I started playing miniature wargames with 20mm Napoleonic figures back in high school and I still have hundreds (thousands?) of them in my collection.
For many years, Jack Scruby was practically the only source for 20mm Napoleonic lead figures. Whenever I learned of a company that manufactured 20mm figures of any kind I ordered sample figures to see if I could use them as Napole-onic figures (20mm Saracen Light Cavalry make excellent Russian Bashkir Light Cavalry, but that is another article).
I quickly discovered that different manufacturers had their own ideas as to what constituted a 20mm figure. The purpose of this article is answer the most important question about 20mm metal figures: exactly how big are they?
First of all, I had to make sure that I was comparing apples to apples. I therefore adopted the Tobey Barrett measurement system used by The Courier in all of their figure reviews. Under this system, a figure is measured from the top of its base (bottom of the foot) to eye level. Figures with different sizes of headgear can therefore be compared to each other using this system.
Fortunately, over the years, I have collected sample figures from virtually every 20mm manufacturer of metal figures. The figures fall into two main groups: “true” 20mm figures and large (or English) 20mm figures. I selected figures that were standing up straight (infantrymen with slung rifle or artillerymen). Measuring each figure from the top of its base to eye level, I came up with the following measurements:
True 20mm figures—Measurement
B&B 20mm
Batallienfeur 21mm
Britannia 20mm
C&Q Equipment Company *
Frying Pan and Blanket Amalgamated20mm
Irregular Miniatures 20mm
Jacklex 20mm
Newline (UK) 20mm
Platoon 20mm
RSM 20mm
Scruby 20mm 20mm
Stan Johansen 20mm
Thomas Figures 20mm
Tumbling Dice 18mm
* I don’t have any samples figures from C&Q, but according
to the information posted on the Miniatures Page theminiaturespage.
com, these figures were done in a “chunky" style
in order to provide a superbly detailed figure.
Large (English) 20mm figures:
Hinton Hunt (Der Kriegspielers) 23mm
Kennington (UK) 23mm
Qualiticast (UK) 23mm
IT Figures (UK) 21mm
Raventhorpe 23mm
Scruby 25mm 23mm
In order to put these two different sizes in perspective, the larger 20mm figures are about a half a head taller than the true 20mm figures. They are also very compatible with Ral Partha’s 25mm Colonial figures. Anyone who has seen figures produced in England and advertised as “25mm” (close to 30mm standards by US standards) will not be surprised that most of the English 20mm figures are also oversized.
However, I have noticed lately that many of these manufacturers are now advertising their figures as “28mm” in size. As can be seen from the table above, Jack Scruby made two different sizes of Napoleonic figures, 20mm and 25mm. Those wishing to order true 20mm should order his 20mm figures. Those wishing to order “larger 20mm” figures should order his 25mm figures.
While the figures manufactured by It Figures appear to belong more with the true 20mm figures (based on their height), their heft and bulk puts them into the large 20mm category.
The final issue I want to address is how the two different types of figures look when placed on the board together. I’ve played games where most of the figures on the board were true 20mm but some of the figures were the larger Der Kriegspielers (Hinton Hunt). The figures look a little out of scale when placed right next to each other, but not enough to interfere with playing the game. Some players may wish to order the larger figures for just certain types of troops (e.g. French Cuirassiers that are really “big brothers”!). Wargamers who are interested in purchasing any of the figures listed above can contact the following manufactures.
I’ve also listed the 20mm ranges that they manufacture (to the best of my knowledge).
B&B:37 The Queensway Ranges: Samurai, AWI, Foreign Hall Road, Hull Legion, Franco-Prussian, WWI, HU6 9BH Russian Civil War, WWII United Kingdom Tel: (01482) 803478 http://www.bbminiatures.karoo.net/
Brookhurst Hobbies (US Distributor) 12188 Brookhurst Street Garden Grove, CA 92840 USA Phone: 714/ 636-3580 Fax: 714/636-9150 E-mail info@brookhursthobbies.com http://brookhursthobbies.com/
Batallienfeur:Outland Games Ranges: Seven Years War, Box 457 Napoleonics Phillipsburg, OH 45354 USA Tel: 937/276-2336 Fax: 937-837-1413 E-mail Outland@erinet.com
Britannia Britannia Miniatures Ranges: WWI, WWII, Vietnam 33 St Marys Road Halton Village, Runcorn Cheshire WA7 2BJ United Kingdom Tel: (01928) 832347 Fax: (01928) 832347 dave@homebase99.freeserve.co.uk
