15mm and Smaller

1. Ros-Heroics: PO Box 26, Rectory Rd., Kent, BR3 1HA, England. 5 millimeter! Micro-Renaissance anyone? Folk swear that these little guys look really good when painted up and laid out on the table. I've yet to be convinced, but for those who are, the range includes; Landsknechnt, ECW/Thirty Years War and Marlburian.

2. Jack Scruby: 789 Main St., P.O. Box 1658, Cambria, CA 93428. Jack's line is small in both size and scope. Jack chose to do his figures in 9mm rather than 15mm, but the figures have a surprising amount of detail. The line includes figures for the ECW/Thirty Years War period, with a couple of Landsknechnt thrown in.

3. Mike's Models U.S.A.: G.P.O. Box 1854, New York, NY 10116. Probably the largest line available anywhere. You could field virtually any army in the period 1420-1650 with figures from this company. These small figures are packed with detail (sometimes too much), but the line lacks for nothing, and also includes a range of artiilery and equipment.

4. Jacobite Miniatures: Edgecote House Flat, Edgecote, Nr. Banbury, Oxon, England - Jacobite figures run about the same size as Mini Figs (i.e. 18mm), and include some well done Landsknechnt and ECW figures. The foot are quite good, but the cavalry leave much to be desired.

5. Freikorps 15's: 52 Chesterbrook Crescent, Newtonards, Co. Down BT 23 3QZ, N. Ireland. This is an extensive and rapidly growing range of true 15's, covering the period from about 1500 to 1650. The best feature of the line being the very energetic and well detailed cavalry.

6. Peter Laing Miniatures: Minden, Sutton St, Nicholas, Hereford HR1 38D, England - Laing is one of the originators of 15mm scale figures, as such he offers a large selection, covering the entire period from 1420-1700. They are basic wargame figures, and look much better painted up than bare.

7. Miniature Figurines LTD: Box P, Pine Plains, NY 12567. The overall quality, Mini Figs' super detailed 15's are without equal. Actually standing about18mm, the figures are well detailed and solid. The only problem with the range at present, are the static poses of the cavalry. The current offerings cover Eastern and Western Europe circa 1500-1590, and an ECW/Thirty Years War range.

8. Skytrex Limited: 28 Brook Street, Wymeswold Loughborough, Leicestershire, England - "Conquest" ECW Range; Skytrex is another of the myriad English companies producing quality 15mm figures. This is their first effort in Pike and Shot, offering the wargamer a small range of basic ECW/Thirty Years War types.

25MM FIGURES

Under this general heading you will find figures measuring from 23mm - 28mm

9. Warrior: Soldier World U.S.A., PO Box 175c, Shrewsbury, PA 17361. Warrior produces three fairly large ranges for our period, Landsknechnt/Spanish, ECW, Late 1 7th Century. The figures are nicely detailed, but tend to be rather slight.

10. Citadel Miniatures U.S.: PO Box 12352, Cincinnati, Ohio 45212. Citadel produces a large, very individualized range for the late middle ages (1420-1490). The figures are exquisite in detail and animation. Reports from England indicate that a Marlburian range is in the offing.

11. Miniature Figurines: Miniature Figurines used to list several ranges for the pike and shot period. From the Wars of the Roses to Marlburian, I don't know for certain, but they might still be available from England. Write to Steve Carpenter at Mini-Figs USA (see address above) for information.

12. Jack Scruby's Military Miniatures: Jack's 1 Inch (28mm) range, includes some of his best figures. The line offers figures for the period 1618-1650, along with 5 Turks and 2 Landsknechnt. They are good, sturdy figures and look quite nice when painted up.

13. Essex Miniatures: 3 Bay Close, Convey Island, Essex 558 Oaf, England - A rapidly growing range of figures, as yet unavailable in this country. The range covers a wide variety of armies, from Landsknechnt to Dutch to Persian. They're just begun a series of English Civil War Armies, including accurate figures for the New Model Army and the Scots. A late 19th century range is also planned.

