Great Northern War

Wargamer's Guide to
Miniatures Figures

By Cory Ring


There are many ranges of figures in both 15mm and 25mm scales designed specifically for the Great Northern War. Outside of these ranges, many figures designed for the Marlborough Wars would also be suitable, and therefore many of these have been included in this review as well. I assembled my figure samples over one year ago, so some of this information might not be up to date. Do a little of your own research before you mail off that check!

15mm Figures:

N&G Figures LTD. 6 Wychgate, Eston under nab, Middlesbrough, Cleveland. TS6 9TD. UK

N&G Figures recently bought out the 15mm GNW range from Wild Geese Miniatures. The figures are big 15's and generally run about 16-17 mm from feet to eyes, with cavalry figures in the same proportions. The figures are cleanly cast, with almost no flash and are of a medium heft. These large figures contain a lot of detail, really paint up well, and certainly look great on the table top. The cavalry figures are especially nice, and come highly recommended.

The range includes Swedish and Russian infantry, cavalry and command. Infantry figures in tricorns, karpus and pokalem are available. Some specialty figures in this range include: Russian guard grenadiers, and Danish infantry, grenadiers and command. Light and heavy guns are also available with generic GNW crews.

Infantry figures are packaged 8 figures to a pack, cavalry packs contain four figures, and one gun and crew are each packaged and sold for £ 1. Infantry command packs contain four figures at 55p per pack, and cavalry command figures contain 3 figures at a cost of 80p. N&G Figures also carries a 15mm Marlborough range that includes many figures and ordnance that would be suitable for the GNW. These are nice hefty, detailed figures and come highly recommended!

Roundway 15mm Miniatures, Navwar Productions LTD. 11, Electric Parade, Seven Kings Road, Ilford, Essex, UK.

The Roundway figures measure in at about 15-16mm from feet to eyes and are of a good medium proportion and heft. The range consists of Swedish and Russian troops with pikemen, musketeers, artillery and cavalry all represented. Some of the standouts in this range (and otherwise hard to find figures), are the infantry in winter clothing, Finnish infantry, bombardiers, and cossacks. The infantry in winter cloaks are a nice touch, as many of the actions of the GNW were fought in less than ideal temperatures and this should be reflected on the wargames table. The GNW is an ideal period for the gamer wishing to flock his figures in "snow", and place a few "snow-covered" trees and buildings from the local Christmas shop on the table! I really like the look of these "winter scenarios".

The figures are packaged in groups of eight for the infantry, six for command, and four for horse and horse command. The cost of the figures is approximately $2.90 per pack. Not unusual for a company that manufactures GNW figures, Roundway also has a large "Marlborough Period" range consisting of British, Dutch, Bavarian, French, Prussian and Danish troops. Many of these could also be used to flush out your Swedish, Russian, or other army. These figures are in general not as "crisp" as the Wild Geese figures and remind me somewhat of better Minifigs.

Dixon Miniatures, Wargames, Box 278 Route 40 East, Tridelphia, WV 26059.

Mr. Johnson Hood and "Wargames" are the main source for Dixon and Essex figures in the US. The Dixon figures are small, or "true" 15's, and are extremely well detailed and cleanly cast. The range includes Swedish musketeers and pikemen in tricorn and karpus, Swedish infantry command figures, and Swedish cavalry and command. Some standouts include the pikeman at "charge pike", officer waving tricorn, and advancing grenadier.

Dixon does not have a "specific" range of GNW Russians, but Russian figures (and others that could be substituted) are available in their complimentary "Age of Marlborough" range. This range includes a number of infantry, cavalry and guns that would be suitable for many participants in the GNW.

One of the criticisms of Dixon GNW and Marlborough figures is that the uniforms are often too "generic" or simply "incorrect". I have found however that the exact cut of a cuff, or length of a turnback is generally a non-factor in 15mm, and that the Dixon figures work very well indeed. My small Danish GNW army consists entirely of Dixon figures!

Dixon GNW figures are sold in infantry packs of ten figures for $3.99, cavalry packs of five figures for $2.49, infantry command figure packs of five figures for $2.49, and cavalry command packs of three figures for $3.49. Army packs containing 120 infantry, 15 cavalry and command figures are also available for $75.

Note: Although Essex Miniatures does not have a GNW range, many Essex figures and accessories could be utilized for the GNW. The new range of Essex baggage wagons, cossacks, artillery, turks, some polish figures, etc., could all be used. Keep your eyes open! One of the joys of gaming a "notso-popular" period such as the GNW is that you often have to look a little harder for figures and accessories, but once found they are that much sweeter!

