From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, the status of plastic figures began to change and mature from "toys" to "miniatures" and the true miniature enthusiasts began taking a second look. This was due in part to a French firm known as "Historex" which, in its heyday, produced superbly detailed 54 millimeter plastic kits each with up to 60 component parts per figure. Specializing in Napoleonics, supported by an unmatched array of accessories, and painfully accurate in detail, a well-constructed and -finished Historex figure is truly a work of art.

Though Historex figures and accessories are still available today, they unfortunately seem to be few and far between. On occasion I discover a lonely kit at my local hobby shop, and I add it immediately to my ever-increasing inventory of yet-to-be-done figures.

Miniatures have come nearly 4000 years. They have gone from wood, to metals, to plastics, and back to metals. Today, however, alloys are used instead of lead. And what is also available today are figures produced of cast resin. Because of the casting technique and material used, the age-old seam lines and the ever-present "flash" of previous models has all but disappeared. It was Francois Verlinden of Belgium who several years started ago to produce 1/35 scale resin-cast soldiers, primarily World War II era, and interestingly enough, primarily Germans. Since then, Verlinden has started producing a 120 millimeter (1/15 scale) range of figures and accessories that are absolutely stunning in their detail and workmanship. His line of figures range from ancients to Napolenics to World War II and even fantasy. Numerous other manufacturers have followed with their own lines of large scale resin figures. There is something out there for every interest, in any scale. For the miniaturists, it truly does not get any better.

Here We Are

This has been a brief look at how the military miniature phenomena came about. I hope it has either tweaked, or rekindled, an interest in miniatures. This is a hobby with unlimited prospects for fun, relaxation and learning. The wonder of military miniatures is that even though a single figure, or even a complex diorama has been completed, the art and science of military miniatures will never be finished. Because, tucked away in your closet, or sitting undisturbed on a shelf at the hobby shop, is always that "next" figure waiting to be researched and done.