14. Dixon Miniatures: Available from Soldier World, USA. This range of rather stocky figures is quite extensive. They offer Landsknechnt, English, Scots and Swiss, as well as a large range of 16th century Samurai. They are very detailed, but the detail seems to have made the figures overly stocky.

15. Lamming Miniatures: Available from Soldier World, USA. They offer a small but growing range of Landsknechnt. The figures are large 28mm types and scale with Scuby and Hinchliffe. The best feature of this range is that heads and weapons are supplied separately, giving the gamer the opportunity to produce really varied formations.

16. Ral Partha: PO Box 9116 Cincinnati, Ohio 45209. Perhaps the most celebrated of the available lines, Ral Partha offers exquisite figures of Swiss, Landsknechnt and Turks. The line is slated for expansion (much needed), but at this time, the offerings remain fairly limited. Ral Partha also offers a useful line of 16th Century Samurai figures.

17. Hinchliffe U.S.A.: PO Box 7307, Dallas, TX 75209. Offering one of the largest lines in the U.S., Hinchliffe is noted for its fast and courteous mail order service. Current offerings cover the period from the late middle ages (e.g. the Burgundian Wars), to figures or the siege of Vienna in 1683. Hinchliffe also offers a huge line of guns and equipment which could be used with 30mm figures. Hinchliffe figures are large(28mm+), and in fact, many of the mounted figures could actually pass as 30mm. A range of 16th century Samurai is promised for the near future. 30MM FIGURES

This is the scale most of us started out with, however offerings in this period are hard to come by these days.

18. Stan Johansen: 56 Snow Crystal Road, Naugatuck, CT 06770. Stan produces a large range of Samurai, including monks, peasants, minja and a variety of mounted and dismounted warriors. Sculpting is similar to Suren, but the figures tend to run on the heavy side. Sources tell me that Stan is planning to discontinue the line in 1982, so contact him quickly if you are interested in these figures.

19. Jack Scruby's Minatures: If you are interested in 30mm armies, Jack's catalog offers a large variety of useful figures in other periods. There is a 30mm Medieval Line, which includes Saracens (horse & foot), and mail clad knights, useful for Polish Armies. Also his colonial line has many Sudanese and Arab foot and cavalry, ideal for providing irregular hordes for Turkish Armies.

20. Edward Suren "Willie" Figures: 139a Sloane St., London SW1 9AY, England, Suren offers the largest (and most expensive) range of pike and shot figures in 30mm. His figures are breathtakingly sculpted in pewter and highly animated. His offerings presently included Landsknechnt, ECWIThirty Years War, Late 17th Centuy, Aztecs & Conquestadors and a variety of RPG oriented special figures. At 1.00 pound each (about $1.85), they are expensive, but if you are into 30mm, you can do no better.

40MM FIGURES

(For those who have the time and imagination for conversions, 40mm scale has much to offer)

21. Elastolin: These finely detailed German figures are available unpainted for less than many 25mm metal figures. The range includes Landsknechnt/Swiss, Late Medieval Foot Knights, Ritters and Turks. The plastic is easy to work with, using a steady hand and a match, so that virtually any required troop type can be made. Elastolin also produces a large selection of guns and equipment, as well as several beautiful castles, (which could be used with 25mm or 30mm figures).

22. Starluxx and Marten: Address Unknown. These two French manufacturers are known to have large Zines of Renaissance figures. However, an exhaustive search has been fruitless in trying to locate a source for them. The only person I know of who has these figures is Gary Gygax (yes, of TSR), but he has long since given up hope of finding a new source. All in all, we have a pretty good selection to choose from. Even though the Pike and Shot period doesn't have the popular appeal of Napoleonics or Ancients, we are certainly not "poor relations; any longer. I find it personally reassuring that well over half of the manufacturers are producing figures in 25mm scale or larger.

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