INTRODUCTION This article represents the second installment in a series which first appeared in The Courier a few issues back (see Vol. IX, No.5). That article apparently struck some responsive chords due to the high rating it received in the Volley Fire report for that issue, and because of comments and questions I've received since writing it. In some cases, manufacturers have contacted me asking why their figures were left out of the first article, and then supplied me with figures for the next survey. 25mm Western Gunfight Figures. PASS OF THE NORTH ON left, DIXON on right. 20mm WWII figures. ULSTER on left, HINCHLIFFE on right. I assure you the readers that no manufacturer was left out intentionally. A few major figure manufacturers are still not represented on the list. Any manufacturer wanting to take advantage of this service can forward samples to me through the Courier. Dick Bryant and I both feel this should not extend to figures smaller than 15mm nor larger than 30mm. The purpose of this installment is to continue reporting on the size of wargame figures available on today's market. By doing so, I hope to help those wargamers who are trying to find new figures and releases that will be compatible with their existing armies. If this report succeeds in helping anyone to avoid purchasing mismatches then it will have been well worth preparing. It must be stated at the outset that I do not intend for any of what I report on to be a critique on any manufacturer's line of figures. In addition and some people misunderstood the intent of the first article in this series I am not trying to impose a new way of marketing wargame figures by having manufacturers redo fines of figures in order to keep in step with a new ruling. I am, however, in favor of advertisers being more honest in their ads because there is a lot of abuse. One dealer at the Cold Wars 92 convention actually admitted that even though the fine of figures he carried were large (30mm) they were being advertised as 25mm figures in order to compete. This is not necessarily news to anyone who has ordered unsuitable figures in the past, but it does represent the first time a dealer actually came out and admitted it to me. The measuring system I use is simple and can by used universally. It measures a wargame figure from the bottom of the feet not including the base and extends up to the eyeballs. This measurement is then reported in millimeters. Additionally, a hefty rating is applied. A code of H, M, or L is attached which translates as a Heavy, Medium, or Light build respectively. Simply stated, a figure with a 23M listing measures 23 millimeter from the bottom of his feet to the level of his eyeballs, and have been rated medium in thickness of body as compared with other figures on the market. Wargamers everywhere can then use the method to identify potential compatibility problems by measuring figures they already possess and comparing. One aspect of the listing has a new wrinkle. In some cases have added a measurement dealing with figures mounted on horses. This represents the distance between the bottom of the horse's hooves and the eyeballs of the rider. I did not give a heftiness rating to horses in this survey. The measurement listed did not give a heftiness rating to horses in this survey. The measurement listed for horse and riders together is in millimeters. For some mounted figures the system was not practical due to an intricate stance of the horse. In this case, only the measurement of the rider is given from the eyeball to the bottom of the rider's feet. Originally I had desired to report on lines of equipment, such as artillery, machine guns, vehicles, etc., in order to verify compatibility with figures. After all, who hasn't been vexed at some time by the oversized or undersized piece of ordnance or armor which supports our troops on the tabletop? I have since found that the project would be far too difficult and costly to complete by first collecting a range of equipment for the study, then applying a simple yet comprehensive measuring system. If anyone has any ideas to help us over some of those hurdles please contact us. The following list of figures has been collected and measured since the last article was written on this subject. Special notes will apply to some figures explaining any characteristics affecting their appearance on the wargame table exclusive of the measurement parameters. An example here may be an extremely thick base which does not affect the figures measurement, but will make the figure appear larger on the game table. Other notes identify the pack of figures measured or the figures individual number. NOTES 1. Several figures in the range were measured with no consistent measurement appearing Some were larger than others. Hefty ratings may differ within the range also. The measurements given represent the lowest and highest values. 