I must admit, I no longer game WW2 in 28mm, and therefore my interest in this particular area has waned somewhat recently. However, a much better resource is now available at the "Mainly 28s" website. Just follow the link below...

Back in 2003, Neil Fawcett, the then-editor of Wargames Journal asked me to write an article about starting to wargame World War II in 28mm. Due to editorial considerations, I decided to keep the review very "matter of fact", so a description of the ranges available were given, along with brief notes on the range size and compatibility with other manufacturers.

The full original article can be found HERE

Since writing this article, some manufacturers have greatly increased the size of their ranges, some new guys have appeared on the scene, whilst others have disappeared completely. So I thought it was time to update the article.

However, I didn't just want to write another bland article listing each manufacturer and what was available, I wanted to do something different - hence Redux.

So, what follows is an amended version of my original beginner's guide, but with my thoughts and views on each of the figure ranges. These views are based on seeing models close up, in the flesh. Information such as the size of content of available ranges has been gleaned from each companies website.

Please Note: I would like to make it clear that the views expressed below are totally subjective, and are intended to be. You will find below my thoughts, both good and bad, on all the 28mm WW2 ranges currently available..

I hope you find it useful.

I have not seen 1st Corps range of WW2 figures before, so I decided to buy one of their packs of German figures - I went for their pack entitled "Steiner", as I thought that being a character pack, this would give one be one of the better sets available for review.

Well, what can I say - this pack proved to be a huge disappointment.

On the positive front, the figures are pretty much in proportion and the weapons are not oversize. The detailing is adequate, but nothing more.

However, considering they are a character set, the figures have very little character. The only way of telling the miniatures apart is by the weapons they are carrying. The poses of the figures lack variety, and the facial detail isn't great.
The molds look like they have seen better days too; all the the figures suffer from both mold lines and flash.

In fairness, this range is getting somewhat long in the tooth, and the standard of sculpting of WW2 figures has greatly improved in the last couple of years - especially when you compare 1st Corps figures to the likes of Bolt Action, Artizan or Crusader (to name a few).
The figures are quite small when compared to other ranges, although the do fit quite well with West Wind. They are also some of the cheapest on the market, but I would have to say that if you purchase these figures based purely on cost, you are probably making a false economy.

It's interesting to note that this range was being heavily discounted at Salute this year, so I think that 1st Corps are aware that it has a limited appeal.
My verdict : Avoid, there is so much better stuff out there...

Figure Size / Compatibility	26mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	German Infantry German Ss Infantry German Paratroops British Infantry British Paratroops Russian Infantry US Marines Japanese Infantry
Pack Size	6-8 Figures per standard pack.
Website	1St Corps Limited

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My previous experience with The Assault Group was with their Modern range, and I must admit that I wasn't that impressed. However, I was very pleasantly surprised with their WW2 offering.

Tag have decided to concentrate firstly on the War in the Pacific - a conflict which has, up to this point, been largely ignored by many of the current manufacturers. They have produced several figure packs of US Marines and Japanese Infantry, and I have chosen a pack of US Marine Squad leaders for this review.

The figures are well sculpted, with good anatomic proportion and dynamic posing, which gives a real sense of movement to the minis. There is also very little repetition of pose across the range. The detailing is good, with accurate weapons and kit - nothing oversize - and decent facial features.

The casting could be better - a couple of the figures suffer quite badly with flash and mold lines, however this is a minor quibble.

The figures are compatible with several other manufacturers - Foundry, Bolt Action and Battle Honours - Battle Honours being the main manufacturer as they actually produce a Pacific War range themselves, so they should be good for mix & match.

Overall, a very nice range of figures. They have a good variety of packs, including prone figures, small vignettes and a very nice diorama of the "Raising of Old Glory" on Iwo Jima - well worth looking at. I must admit, I am tempted with these as an alternative use for my 28mm Vietnam scenery!

Figure Size / Compatibility	27mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	US Marines Japanese Infantry
Pack Size	4 Figures per standard pack.
Website	The Assault Group

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Black Tree Design have had WW2 figures available for several years now, but I had never really looked at them until I painted a platoon of german infantry for someone. I must admit to being pleasently surprised by what I saw.

