For me 1/72 (about 25mm) is too big for WWII unless you're doing skirmish gaming. I might be tempted by the 1/144 scale (about 12mm). Another option is the Axis and Allies pre-painted miniatures.

I've used them in the past to do modern mercenary games using the Recon and AK47 Republic rules, and I can heartily recommend them. 1/72 model kits are easy to find, reasonably cheap (compared to their metal or resin equivalents) and easy to construct and customise.

They are not so good for sci-fi wargaming, unless you are doing near-future gaming. The main problem in this case is the lack of consistently designed models, although Bandai do a large selection of Gundam models that include more conventional weapons systems.

I used to skirmish wargame WWII using Airfix models. Great times.

Gavin

I've done it in the past. I think using figures on stands is a good idea as if you use them in singles the paint flakes.

I also used the kit vehicles, bu I also ways based these so that I could move them by the base.

Cheap.Light.Great-Looking.Fragile.

Back in the 70's I did all my WWII minitures wargaming with 1/72 models; it was all I had access to. Used TSR's "Tractics" rules - very good for small scale unit action.

There was a monthly(?) journal called "War Games Digest" that extensively covered WWII 1/72 scale gaming too. That went out of print in the mid 80's iirc, but you can sometimes find collections for sale in the used marketplaces and gaming conv. flea markets.

Anyways, what I liked about 1/72 was I could paint the tanks pretty detailed, it was easy to make good looking terrain, and I could use HO scale train models buildings and stuff (the scale is off by about 20%, but didn't really bother me then. It probably would today though, I'm much more anal retentive - see my comments on the counter clipping thread for example).

Admittedly today I use microarmor, but I'm still nostalgic about those good old days....

Just a quick note on scale. Here are the basic groupings of scale.

1/285 - 1/300 - 6mm - Micro Armor -- Not many plastic model kits
1/144 - 1/160 - 10mm - N scale -- Some plastic model & train kits, a few die cast models
1/100 - 15mm - S scale -- Few model plastic & train kits, some die cast models
1/72 - 1/76 - 20mm - HO scale - OO scale -- Many plastic model & train kits, many die cast models
1/64 - 1/56 - 1/48 - 25mm - 28mm - S scale - O scale -- Many plastic model & train kits, many die cast models
1/35 - 54mm - I scale -- Many plastic model & few train kits, many die cast models

A lot of people will argue about what 'works' with what. You will have to decide what 'works' with what. Usually that means, you want your vehicles/buildings larger (in scale) than your individuals, or smaller. But typically, when standing at your gaming table and looking down at your figs, you will not notice small scale differences when mixing.

I've seen 1/72 models used for an air wargame called "Tabletop Aces" which is a variant of the Avalon Hill game Mustangs. Below is a link to picture of this game in action from the PrezCon game convention. The picture of the game is in row 2, 5th (last) picture from left to right:

http://www.prezcon.com/photos/prezcon2007/thumb3.htm

They did a much larger game of Tabletop Aces at PrezCon this year, but I can't find any pictures of it.

If you are going to play Mustangs and Messerschmitts, then the use of 1/72 scale models is required. Aircraft are mounted to flight stands on casters and move/fire according to a complex rule set. M&M was a great way to play combat flight simulator long before computers, highly detailed and fairly accurate. Easy to add new aircraft, too. Sadly, it has mostly gone the way of the dodo as players ARE using computers now.

We are using 1/72 models for Battlefield Evolution: World at War. They naturally fit within the rule system, plus the wide range of models available made it a no brainer. The models are inexpensive, so you can field an army for the system for under $50 dollars which is unheard of for a miniatures game. We have a few in our group that don't like to glue or paint their miniatures so they went the di-cast rout in this scale (they look really nice). We are all very happy with it. It has gained enough interest and popularity that our local game store is now ordering in lots of kits just to keep their miniature gamers happy.

Hey Todd, you have any pictures you could post?

I do believe there will be a demo next Wednesday so I will take a few pictures and post them. I would take pics of mine but I havn't finished putting them together yet. I will get some posted a.s.a.p.

Hi Mate,

I have used 20mm 1/72nd 1/76th scale tanks and infantry extensively for minature wargaming. Usually with Rapid Fire! 2d Ed..

They work well and look good if you put the effort into painting them.

That said, they can be pricey and do take up a lot of space. If I was staring again today I would probably go in for 15mm stuff.