2. Denotes a large percentage of the figures in the range are action poses (running, crouching, etc .) making it difficult to extract a consistent measurement for the grouping. This DOES NOT denote a liability for the range. 3. Combat Miniatures, MLR figures, and a large majority of Old Glory and Hotspur figures were all sculpted by Dave Allsop. 4. In order to be fair to Britannia Miniatures it must be stated that their figures are labeled as 25/30mm figures on the packaging. 5. Denotes some figures in the range came with separate heads which need to be attached to the body. The final head position may be slightly altered in height which may result in different measurements than those reported. 6. Denotes some horses with riders were cast as one piece while others in the range were cast separately. 7. Denotes only a few poses were measured and may not reflect the entire range of figures by that manufacturer. 8. Denotes a thicker base than the norm norm which makes the figure or horse appear larger on the tabletop. 9. Denotes a fine line of figures previously mentioned in the Reviewing Stand portion of Ile Courier. Readers must be cautioned that these listings have not been measured by the author using the official measuring device which is calibrated yearly and has received the blessing of The Courier's advertising manager, Tom Desmond. 15 MM PERIOD NOTES MEASUREMENT DAVCO: ACW C608 pack 14M EDITIONS BROKAW- MAR Infantry 14L Riders 141 SYW 15L ESSEX- Biblical Infantry 14MRiders 15MHorsc & Rider 23mm ANC Infantry 14-15MRiders 14-15MHorse & Rider (6) 22mm SYW Infantry 15MRiders; 15MHorse & Rider 23mmNAP Infantry 15HCommand Packs 15HRiders 16HHorse & Rider (6) 24mm ACW Infantry 15HRiders 15MHorsc & Rider (6) 23mm IRREGULAR: ACW 15H MINI FIGS: Crimea Infantry 15M Riders 14M OLD GLORY. NAP (1) 15-16M RANK & FILE: 19th Cent. IF 10 15MIP32 (Rider only) 16M RAL PARTHA. NAP (1977 date) 15L SOLDIERS & SWORDS: Crusaders Riders 17M Horse & Rider 25mm MED 14H ECW (7) 15M THISTLE & ROSE: ANC (1)16-17M MED Infantry 14-16M Riders 16- 17M Horse & Rider 25mm TWO DRAGONS: MED Vikings 13M Samurai Infantry 13M Riders 15M ULSTER. Western (9)15M20MM COMBAT MINIATURES: WWII (2) & (319M HINCHLIFFE: WWII (1) (8) Americans 21-23 L&M HINTON HUNT: NAP (8) Infantry 21 LRiders 19LHorsc & Rider (6) 32mm HOTSPUR: Spanish Civ War (2) 18-19M MATCHLOCK- WWII 18-19M MLR: WWII Russians 20M ULSTER WWII Russians 18-19M WARGAMES FOUNDRY. WWII (2) Resistance 20M (2)Germans; 19M 25MM PERIOD NOTES MEASUREMENT 25mm RAL PARTHA figure on left FRONT RANK FIGURE on right. ADVENTURE BOOKS & GAMES ACW (9) 26H BRITANNIA MINIATURES:NAP (4) Infantry 26-27H Riders 30H Western Dismounted Cav.29H Dismounted Indians 27H Mounted Indian 30H COL 26H CONNOISSEUR: Western Gunfight 27M CONSCRIPT: NAP (9) 29L DIXON:SYW (2) 23H French & Indian 24H Mexicans (2) 24H Texans (2) 23H ACW Infantry 23-24H Riders 26H Horse & Rider 38mm ELITE MIN: ANC 29M NAP (9) 29-31M ESSEX- Crusades Infantry 27H Riders 27H Horse & Rider 37mm Other MED 26H FALCON: ARW 24H FRONT RANK- ARW 2 poses (2)25H NAP (1) Infantry 27-29H Riders 28H Horse & Rider 40mm ACW (2) Infantry 24-25H Riders 25H Horse & Rider 39mm ECW Infantry 26-28H Riders 27H Horse & Rider 40mm IRREGULAR MED: Infantry 25H Riders 25H Horse & Rider 37mm ACW 25M OLD GLORY NAP: Infantry 28H Riders 28H Horse & Rider 43mm ACW (2) 26-29 M&H PASS OF THE NORTH: Mex Rev (2) Infantry 22-23H Horse & Rider 33mm RAFM: COL (5) Infantry 28M Riders 27M ACW Infantry 28M Riders 22M Western 28-29M ANC 28-29M RAL PARTHA. REN (7) Infantry 22-24L Rider 24M Horse & Rider 34mm REDOUBT MINIATURES: REN (9) 25L NAP (9) 28H SOLDIERS & SWORDS: MED 24-25 M STRATAGEM: 1700-1720 Infantry 25H Riders 23H JACOBITE:(I) 25-28H COL (1) 25-28H WARGAMES FOUNDRY. French Rev (2) Infantry 25MRiders 24M Horse & Rider 6mm 1812 (2) Infantry 24M(2) Infantry 24MRiders 24M Horse & Rider 36mm WWI (9) 25H KEY: ANC-Ancients, MED-Medieval, REN-Renaissance, ECW-English Civil War and 3OYears War, MAR-Marlborough, 7 YW-Seven Years War, ARW- American Revolution, NAP-Napoleonic, ACW- American Civil War, COL- Colonials, WWI-World War I, WWII-World War 2. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier # 59 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com