Danish troops in Greatcoats 1940 – 20mm metal Early War Miniatures
Dutch 1940 Troops Rifle Squad – Early War Miniatures
If I was going to run a small metal miniatures company it might look a little like Early War Miniatures.
Unusual metal figures for WW1, Interbellum and WW2 in a traditional 20mm scale.
20mm.
That’s right – not a typing mistake – 20mm. Not 28mm. Not everything has to be 28mm and one day that scale will fade from dominance as much as 30mm or 40mm has done. A few years back it was all 15mm / Flames of War etc … and relax.
20mm.
In a recent blog post I suggested that in the absence of supporting traders at games shows, if we could, we should support smaller figure manufacturers like Bad Squiddo with the odd order through the pandemic.
I have been buying ahead of time some small orders for my Christmas gifts to help out those in my family who don’t know what to buy me (and they don’t have to post it either!)
I have looked before at the EWM 1940 range of Early War Miniatures. Tempting enough. Do I really need another shiny new project? Playing small solo skirmish sized games of a few dozen figures each side, it is easy enough to have a number of small projects on the go in different scales if needed.
Stocking the Man of TIN Christmas Stocking ahead of time, I chose a few sample packs – 2 rifle squads each of Danish Infantry and of Dutch Infantry – enough for an unusual WW2 skirmish game against my trusty old Airfix German WW2 Infantry.
I had been intrigued by the short lived but hard fought Danish resistance to the German Blitzkreig portrayed in the recent Danish Language film 9 April
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/09/remembering-denmark-april-9th-1940/
I hope to use some of my existing childhood WW2 figures, rather than buy even more tempting EWM figures from their WW2 German range (including paratroops). Whilst I had some of the EWM figures unpacked, I thought I would check them for scale against my other WW2 figures.
In size comparison with my existing plastics, such as the WW1 and version 2 Airfix WW2 Germans, they look a little slender in comparison with EWM but to be fair they are figures without greatcoats.
I have also added Atlantic German Infantry for comparison and some odd hard plastics from my Blue Box of stored games bits and bobs from the modern 1980s. These were some curious “larger 20mm” Germans that I have identified as Esci hard plastic Afrika Korps from the 1980s.
Now painted grey, at last a use for these odd “big 20mm” Afrika Korps from Esci in hard plastic kit form.
Easy assembly – these are flash free metal figures, some with separate heads, packs and weapons that fit easily in place together with superglue.
I have yet to paint them up but they are crisp, sharp castings with nice animation and detail.
Each online supplier has their individual quirks. Peter Laing added in a few extras, sometimes new sample 15mm figures from new ranges to offset postage and breakages. Mark Lodge at Jacklex packs these 20mm figures in a lovely red box of sawdust. Annie Norman at Bad Squiddo adds in herbal tea bags or scribbled thank you messages and doodles on the compliments forms. Paul at Early War Miniatures added in a complimentary little packet of resin scenics.
I have had the pleasure of chatting by email to the EWM owner Paul Thompson about the disputed WW2 German commando raid in 1943 on a radar station on the Isle Of Wight. This was covered in a recent book by Adrian Searle, Churchill’s Last Wartime Secret. I had reviewed the book in my blog for possible skirmish games scenarios.
Paul Thompson at EWM has written a couple of blog posts on his website about finding possible new evidence in 2017 for the possible IOW German Commando Raid:
https://earlywarminiatures.com/nazi-commandos-uboats-and-cliff-top-raid-on-radar-station-in-england/
https://earlywarminiatures.com/update-on-the-german-commando-raid-on-england-in-1943-finds/
Overall, EWM are a great little company with lots of tempting shiny new things including their Vichy French WW2 range and new Siam WW2 range. A company well worth watching and supporting.
https://earlywarminiatures.com
Now these EWM figures must reluctantly go back into the Christmas cupboard. In the mean time I can paint and base their opposition. Only four months to go …
Next time on my next “support the small manufacturer post” – Sergeant’s Mess i20mm Scout figures and then more Mexicans from Jacklex 20mm.
Blog posted by Mark, Man of TIN (and delayed gratification) 20/21 August 2020
Man of Tin blog 
The Danish figures are going to be my kryptonite – 9 April (or April 9th here on this side of the pond) captured my wargaming imagination, and while 1/32 with conversions is possible, 20mm out of the box is far more tempting.
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It’s a good Kryptonite to have! 1/32 would of course be excellent as you already have the enemy figures. I know that Alan Tradgardland Gruber was looking at Danish peculiar helmet head conversions to greatcoated figures over in the Little Wars Revisited forum but none commercially exist that I am aware of.
However 20mm fits with so much Airfix and other smaller plastics vehicles, scenery etc that you may already have and to be honest you don’t need that many troops for April 9. Largish country, small army.
I thought the film very interesting along with the Norway 1940 version The Kings Choice. Both gave A refreshingly Wide and thought provoking picture of 1940 rather than the same (incredible) story Dunkirk and the Fall of France all over again.
I was tempted by the Norway 1940 figures too – interesting campaign.
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Nice looking figures Mark – I have ideas of 1930s Imaginations already!
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The Vichy French in pith helmets, the Siam figures – there are lots and lots of possibilities in the EWM range for unfamiliar WW2 or Interbellum ImagiNations games.
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Hear, Hear.
EWM are a great company.
I look forward to seeing what you do with your new minis.
Cheers,
Pete.
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For that, you and I will have to wait till after Christmas! 🙂
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Great figures, I too look forward to seeing what you do with them come Christmas. I too am tempted by the EWM figures and also the popping away some things for Christmas, I need to alert the family
Sgts Mess make interesting figures, I have Homeguard figures and heavy weapons which I bought from them. They have quite an extensive range of odds and ends of scenery etc too.
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It is a kind thing to guide your family to gifts or order them as well.
Sgts Mess – I have bought some 20mm scout patrols to do smaller Wide Games over a ‘bigger’ terrain – again after Christmas.
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Smaller Wide Games over “bigger terrain “ sounds most interesting, something that had never occurred to me to do . Adds a whole new dimension to the gaming. Exciting times ahead with potentially more Scouts in play and the potential for bicycles to really come into their own …
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They have a fab range, shining a light on some less commonly seen troops. I used their Dutch cyclists for a pan-European group project a few years back.
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They do indeed have a dangerously fab range on which much money and time could be spent …
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