Editions Brokaw, Pat Condray, 8 South Somerset, Crisfield, MD 21817.

Edition's Brokaw figures are small, "true 15mm" figures, and proportioned well. Designer Jim Brokaw has researched his subjects excellently and the figures are historically accurate. The "talk" in the local gaming group is that the Edition's Brokaw figures are the cheapest of the bunch ($), but lack the fine detail of the other ranges. I don't have exact pricing information, but I recall that the EB figures run in the same "we're slashing prices" category as Old Glory and Vulcan Forge figures. Anyone building troops for the GNW must have some of these little guys in his collection! Send an SASE for a catalog. Issue number 69 of the Courier has a color cover photo of some EB figures, and Jim's "Flex Terrain". Check it out!

Besides figures, Editions Brokaw offers quite a few booklets on the period. Several titles that I have purchased include "Swedish and Russian Armies of the GNW" (a good general reference guide), "Swedish Colors and Standards of the GNW" (a must have), "A Wargamer's Guide to the Age of Marlborough" (a good general introduction) and the "Saxon - Polish Army of the GNW". These booklets are jam packed full of useful information and I wouldn't recommend making a move into the period without them.

Battle Honours, The Emperor's Headquarters, 5744 W. Irving Park Rd. Chicago, IL.

Battle Honours and AB figures often contain more detail than many of the 25mm ranges available. They are simply magnificent! The figures are correctly proportioned and superbly cast in pewter. Battle Honours infantry figures measure about 16- 17mm from feet to eyes and are of medium heft.

Battle Honours does not have a range of figures designed specifically for the GNW, but figures from its "Ottoman Turk" and "Marlburians" ranges would definitely be suitable. The Turk range includes a nice assortment of infantry, cavalry and command figures. Gustav sent me some samples from this range and I was very impressed. Some standouts in this range include the Janisarries, Pasha and escort, and cavalry command. Currently the Marlburian range only consists of British infantry (and command) marching and standing. These figures are also very nice, and hopefully the range will be expanded in the near future (if it hasn't been already).

Battle Honours figures are sold in blister packs containing 12 figures or horses to a pack for $4.50. A photo of three of BA's 15mm Janissaries can be found in the Courier #58, page 34. They look like 25mm figures, don't they?

OTHER FIGURES:

Minifigs used to manufacture a line of 15 and 25mm GNW figures, but I haven't seen these around in years. If you have your heart set on having some Minifig troops in your collection, your best bet is to try to order direct from Minifigs England.

Old Glory has cossacks and russian militia in 15mm that might work, as well as a growing 25mm Marlborough range. The 25mm figures are nice, big models cast in the now famous Old Glory tradition (great figures, great value). One nice thing about the OG figures is that they sell the figures by the uniform, not by nationality. This takes a little extra research time, but is well worth it in order to dress your troops in the proper uniform.

Some 25mm 18th Century figures from Front Rank and Dixon might also work too. Dixon has a "War of the Grand Alliance" range with some figures that might work, and some of SYW figures from Front Rank might also fit the bill. In particular keep your eye open for civilian artillery drivers, wagons, etc. In 15mm Hallmark Figures has basically the same type items.

25mm Manufacturers:

Blood Axe Miniatures, Adventure Books and Games, 130 East Main St. #170, Medford, OR 97501 (503) 772-2439. (This information has almost certainly changed. Keep and eye out for one of their adverts in MWAN or the Courier)! Adventure Books and Games offers a range of 22 different GNW figures and a "supporting" range of 29 War of Spanish Succession figures. The GNW range consists of Swedes, Russians, Poles and specialty figures. The Polish range is an especially nice addition that is often overlooked by other manufacturers. Some of the standouts of this range are the Polish Winged Heavy Cavalryman, Foot Cossack Pikeman and Streltzi with musket and berdiche! A must have!

These figures are "large", bulky 25's, and unfortunately are not as highly detailed as some of the other 25mm ranges available. The extensiveness of the range and the price of the figures, very inexpensive, tend to maike up for the general lack of detail.

The figures are sold individually at a price of 65c per foot figure, 75c per horse and $3-6 per gun and crew (included).

Note: Adventure Books and Games will design custom figures/armies for "as low as $250 for up to five new figures". All they require for this service is your figure concept, $250 and patience. This would be a wonderful way to add those hard to find GNW figures to your armies! Contact Adventure Books and Games for details.

