Just wanted some of your opinions on what miniature company has the better models to paint up to use in game? I have looked at Shapeways and GHQ they seem to be the best. I don’t need crazy detail but a good looking model. I notice there is a difference in the shapeways options like “strong and flexible” and “frosted detail” Just looking to see what you guys like better . I haven’t looked for minis for a long time so I am out of the loop. Any help would be appreciated.
It depends on what kind of units you’re looking for and what you want to spend. HBG’s units have a bit more detail than the OOB A&A units but not as much as those other sites you listed. I’m sure you’ve already checked them out though.
I bought most of my 1/72 scale custom infantry from this site;
https://www.hobbylinc.com/
They have all kinds of other pieces as well but I never looked at buying other units from them so I don’t know if that what’s you’re looking for.
One important point to watch for is unit scale, which actually varies between unit types. There have been some estimates posted in the forum now and then, such as here:
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=34109.0
Because of these scale differences, it’s probably not possible to single-source miniatures from a single supplier, other than from companies like HBG which make units specifically intended for use in A&A. GHQ, if I recall correctly, makes WWII ship models which are too large for A&A; Navwar makes smaller ones, I think, but you may have to go with even smaller ships than those because they’re still meant for tabletop wargaming rather than the A&A board games.
Going to start with Us and Japan Navy and Air. Looking for Hellcats they seem to be hard to find. Starting slowly. Been a long time.
I bought all my planes in 1/600 scale from tumbling dice uk. The fighters are smaller than OOB in that scale but once you go to Strategic bombers they can get big. I have B-29 G5N and JU 290 that are pretty big but with flight stands they are not an issue.
I bought my F6F and A6M’s from there and they are a tad smaller but in my opinion perfect
I would like to put in another plug for Historical Board Gaming. They should be able to help you get a good start. While they don’t have any Hellcats, they do have Wildcats if its any help.
http://www.historicalboardgaming.com/Battle-Pieces–US-Exp--F4F-Fighter-x5_p_2107.html
I’ll second Andy above. HBG has some great pieces and they paint up really well because of the detail. Good source for OOB pieces as well. Their Fw-190’s are a bit smaller than the OOB versions, but everything else I’ve gotten from them has been great. Especially the Hellcats, Vals, and Stuka G’s.
