Micro armour (or micro armor) refers to scale models made of lead, pewter, die cast metal or plastic, usually used for wargaming purposes. Variations of the name include: mini armour, microscale, mini tanks, miniature armour, miniature tanks, micro tanks, minitanks, minifigs, armour figurines, tank figurines, etc. are also used. Micro armour is a sub-category of

model military vehicle Model military vehicles range in size and complexity; from simplified small-scale models for wargaming, to large, super-detailed renditions of specific real-life vehicles. Scales The 'scale' is the proportion of actual size the replica or model ...

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 ...

used for

military simulation Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Military simulations are seen as a useful way to develop tactical, strategi ...

miniature wargaming Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming in which military units are represented by miniature physical models on a model battlefield. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use ...

scale model A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

s and

collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvio ...

History

The specific term "micro armour" originated and was trademarked by GHQ founder Gregory Dean Scott in 1967 for a line of metal 1:285 scale armour miniatures. GHQ also published '' Micro Armour: The Game - WWII'' in 2001 some 34 years after founding the company. Early on, a competing company called C in C offered 1:285 scale micro armour starting in 1974. Currently, games such as ''

Flames of War ''Flames of War'' (abbreviated as ''FoW'') is a World War II tabletop miniatures wargame produced by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures Ltd. The 1st Edition set of rules was published in 2002. ''Flames of War'' allows players to wa ...

'' and ''

Axis & Allies Miniatures Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing indi ...

'' are widely popular and use 1:100 scale mini armour figurines and 15 mm infantry.

Scale

Micro and mini armour consists primarily of the following scales, from smallest to largest: Beyond squad-level scale there is half-platoon scale, platoon scale, company scale, battalion scale and division scale.

Armour skirmish vs. infantry skirmish scale

Micro armour is usually differentiated from

tabletop game Tabletop games or tabletops are games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface, such as board games, card games, dice games, miniature wargames, or tile-based games. Classification according to equipment used Tabletop games c ...

s based on human shaped heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale figures (even if the high and low ends of each respective category overlap) because the scales used by most micro armour games are smaller (armour skirmish game scale) and the represented playing field larger - though it is not nearly as large as in

naval wargaming Naval wargaming is a branch of the wider hobby of miniature wargaming. Generally less popular than wargames set on land, naval wargaming nevertheless enjoys a degree of support around the world. Both historical and fantasy rulesets are available. ...

. In typical micro armour based games (such as '' Micro Armour: The Game - WWII'') a single tank would represent a typical military unit. Contrast to larger scaled games, such as those using 20 mm - 54 mm heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale miniatures, (such as '' MechWarrior'', ''

Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...

'', ''

Warhammer Warhammer may refer to: * War hammer, a medieval weapon Warhammer media franchise *''Warhammer'', a series of games and related media: ** ''Warhammer'' (game), a table-top fantasy miniature wargame, and origin of the franchise ** ''Warhammer Fan ...

'', ''

AT-43 ''AT-43'' is a science fiction tabletop wargame using 1:56th scale miniature figures and terrain developed and published by the French company Rackham from 2006 to 2008 and then Rackham-Entertainment from 2009 to 2010. The game is classified ...

'', ''

Warmachine ''Warmachine'' is a tabletop steampunk wargame produced by Privateer Press. The game is played with white metal and plastic miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms setting. Battles are ...

'' or ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

''), a tank would be unusually large and more akin to units like dragons or large catapults which human sized units must gang-up against to defeat. Infantry skirmish games such as ''

The Face of Battle ''The Face of Battle'' is a 1976 non-fiction book on military history by the English military historian John Keegan. It deals first with the structure of historical writing about battles, the strengths and weaknesses of the "battle piece," and th ...

'' and ''

I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! ''I Ain't Been Shot Mum!'' (abbreviated as ''IABSM'') is a World War II tabletop skirmish miniatures wargame produced by '' Too Fat Lardies''. Designers Richard Clarke and Nick Skinner started work on a set of rules for the Vietnam war. Feeling tha ...

'' demonstrate this very well as they are designed to be played with 15mm, 20mm and 25/28mm scale figures, as contrasted with 6mm - 12.5mm armour skirmish figures.

Early games

Early (pre-1990) games using lead or pewter miniature armour (for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and modern battle simulation) included '' Angriff!'' by Z&M Publishing Enterprises (1968) and (1972), '' Fast Rules'' by

Armored Operations Society Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

(1970) published later by

Guidon Games Guidon Games produced board games and rulebooks for wargaming with miniature wargaming, miniatures, and in doing so influenced Tactical Studies Rules (later TSR, Inc.), the publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Guidon Games'' publishing imp ...

