Welcome to Mainly 28s...
'So', I see you asking, 'what is this "Mainly 28s..."? What's it good for?' Well, it's intended to be a site which will allow gamers or figure collectors with an interest in 28mm figures to see the average appearance of a range of figures by a manufacturer. As the title says, I'm dedicating the site to the figures and terrain variously labelled as 25mm or 28mm, or even "heroic 25mm", and the vehicles that go with these (usually labelled as 1:60th, 1:56th or "28mm"). I plan to eventually include as many figures, vehicles and terrain as I can lay my grubby mitts on, in as many periods as I can.
I'm well aware that some gamers use 1:50th, 1:48th and 1:43rd kit with 28mm figures, but as I don't (they look too big in my opinion), I'm not planning to devote too much time to these scales, unless I receive a sudden influx of samples. A kind gent in the USA, Mike Reese, contacted me a little while after I set up the site and offered to contribute pictures and reviews of items in these scales, though, so I have set up a section to cover these ranges.
The various sub-sections here contain reviews of figures (many of them items I've bought for my own personal use, although there are voluntary contributions from various manufacturers and other sources), as well as articles relating to various rules I use (some of which I've helped develop) and some battle reports. There are also a few galleries of painted figures and terrain, my suggestions of which figures will work together in armies and, probably most importantly to most of you, links to the various manufacturers' websites and club-sites. In most cases, clicking on the picture will either take you to the relevant review or article, and there is always at least one link on each page to the manufacturer/distributor in question.
Whenever I get sent a new figure range or wargames product, I'll obviously make every attempt put it up, usually within a day or two. Occasionally it may be a little longer (I DO have to maintain a job to pay for the bills, and I sometimes have to attend to family commitments). Items I have purchased for my own collection will always be lower on the "urgency to review" totem-pole, and may occasionally take a little longer to reach review status.
I also regularly revisit reviews- they are done in three stages: "as delivered", "assembled and undercoated" and "finished", and just because something gets a glowing review in the "as delivered" stage does not mean it automatically gets the same review in the "finished" stage. Some things look grim when first seen, but amazing once they are finished. Point in case- a looooong time ago I saw some 15mm ACW troops by Old Glory. On initial inspection they looked dire. Almost unfinished. After undercoating, details jumped out at you, and while painting, even more detail. They would have had a bad review initially, but gained points as each stage is completed.
I hasten to add that I will gladly accept donations of samples of any ranges (even in scales other than the main ones for the site) and review them, as well as adding relevant scans and information. In the case of UK companies, I'd even be willing to borrow the sample, make my review and scans, and return it at the next opportunity (preferably at a wargames show both of us attend). Feel free to send them...
You shouldn't expect major updates on a daily basis. To be honest, there might be extended periods without new stuff being put here (except in the blog. Most updates will probably be in the form of the odd additional review or article here and there. The content and subject will depend on my interests and the amount of time (and, in some cases, cash) I have available.
While I have attempted to remain fair and even-handed in most reviews, I'd better point out that most of the views here are coloured by my personal opinions, so you may differ from me in yours. Let me know if your opinion differs vastly from mine, and maybe we can edit the reviews in order to best provide fair and unbiased help anyone who reads them.
And before you ask- no, I'm not a seller or stockist or manufacturer, just a normal, run-of-the-mill wargamer. I may have the odd item for sale (check the blog), and know where to buy things, but that's as far as it goes.
The site is designed using a fair bit of JavaScript, mainly because it allows me to do the comparison pages and some behind-the-scenes updating more easily. This means that you need to have JavaScript enabled to get the full benefit of the site. I also went with designing mainly for Firefox, so there may be the odd bit that looks funny in other browsers.
When it all began...
The site began towards the end of 2004 as a very basic review and comparison page for 28mm WW2 figures. As I got more figures and vehicles and terrain, I began to expand the site. It has taken a fair bit of time to develop the site into something useful to other wargamers, and to gather and collate the information I present here. Obviously, as people are people and opinions are opinions, your view on the usefulness of the site may differ from mine. However, expanding the site is an on-going process as the information needs to be kept current for the site to remain of any use.
Site Content
To ensure the content of the site is kept up-to-date, traders are emailed every so often to confirm that their details are correct. The last mailing was in September 2006.
Cost
The site is, and always will be - as long as I am the owner- non-profit. There are no charges for reading the information, or for having a product reviewed. The only money I make is from banner advertisement fees, plus any donations made via PayPal. The money made from these sources go some way towards hosting and domain costs.
Who does what?
Mainly 28s is produced by just one person - me - as a result of not finding information I was looking for. It is both a labour-of-love (I certainly don't get paid for this) and has become an obsession (I want to get as much info here as I can).
Hopefully you get as much from using the site as I do from developing and maintaining it. Happy gaming!
