Comparing 3 Civil War Miniature Manufacturers

Hello,

It's been a long time since I have made a post on Tin Soldier Guy. I guess it's been because I don't feel like many people read it. So, please subscribe so I know you're interested and that will encourage me to keep posting.

I have jumped into 15mm American Civil War Minis this year. I found several companies that I have bought minis from and I'd like to share about them.

1. Stone Mountain Miniatures

Stone Mountain is a company in Brighton, Colorado. I have made several orders with them and one I even had professionally painted.










    A. What I Like About Stone Mountain: Their figures have many variable poses and there is a wide variety of units, brigades and lots and lots of flags. They are always good at fixing any mistakes made in their orders which I appreciate. 

    B. What Needs Improvement: Customer service needs to be better. They hardly ever pick up the phone when called and they don't always reply to their emails/contact form. They also need to improve on their delivery. I got a recent delivery that wasn't anything I had ordered. They sent me American Revolutionary War figures; but I had order American Civil War figures. I had to contact Stone Mountain via the Paypal app to get attention and resolve the issue. They did send me the right order and even got some extra flags for consolation. It can be frustrating when you have to  wait about 4-6 weeks for delivery then another 4 weeks to get the correct order. 

2. Old Glory Miniatures

Old Glory Minis are from Bethlehem, Georgia. 









        A. What I Like About Old Glory Miniatures: I love the Army Plan. You can buy an army plan for $50 and the miniatures become half price of the other companies. You also get a free package of minis when you get an army plan, too. Their customer service is the best by far! I can always get in contact with a person when I call them and they always answer their emails. I ordered the Iron Brigade from them and it cam lickety split! I especially like the Eagle standard that was with the 8th Wisconsin. Their figures have some durability to them, too.

        B. What needs improvement: I'd say more variety. I would like to see colored troops (infantry, cavalry, artillery), marines, and sailors with rifles, and sailors with pistols and cutlasses. I would also like to see "Brigade Packages" just like their competitors do. It would be nice to get an order of 4 or 5 infantry regiments each with command, an artillery battery, and a general in a single item package. I have a list made for a future purchase where I had to order my officers, drummers, standard bearers, NCO's and soldiers each separately, even with the army deal that adds up. 

3. Musket Minatures

Musket Miniatures is out of Idyllwild, California.






What I Like About Musket Miniatures: I get the impression that Musket Miniatures is a one-man operation run by "KK".  He is always polite when corresponding via email. I found he had U.S. Colored Troops and I bought a brigade of those from him. There is a nice variety. Each officer was different and I noticed that even the drummers varied. There were no issues with delivery or the product. I really like that they come with metal flags.

What Needs Improvement: The website needs a lot of work. Instead of showing pictures of the minis it shows general pictures that don't showcase the product. The store is down so one can't buy online. I had to correspond with KK via email. Paypal was used which he had to reset up as it had been down. KK also doesn't respond to every email. Understandable if you have a one-man operation and this is a side hustle, however, it doesn't make good business.

So, that's my give and take. Perhaps you know of some other companies you can share about in the comments?









Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 7, 2024 at 5:42 PM

    I think your analysis is spot on for all 3 companies. One constructive criticism I’d like to add for all 3 is I would like to see more facebook posts from them showing off their figure lines. I use all 3 manufacturers in my ACW armies and I think the units mix well. Thanks for covering these companies.. definitely my favs

    ReplyDelete
  2. GonsalvoJuly 9, 2024 at 9:11 PM

    I'd happily follow, but you need to add a "Followers" widget! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tin Soldier guyJuly 10, 2024 at 8:50 PM

      Thanks for the info. I added the button on the left frame :)

      Delete

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