The original range covered Mid-war Germans (suitable for Western & Eastern front), Russians and US Infantry. Of these ranges I have only seen the Germans 'in the flesh', but these were generally nicely sculpted and detailed figures. The figure anatomy was good and pleasing to the eye, and the equipment and uniform detail was accurate - making the figures a pleasure to paint.

At this point I believe that the range changed sculptors, and releases became intermittent, and I thought of poorer quality.

This opinion was reinforced by the next figures I saw, which were the Fallschirmjager. I found these disappointing - especially when compared to the Foundry range. In my opinion the figures were very bulky, poorly detailed and somewhat two dimensional in stance.

I picked up a pack of British Infantry from Salute, just prior to starting to write this article, and I was actually rather impressed. These figures (pictured below) are well sculpted, with a good anatomy. They are well cast, with no flash or mold lines to speak of, and have good and accurate detail.

To sum up, Black Tree have a large range of figures available. The quality is a little mixed, but is generally very good. One of their drawbacks is that the figures are quite tall, and therefore do not mix well with some of the other figure ranges.
Well worth a look though (Still like the Germans...)

Black Tree also sell a large range of cast metal 1/48th scale vehicles. I have not seen these myself, so I can only go by their reputation...which, unfortunately, is not that great - one of the main complaints being that the kits are difficult to assemble and require a good degree of modelling skill. This is an area I will have to revisit at a later date...

Figure Size / Compatibility	30mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	Late-War British Infantry British Paratroopers British Commandoes German Infantry Fallschirmjager Waffen SS Afrika Korps Soviet Infantry N.K.V.D Infantry Soviet Sailors Soviet Partisans American Infantry American Airborne French Infantry French Resistance Italian Infantry Good Selection of 1/48th Scale Vehicles
Pack Size	4 or 8 Figures per standard pack.
Website	Black Tree Design

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I first came across Bolt Action Miniatures at a show near the end of 2003 - there was a small, 6" square diorama with a handful of painted German infantry next to the MoFo stand. I immediately saw in them something that has been missing from many WW2 figure ranges: Character.
Since their initial appearence, the range has grown tremendously, and now boasts troops for the 'Big Four' protagonists - Britian, America, Germany and Russia. In addition, the guys are wanting to do ranges that no other manufacturer has done - hence the planned appearence of Italian Paras and Polish troops.

So, what can you expect for your money? The figures are 27 - 28mm high, foot to eye-level, and are very well sculpted. The style is fairly standard - the body is bulky for the scale, but very well detailed. The kit of each force has been well researched and re-created. Also, the facial expressions of the figures is excellent - something that is lacking on many other ranges.
Weapons are accurately sculpted and, more importantly, accurately scaled with the figure - no oversized head or weapons here. The poses are also interesting. In the above pack of Greman Officers, every figure is well animated and natural looking.
Another plus point is that every figure appears individual - there has been little use of the "head and weapon swap = different figure" mentality which several ranges suffer from to a greater or lesser extent.

On the casting front, each figure is very cleanly cast, with little or no evidence of flash or even run offs. The only slight imperfections are normally found at the bottom of the base - which is exactly where they should be.

The figures are avaialble in packs of 4, but they have also put together packs and box sets so that you can buy a squad, platoon or even company "Off the Shelf".
What is more, Bolt Action has an excellent website, where every pack available has a painted picture of its contents. The guys are friendly, and their customer service and delivery times are great.

So, what is wrong with them? To be honest, not a lot!
Probably the only gripe that some people may have with them is their decision to use 1/56th scale vehicles instead of 1/48th. It very much depends upon which side of this big fence that you come down upon, but since the figures are not 'oversized' (ie - not based on a GW armature) then the vehicles appear very pleasing to the eye and exactly in scale.

I must admit, if I were starting to game WW2 in 28mm, then Bolt Action is probably where I would start. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Figure Size / Compatibility	27mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	Late-War British Late-War German Russians Partisans Late-War Americans Polish (New) Italian Paratroops (New) Various 1/56th Scale Vehicles
Pack Size	4 Figures per standard pack, but Squad, Platoon and Company packs are avaialable.
Website	Bolt Action Miniatures

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Chiltern Miniatures produce a range of WW2 figures which are nothing if not distinctive.

