No size has a longer pedigree in figure modelling than this one. A body of around fifty-four millimetres, which corresponds roughly to 1:32, has been the classic display figure for decades: large enough for faithful uniforms and real faces, small enough that a collection still fits on one shelf.
The listing reaches from a German knight of 1425 and Saxon and Northumbrian warriors through British regiments in the Crimea of 1854 and Georgia and Alabama units of 1861 to fantasy gatekeepers, demon hunters and winged subjects, with a few lighter pieces for good measure. Most are multi-part resin castings supplied unassembled and unpainted. The guide below explains how to pick your first one.
Where wargaming sets depend on numbers, a 54 mm figure is a soloist. It is painted like a miniature picture: skin in several layers, fabric shaded into its folds, metal given something to reflect. The catalogue spans faithful historical uniforms and free fantasy invention, and resin casting gives both the crisp edges that reward careful layering. Fifty-four millimetres is also the point at which a face stops being a suggestion: there is room for an eye, a mouth and a jawline, and a viewer will read all three.
Historical figures demand accuracy: check uniform and equipment colours in print before you open a pot, and the reward is honest craftsmanship with a story attached. Fantasy subjects hand you the palette instead, which makes them the better place to test an idea or an unfamiliar technique.
A typical figure breaks down into body, head, arms, weapon and base. More separate parts means better brush access to every surface, but also more joints to glue and fill. Three or four parts is plenty for a first attempt, and a figure whose arms are already attached removes the hardest alignment problem from the job.
The same height is covered by the mass plastic sets of 1:32 model figures, which make excellent practice before you cut into a resin casting and let you settle a palette for a period without risking a one-off figure. When you want more surface for faces, continue to 75 mm and 85 mm model figures.
The whole span of figure sizes is covered in model figures.