WARGAMES FOUNDRY: The Perry twins create some of the most highly detailed and animated figures around. The have a complete line of 25mm GNW figures which live up to their high standards. The Swedish figures are especially nice and come highly recommended. These figures are on the expensive side of the little lead men market, but are well worth it if you enjoy painting and playing with top quality figures. Contact Brookhurst Hobbies or Pendragon Miniatures for a catalog. Wargames Illustrated #11 contains a good color photo of some WF 25mm Russians. MWAN #83 contains a review of some WF Swedish GNW figures by the master sketcher himself, David Barnes (link at bottom of this article--RL)!

WF's sister company, Guernsey Foundry, has released some 25mm SYW Cossacks (in both mounted and dismounted versions!), that would fit in perfectly for the GNW.

Imperialist Enterprises, Robert Hagerty, 227 N. 2nd St. Apt. G, Elkhart, Indiana 46516.

I sent for several samples from IE and received some wonderful figures. These 25mm figures were designed to fit in with and supplement the already existing Wargames Foundry and Old Glory ranges. I believe the foot figures cost around $1.00 per figure. Good casting and detail and many figures come with separate muskets and polearms. A black and white photo can be found in the Courier #67, page 36. It pays to keep those back issues around!

SOME OTHER STUFF:

Osprey has the two books out on the army of Peter the Great and a Campaign book for Poltava. All three books are good for general information on the GNW, but experts in the period have complained that the books do contain some minor errors, and are just plain wrong about certain things. Ospreys are a good starting place for the neophyte however, and readily accessible to most gamers.

The magazine Wargames Illustrated has from time to time published articles on the GNW. Some ofthe better ones can be found in issues 11 (the Swedish army of the GNW), 23 (Poltava), 55 (a GNW mini-campaign) and 56 (Swedish flags and information on the Russian army). Wl 46 provides an unusual GNW skirmish scenario in the form of the "Kalbalik". This is a Turks vs Swedes scenario in 1713! A "Sword in the Flame" type system would work perfectly for this scenario, or perhaps WRG's recent skirmish level game "Fire and Steel".

The Courier has also published a few articles on the GNW, such as "The battle of Stresow and the conquest of Rugen 1715" (#56). Miniature Wargames has also published an article or two on the GNW as well. Keep an eye open for the articles and periods that you weren't interested in "back then", but are now! In know that when a new period strikes me, the first thing I do is run to the bookshelf and grab a handful of old wargaming magazines.

Besides 25mm and 15mm, one could also game the period in smaller scales. I have seen advertisements for 5mm, 6mm, and 10mm troops from various companies (mostly from England). I have seen some samples from Irregular's 10mm Marlborough range, and for such small figures they aren't bad at all! Talk to your local retailer about ordering these. The smaller scales would work wonderfully with "element" game systems such as Fire and Fury, DBA, Armati, etc. 6mm games with lots of figures and beautiful terrain really look great, don't they?

I believe that the magazine S&T also published a GNW campaign game. This is one of those periods that is really suited for this type of campaign play. Gustav purchased this game and has had some fun with it. He also gave it "thumbs up" in regards to historical accuracy. See if you can't track down a copy.

The WRG book From Pike to Shot, by Charles Grant, contains some wonderful general information on the tactics and weaponry of the day. The book primarily concentrates on the Western theater, but mentions the GNW occasionally and provides some information on countries that were involved in both the western and eastern theaters (Danes, Prussians). Anyone interested in the 1685 - 1720 period should have a copy of this book on their shelf. I pull this gem out from time to time and always discover something new and fascinating.

Raider Games and Anschluss Publishing also offer several booklets on the British, Danish, and Dutch armies' of the period. I painted my Danes using the Raider Games "The Danish Army 1699-1715" and found it very helpful (although it did contain a few small errors).

David Chandler's Warfare in the Age of Marlborough and Marlborough as Military Commander are also excellent general background sources for the period. There is a lot of information on the period, but it is often difficult to track down. On a trip to Germany last summer I discovered a book on the Saxon army of the GNW. What a wonderful little army to paint and play with. I only hope my luck will be better!

There is also the mini-series movie "Peter the Great", starring Maximillian Schell, which takes 6 1 /2 hours to watch, but is worth it if you are interested in the period. Hope you have fun with the Great Northern War.

Great Northern War Section

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© Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum

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