Micro armour
Encyclopedia
Micro armour refers to small figurines made of lead, pewter, die cast metal or plastic, usually used for wargaming purposes. Variations of the name include: mini armour, mini armour, microscale, mini tanks, miniature armour, miniature armour, miniature tanks, micro tanks, minitanks
, minifigs, armour figurines, tank figurines, etc. are also used. Micro armour is a sub-category of model military vehicle
miniature figures used for military simulation
, miniature wargaming
, scale models
, dioramas
and collecting
.
armour miniatures. GHQ also published Micro Armour: The Game - WWII in 2001 some 34 years after founding the company. Early on, a competing company called C in C offered 1:285 scale micro armour starting in 1974.
Currently, games such as Flames of War
and Axis & Allies Miniatures
are widely popular and use 1:100 scale mini armour figurines and 15 mm infantry.
Beyond squad-level scale there is half-platoon scale, platoon scale, company scale, battalion scale and division scale.
based on human shaped heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale figures (even if the high and low ends of each respective category overlap) because the scales used by most micro armour games are smaller (armour skirmish game scale) and the represented playing field larger - though it is not nearly as large as in naval wargaming
. In typical micro armour based games (such as Micro Armour: The Game - WWII) a single tank would represent a typical military unit. Contrast to larger scaled games, such as those using 20 mm - 54 mm heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale miniatures, (such as MechWarrior
, Warhammer 40,000
, Warhammer
, AT-43
, Warmachine
or Dungeons & Dragons
), a tank would be unusually large and more akin to units like dragons or large catapults which human sized units must gang-up against to defeat. Infantry skirmish games such as The Face of Battle
and I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! demonstrate this very well as they are designed to be played with 15mm, 20mm and 25/28mm scale figures, as contrasted with 6mm - 12.5mm armour skirmish figures.
and modern battle simulation) included Angriff!
by Z&M Publishing Enterprises (1968) and (1972), Fast Rules
by Armored Operations Society
(1970) published later by Guidon Games
(1972), Tractics
by Guidon Games
(1971) later by TSR, Inc.
(1975), War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950 by Wargames Research Group (WRG)
(1973), Panzer Warfare
by TSR, Inc.
(1975), Kampfgruppe by Historical Alternatives Game Co. (1979), Corps Commander: OMG & Korps Commander by Table Top Games (1986) and Command Decision by Game Designers' Workshop
(1986).
There were also some science fiction
-based games that used micro armour, such as Starguard by Reviresco (1974), Ogre
by Steve Jackson Games
(1977), Striker by Game Designers' Workshop
(1981), Classic BattleTech
by FASA
(1984) and Space Marine by Games Workshop
(1989).
, Axis & Allies Miniatures
, Micro Armour: The Game - WWII, Heavy Gear
, Blitzkrieg Commander
, Dirtside II, Crossfire
, I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, Cold War Commander, Megablitz
, Panzer War, Panzertruppe Panzer® Miniatures, Panzer Marsch, First Watch. Jagdpanzer, Command Decision - Test of Battle 4th Edition, the upcoming World Tank Campaigns."BGMR Modern Rules"
/Roco
/Preiser, SHQ Miniatures (1:76 scale/20 mm) and Battlefront Miniatures Limited
(1:100 scale).
(Hong Kong), Takara Tomy
(Japan), Trumpeter
(China), Pegasus Hobbies (US), ACI Toys Company Ltd. (Hong Kong) and others.
Roco
Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment.-History:The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series. After export to the USA became successful, the model line was expanded with model trains in H0 scale and the...
, minifigs, armour figurines, tank figurines, etc. are also used. Micro armour is a sub-category of model military vehicle
Model military vehicle
-Scales:The term 'scale' refers to the proportion of actual size the replica or model represents. Scale is usually expressed as a ratio or as a fraction . In either case it conveys the notion that the replica or model is accurately scaled in all visible proportions from a full-size prototype object...
miniature figures used for military simulation
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
, miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
, scale models
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
, dioramas
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
and collecting
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
.
History
The specific term "micro armour" originated and was trademarked by GHQ founder Gregory Dean Scott in 1967 for a line of metal 1:285 scale1:285 scale
1:285 scale or 6 mm figure size is a US Army scale introduced in the late 1960s, and used for wargames and some scale model dioramas. It is used in miniature wargaming to depict large battles in a relatively small gaming area...
armour miniatures. GHQ also published Micro Armour: The Game - WWII in 2001 some 34 years after founding the company. Early on, a competing company called C in C offered 1:285 scale micro armour starting in 1974.
Currently, games such as Flames of War
Flames of War
Flames of War is a World War II tabletop miniatures wargame produced by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures Ltd...
and Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry...
are widely popular and use 1:100 scale mini armour figurines and 15 mm infantry.