Indeed, their entire range of 28mm figures has a scale and sculpting style which is somewhat unique - that's not to say better, just entirely different.

As you can see from the pictures, the figures are very large and bulky - indeed, They can only claim to be 28mm scale figures in the broadest sense - most being 31 or 32mm in height from base to eye-level. What is more, the figures are sculpted with large bodies, plus oversized heads and large weapons. The large heads enable a good amount of facial detail to be achieved, but the sculpting style causes the faces to appear almost as caricatures, somewhat reminisant of the range of figures that used to be produced by Easy Eight for their Battleground rules.

What you are left with are figures that are big, bulky, but with bags of character. Don't ask for entirely accurate renditions of weapons or kit. The detail isn't bad, but is not brillant either. I have seen better detailing on smaller figures, so it's a bit of a missed opportunity really. The casting of the figures is pretty good - not much evidence of mold lines or flash was noticeable on the figures that I have got.

One of the problems that I can see is that the range of WW2 figs is currently somewhat limited. Chiltern currently only do British, Germans and Russians, which limits the scope of your scenarios somewhat.

So, whilst this WW2 range is better than their moderns, I must admit to not really being a fan. If you like big, chunky minis, then these are for you. However, they are not compatible with any other range, with the possible exception of Victory Force - even then they match in size but not in bulk, so don't happily sit side-by-side.
The unusual size also has an impact on what vehicles you can use them with, They would probably look best alongside the new Tamyia 1/48th scale kits.

In short - if you like cartoon-like characters, then you will like these. If not, my advice would be to steer clear.

Figure Size / Compatibility	31mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	British German Russians
Pack Size	4 Figures per pack.
Website	Chiltern Miniatures

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I first came across the mention of Victory Force Miniatures on the TMP website. I was most interested in seeing them - however, when I got to see them in the flesh I was most disappointed.

Why? Firstly, there is the size of the figures. These figures are large - standing 31mm foot to eye. In addition to this, the figures are then mounted on the infamous plastic slotta bases. This makes them completely incompatible with any other figure range, with the possible exception of Chiltern Miniatures and Easy Eight (if you can still find any of the latter around, that is!) If you chose to use them, then at present you will be "locked in" to their range.

Secondly, the quality of the figures is not great, or at least less than what I would expect, given the standard achieved by other manufacturers.
OK, the detail on the figures is pretty accurate, but the sculptor has chosen to try and make all the details wholely to scale. This causes some of the detailing - especially the likes of magazine pouches - appear thin, indistinct and sometimes insubstantial. It seems strange to find fault with someone for trying to be too accurate, but in this case it doesn't quite come off.
The figures I received do suffer quite badly from distinct mould lines and flash, but worse is the apparent deformity of the figures. Of four figures, two are noticeably 'flat', whilst the third has a deformed leg - altogether more noticeable by the "V" shaped bar for the slotta base.
I agree, it's a very small sample to base a judgement upon, but three out of four figures having problems is not good. Let's face it, most of us usually buy one or two packs from a supplier as examples before making a larger purchase. On the strength of the samples I received, I won't be going back.

All that said, ignoring any casting faults, the figures have good anatomical proportion, and some nice poses are available. Some have seperate weapons, allowing for variety as you can have the same figure armed with several different weapons (Rifle, SMG etc). However, the range does suffer quite badly from figure re-use/conversion, so the same figure appears in several different guises: changed headgear, different weapon, slightly different body detail etc. I know this is an easy option to expand a range, but I'm not a fan.
Some more unusual figures are available however - I especially like the Waffen SS Nachtjagers...

So, altogether I am not impressed. Sorry guys...

Figure Size / Compatibility	31mm, Foot to Eye
Range Content	US Infantry US Paratroops Germans Waffen SS Fallschirmjager Resistance
Pack Size	Various, plus Individual figures can be ordered.
Website	Victory Force Miniatures

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