Favorite 28mm Boxes

[Alyster Wick]

Hey all,

Thanks to Koval I just got some new fantasy empire bitz that look perfect for creating some Imperial citizens from workers to artistocracy to mutants (really excited to put together some non-combatants).

One thing I find I'm lacking looking at my bitz box are arms/weapons for your average imperial citizen. Some of the Dark Eldar bitz are suitable but I'm looking for something with a little more punch and personality that standard Imperial guard rifles. Additionally it'd be great to get some more characterful Imperial/citizenly bitz.

So, I put it to you denizens of the Conclave, what are your favorite 40K/sci fi kits to spice up your INQ 28 minis? They don't need to be GW products (in fact it'd be great to see some that aren't). I'm really looking for kits that are less cookie-cutter or has lots of bonus bitz in there. To be completely redundant, I'm looking for advice on kits to invest in that folks have found most helpful in creating 28mm minis in the spirit of 54mm INQ.

I am doing my own research as well so I'm not completely crowdsourcing, but I would like to hear from folks who have experience working with the kits.

[DapperAnarchist]

Heresy have some nice stuff - I bought the Officer Upgrade pack. The chainsword is a bit plain, but the laspistol is nice, and the heads (a skull mask and a scarred SpecOps type) are lovely. They seem to have a good collection of rifles, shotguns and pistols too.

The Militia, having been originally designed as a skirmish set (for Mordheim) do well too - a bit crude, even for 40K, but the blackpowder pistols and the blunderbuss have a lot of conversion potential.

[Koval]

Fortunately, Alyster now has Militia bitz in abundance.

But in principle, the majority of the Empire range can work for Imperial citizens, though it does depend on what kind of world they're from.

[Alyster Wick]

Oh, I am well set with Militia (and Huntsmen, and Flaggelants... ), thanks again Koval.

Honestly it's exciting, the plan is to throw together a few aristocrats, some actors, a few working stiffs (probably space port workers as my scenarios inevitably end up at space ports for some reason) and some mutants. I just don't know how many blunderbusses and crossbows I can butcher before it starts looking lazy (plus not everyone needs an oversized CSM holster containing the "largest laspistol ever"). Plus I love the classic black powder pistols and the idea that someone with too much time and money on their hands would get a custom laspistol styled as an antique firearm, but again you can only have some many of those floating around before it stops looking unique and starts looking lazy.

I'm looking at possibly investing in the Catachan Command squad (though I'm not wild about the torsos) and the Heresy suggestion is definitely helpful. Any other best-sources out there?

Of course, if anyone has suggestions/is overstocked on individual pieces feel free to PM.

[DapperAnarchist]

Custom laspistols? Pah! Proper blackpowder pistols! Take a look a Blanche's nobility and the like, they're all packing them.

[Kaludram]

I personally like Victoria Miniatures since their stuff is close to warhammer scale and style intentionally but different enough to be unique.  They sell heads, arms, legs, and torsos in separate packs so you can get what you want.  As I recall, their ammo loader arms and smoking officer are particularly unique.

For 54mm scale, I mined the model railroad for 40K civilian fodder.  Since they are intentionally making miniatures to be passengers and passersby in a regular setting, they make construction workers, policemen, passengers with luggage, and the like.  1:32 works well with 54mm.  A quick search online showed that Preiser has an O Scale line that would probably be compatible with Warhammer as O scale approximately lines up to 32mm--which is the true scale of most of the Games Workshop range thanks to years of scale creep.  Like I said, I haven't used Preiser in O scale, but their 1/32 line is great for 54mm compatibility.

I haven't used this one yet, but am planning on purchasing some miniatures for a Necromunda gang from Notnorm on Shapeways.  His stuff is built from 3D printing technology, and he has some interesting hands with guns sprues that look great for Necromunda gang modifications.

Last of all, I like Zinge Industries a lot.  They produce no heads, arms, or bodies, but they have an excellent range of guns that are all somewhere between modern and 40K--excellent for hive scum, space port thugs, and local PDF.  They sell their guns in several different packs so that you can get the variety you want without too much extra.

...aren't some of those Russian model packs from Tehnolog in ~30mm scale...just saying...

Hopefully this helps.

[MarcoSkoll]

A quick search online showed that Preiser has an O Scale line that would probably be compatible with Warhammer as O scale approximately lines up to 32mm

As an enthusiast of both railways and model railways, I have to correct that misconception. You're confusing O gauge and O scale.

Gauge is the distance between the tracks - it is not a scale. When it's used to represent a given real life rail gauge, it then defines the scale.

O gauge puts 32mm between the tracks. When this is used for standard gauge, as it tends to be*, this makes it the "four foot eight and a half" set by George Stephenson and used on the majority of the world's railways (although now used as 1435mm).
As you will notice, this 32mm now represents a distance a lot shorter than the height of the average human.
*It can be used for narrow or broad gauge by using a different scale for the rolling stock and scenery. It's easier to change the scale than make a custom track size.

