Small guide to old West miniatures

My old West collection is not that big, but I do have miniatures from 4 different sources so here are my thoughts about them.

Black Scorpion Miniatures;
A good selection of Old West miniatures, both good guys and bad guys as well as civilians in the range. The main problem if you like to call it that, is the size of the models. They are bulky 32mm miniatures that don't fit with a lot of very nice ranges out there. You are pretty much locked to Black Scorpion and a few other sources if you start with BSM range models in your collection.

I have a bit of mixed feelings about their models. On one hand there are a lot of very nice one's, like this bunch of "Outlaws" who look as if they came straight from "Once upon a time in the West". On the other hand they simply don't fit in with a majority of models I own. And there is something about them that just feels a bit "crude" even though they are very well sculpted. It could simply be the size of the models and what they are wearing.

Artizan Design;
Another source where you can find a lot of models and with a wide variety to them. Artizan stuff is smaller and fits in with a lot more ranges out there. The quality of the sculpts themselves range from "OK" to "Very good".




Old West stuff from Reaper Miniatures;
Reaper has some sort of alternative Old West game in their catalogue from which you can pick a handful of "classic" old west miniatures. These miniatures are extremely nice and paint up very well. They do however fit into the "Large scale" category and will mix poorly with smaller miniatures such as Artizan.


West Wind Gothic Horror range;
West Wind does not have an Old West range as such, but it does have a wide range of 19th century dressed and armed miniatures. These can be used for everything ranging from civilians, Pinkerton agents to gunslingers - perhaps this range leans towards the "late Old West" and a bit more urbanized characters. The West Wind miniatures from the Gothic Horror range are all about 25mm in size. If based properly they will fit in with similar small miniature ranges such as Artizan design quite well.


Comparison pictures.

Black Scorpion Miniature, West Wind, Artizan Design, Reaper







Black Scorpion mixed with Reaper models








Artizan Design mixed with West Wind models