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Thread: 1/200 or 1/144

  1. #1

    Foobs
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    Default 1/200 or 1/144

    G'Day all,

    I currently only play the WW1 version of the game but I am looking at moving into the WW2 version very soon. My question relates to miniatures.

    Apart from the official miniatures where do people get other 1/200 minis from and what is their quality like or do peeps suggest the going 1/144 (which is where I am probably currently looking at going I guess)

    I want to make many of my minis for North Africa so want to build up Hurri's and P40s, Blenheims and Beauforts (and even maybe some Spitfires for the fair weather fan out there (don't get me started on how many times I have to argue against the spit with my Pommy Pop - sorry OT I know!)) and of course 109e's and f's and don't forget Italian planes.

    Can people give me any suggestions??

    Thanks!

    Foobs

  2. #2

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    The Last Square carries Air Action 200 minis. I've built several, and they are all excellent in terms of quality.

    They are made by Noble Miniatures, and you might try searching for them elsewhere.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Foobs View Post
    G'Day all,

    I currently only play the WW1 version of the game but I am looking at moving into the WW2 version very soon. My question relates to miniatures.

    Apart from the official miniatures where do people get other 1/200 minis from and what is their quality like or do peeps suggest the going 1/144 (which is where I am probably currently looking at going I guess)

    I want to make many of my minis for North Africa so want to build up Hurri's and P40s, Blenheims and Beauforts (and even maybe some Spitfires for the fair weather fan out there (don't get me started on how many times I have to argue against the spit with my Pommy Pop - sorry OT I know!)) and of course 109e's and f's and don't forget Italian planes.

    Can people give me any suggestions??

    Thanks!

    Foobs
    I wound up going 1/144 scale way back, but a large part of my decision to do that was based on the fact that at that time, Nexus didn't have any of the WWII miniatures released yet. Now, we're two sets in, and a third right around the corner.

    A big factor for me in choosing 1/144 scale, is that I dabble in building 1/72 scale, and building regular do-it-yourself kits is not a problem for me. It's always been a hobby for me, and it's actually kinda relaxing in my case, but it's not for everyone.

    Having said that, I'd have to say that your choice on what scale to go with would depend on a couple other factors, of what you are looking for in the game, and what you want to spend.

    The first thing to consider is how do you plan on getting the needed manuever card decks to play the game. If you go 1/200 scale, you'll get what you need with the miniatures. If you go 1/144 scale, you're going to have to buy the manuever card decks with either the boxed game sets, or in the booster packs. When I play, I like to have one manuever deck for each plane in play, which is normally 2 per side.

    In the first boxed game set, it comes with 1 A & B deck, and 2 each on the C & D decks. So I had the choice to either buy the booster packs to get additional A & B decks, or buy a second copy of the boxed game. I wound up getting the booster packs, but on the second boxed game, I purchesed two copies of it. That can get a little pricey, buying your own miniatures, then having to buy extra copies of game gear to get the needed parts to play the game.

    The big advantage here in getting the official miniatures is, of course, that you get the manuever decks right with the planes, and you then only need one copy of the boxed games. You can also skip the booster packs too.

    The next thing to consider, is whether or not you are one who wants to build planes yourself. That winds up being not only time consuming, but is another added expense. Paints, brushes, maybe even a compressor & air brush, exacto knives, decale solutons, glue, activator, masking tape, files, sanding films, hemo stats, putty and the list of needed items just always seems to go on and on. To add injury to insult, the high quality of the pre built and pre painted miniatures is often hard to duplicate or match yourself.

    In 1/144 scale, there is an increasing variety of planes available in the pre built and pre painted range too, but there are still some aircraft, that you can only get as the good old fashioned, do em' yourself'ers. Time is a big issue in building kits yourself as well, as they do take time. Time you could be spending playing the game...

    They also make the 1/144 scale planes in limited print runs, meaning, they make only so many at a time. If you don't snag them when you get the chance, you may wind up waiting a year, 2 or even longer before another print run is made. A good example of this is the F4U Corsair in 1/144 scale.

    So if you are looking only for pre built kits, the variety available at any given time is something to consider.

    Another item to consider would be the detail of the miniatures you would like. Obviously, you get a bit more detail in 1/144 scale vs 1/200 scale. If I were doing the 1/200 scale, I'd paint the canopies, that's just me though.

    Yet another consideration is the game playing space you have or want to use. The advantage here goes to 1/200 scale. You can play in a smaller space, and if space is not a factor, then 1/200 scale will always allow you to play larger battles/games, with more aircraft, in whatever space you have.

    The smaller scale also has the advantage of being able to travel easier, if you want to take your game "on the road" to a friends or FLAGS.