The scale is therefore about 1:43.5 - in terms of how tall an average male would be at this scale, about 40mm.

The terrain is usable for 32mm (scale) gaming, as the extra chunkiness of some models, base thickness adding to height and big models like Nobz and Terminators means that the extra leeway in terrain size works well - but O scale humans would be noticeably huge. Rolling stock would look pretty huge as well (but O scale rolling stock is usually SERIOUSLY expensive. It's stuff for serious model rail collectors who care about accuracy, not people who just want some terrain).

I haven't used this one yet, but am planning on purchasing some miniatures for a Necromunda gang from Notnorm on Shapeways.

Also one to be a little careful about. An actual picture of the prints rather than the digital models shows the quality is questionable: http://www.shapeways.com/model/622961/female-mining-gang-members-with-revolvers.html

3D printing is a long way from producing anything like the same quality/cost ratio as conventional casting. Cheap prints won't get the quality, and high quality prints are expensive*.
*However, they have become a viable method of producing master models, opening up 3D modelling as an alternative to sculpting "greens".

That said, things less detailed and organic than faces might be more acceptable for budget printing.

[greenstuff_gav]

on the subject of scale, seen these and am tempted... they have some pretty fences...

[Inquisitor Dionzi]

You're not kidding Gav. Wow....

[Alyster Wick]

Custom laspistols? Pah! Proper blackpowder pistols! Take a look a Blanche's nobility and the like, they're all packing them.

I know this may not be a popular view, but I prefer to believe the nobles have the aesthetic copied of the blackpowder pistol but are packing things a bit more powerful (whether they be energy based or fire more standard "modern style" bullets). For reference see the pistol from Dishonored.

I will say that I've checked Heresy out and there look to be some good bits on there.

@Kaludram: thanks for all the suggestions! There are some great and reasonably priced bits over at Victoria Miniatures, I will definitely check them out. The Notnorm stuff looks really fantastic but I'm a little leery based on some of Marco's observations. I may start of with the revolvers and see how they look (I'm itching to add forestock to the massive revolver to make a kooky shotgun, lord knows it's big enough!). The Zinge stuff looks neat, not a ton I'd use but there are some real gems in some of the kits.

Since others have joined the party, any suggestions? Marco, you always seem to have the odd non-GW bit in your 28mm threads (when you aren't scratch building), any favorites?

 

[Koval]

Custom laspistols? Pah! Proper blackpowder pistols! Take a look a Blanche's nobility and the like, they're all packing them.

I know this may not be a popular view, but I prefer to believe the nobles have the aesthetic copied of the blackpowder pistol but are packing things a bit more powerful (whether they be energy based or fire more standard "modern style" bullets). 

Rogue Trader gives us the Belasco Dueling Pistol, which has the right look but is actually an absurdly powerful* single-shot laspistol.

I probably haven't seen the Blanche art to which we're referring (if I have, I've probably forgotten it, as I don't like Blanche's art), but the thought of actual blackpowder pistols outside of a feudal-world setting makes me cringe.


*And unlike Alyx's laspistol from our Dark Heresy game, this thing's designed to be absurdly powerful.

[MarcoSkoll]

the thought of actual blackpowder pistols outside of a feudal-world setting makes me cringe.

40K is generally an anachronistic setting where technology has been entrenched in religious dogma. In the modern day, weapons like hammers, maces and axes are far outdated, swords are basically limited to ceremonial roles, and the only common close combat weapon is the knife.

Still, no-one decided to cringe when I recently posted a character design combining a literal war-hammer alongside an energy rifle and a bionic arm.

In fact, anachronism is a big part of the 40k aesthetic - you could have a nobleman taking a hover-rickshaw to a railway station where he'd then be hauled by a Stephenson era steam locomotive (with a servitor on the back fuelling it).
So, to me, muzzle loading weapons aren't out of the question in 40K. A sub-par choice to take into combat, certainly - but that's a different matter.

[Kaludram]

@Kaludram: thanks for all the suggestions! There are some great and reasonably priced bits over at Victoria Miniatures, I will definitely check them out. The Notnorm stuff looks really fantastic but I'm a little leery based on some of Marco's observations. I may start of with the revolvers and see how they look (I'm itching to add forestock to the massive revolver to make a kooky shotgun, lord knows it's big enough!). The Zinge stuff looks neat, not a ton I'd use but there are some real gems in some of the kits.

Thanks.  I wish I could use them more regularly, but since I am in the USA, shipping ends up being more expensive than the bitz if I don't plan a largish order well.  Good luck.  I would love to see what you do with some of the lines I suggested.