The World of Model Soldiers

Part 4 : Current Figures Up To 20 mm

Least examined in all the books that have been written on model and toy soldiers are the tiny war-game figures which are used by collectors all over the world to re-create historical battles. These are made with just as much detail as the larger figures, are probably made in greater numbers than any metal model or toy soldier, and are collected in tens of thousands as opposed to the ones and twos of their expensive counterparts.

The current fascination with war gaming started approximately 20 years ago when the model makers in Britain, and the USA, because of financial pressures, started to make small figures. Up until that time all war-gaming activity had been carried on using the 54 mm figures.

Thousands of varieties of figures were produced for the different periods of conflict in which they were going to be used. The hobby quickly took hold on both sides of the Atlantic and manufacturers became increasingly aware of a huge, and as yet unexploited, market.

For the mass of people who, up until that time, had only ever looked at model soldiers in shop windows and yearned for them, but had never been able to afford them, they began to create figures in an even more miniature form and at a very cheap price, selling them unpainted, but in a wide variety of positions.

As the figures became more available so more and more people began to collect them; the greater the number of collectors, the greater the number of manufacturers.
Figures have usually been made of a lead alloy, normally lead with a mixture of tin, possibly with some antimony added in order to give them good clear detail. Because of the clarity of the figures and their range, in spite of the fact that many manufacturers had different ideas as to the interpretation of the human and, in some cases, the animal form, they were all eagerly sought after by would-be war gamers.

Although the first manufacturers of war-game figures in the mid 1950s produced their figures in the 20 mm size, since then figures have been made for war gaming in every size from 5 mm to 30 mm. This diversity in size has come about for various reasons.

The artist who is making the master figure may be unable to work to a particular scale and prefers his own size; or the manufacturer decides that he has something better to offer and, by selling a complete system in a particular size, he will oust other manufacturers from that particular sphere of influence.

Another reason for the change to a smaller size is that a small figure should be cheaper to produce than a larger one and for the unit price of one figure of perhaps 30 mm height, one should be able to purchase about four or five figures in the 12 – 15 mm size, and a whole regiment or battalion in 5 mm.

A further reason for miniaturization is lack of space. This becomes especially critical in modern periods of warfare where the range of even the humblest weapon is possibly two or three miles and where one may be dealing with long-range artillery as well as with air strikes.

For war games of this modern period to be played with anything approaching accuracy, and at the same time to keep the collector out of bankruptcy courts, the smallest size of all, the 1/300th scale has been created. This range of figures covers the ancient periods, Napoleonic, American Civil War, World War II, and modern periods.

A foot soldier is 5 mm in height and currently there are some 400-500 different figures being produced, each one recognizable for what he is; for example, a German soldier in the Afrika Korps has quite a different appearance from a British soldier fighting in the same arena.

Apart from the hundreds of small figures which are produced, the companies concerned with these minute figures also produce about 300-400 different vehicles. These range from the chariots and howdahs used in the ancient periods through to the wagons, caissons, limbers, and artillery of the Napoleonic times, those for the American Civil War, and something approaching 400 different types of vehicle used in World War II and by the main protagonists of the present day.

These tiny figures are produced in Britain by Heroics and Ros, a London-based concern, and by Skytrex, based in Leicester. The latter firm’s products are distributed in the United States by Bill Dean Books of White Stone, New York.

Both these firms produce excellent figures which invariably have minute details correct to the number of hatches on a tank or truck, the number of wheels that the vehicle should have, or the individual flaps and plates for protection against anti-tank weapons. All on an item half an inch (1 cm) long.

The American G.H.Q. figures marketed in Britain under licence by New Hope Design are considerably larger in size, being to the scale of 1/285th and are much more expensive.

Many of the manufacturers who make 20 and 25 mm figures now make figures in a variety of other sizes in order to enlarge their markets and it is easy to produce a small figure as it is to produce a large one, the technical problems being more or less the same.

Only the artistry of the sculptor remains a stumbling block, but normally if a person is competent to work in a size of 20 mm, after a little practice he can adapt himself to work either in a smaller or in a much larger size.

Hinchliffe, in Yorkshire, one of the larger producers of war-game soldiers, currently produce figures in 12, 20, 25, and 28 mm.