I´m searching for an affordable line or lines of miniatures for a Traveller-like environment. So far I found the Mobile Infantry and Battlefield Evolution Minis by Mongoose.

Are there older`, maybe cheaper pewter minis lines?
Where to search?
Where to buy?


I know there was a Grenadier line for Trav, but they are basically collector´s items.

Thanks!

Ah!  A subject dear to my heart!    I may be the only person on earth who hates 3.5 for not being enough of a miniatures game.

Well, in 28mm there's Bob Naismith's Cobalt One figures.  Guys with slug throwers and clear bubble dome helmets!  The Armen figures are the ultimate Vargr sculpts ever.  There's also a couple races of pretty alien critters.  Produced a few years ago by Old Glory but they seem to be gone now.

Combat Zone, now from EM-4 has some very nice multipart plastic troopers in 28mm.  The gang members are significantly less impressive.  EM-4 also has some bulky but curvey powered armour originally done by Grenadier, and lots of Mark Copplestone's old Future Wars figures, also originally by Grenadier.

http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html
http://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/range.php?range=FW

There's also a host of new publishers with small ranges of sf stuff for specific stuff, ranging from Scrunts from Olley's Armies and Grymm from Hasslefree (who knew space dwarfs could be so different) to Drantakhs the very alien stuff like Hydrassians from Alpha Forge and the Spugs.

http://hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/
http://www.alphaforgegames.com/28mmscifiminiatures.html

In 25mm your best bet would be Ground Zero Games, who routinely break trademarks with various knockoffs of aliens, predators, & terminators.  I'll give special mention to RAFM's reaction marines and cyborks as a nice 40k style line.  They've got a cute cartoon on their website where theres a squad commenting on how much bigger everything is since they were here last.

http://www.gtns.co.uk/store1/commerce.cgi?page=sg-fp.html&cart_id=1290124.29481
http://www.rafm.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=RAF&Category_Code=SKRM

That's all I can think of at the moment.  Sadly none of it is particularly Traveller like.  Ad Astra is doing Traveller fleets and Mega Minis is doing limited runs of Traveller aliens, but beyond that most stuff leans more toward the 40k end of things.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140112325430

Thanks so much!

I´m in love with true 25mm, those links are GREATLY appreciated!

How do all these Mini lines keep in business?
Is it cheaper to sell minis?
What´s the secret of all these small minis shops?

Well, you make two to four times as much on a mini you sell from your own website.  The distributors out there don't like to deal with minis if they can help it in any case.  Too often they'll sell off the 30-60% of a line that's good stuff and get stuck with the rest.

Some lines don't keep in business.  EM-4 bought all those plastic moulds from dead companies.  Primarily Grenadier, but also ICE and the guys who put out Combat Zone.  Mega minis mainly produces figures from dead lines.  The casualty level is actually pretty high.  But if a guy spends 10 grand and doesn't make the big leagues he can still check his site once a week and make a few bucks here and there or eventually sell his moulds to someone who's still willing to take a chance.

So the molds of all minis lines are still somewhere?
Artifacts of civilization that are passed on?

Great!

Now, is Mini Gaming big in the UK? Many lines, like Stargrunt etc strike me as RPG materiel. Or are there actually communities who play these obscure TableTops? Or is it just disconnected guys collecting and using the minis for their own games?

I´d never know where to find a play partner for any of those obscure games, but definitely could use them for RPGs.

Every type of gaming is bigger in Europe.  In fact, most of those companies are European, with the exception of Old Glory of course.

Can you get to MegaMini from germany?

http://www.megaminis.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

This used to be called Discount Hobby. They used to also have a bunch of 'out of production' miniatures, they were recasting.

Wow!
Amazing, and cheap.

I´ll be off ordering and painting minis. Now this has been the most valuable thread in weeks!



Totally rad!

OMG! Those make me want to dig out the old Al-Qadim boxes!

And very affordable, too, they come in $20 (which is equal to, like,  €3 nowadays) boxes, and there´s more "arabian" boxes!

Quote from: Abyssal MawCan you get to MegaMini from germany?

http://www.megaminis.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

This used to be called Discount Hobby. They used to also have a bunch of 'out of production' miniatures, they were recasting.

I used to get all sorts of good stuff from Johnny before he switched formats. I understand he has had a hard time getting into European Distribution, so I don't think you'll be able to order locally. If you have a substantial enough order though to make shipping worth it, he should be able to send it directly.

Sidenote: Which Vallejo colour for that coppery skin tone on that figs?
I use Beige Red for skin, but that might not do the trick here.

I don't think this site has been linked in this thread.

http://www.star-ranger.com/Minis.htm#Traveller


A bit expensive

Zhodani Fleet Box

http://www.genreconnections.com/shop/product.php?productid=16273&cat=0&page=1

Looking at that link (and not for the first time, I'm a big Star Ranger fan) I'm still trying to fathom what kind of customer would need a 5 pack of pinnaces.