GHQ

10mm Napoleonics

by Rob Hamper

GHQ has been around since 1967 and specialise in ranges of very small figures. Best known for their Micro Armour® 1:285th scale military vehicles, they have been building a 10mm Napoleonic “Waterloo” line under the Rebellion “! label, of which The Courier received a large selection for review.

While obviously bigger than 6mm, the figures are still dauntingly small. However, GHQ has done a tremendous job in rendering detail on their creations. You can actually see fringes, buttons and eyes. The figures are also very well proportioned and herein lies their strength.

While their small size allows large units to be turned out more quickly and cheaply, they do not lose any sense of scale. All features, including extremities such as bayonets, swords and hands, are in proper ratio, something the smaller 6mm lines cannot really achieve. The GHQ figures measure out at a perfect 10M on the Barrett scale.

The cavalry are very well done with lifelike shape and dimensions. There is loads of detail to paint including muscle tone, leatherwork and buckles and horseshoes! A comparison of “heavy” and “light” horses showed that there was no difference between “weights” of the animals.

In point of fact, there are only three different horse sculptures to represent the cavalry types of all the armies. Every cavalry package gets a quantity of each pose. The correct horse furniture (the valise, shabraque etc) for the specific mounted type differentiates these generic horses. While this is not undesirable for most gamers, it does lend an unlikely uniformity to your units. Even a small difference such as “opposite knee raised” would be appreciated. Where horses’ tails should be docked, (e.g. Scot’s Grey’s) you’ll have to do it yourself; easily accomplished with nail clippers.

The infantry are similarly designed. All infantry are sculpted as “advancing” and this field pose is given in three different versions. An infantry package will therefore have three different advancing poses. For a growing line of miniatures, this is an acceptable compromise between the staid marching pose and the nominally useful charging pose. I would like to see more variety, such as a firing pose, but that’s a personal taste.

There are few casting lines, if any, to be found. The heaviest will be noticed on the horses, while there is virtually none on the soldiers. There is usually some flashing to be removed on most figures. Cavalry riders in particular have a large block between the legs which must be cut away. That being said, I managed an average of only a couple of minutes of preparation on each horse; the soldiers requiring even less.

What will take some time is the careful re-shaping of the bent and curled extremities such as plumes, muskets and swords. The pewter metal is quite soft and requires care and attention to restore the bits to the intended shape. The contortions are a result of being released from the mold and from the packing and shipping process. On the plus side, the pewter is very strong and generally doesn’t break. Also, GHQ guarantees the figures, so if any arrive broken you can contact the company and they will send replacements.

However, this shouldn’t be a problem. Of the 50 or so troopers I closely examined, not one had a broken feature even though all the horsemen did require some “smithing” on their swords. This can be achieved by using a pin to lift the bent sword and then, with your fingertips, work it back into shape. You’ll have to do similar work on the majority of the infantry.

Painting the figures is not as hard as one might think. I tried my hand at a few to satisfy my curiosity. I thinned my paint slightly more than usual so as not to obscure the detail, but not so thin as to run. The great thing is that it’s basically a block painting style. Shading and highlights are pointless at this scale. I used only a very thin primer to start, followed by a light black wash for the nooks and crannies. The small surface area means that a loaded brush can be used on at least a couple of figures before you have to dip again. I used Vallejo paints and a number 0 Vallejo brush with excellent results and I consider myself to be a mediocre painter.

The knock against the line in the past was that it was of limited scope but in the past year GHQ has added 11 new series for the three main armies of the battle. The Prussians, late as always, have finally made an appearance! Cavalry units have also been added, albeit only for the French and British so far.

While there are significant gaps in the OOB’s, GHQ is currently working on expansion designs. Furthest ahead is the revamping of the artillery sections for all three armies. According to Jim Moffat at GHQ, the Prussian cavalry will be next with figures for the Dutch-German allies to possibly follow.

The figures come in packs of 50 for infantry and 24 for the cavalry for $17.50. Interestingly, the older French and British lines have separate command packs while the new Prussian lines have the command elements included. Command packs go for $9.95 for nine figures. Artillery packs are similarly priced and include two guns and crews.

These figures are well suited for gaming. They are of sufficient detailing so as to create impressively painted armies and their diminutive size allows for the grand spectacle that the smaller 6mm are known to give, in this case, with better detail and clarity. I’m looking forward to watching this line grow.

Figures can be ordered from the better hobby shops,www.ghqmodels.com or from the company direct: GHQ, 28100 Woodside Rd. Shorewood, MN 55331 or Call 612-374-2693.

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