Combined Arms, Inc. (US Distributor) P.O. Box 2057 Warminster, PA 18974 Tel: 215/635-2724 combined_arms@yahoo.com http://www.combinedarmsinc.com
C&Q C&Q Equipment Ranges: WWI for Africa and 7326 S.E. 12th Circle Middle East Ocala, FL 34480 Tel: 352/291-9412 Fax: 352/291-9413 scq@candqequipment.com candqequipment.com/
Frying Pan:Frying Pan & Blanket AmalgamatedRanges: 18th Century, American 2283 Apache Street Revoluion, War of 1812 Mendota Heights, MN 55120, http://fryingpan.freewebtools.com/ (unofficial website)
Hinton Hunt David A. Clayton Ranges: Ancients, Hundred Years (Der Kriegspielers)P.O. Box 574 War, ECW, Napoleonic, Crimean Kennesaw, GA 30144 War, ACW, Colonial histcolassoc@earthlink.net http://www.geocities.com/hintonhunt/hhfone.htm
Irregular Irregular Miniatures Ranges: Biblicals, Aztecs, Miniatures 3 Apollo Street Marlburians, Jacobites, AWI, Heslington Road, York French and Indian Wars, YO1 5AP Napoleonics, Indian Mutiny, ACW, United Kingdom Austro-Prussian War, Plains Tel: (01904) 671101 Wars, Spanish Civil War, WWI, Fax: (01904) 671101 WWII E-mail: email@irregularmin.fsnet.co.uk http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/
Silver Eagles (US Distributor) 8 Neal Drive Simsbury, CT 06070 Tel: 860/651-6166 Fax: 860/651-6166 E-mail: eaglewars@aol.com http://hometown.aol.com/eaglewars/private/sews.html Jacklex:Spencer Smith Miniatures Ranges: ACW, Colonials, Russo- The Old Rectory Japanese War Wortham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 1SL. United Kingdom
Kennington: Kennington Miniatures Ranges: Napoleonics 4 Church Vale Forest Hill SE23 l2UW United Kingdom Phone (0181) 291-6675 Fax (0181) 291-3375 E-mail newhopedesign@hotmail.com
Newline: Newline Designs Ranges: Ancients, Napoleonics, 6 Ardley Close ACW, Colonials Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 7PL, UNITED KINGDOMPhone (+44) 01895 621706 Fax 01895 462806 E-mail info@newlinedesigns.co.uk
The London War Room (US Distributor) 41 Beverly Hills Loop Petal, MS 39465 USA Phone: 601/584-8533 Fax: 601/582-7259 tlwr@thelondonwarroom.com http://www.thelondonwarroom.com
Platoon East Riding Miniatures Ranges: WWI, WWII, Vietnam, 1 The Woodlands Post-WWII Modern, Afghanistan, Goddard Avenue, Hull Gulf War HU5 2BW United Kingdom 01482 445775 tony@eastridingminiatures.co.uk www.eastridingminiatures.co.uk
The Miniature Headquarters (US Distributor) 2126 Atterbury Ave Columbus, OH 43229 614/439-4493 614/865-9504http://www.mini-hq.com
Qualiticast: Qualiticast Ranges: Ancients, Napoleonics, 29 The Quantocks ACW, Plains Indians, Colonials, Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1TGVietnam, Civilians United Kingdom
Brookhurst Hobbies (US Distributor) 12188 Brookhurst Street Garden Grove, CA 92840 USA Phone: 714/ 636-3580 Fax: 714/636-9150 E-mail info@brookhursthobbies.com http://brookhursthobbies.com/
Raventhorpe: Raventhorpe Ranges: Colonials, WWI and 2 Bygot Lane Middle, East, Mexican Revolution Cherry Burton, Beverley North Humberside HU17 7RN United Kingdom Phone (01964) 551027 RLBPS (US Distributor) 4827 Treeview Terrace Rockford, IL 61109 USAPhone: 815/874-5351 Fax: 815/874-4829 E-mail rlbpsb@earthlink.net http://www.rlbps.com
RSM: Dayton Painting Consortium LtdRanges: Napoleonics, ACW PO Box 24185 Huber Heights, OH 45424 USA Phone (937) 667-1037 Fax (937) 667-1037 E-mail RADETZKY@prodigy.net
Scruby: HistoriFigs Ranges: Ancients, Crusades, P.O.Box 69 Napoleonics, ACW, WWII Cotati, CA 94931- 0069, USA info@historifigs.com, sales@historifigs.com http://www.historifigs.com/
Stan Johansen: Stan Johansen Miniatures Ranges: Boxer Rebellion 128 Barberton Road Mercenaries, Road Warriors Lake Worth, FL 33467 Tel: 561/641-6551 sjjj@ix.netcom.com www.stanjohansenminiatures.com/
Thomas K&L Company Ranges: ACW, Camp Scenes, MiniaturesP.O. Box 52281 Railroad Civilian figures Tulsa, OK 74152 Tel: 918/299-9011 Tumbling DiceTumbling Dice Ranges: Medievals, ECW/ TYW, 96 Sandfield Road WWI, WWII Arnold, Nottingham NG5 6QJ United Kingdom Tel: (0115) 926 8800 E-mail: tumblingdice@tinyworld.co.uk
Brookhurst Hobbies (US Distributor) 12188 Brookhurst Street Garden Grove, CA 92840 USA 714/ 636-3580 714/636-9150 info@brookhursthobbies.com http://brookhursthobbies.com/
I don’t know if Hinton Hunt figures are still available. IT Figures has been sold. Lancashire Games acquired IT Figures, but they kept only kept the WWI range. They sold the WWII, ACW, Ancients, and Napoleonic ranges to S & A Scenics. However, I have not been able to determine if S &
A is currently producing these ranges.Note: a previous version of this article was published in MWAN #193 (June, 1998).
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© Copyright 2004 by George Phillies.
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