Adler Miniatures began sometimes around 1983 though the idea had germinated a little earlier.

At the time the only Napoleonic figures in 6mm scale were those made by Heroics & Ros Nice figures but for the life of me I couldn't paint the little devils. A fact made worse by several people at the club who could paint them beautifully!

I was at the time running and designing for Mikes Models so I started to experiment with designing figures in 6mm scale. I soon realised that the H&R figures were as they were because they derived from the WW2 infantry they did. These were very wee skinny fellas because the vehicles at that time were a bit 'squashed ', at the time moulding / casting technology was in its infancy and there was a lot more shrinkage so the vehicles lost a lot of height from top to bottom. Not I hasten to add a problem that H&R stuff suffers from the these days the vehicles casting and moulding are top notch.

So when I started using GHQ Models ranges for WW2 I noticed how much bigger they were than the standard and that they had gone to 1./285 rather than 1/300th. For some reason ( nice easy steps I imagine like 25mm, 15mm etc. none of which numbers actually describe the height of the figures) 1/300th/285 became known as 5mm scale, it never was such a number but it did catch on. The actual height of a 1.285 scale figure is 6.4 from base of feet to eye level.

This way of measuring figures rather then trying to measure to the top of the head shrouded in headgear started around this time and has since become pretty standard. All part of the scale creep so designers can make better proportion figures, the difference say from 15 to 18mm doesn't sound much but for a designer its like the difference between designing a small apartment rather than designing a 4 bedroom semi detached house.

So when I looked again I realised that as the figures I wanted to make didn't have to fit in with vehicles, I could bulk them out a little so as make them easier to paint. When I did the WW2 ranges I had to reverse the process!

Adler was born then and over the mid 80's I started the business full time and here we are nearly 30 years later.

And in case anyone wonders the name Adler was chosen because at the time there were a couple of Eagle miniature firms in existence and being half German it seemed obvious to choose the German equivalent of eagle instead.

So many plans for the future but getting the design time is always the problem, being a designer led outfit means that I do pretty much everything. At some point I plan to off load the production side of things so as to leave more time for doing the important bit.

I have just started doing ancients in 10mm, considered them in 6mm for a long time but 10mm allows far more room for the character that is such a necessary part of the ancient period. Its a nice scale has the the advantages of both 6mm and 15mm and few of the disadvantages. Having got past the learning curve stage hope to accelerate the production of the 10mm line.

Fear not however the Napoleonic remain a core part of the business and additions and remakes are constantly in the works.

Well hoped you managed to stay awake till the end........er..hum.....wakey wakey!

L. Locke

and a mention for the following:

Kevin Hall a friend, adviser, owner of a jolly good library and demon van driver !

Hulon H Cox like all Texans larger than life and twice as generous, Mon Emperor !

Angus McBride will miss his inspirational artwork

Peter Gilder, owe everything I know to his genius

David Mason, former owner of Mikes Models, gave me opportunities that meant I'm where I am now. Yeah right he's the one to blame!

Aly Morrison one of the great designers who taught me a heck of a lot.

Tony Barton, of AB figures for inspiring me to become a better designer. .

and finally

Chub Pearson of Denizen Miniatures we have been partners in various crimes for nearly 40 years and yet he still moans about my moulding and casting technique! Taught me more than I know about sculpting.

Art Miniaturen offer tin figures in 1/72 and 1/76 scale and now also 28mm tin figures that you can use for model making and tabletop games.

In our range you will find tin figures from different eras. We currently have figures from the Napoleonic era, Roman antiquity, the Middle Ages, the 7 year war, the 30 year war, the American Civil War and the WWII.

Butlers Printed Models have been wargaming for many years in many different periods and rule sets.  Currently we mostly play ancient, WW2 and space ships although from time to time we tend to dabble in most periods.

We started designing, producing and selling 3D printed wargames models in 2015 to friends and family.  The unique combination of cheap. Highly accurate wargames models that don't need to assembled. (and therefore there is no chance of them disassembling themselves. On the table top or in their storage box on the way to a competition!). Has proved very popular so we have decided to make them more widely available.

Miniatures for Wargamers, figure painters & collectors, 6mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 28mm, 32mm, 40mm

Early War Miniatures design and make miniatures, models and scenery for subjects from World War I through to World War II with lots of interesting things for in between.

I started EWM back in late 2010 and went live as a very small hobby/business launching the first EWM catalog on January 1st 2011. An awful lot has changed since then.

So in October 2010, I became the proud owner of a little known range of miniatures designed by Tom Lobley called Toms Tins. Tom kindly gave me the opportunity to take on his beloved range and see if I could in his words “make a go of it”. In 2012, EWM became my full time employment allowing me to commit myself to this business both growing and developing the ranges. I can say now, with some confidence that EWM has truly arrived and we are very definitely “making a go of it”, thanks again Tom.

Now at EWM we design, mold and manufacture miniatures, models and scenic accessories for collectors, modelers and gamers alike. Most of our products are designed for 20mm scale. We cover the period from WW1 to the end of WW2 with lots of interesting things for in-between. We make everything you will find on this site labeled as EWM. We do resell some other products that complement our ranges, which we hope you will find interesting and appealing. We have been in business since 2011 and our extensive model ranges are growing all the time covering some obscure, yet interesting subjects. EWM attends trade shows in Europe and the UK where we carry many, but never all our products. There are just too many now so make sure you get your show pre-order in then we can bring you the products you want to any show. Future shows we are attending appear as a tab above.

EWM has a growing number of partnerships with other retailers that we work with us both here in the UK, in Europe and the USA. We intend to expand and build upon these relationships in the near future. A list of our retail partnerships outlets and contacts appears elsewhere on this web site. We also work with a number of others in the games industry making molds and doing some casting work for a other business’s. We try to forge lasting relationships based on mutual benefits and offer things that enhance what EWM and others can offer their customers. In no particular order, we have the pleasure of working with :
Two Fat Lardies
Dan Taylor Model works
Perry Miniatures
Armourfast
Toddies Terrain
Giesber’s Models
CTK publications
Black Lion decals
Mckeeman Models

A small but important point about “SALES”. EWM DON’T do sales at any time, OR every month OR offer discounted prices (20% off) on our trade stand EVERY show like some companies do. EWM prices are our prices both here on our webstore AND the same with our EWM trade stand and with our retail trade partners. We have a number of trade partners and retail agents who also sell our products. Our trade partners earn their margins and we think it would be very disloyal to undermine them and you our own customers, by selling EWM products via both regular and random discounted sales!
Now, we will occasionally offer new products on a “special introductory offer” basis. When this happens, our agents and partners get the same option and pricing should they wish to also offer the same products at the same time.

EWM now has in excess of 1600 products, a number that is growing ALL the time. We have every intention to continue to continue to invest in, grow and expand the many product ranges, periods and subjects that we cover. We are very approachable, so if you have any questions, email us or better still, come and see us at a show and ask.