''Essex Miniatures'' is a British company that produces
miniature figures Miniature figures may be used as:
*Miniature figure (gaming), in miniature wargaming and roleplaying games
*A collectable figurine, often an artistic, and sometimes a prehistoric or antique specimen
*Toy soldier
*Lego minifigure
A Lego minifigu ...
.
History
Brian Gregory founded Essex Miniatures in 1980 in
Canvey Island, Essex. The company's first products were 28 mm historical figures.
With the rise in popularity of fantasy role-playing games (FRPGs) using 25 mm figures, Essex began producing fantasy miniatures as well, although they continued to market their slightly larger 28 mm figures as suitable for FRPGs.
In 1985, Essex added 15 mm wargame lines to their production.
Reception
Ian J. Knight reviewed Essex Miniatures for ''
Imagine'', and stated that "the quality is sufficient to whet the appetite and raise hopes for more to come." Knight noted that several of the miniatures were "particularly inventive, especially the standard-bearer wielding a huge boar's head on a pole."
Essex Miniatures were featured several times in the pages of ''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'':
* In Issue 70 (February 1983),
Kim Eastland
Kimber "Kim" Lee Eastland (February 26, 1952 – January 29, 2020) was a game designer who worked for TSR.
Early life
Kim Eastland was born in Moline, Illinois, one of two children of Everett and Margaret Eastland. He attended Alleman High Sch ...
featured Essex's "Feudal-Medieval" line of armoured knights. He noted with approval that most of the miniatures "have interchangeable weapons." He also pointed out that the 28 mm figures were a bit larger than the FRPG standard of 25 mm figures.
* Five months later, Eastland again featured Essex miniatures, presenting their line of armoured monks. He admired the noticeable differences between the figurines, saying, "Another fine aspect of this line is the avoidance of the 'clone' look so often seen these days."
* In Issue 77 (September 1983), Eastland recommended Essex's historical figures for use in FRPGs, saying, "For those gamers who want an unusual identity or flair for their characters,
..Essex has a broad line of historical fighters, and some fit into fantasy games nicely."
* Ten years later, in an article about 15 mm wargaming miniatures in Issue 202 (February 1994), Steve Winter noted that "Essex, an English company, is probably the best known and most prolific of the historical-miniatures companies. Just a list of their ancient and medieval figures is seven pages long; it lists more than 600 figure packs, many containing multiple poses! The figures are well sculpted, too. Detail and proportion are excellent."
References
{{reflist
Gaming miniatures companies