(1972), ''

Tractics ''Tractics: Rules for WWII Miniatures'' is a set of wargaming rules for conducting World War II style combat with 1:285 scale micro armour miniatures. It was originally written to use 1/87 scale miniatures which were easily available at the time ...

'' by

(1971) later by

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been ...

(1975), '' War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950'' by Wargames Research Group (WRG) (1973), '' Panzer Warfare'' by

(1975), ''

Kampfgruppe In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or "battle group") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...

'' by Historical Alternatives Game Co. (1979), '' Corps Commander: OMG'' & ''

Korps Commander Korps Commander, or "Korps Commander: The Road to Berlin" is a set of micro-armour Miniature wargaming rules designed by Bruce Rea Taylor and Andy Ashton and published in the UK by Tabletop games, August 1988. These rules simulate actions in th ...

'' by

Table Top Games Tabletop games or tabletops are games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface, such as board games, card games, dice games, miniature wargames, or tile-based games. Classification according to equipment used Tabletop games c ...

(1986) and '' Command Decision'' by

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding m ...

(1986). There were also some

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

-based games that used micro armour, such as '' Starguard'' by Reviresco (1974), ''

Ogre An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...

'' by

Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the cr ...

(1977), ''

Striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

'' by

(1981), ''

Classic BattleTech ''Classic BattleTech'' is a table-top wargame set in the fictional ''BattleTech'' universe that simulates combat between futuristic mechanized forces. Originally published by FASA Corporation, the game is now produced by Catalyst Game Labs under ...

'' by

FASA Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...

(1984) and ''

Space Marine The space marine, an archetype of military science fiction, is a kind of soldier who operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill multiple roles: ship defence, boarding actions, landing parties, and general-purpose hi ...

'' by

Games Workshop Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''. Founded in 1975 by John Peake (gam ...

(1989).

Recent games

Recent (1990 and later) games include ''

Tide of Iron ''Tide of Iron'' is a World War II based wargame designed and published in 2007 by Fantasy Flight Games, also notable for publishing other large games containing a large number of counters and/or other components such as '' World of Warcraft: The ...

'', ''

'', '' Micro Armour: The Game - WWII'', ''

Heavy Gear ''Heavy Gear'' is a mecha science fiction game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game, and a combat card game ('' Heavy Gear Fighter''). The setting is also k ...

'', ''

Blitzkrieg Commander ''BlitzkriegCommander'' is a tabletop wargame designed to re-create battles of the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War using miniatures. Originally published by Specialist Military Publishing, the rules were purchased by Pendraken Miniature ...

'', ''Dirtside II'', ''

Crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...

'', ''

Cold War Commander ''BlitzkriegCommander'' is a tabletop wargame designed to re-create battles of the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War using miniatures. Originally published by Specialist Military Publishing, the rules were purchased by Pendraken Miniature ...

'', '' Megablitz'', ''Panzer War'', ''Panzertruppe'' ''Panzer Miniatures'', ''Panzer Marsch'', ''First Watch''. ''Jagdpanzer'', ''Command Decision - Test of Battle 4th Edition'', the upcoming ''World Tank Campaigns''. "BGMR Modern Rules"Inf
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/BGMR
/ref>

Manufacturers

Game pieces

Metal (and some plastic) gaming pieces are traditionally manufactured by companies such as: * Armstrong Models (Now part of Heroics & Ros) (UK) * C in C * CGD (Hong Kong) * DM Toys (Germany) * Battlefront Miniatures Limited (1:100 scale) * GFI (US) * GHQ (US) * Heroics & Ros *

Herpa Herpa Miniaturmodelle GMBH (or simply Herpa, an acronym for "Hergenröther und Patente”, the original name of the firm), is a German manufacturing company that produces die-cast scale model aircraft (under the "Herpa Wings" trademark) and plasti ...

Roco Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment. History The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series of military vehicles. After export to the USA became succ ...

/ Preiser * I-94 Enterprises * In-Service Miniatures * Irregular Miniatures * Pendraken Miniatures (UK) * Perrin Miniatures (distributed by Noble Miniatures in the US and Chariot Miniatures in the UK) * QRF Models Ltd. (1:100 scale) * SHQ Miniatures (1:76 scale/20 mm) * Scotia Micro Models * Skytrex * Stevens International

Collectables

Recent plastic and diecast metal series intended for collecting and made in the 1:144 scale are manufactured by companies such as: * ACI Toys Company Ltd. (Hong Kong) *

Dragon Models Limited Dragon Models Limited (Dragon or DML for short) is a Hong-Kong-based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures. Founded in 1987, the company shares distribution agreements with Stevens International in the Un ...

(Hong Kong) * Pegasus Hobbies (US) *

Takara Tomy is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...

(Japan) *

Trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

(China)

Notes

{{reflist, 2 Miniature figures Scale model scales Scale modeling *