Bolt Action WW1 from Osprey

The recent slew of WW1 tanks gave it away but Osprey have just officially announced a publication date for Bolt Action WW1 rules of a year from now.  This is exciting because the Warhammer Historical WW1 rules were a dead end.  I am hoping that four years of WW1 coverage in the media and significant anniversaries will make the period a popular one so that  we get rules and scenarios for things like WW1 in East Africa which, with the early war period is what I am most interested in.

Mutton Chop WW1 Two different sizes!

 New (left) old (right)

If there is one thing I hate about wargames ranges it's the variance in scale you often get in 28mm figures.  For example, a few years ago I bought some Perry ECW figures having got lots of Renegade ones and they didn't match at all.  I can't understand these people who say well people are different heights so it doesn't matter.  It matters to me!

Now I have got used to different scale (which is, after all, what they are) figures between different manufacturers but when the figures are different sizes within a range I get really annoyed.  Yes, Warlord Games and your Romans and AW Miniatures Indian Mutiny figures spring to mind.  This is usually the result of using different sculptors.  However, what is the excuse for figures in the same range, by the same manufacturer and sculpted by the same sculptor being different sizes?

This is exactly what has happened with Mutton Chop Miniatures WW1 range by Paul Hicks.  I ordered the first two packs of British and very nice they were too.  Tall enough to be used with my Renegade figures without too much problem.  When I saw that there were two more packs on sale I ordered them only to find that they are much smaller than the first two packs.  In particular, the legs seem shorter and slimmer and the heads and hats are smaller on the new ones.  A difference in 2-3mm foot to eye I reckon.  Now why would this happen?  Fortunately the rifles are the same size and the packs nearly so but, still, how annoying.  They offend my artistic sensibilities!  

Quick comparison: Renegade v Mutton Chop WW1

I'll do a proper review another time but here, in the centre, is one of the new Mutton Chop British by Paul Hicks.  Either side we have a Renegade Lowland Scot and a Renegade German.

I wouldn't mix them in the same unit but I have  a lot of painted Renegade Germans and I would be happy to field the Mutton Chop British against them.  They are much slighter (look at the legs for example) with more in-scale rifles and the thicker bases on the Renegade figures make the latter seem taller.