Another early British manufacturer, Garrison offered 20mm and 25mm ranges. The figures are easy to identify by an unmistakable stamp beneath the base including the company name. The figures shown above represent two from the ECW range, a popular range in England though less so in the US. The figures show the less intricate and detailed look that was common in the 60s and 70s. Garrison figures appear to be no longer in production.
Baccus specializes in 6mm figures. They offer an extensive range that covers some periods that are under represented while some ranges offer limited forces. The man running the show at Baccus appears to be Peter Berry, an outspoken proponent of the smaller scale. He has written rules sets to match. The charming website offers a wealth of photos, how-to instruction, and painting guides in addition to the usual catalog.
Like so many miniatures companies, this one is based in England and seldom seems to travel beyond its borders. However, Scale Creep does carry their figures in the US though it appears they may be discontinuing sales of Baccus as they have few in stock all at sale prices.
The figures come based several per block and can be purchased in bags devoted to a troop type or in army sets containing multiple bags. The figures offer reasonable detail for such a small scale and will likely bring out the painter in anyone whose eyesight is still reasonably good. As is the case all 6mm, the figures do best in large masses, something difficult to near impossible to achieve with larger scales.
Dream Pod 9 appears to be a game company in the mold of Games Workshop providing rulesets with background for a variety of SF and horror themed universes. They also provide miniatures for use with the games. Current games include Heavy Gear, the Jovian Chronicles, Tribe 8, Gear Krieg and CORE Command. They offer space ship and Mecha miniatures all well-crafted and adaptable to other rules.
Essex Miniatures
When I was buying 15mm Napoleonic figures, Essex was my last resort. The figures looked chubby and the poses flat. But as with so many of these companies, a recent return to purchase some ancient and Renaissance figures suggests that the figures are much improved and now I routinely hunt for these. There are numerous sources for these figures. One is Great Hall Games in Austin.
Dixon Miniatures
Focused primarily on 25mm and 28mm historical ranges, Dixon is another really old manufacturer and the samurai figures above are likely some of their earliest work. The two figures seem a bit crude but as with so many older companies, the newest figures are considerably nicer and deserve a look.
Irregular Miniatures
Assorted scales of miniatures, I first became acquainted with them through their 6mm range, some of which are shown above. They certainly provided a lot of miniatures in a bag though some of the spears, pikes, and lances broke off in the sea of lead. The figures I purchased sometime ago were cast with bases though the base is small enough that it could be mounted on a larger base if needed.
Valiant Enterprises Ltd.
Valiant specializes in ships be it spaceships, triremes, or Spanish galleys but appear also to be expanding their range of wargame figures. They put out a fine product and have been around forever. Scales vary. The ship shown above is 1/1200 scale, large enough to demand some rigging from the lazy modeler who put the ship together. The spaceships are an odd lot, cobbled together from what appear to be parts from car and train models.
Note: The website for Valiant is down as of September 16, 2015
At one time, one of the most widely advertised sets of miniatures, they still surface occasionally on E-bay. The scale is sometimes listed as 20mm, sometimes as 22mm. They matched the plastic Airfix figures well and allowed one to fill in the gaps in the rather limited Airfix sets. The figures I have are all from the American Civil War but they may have had additional ranges.
Battle Honors
Finely sculpted figures in 15mm, 25mm, and 40mm sculpted by Anthony Barton who now produces figures under the AB Miniatures banner. The figures appear to still be readily available sold through Old Glory. The Napoleonic range is one I wish I had started with. The figures are a pleasure to paint and very well detailed.
Grenadier Models
For a while, this was the company that produced D&D figures. Their willingness to branch out lost them the license. But they put out a lot of figures including a wonderful range for Call of Cthulhu and a 25mm Traveller run. Like so many companies they started with several historical ranges in 25mm. These were initially not favorites of mine. The figures seemed fat and the details poorly executed. But as the years passed and RPGs took over, quality improved significantly. This seems to be the case with many manufacturers, either developing their own abilities or hiring on quality sculptors.