Scale
Micro and mini armour consists primarily of the following scales, from smallest to largest:- 1:300/1:285 (6 mm figure scale)
- 1:144 - 1:183 (10 mm - 12.5 mm figure scale) or N scaleN scaleN scale is a popular model railway scale/track gauge. Depending upon the manufacturer , the scale ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. In all cases, the gauge is . The term N gauge refers to the track dimensions, but in the UK in particular N gauge refers to a 1:148 scale with track gauge modelling...
- 1:100 - 1:122 (15 mm figure scale)
- 1:72-1:87 (20 mm - 28 mm figure scale)
| overall scale | 1:72 - 1:87 | 1:100 - 1:122 | 1:144 - 1:183 (also N Scale) | 1:285 - 1:300 |
| figure scale | 20 - 28 mm | 15 mm | 10 - 12.5 mm | 6 mm |
| game scale | infantry & armour skirmish | infantry & armour skirmish | squad & armour skirmish | ~platoon & armour skirmish |
Beyond squad-level scale there is half-platoon scale, platoon scale, company scale, battalion scale and division scale.
Armour Skirmish Vs. Infantry Skirmish Scale
Micro armour is usually differentiated from tabletop gamesTabletop game
Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...
based on human shaped heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale figures (even if the high and low ends of each respective category overlap) because the scales used by most micro armour games are smaller (armour skirmish game scale) and the represented playing field larger - though it is not nearly as large as in naval wargaming
Naval wargaming
Naval wargaming is a branch of the wider hobby of miniature wargaming. Generally less popular than wargames set on land, naval wargaming nevertheless enjoys a degree of support around the world...
. In typical micro armour based games (such as Micro Armour: The Game - WWII) a single tank would represent a typical military unit. Contrast to larger scaled games, such as those using 20 mm - 54 mm heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale miniatures, (such as MechWarrior
MechWarrior (role-playing game)
MechWarrior is a role-playing game set in the fictional BattleTech universe in which players can assume the roles of MechWarriors or other individuals in the 31st century. The game has had three editions and many expansions and adventures, the first of which was published in 1986 by FASA...
, Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
, Warhammer
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
, AT-43
At-43
AT-43 is a science fiction tabletop wargame using 28 mm miniature figures and terrain to scale developed and published by the French company Rackham.The game is classified as a platoon/company level game similar to Warhammer 40,000....
, Warmachine
Warmachine
Warmachine is a tabletop steampunk wargame produced by Privateer Press.The game is played with white metal and plastic miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms D20 Role Playing Game setting...
or Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
), a tank would be unusually large and more akin to units like dragons or large catapults which human sized units must gang-up against to defeat. Infantry skirmish games such as The Face of Battle
The Face of Battle (game)
A World War II era miniatures wargame for use with 15 mm, 20 mm and 25/28mm figure scale miniatures . It focuses mainly on skirmishes between individual infantry and tanks, with heavy use of landscape buildings as obstacles and scenery.-External links and references:* Reviews:*...
and I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! demonstrate this very well as they are designed to be played with 15mm, 20mm and 25/28mm scale figures, as contrasted with 6mm - 12.5mm armour skirmish figures.
Early Games
Early (pre-1990) games using lead or pewter miniature armour (for World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and modern battle simulation) included Angriff!
Angriff!
Angriff! is a miniatures wargame, perhaps the first ever published using scale model 1:285 scale micro armour. First published in 1968 and later revised and expanded in 1972 and 1982 by R. Zimmerman & D...
by Z&M Publishing Enterprises (1968) and (1972), Fast Rules
Fast Rules (game)
Fast Rules is a set rules for conducting table top wargames with H0 scale WWII miniatures. The rules were developed by Mike Reese and Leon Tucker and published as a 24 page pamphlet in 1970 by the Armored Operations Society, an affiliate of the IFW...
by Armored Operations Society
International Federation of Wargamers
The International Federation of Wargaming was founded by Gary Gygax, Bill Speer, and Scott Duncan in 1966. Originally named the United States Continental Army Command, the organization served as an umbrella for local wargaming clubs such as the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association and the...
(1970) published later by Guidon Games
Guidon Games
Guidon Games produced board games and rulebooks for wargaming with miniatures, and in doing so influenced Tactical Studies Rules , the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. The Guidon Games publishing imprint was the property of Lowry's Hobbies , a mail-order business owned by Don and Julie Lowry...
(1972), Tractics
Tractics
Tractics is a set of rules for conducting World War II style combat with 1:285 scale micro armour miniatures. It was originally written to use 1/87 scale miniatures which were easily available at the time of its writing. Written by Mike Reese and Leon Tucker with contributions by Gary Gygax, the...
by Guidon Games
Guidon Games
Guidon Games produced board games and rulebooks for wargaming with miniatures, and in doing so influenced Tactical Studies Rules , the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. The Guidon Games publishing imprint was the property of Lowry's Hobbies , a mail-order business owned by Don and Julie Lowry...