    I actually think Nexus has done a really nice job of making this game so that players have the choice to go in whatever scale they want. You will still need to buy copies of the boxed games, and most likely some or all of the boosters too. But you will still have to buy game gear, so Nexus is in business there too with all the folks like me, who have gone "rogue scale".

    Last edited by kaufschtick; 10-27-2010 at 09:14.

  4. #4

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    There is also a wide variety of planes available in even smaller scales, 1/300 I think. These are widely used for games like check your six. There's no reason they wouldn't work for WoW.

    Pooh

  5. #5

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    kaufschtick, I love your 1/144 display. I was reading your dissortation and it sounds like you are preparing for surgery instead of building plastic models.
    We need to get together someday and shoot each other up. I'm on leave right now from having surgery.
    trumpetman52

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    I decided to stay with the 1/200 for two reasons,

    1)the Nexus pre-paints, quick to get into play and they come with their own maneuver deck
    2)1/144 for me is too big for the table. We get into some large scale games, with as many as 20 planes on the table. The larger wingspan of 144 would get in the way, more so than 1/200.

    I've bought 1/200 from Noble and from Armaments in miniature. Both are very good casts, the Noble is lead and the AiM in resin.

  7. #7

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    That's problem in deciding what sale planes to use for a game, especially if you are going to use them in conjunction with other games. For example with my WW2 10mm (Rapid Fire rules) I was using 6mm aircraft but found them to be just to small in comparisome with, so when DoW was released in 1/200th I found they fitted in. Without breaking advertising rules I found an excellent UK company that cover all the planes I will need. So now I have a load of 6mm planes which I don't realy want to sell off but don't know what to do with. On the other hand I also game Coastal Command forces using 1/600 scale ships and aircraft (which work well with DoW rules except I half the movement distance). So as it is I have a load of planes in 1/76 scale (unused) from my Airfix days, 1/144 for my WoW WW1, 1/200 for DoW. 6mm ( unused) and 1/600 for Naval wargaming. I have decided to let my children sort things out when I die!

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by trumpetman52 View Post
    kaufschtick, I love your 1/144 display. I was reading your dissortation and it sounds like you are preparing for surgery instead of building plastic models.
    We need to get together someday and shoot each other up. I'm on leave right now from having surgery.
    trumpetman52
    Sounds great, I'm getting the itch to dogfight bad lately! Mt drinking buddies and I have been playing the dog snot out of Axis & Allies Global lately.

    I'm long overdue to log some flight time! Beware though; my kids shoot me down enough to tease me about buying stock in a parachute packing company!

    Fun as hell though! Great game!

    (Psst, don't tell anyone that I've been shot down by a nine year old girl )

    Quote Originally Posted by green dragon View Post
    I decided to stay with the 1/200 for two reasons,

    1)the Nexus pre-paints, quick to get into play and they come with their own maneuver deck
    2)1/144 for me is too big for the table. We get into some large scale games, with as many as 20 planes on the table. The larger wingspan of 144 would get in the way, more so than 1/200.

    I've bought 1/200 from Noble and from Armaments in miniature. Both are very good casts, the Noble is lead and the AiM in resin.
    I agree that 1/200 is a great scale for this. I'd have gone 1/200 if I could have waited! By the time Nexus gets out anything even close to what I have now in 1/144 scale, I'll be in a retirement home drooling: if I'm lucky!

    I think the 1/200 scale is the right choice for WWII air combat miniatures. The Nexus ones are unbeatable in quality and detail (the only way someone could "top" their miniatures would be to find a way to get the canopies painted as well).

    I would think that if Nexus can get some variety produced, that gamers of other air combat games would start buying the Nexus miniatures to use.

    1/200 is the perfect mix of detail and small size needed to play larger battles and still keep it a tabletop game. That is really important.

    For me, in 1/144 scale, fortunately the game itself (WoW) is geared toward smaller numbers of planes in gameplay.

    If I were to jump into another game system that portrayed larger air battles, space would become an enemy to me.

    Reminds me of a funny story...

    I actually took into consideration the game Wings of War a few years ago when my wife and I were out window shopping for a new kitchen table. We live in a modest home, and have 5 kids, 4 of whom still are at home in the nest. So space is fairly limited for me. When my wife and I ran across a 54" x 54" kitchen table one day while we were just out window shopping, I suddenly realized it was "the table" for Wings of War. "Sieze the Moment", I thought to myself. So I told my wife that we had to buy it. She said to me, "I thought we were just looking for now, and were'nt going to actually buy one for a few months?"

    It was at this point that greatness came to me, inspired by Wings of War no doubt, and I went into a long oration of how the table we currently had was long overdue to be replaced; how it just didn't meet the needs of our family any longer; how the one before us went so well with our kitchen decor; and how much I wanted her to have this new table!!!!

    I'm telling you right now, it was my very best BS, grade "A" stuff.

