Black Hussar Miniatures. Here you will find finely detailed historical metal miniatures.

Elite Miniatures Australia is based in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia and have been producing Elite Miniatures figures, under licence from Peter Morbey in the UK, for over ten years. It is Elite Miniatures belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance and our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.

We do not have the complete range of our parent company but we do update our ranges with new moulds at least twice per year, ensuring our customers receive the best figures available for the historical gamer and collector.

We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry.

We are only licenced to sell our range to Australia, New Zealand and the Asian Pacific Region all other sales are to go through our parent company in the UK, Elite Miniatures

Controlling the Chaos Napoleonic Wargame Rules

Essex Miniatures Australia is distributor for the following companies which are listed alphabetically.

Britannia

C in C Miniatures

Dixon Miniatures

Essex Miniatures

Front Rank Figurines

Hovels

Redoubt Enterprises

Tin Soldier Figurines

Veni Vidi Vici

Foundry Miniatures Ltd manufacture the world's largest range of 28mm metal miniatures for gamers, collectors, modellers and painters.

Clifford Ansell was looking for an interesting retirement job that would keep him busy. Cliff had spent much of his life working in the mining industry (apart from a few years away with the Royal Navy in the 1940s) he ended up a mining engineer and an expert on mine safety, ventilation and dust suppression. In the 60s Cliff moved on to a second career as a maths teacher: he taught maths at Bishop Dunn Comprehensive in Nottingham.

Cliff's son was, and is, my father: Bryan Ansell who had made toy soldiers with Skytrex, Tabletop, Asgard and Citadel/Games Workshop. He ended up owning GW and was responsible for games like Warhammer Fantasy Battle, 40K, Space Hulk etc.

When Cliff announced that he was going to take early retirement, Bryan suggested that Cliff might like to have a go at manufacturing toy soldiers himself.

Cliff was already experienced in dealing with both stubborn Lancashire miners and wilful, disorganised children: so it was clear that the strange mindset of the confused denizens of the toy soldier industry would be absolutely no problem for Cliff to handle.

As it happened: this was the time when Citadel was starting to change from metal based models to their new "slotta bases", and also ceasing to make historical models. Bryan was able to set Foundry up with a number of discontinued ranges - Barons Wars and Wars of the Roses Medievals, Samurai and the Vikings, Normans and Saxons, Woodland Indians, Huns and Elizabethans initially (these had all previously served as Human forces in Warhammer Fantasy Battle for some years). Further hundreds of other Citadel models followed. We still make those models at Foundry today, though we cannot manage to have them all in stock at the same time.

Michael and Alan Perry sculpted almost all these models and were keen to continue sculpting historical models for their own painting and wargaming purposes, so they continued to sculpt new Foundry ranges for Cliff for quite some years. Alistair Morrison and Dave Andrews both contributed ranges too.

So, Foundry was up and running very quickly indeed. Cliff first had premises in Sherwood, then moved to a larger unit in New Basford. The upstairs in New Basford was taken by Alistair and Trish Morrison: who sculpted the Marauder range for Games Workshop up there.

For a long period, Foundry was making many master moulds and production moulds for Games Workshop whenever they found themselves with more moulds than they could handle. Over the years many ex Games Workshop staff worked for Foundry; most notably John "Bones" Ellard, "Ep" Epworth, Andy Pattinson, Kevin Adams, Colin Dixon and Shane Hoyle.

In 1991 my father left Games Workshop and went off to Guernsey for a decade or so. In Guernsey he had three children, restored four old houses (he does that wherever he goes: not the children, just the houses) started Guernsey Foundry and made Seven Years War, Old West, Pirates and Darkest Africa models these were mostly sculpted by Mark Copplestone. When he came back to England in 2000 he brought his ranges and a couple of the Guernsey staff with him, started restoring a house near Newark and took over running Foundry from Cliff. He produced more Seven Years War, Darkest Africa and loads more Old West, then Street Violence, Vikings, Gladiators, various Romans, 16th century Swashbucklers, huge ranges of Greeks and Macedonians, Fantasy and various odds and ends.

In 2005 my father left Foundry and went back to gardening and restoring houses.

We only re-entered the world of toy soldiers because my cousin Neil Littlewood went to work at Foundry for a while, and it became apparent that there were serious problems that needed sorting out. In the end we stepped in, and the Ansell family are running the factory again.

We have moved Foundry into the huge old Carriage Court alongside our house in East Stoke.

Cheers

Marcus

Gripping Beast produce high quality 28mm Metal and Plastic Miniatures for painting and playing, from different eras which include Vikings, Saxons, Saga and from the first crusade.

Gripping Beast was founded in 1996. The company currently based at Beast Towers in Evesham. Far from the traditional “lead belt” of miniature companies in and around the Nottingham area.

At Gripping Beast we cover a wide range of historical periods. Ranging from the Wars of the Diadochi, to the Crusades and even the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War. As we only produce miniature ranges that interest us. We are able to ensure that we get high quality. Historically accurate and complete ranges that we are proud to sell and that our customers can buy into with confidence.

As one of our major loves is the Viking Age (just look at the range of figures & accessories we do for the period!). We are especially proud to be working with our good friends at Studio Tomahawk as the producer of the official SAGA miniatures range.

We are keen supporters of the hobby side of things. As well as supporting tournaments and campaign days around the world. Including SAGA Melee events. If interested in attending, keep an eye on our Facebook page, as places go fast!

Our 28mm ranges cover the periods of the

Hundred Years War

Wars of the Roses

War of the Spanish Succession

Late 17th Century

Jacobite Rebellion

French Indian wars

Seven Years War

American War of Independence

Napoleonic.

Wars of the Diadochi

Crusades

First World War

Vikings

Gripping Beast Ltd is very pleased to announce its acquisition of the ranges designed and manufactured Front Rank Figurines.