(1971) later by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
(1975), War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950 by Wargames Research Group (WRG)
Wargames Research Group
The Wargames Research Group ' is a British publisher of rules and reference material for miniature wargaming. Founded in 1969 they were the premier publisher of tabletop rules during the seventies and eighties, publishing rules for periods ranging from ancient times to modern armoured warfare, and...
(1973), Panzer Warfare
Panzer Warfare
A set of rules for 1:285 scale miniature wargaming battles set in World War II. Written by Brian Blume and published by TSR, Inc. in 1975. This was one of the early games intended for use with micro armour....
by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
(1975), Kampfgruppe by Historical Alternatives Game Co. (1979), Corps Commander: OMG & Korps Commander by Table Top Games (1986) and Command Decision by Game Designers' Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers.-History:Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973...
(1986).
There were also some science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
-based games that used micro armour, such as Starguard by Reviresco (1974), Ogre
Ogre (game)
Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
by Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
(1977), Striker by Game Designers' Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers.-History:Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973...
(1981), Classic BattleTech
Classic BattleTech
Classic BattleTech is a table-top wargame set in the fictional BattleTech universe that simulates combat between futuristic mechanized forces. Originally published by FASA Corporation, the game is now produced by Catalyst Game Labs under license from WizKids...
by FASA
FASA
FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001. Originally the name FASA was an acronym for "Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration", a joking allusion to the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup. This tongue-in-cheek attitude was...
(1984) and Space Marine by Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
(1989).
Recent Games
Recent (1990 and later) games include Flames of WarFlames of War
Flames of War is a World War II tabletop miniatures wargame produced by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures Ltd...
, Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry...
, Micro Armour: The Game - WWII, Heavy Gear
Heavy Gear
Heavy Gear is a game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game and a lesser known combat card game...
, Blitzkrieg Commander
BlitzkriegCommander
BlitzkriegCommander is a tabletop wargame designed to re-create battles of the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War using miniatures. It is published by Specialist Military Publishing who also publish Cold War Commander and Future War Commander.-BlitzkriegCommander game play:Players can...
, Dirtside II, Crossfire
Crossfire (miniatures game)
Crossfire is a tabletop miniatures wargame designed by Arty Conliffe and first published in 1996, later supplemented by "Hit the Dirt" containing a number of rules clarifications and scenarios. Crossfire was originally designed to allow for company-sized battles and World War II scenarios...
, I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, Cold War Commander, Megablitz
Megablitz
Megablitz is an operational-level wargame that was developed by Tim Gow to fill a niche in the range of wargames that was currently available....
, Panzer War, Panzertruppe Panzer® Miniatures, Panzer Marsch, First Watch. Jagdpanzer, Command Decision - Test of Battle 4th Edition, the upcoming World Tank Campaigns."BGMR Modern Rules"
Game Piece Manufacturers
Metal (and some plastic) gaming pieces are traditionally manufactured by companies such as GHQ (US), GFI (US), CGD (Hong Kong),Pendraken Miniatures (UK), Perrin Miniatures (Dist. by Noble Miniatures in the US & Chariot Miniatures in the UK), QRF Models Ltd. (1:100 scale), Stevens International, DM Toys (Germany), C in C, Scotia Micro Models, Skytrex, Heroics & Ros, In-Service Miniatures, Irregular Miniatures, I-94 Enterprises, Armstrong Models (UK), HerpaHerpa
Herpa, or Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH, is a German manufacturer of die-cast model aircraft under the Herpa Wings trademark and plastic car models under the Herpa Cars & Trucks trademark. The mainstay of Herpa Wings is in the 1/500 scale, although models are also produced in the 1/400, 1/200, and...
/Roco
Roco
Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment.-History:The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series. After export to the USA became successful, the model line was expanded with model trains in H0 scale and the...
/Preiser, SHQ Miniatures (1:76 scale/20 mm) and Battlefront Miniatures Limited
Flames of War
Flames of War is a World War II tabletop miniatures wargame produced by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures Ltd...
(1:100 scale).
Collectables Manufacturers
Recent plastic and diecast metal series' intended for collecting and made in the 1:144 scale are manufactured by companies such as Dragon Models LimitedDragon Models Limited
Dragon Models Limited is a Hong Kong based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures...
(Hong Kong), Takara Tomy
Takara Tomy
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
(Japan), Trumpeter
Trumpeter (company)
Trumpeter is a Chinese company that manufacturers plastic injection moulding military model kits. Their product line consists of model ships, aircraft, cars and military ground vehicles. Trumpeter kits initially had a reputation of being somewhat less detailed than those of competitors such as...
(China), Pegasus Hobbies (US), ACI Toys Company Ltd. (Hong Kong) and others.