28mm French Infantry for 1940, Manufacturer Unknown | The Miniatures Page
Since publishing the first two parts of this series, I thought it best to put together a part 3 to show people where they can get some actual miniatures for this period. And boy, do you have options! We’ll cover the big scales - 28 and 20mm (we’ll be covering 15mm and 6mm in another part later) - which should give you a lot of potentials to choose from. I can’t promise I will cover every manufacturer, but I can promise I’ll hit the highlights.
28 mm
The Western Campaign of 1940 has had a lot come out for it of late, with the French being made by Warlord Games (who also helpfully make Belgians as well) and Crusader Miniatures. You can also get your Germans from these manufacturers. As for those wanting to game out the fighting in the Netherlands, you’re in luck. May 1940 Miniatures, a company based in the Netherlands, has a lovely looking line of Dutch for 1940, as well as Fallschirmjager for them to confront! Wargames Foundry also makes a nice line of Germans. They’re a bit pricy but excellently sculpted with some real personality!
Dutch Infantry 1940 from May 1940 Miniatures, Taken from the Dressing the Lines Blog
Warlord’s products are as close as your local hobby shop, and the larger box sets are plastic with smaller metal figure sets for heavy weapons and personality figures. As for Crusader, their figures run 6 GBP for a set of three or four miniatures, which, at current exchange rates, is $8.50 a pack, not including shipping. It’s pricy, but you get good quality lead miniatures for what you’re paying, and the sculpts look great. The May ’40 miniatures run between 7-10 Euros ($9-$12) for a set of three, but you can get a squad pack for 25 Euros ($30.43). Again, this doesn’t include postage, but 28mm really is more for games like Chain of Command and Bolt Action, where it runs about one platoon per side. As for vehicles and guns, you can get what you need from Warlord and May ’40, but there are also Rubicon Models for some German guns (the 88mm Flak and Pak 36 ATG stick out). As for the British in 1940, Warlord and Crusader are your best bets.
BEF 1940, Manufactured by Warlord Games | Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge
20 mm
20mm BEF for 1940, Mix of Blitz Miniatures, SHQ, and FAA, Painted by Piers Brand | The Wargames Website
20mm was, for an awfully long time, the scale to game the Second World War in. It still has quite a few adherents (Hi!). There are a ton of potential miniatures to be had out there for 20mm, both in plastic and metal. Personally, my favorite manufacturers for this period are FAA, an American-based company that makes every army you’d need for 1940 (French, Belgians, British, Germans, and Dutch), and Simon’s Soldiers, an outgrowth of the sculptor from the old Drew’s Militia/Battlefield Miniatures line. Simon has Germans, French, and BEF (the latter being incomplete lines), that serve as a nice filler for other lines, and even with the shipping rates from Australia, the exchange rates make up for it.
Other manufacturers include SHQ, of which I have pretty much their entire line of Dutch for my Dutch forces. I love their detail but wish the rifle barrels weren’t so darn flimsy. Elhiem Figures also has a small German Early War line with some nice personality miniatures to fill in lines of other manufacturers.
20mm Early War Germans from Elhiem Figures | Elhiem Figures Website
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Early War Miniatures. They aren’t my go-to because I think the sculpting could be better. I know everyone has their opinions, but they’re not for me as my first choice. I’ve bought some and will use them to fill out my armies, but I don’t think I’d be making them the primary figures to start an army. But their lines are extensive, and if you can’t find it anywhere else, you can find it here.
Wargames Foundry also makes a nice 20mm line of figures suitable for 1940, with French, BEF, and Germans. My biggest complaint? The poses for a lot of the figures are all the same. A little variety, maybe? AB Figures also makes an excellent Fallschirmjager line that’s more than suitable for 1940, and I’ve picked up more than a few with intentions to use them for just that.
As for vehicles, there are a lot to choose from. Everything from SHQ and FAA in metal to a raftload of plastic kit manufacturers (my favorites here being S-Models and First to Fight, who are rather prolific in their choices for a wargamer). Plus, there is more than one kit in the box, which makes building armies a snap.
And speaking of plastic, there are a ton of potential choices for the 20mm gamer. A glance at the wonderful Plastic Soldier Review will show a ton of choices for Germans and some choices for the French and British. Caesar has released a pack for the Belgians and Dutch, but I haven’t seen it in the wild yet. I will say plastic figures pose their own special challenges for the wargamer, ones I will discuss in a future article. But they’re out there and a very viable (and, more importantly, cheap) option.
We’ll be covering the 15mm and 6mm options next time. In any event, good gaming, everyone.
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)