to the earlier ones. For example, the British marching figure is a little rough but I am told that these early castings are to be redesigned to the new standards which are very high indeed. I have just seen some of the new highlanders which are really excellent.

The figures are cleanly cast in good quality metal with no discernible flash. The only problem here is that on some of the figures I have the bayonets were missing, this is less of a problem in this scale than it would be in larger figures.

At eight pence for foot these figures are not cheap, but I don't think wargamers will be buying them on cost grounds. Their market lies much more with those who see the scale as the main advantage and then again you won't have to produce armies in two scales to fight different types of game.

The range is reasonably comprehensive and if you want to fight Peninsular battles there is no problem. Not surprisingly for a company at this stage in its development, however, there are still some gaps. At the moment they produce French, Austrian and British, but there are no French cuirassier, Bavarians or Austrian heavy cavalry.

If there is going to be a stumbling block to wargamers taking up this scale in a big way it may be the limited choice of troops at this stage and the worry over how long it will be before they can get the figures they need for their armies. I would be interested to hear the company's plans for future releases and dates.

I fear Wargames South may be diversifying their ranges too quickly before consolidating the ones they have. Recently, for example, they released a range of medievals - which as an aside are absolutely superb - perhaps filling some of the gaps in their Napoleonic range may have been more welcomed.

Wargames South have produced some excellent figures in a scale which may become the standard for wargaming in the future as the cost of larger figures continues to rise. I will want to see how long it will be before I can buy all the figures I need for my armies and their opponents before I decide to commit myself to them.

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