Joel Haas

Wargame Molds

by Todd Fisher

Sculptor Joel Haas offers an interesting option for the wargamer seeking to add to his army. He designs and sells custom molds that allow the buyer to cast his own figures at home. Currently available are 15mm, 25mm, and large 25mm molds covering ACW, Franco-Prussian, various colonial campaigns including Moros and Boxers, and 'generic bedouins'. The large molds are for Napoleonic figures and match well with such commercial lines as Essex and Hinchliffe. Costs per mold are $15, $20, and $25, respectively for the three sizes. According to Joel's literature: "Melt tire weights and plumber's bar solder on your kitchen range and cast literally hundreds of figures in an evening."

Joel cast some Napoleonic figures and sent them to me. They are nicely proportioned (as one would expect from a professional artists), historically accurate, and have prominent raised detail that permits easy painting. They are much sturdier than commercial figures, but lack certain details such as button holes and obvious eye sockets.

Best of all, Joel is very receptive to designing special order molds. I sent him a picture of an Austrian Grenzer and back came a nicely animated figure exactly as rendered by a period artist. It has the unique cylindrical helmet and a flowing cape, and is, I am confident, the only one of its type in existence!

Because of his custom design service, Joel's Wargame Molds are useful for two purposes: the wargamer can cheaply produce many figures of the same pose for those armies which require mass to create the period (e.g., ACW and native colonials); and the wargamer can request a custom design to provide a special figure that is simply unavailable commercially.

For further information: Wargame Molds: c/o Joel Haas, 3215 Merriman Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607. Phone: (919) 828-8829.

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