Manufacturers of Miniatures

Playing with miniature soldiers to replicate the great battles of history has been a hobby for thousands of years. It seems that the first miniatures used for these purposes were carved from bone or wood, then ivory. The hobby has similarities with chess, as different pieces move in their own ways and possess different strategic values. But there is something more dynamic and fluid about the movement of miniature soldiers across a replica of real terrain, or movement of monstrous pieces across a fantasy battlefield.

While the hobby has faded away in recent years with the advent of Real-Time-Strategy games on the computer, there are aspects of the hobby that still remain viable and unique compared to the computer derived experience. There are those who collect the figurines, those who paint their miniatures with immaculate detail, knowing that their soldiers will mever see play on a gaming table, there are those who build incredible elements of terrain almost bordering on the hobbies of model railroading and architectural modelling. Despite the fact that only a small portion of the world enjoys this hobby, it has incredibly diversity covering the realms of art, history, mathematics, geography and even commerce.

There are dozens of great manufacturers for miniatures, and quite a few producers of miniature gaming accessories. These pages are not meant to be a substitute for the volumes of data contained on their respective websites, or in their numerous publications.

Shadowforge Miniatures

Shadowforge specialises in the production of female figures, despite this they have an impressive range of models available, from all eras of history.

Starting with stone age primitives and tribal groups, moving through the more common fantasy stereotypes and onward to cyberpunk styled figures and high-tech space marines. Most of the figures produced by Shadowforge are of 28mm scale and can be used interchangeably with many of the other products available on the market.

Among some of the more interesting figures available from Shadowforge are exotic creatures also with feminine forms, from elves and goblins through to centaurs to half-serpents. Many of which have found their way into my collection as curiosities and unusual options for players to use in roleplaying games.

Hasslefree Miniatures

Hasselfree have a diverse range of figures that can't be completely categorised in a single area.

With models of children, females and character driven sculpts, they seem to have found a market that exists outside the mainstream, focusing on the aspects of the world that many other manufacturers would ignore.

Of all the figures I've purchased from Hasselfree, I've yet to encounter one that was of poor quality, or which wasn't enjoyable to paint and play with. Many models from this company find their way into units of other figures representing heroes, leaders or special troops.

Eureka Miniatures

Eureka have been around for decades, and their range shows it. Their figures cover all ranges of miniature gaming, from tiny 6 mm, through the 10 and 15mm used in massive battles by Napoleonic recreationists and upward to the 25 and 28mm sclaes used by skirmish wargames.

The types of figures available from Eureka are incredibly diverse with a ctalogue containing thousands of different types of models, let alone the variation in poses and equipment. From teddybears and dolls through to naked pole dancers and historically accurate warriors from almost every battle period, there is something that can be used by any modeller whether novice or veteran.

The only negative that I'd say about the products from Eureka is that some of the figures I've purchased from them haven't been of a quality as high as some other companies, but many of these are designed to be seen in massive numbers on a battle field, their low cost typically means that twice as many figures can be fielded for the same dollar price. And you can always use key figures from other companies to function as leaders, figureheads and specialty troops.

Freebooter Miniatures

Freebooter don't have an extensive range, their figures can be expensive, and the one you may want has probably been a limited edition that is no longer in stock.

That's the bad news out of the way. These are some of the most gorgeous miniatures I have ever seen, and some of the most pleasurable miniatures I've had the opportunity to paint. Their detail is immaculate, their design allows for a versatility of poses and equipment, their custom bases ground the figure in a scene that really helps give added character and atmosphere.

Freebooters miniatures are all in the realm of fantasy and science fiction, covering both males and females, and with a bit of a focus on pirates, fey and steampunk (so it's hardly surprising that I like them so much). They all sit at the 28mm scale and demand nothing less than being used as specific character markers in roleplaying games or leading vast armies of troops.

Reaper Miniatures

Reaper have a number of ranges, including Reaper Legends, Dark Heaven and Warlords. Some of these ranges are designed for wargames with the standard square or round bases, but most of Reaper's catalogue is filled with specific characters suitable for use in Roleplaying games. Like Eureka, the age of the company is apparent in the sheer range of models available, but unlike Eureka, these figures are designed to be viewed as individuals rather than as mass troops.

I've always had a soft spot for Reaper's figures, probably because some of the first figures I ever purchased came from this company. It was also through these figures that my wife first became interested in miniatures.

The interesting character types work from the standard stereotypes of elves and dwarves belonging to dozens of different professions through to more unusual fantasy creatures such as troll, bugbears, feline-folk and exotic creatures from various types of mythology. Just the thing if you're trying to get unusual figures to replicate the stranger character options when a group is playing D and D (or some similar fantasy role-playing game).

Zombiesmith Miniatures

I don't know how long this guy has been around, but I only discovered him in early 2008.

He seems to have found a niche market for himself producing zombie miniatures, with a number of figures coming in a "before" and "after" set. Policemen, Housewives, Farmers, all the usual stereotypes that you'd be likely to find in a Zombie movie. Again, the figures may not be of the quality that a company like Freebooter produces, but these figures have their own uses and for comedy tales about zombies, they're perfect.

Zombiesmith has also started producing a number of exotic aliens different to many of the other products on the market, I'm planning to buy a whole bunch of these at some point if only to create a battle game between dozens of different races. I like the stylings on some of these aliens if only because they remind me of the work of Brian Froud and Ralph Bakshi.

Rackham

Rackham used to be a great company. There were awarded prizes for producing some of the finest miniatures in the world, their work was beautiful, the game world they had devised was a carefully worked masterpiece that was starting to bloom into a real contender for a miniatures powerhouse...

...but then something happened.

Rackham became listed as a public company on the French stock exchange and it appeared that their corporate goals shifted from producing wonderful figures and games to making money. Once, the rules for their game came with the figures in a tiny booklet, then the rules were only available in a separate hardback (to much disappointment from fans), then they produced a pair of large plastic beasts for their game (claiming that they were moulded from a new type of resin...but most resins I know of don't bend). Things really went downhill from there.

Finally they shifted all of their figures from metals to pre-painted plastics. At the time of writing, they are claiming that a new range of metal miniatures may be available, but general consensus among most true hobbyists says that they have lost any potential momentum. If you can find some of their older metal miniatures from the period of 2005-2007, you'll have some great miniatures at your disposal. Otherwise, forget them.

Games Workshop

What's a page of Miniatures without discussing Games Workshop. The juggernaut of the industry. Focusing mainly on 28mm figures from their own medieval and futuristic settings, they have also acquired the license to produce miniatures based on the Lord of the Rings franchise, and have made occasional forays into more interesting territory.

Games Workshop are probably the standard by which most other miniatures are measured. Their prices may not be the cheapest, their quality may not be the best (don't say this to their die hard fans) but they can be found almost everywhere. Games Workshop is a marketing juggernaut and their games are known among roleplayers, miniatures gamers, and computer gamers.

The miniatures from Games Workshop are available in plastic and metal, with the majority of mass troops coming in plastic because they are cheap and highly modular for diversity among the standard rank and file. Some of the hero troops are well sculpted (though probably not to the level of Freebooter or the better days of Rackham), but most of these better quality troops come at a cost.

Image credits and Fine Print

Unless otherwise indicated, all images on this website are copyright 2008 Michael Wenman. All Rights Reserved.

All company logos used on this page are the respective copyrights and trademarks of the companies mentioned. The use of these logos is not meant to be an infringement on these property rights,they have not been used with the permission of the respective companies, nor have they been solicited as a form of advertising on this website. Images of figures and miniatures on this page are photographs of models from the web designer's own collection, painted, based and finished over the past few years.

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