I hope that helps.

Just a quick clarification to the excellent above list for anyone interested in precise sizes:

There is actually a Z Scale which is 1/220, for many years this was pretty much only produced by the German manufacturer Marklin but of late much more has become available--though somewhat oversized for Micro Armor there is a wide range of figures available at this scale, some of which might be made to resemble troops.

S Scale is 1/64, I believe the first listing of S was supposed to be TT Scale, which is 1/120 and interestingly was never very popular in the USA but did catch on in Eastern Europe, oddly enough. Hard to find equipment, but if you need Soviet trains this would actually be the best choice.

HO scale is actually 1/87, OO is about 1/84 but this varies and it runs on 1/87 scale track (for standard gauge) and there are military models specifically available in HO scale as well, mainly for train layouts which include military trains, though nowhere near the number of 1/72, and as mentioned they are fairly close for gaming purposes.

And #1 Scale is technically 1/32, though some companies produce 1/29 (I think this allows them a simple x3 conversion from HO scale drawings which are widely available--not so much a concern these days, but perhaps important before widespread use of PCs). And LGB and copycat items are actually narrow gauge, built to 1/24 or 1/25 but run on #1 Gauge track.

As might be guessed, I also have model trains as a hobby....

1/72 very good, Cheap and readily available.

Mount on trays as indicated above.

1)just download Axis and Allies Miniatures rules
2)Buy a load of 1/285 stuff from skytrex.com ( out of UK) and have it painted for about .75 cents each

3) buy old glory 15 mm for infantry
4) buy a few planes stands from ebay under War at sea

5) DONT BUY THAT Crap FROM AVALON HILL. They are ripping you off. Each skytex tank or truck or artillery unit costs from 60 cents, to $1.10 after shipping and has no tax.

So what your doing is buying the pieces, having them painted and ripping off the Avalon Hill rules that are available under PDF. You can also DL the cards on sites.

If you want to buy 20 German Maus Tanks or 20 V-1's its easy just pal $1.10 for each because "collectible anything" is a scam to rip off people. They learned that trick from watching how P.O.G.S. were marketed.

I've used a lot of plastic 1/72 figures and models for wargaming over the years. Originally singly mounted for skirmish gaming - nowadays they're all mounted on bases (similar to Flames of War...) for use with Blitzkrieg Commander.

One of the the downsides is finding all the right support equipment - mortars, MGs, AT guns, etc. There are more and more becoming available but I quite often supplement the 1/72 plastics with 20mm metal figures.

The other downside is tanks. A lot of the tanks are really made for modelers who want to make accurate looking models and the assembly and painting is then focus of the hobby and will generally only make one. So they can take a LOOOOONG time to assemble and paint - it is trying at times, especially when one wants a DOZEN of them! There are a couple of companies making models more suited wargaming - Quick assembly kits with a minimum number of parts, two in a kit and relatively inexpensive (Italleri and Hat are the two companies I know of doing this.

Hope this is helpful

tim
http://saskminigamer.blogspot.com/

It's my understanding that 20mm (the closest 'wargame' scale to 1/72) has, until recently, been the principal ground wargame scale in the UK, gradually being replaced by the more US-popular 15mm. My FLGS owner games exclusively in 20mm. Personally, I started in 6mm, dabbled in 2mm, gave up when I realised I couldn't see them, and went to 10mm...

This is a good site for reviews/pictures of 1/72 scale plastic figures of all eras:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/

You might need to use 144th scale to get this on the table:

Hi all,

I've always thought that 1/72 would be perfect for individual or squad-based combat. I could see basing squads of five to six men or half-squads of three and then building platoons from there. Crew-served weapons would get their own bases. Naturally, vehicles would be individual units.

Are there any good rules with that kind of basing?

Too big; go for 1/600

Lots...
CrossFire: Rules & Organizations for Company Level WW2 Gaming
Flames of War
Blitzkrieg Commander and Cold War Commander can be played at that level
Armour and Infantry

That's just a few off the top of my head... I'm sure there's plenty more...

Italeri, a miniatures company out of Italy, produces 1/72 minis plus rules for them in a big box, available at most Hobby Shops here in the States. The first was called Operation Overlord, but there have been others. You can even just buy the rules and go crazy with other companies' 1/72nd stuff.
Operation Overlord
www.boardgamegeek.com/game/13316