    So we got the table. Almost immediately I had a Wings of War game set up on it. My wife looks at me and says '"Oh, I see you can play your little airplane game on the new table. Is that why we bought it?"

    I assured her no; no... not at all.

    My wife then drops the A-Bomb on me...she says to me, "Well, I've wanted a new kitchen table for so long now it isn't even funny. And when I saw you playing your little airplane game on the old table with the kids, and running out of room; why do you think I let you buy so many of your little airplanes?"

    I was dumbfounded...

    Then, she winked at me...

    Good Lord!!!! It was a reverse scam!!!!

    She had manuevered me into a new kitchen table and chairs by using Wings of War against me!!!

    I had always told her that there was nothing wrong with the kitchen table and chairs we had, they were perfectly fine and didn't need replaced.

    Confounded; conniving; scheming female!!!!!
    Last edited by kaufschtick; 11-10-2010 at 10:41.

  9. #9

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    Well On this subject. I ordered some 1/200 models a while back in preparation for this forced vacation from work and just finished them yesterday.

    The models are from the Air 200 line and Armaments in Minature.

    I am still on the fence in regards to the propellers that is why only half of them are finished.

    The BF-110 and the Gladiator are from Air 200, and the Dauntless is from Armaments in Miniature.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 100_0527.jpg   100_0528.jpg   100_0529.jpg   100_0530.jpg   100_0531.jpg  

    100_0533.jpg  

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaufschtick View Post
    Confounded; conniving; scheming female!!!!! ;):D
    [Demotivator]

    YOUR MAN CARD

    Hand it over, for being gulled so easily.

    [/Demotivator]

    >;)

  11. #11

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    Nice photes and models Jeremy I like the way you have done the moving props. I do the same in 1/600 scale with a hole puncher and sheet of stiff A4 plastic sheet, how do you make yours in 1/200 scale?

  12. #12

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    Rob don't feel so bad, when I was married items just use to turn up with the excuse "Oh I thought it could help you with your models", thirty years later I still have not worked out how a new lounge suit could help me with my models

  13. #13

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    Doug,

    The Props I made with a 5/8 craft cutter. The semi transparent props are actually supposed to be used for tracing of craft projects. The plastic on the box the minatures come in work really well too.

    All picked up at a local craft shop.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug View Post
    Rob don't feel so bad, when I was married items just use to turn up with the excuse "Oh I thought it could help you with your models", thirty years later I still have not worked out how a new lounge suit could help me with my models
    Ah, I'm just joking around on here about my wife. I like to make up little "funny's" from time to time, it depends on how many beers I've had.

    Truth be told, we needed a new kitchen table, and it just turned out to be a great WoW playing area as well.

    My wife gets a kick out of some of the little "bits" I put her in on here; she is actually quite supportive of my WoW "airplane addiction".

  15. #15

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    Thanks Jeremy. Doug

  16. #16

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    I was thinking of going with 1/144th as I had a handful of old kits, but when we started playing with miniatures folks bought a shed load of the 1/200th models. So I'm putting the 1/144th back in the closet and looking to gather 1/200th airplanes, from Noble and AIM, for those not made by Nexus.

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by HardRock View Post
    I was thinking of going with 1/144th as I had a handful of old kits, but when we started playing with miniatures folks bought a shed load of the 1/200th models. So I'm putting the 1/144th back in the closet and looking to gather 1/200th airplanes, from Noble and AIM, for those not made by Nexus.
    Hey Henry can you send me the websites for those companies. I'm still looking for 1/200 scale U.S. dive-bombers.
    Thanks Tom

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by CappyTom View Post
    Hey Henry can you send me the websites for those companies. I'm still looking for 1/200 scale U.S. dive-bombers.
    Thanks Tom
    Try Armaments in Miniature (AIM) at http://www.angelfire.com/nj4/armamen.../resin09mm.htm They have Dauntlesses. Also, I'm planning on converting some P-51B figs from Noble into A-36 Apaches. Just need to file down the air intake on the bottom of the cowling and add a small one on top. You can get Noble minis from The Last Square at http://www.lastsquare.com/

    Tally Ho!
    Last edited by green dragon; 12-26-2010 at 05:33.

  19. #19

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    Cappytom, Green Dragon nailed it.
    Noble Miniatures are metal and AiM are resin


    AiM base site, no pictures.
    http://www.armamentsinminiature.com/

    Noble does not sell retail, only to retailers. Actually the page loads up a pdf of their line of airplanes, no pictures.
    http://nobleminis.com/

    Last Square carries them with pictures, although they have the P-51D picture in both P-51 B and D pages.
    http://www.lastsquare.com/

    Funny thing is Noble Miniatures street address is the same as Last Square's. So they should not ever be out of stock.

  20. #20

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    Thank you Kevin and thanks Henry. I really appreciate the help.

    Tom



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