How 6mm Miniatures are Made
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Let's take a tour of the Baccus production facility to learn how 6mm miniatures are molded and cast! It's a truly "hand crafted" process and a fascinating look at how our toy soldiers come to life.
Peter and his team typically host tours of the workshop the day before their annual "Joy of Six" show in Sheffield. We attended the July 2022 show and took the tour this summer. You can learn more about Baccus, the show, and future tours on their website under the "News" section!
www.baccus6mm.com
As being a german viewer, I will attempt to answer the question: " Why ACW is so popular in Germany?" not only looking at miniature wargaming, but actually having a fairly big acw reenactment scene around here. For what I can say about myself: I grew up with my dad showing me movies like Gettysburg or Gods and Generals, and giving me a full box of his old Blue and Grey "Playmobil" plastic toy soldiers, with whom I fought a lot of battles even before adding some dice and rulers to the whole thing. It even got so far, that he sewed me a little Yankee Soldier Unifrom, that I would wear at halloween. What can I say, the only thing that has changed is that I now have some smaller miniature men, that I am painting myself, and a grey and butternut coloured uniform in my wardrobe. I think the interest, that the generation of my parents had for this period of american history, is a result of the large influence that americans had in western germany after ww2. Even before stories of cowboys and indians were the most popular pieces of historical fiction in germany and playing "cowboys und Indianer" had been every kids most favourite game for over half a century. German Toy companies like "Playmobil" startet adding blue and grey soldiers to their western ranges of toy figures. American movies, like the one's I named before, where very accessible for the german audicence, because of our outstandingly professional dubbing of english movies. These Movies gave german viewers something they wouldnt see in a german war movie, because of obvious historical reasons. Characterising this aspect by just stating, that the loud and glourious shouting of "fix bayonets!" by my 6 year old self, would probably still let my somewhat grown up rebel me shaking at the knees. Although I might not have given you a very definitive answer, I hope that some other germans watching this can add some valueable points to this conversation.
for those interested: a german ACW reenactment: ua-cam.com/video/FL8Vg8GSRek/v-deo.html and a german wargaming channel doing 6mm acw: ua-cam.com/video/9qqg7ug6kv4/v-deo.html
Grey Playmobil Soldiers? Younger Generation. 😄 At the Start it was more war against redskins.
Another point could be the modern German relationship to war. The relatively unknown ACW is less questioned by society. 🤔
Playmobil,, you maybe right, that could have been the start. I Think for me, it was a bit of that, with all the Cowboys and Indians and lost of wild west movies. My ACW interest was then boosted with a game on the old Amiga Computer, North&South it was called, i think. Played that a lot. Still not played an actual ACW wargame, but have some of warlords epic-scale miniatures. Did not know that ACW is a thing around here, my wargaming friends do not Play it. I am curios, how many people, besides me, have buyed Pony wars around germany? That ist ithe thing i am most interested in frommthe baccus range ( have buyed some samurai and knight miniatures too years ago, still not done much with them, *sigh*, i hope I will do better with pony wars, have At least bases some of them ).
@@totalburnout5424 true. That last one is Propably a part of it as well. But I fell thats changing here as well, because of the polarising white supremacy debatte. But the grey playmos were actually an 80s product.
There were so many Germans who took up arms for the Union, especially in the Trans Mississippi West.
Bought masses of Napoleonic and ACW from Peter.
Customer service is fantastic.
I would phone from Perth Western Australia, requesting a change in Pack contents, line to command.
Peter is always happy to oblige.
Cheers.
I only ordered some of my first 6mm minis from Baccus a month ago, awesome to see the behind the scenes.
It was pretty cool to see where all the little lead men come from after orderings thousands of these over the years from Baccus....
Marvellous to see Pete and the crew at work. There's a man who really cares about the hobby. His little guys are masterpieces.
I'm just amazed at the tiny amount of liquid metal actually added to each mould and the quanitity of figures that little amount can produce.
When I worked full time for Heritage Models (Dallas, TX) back in the 70s and 80s I mostly did sculpting, but I also did mold making and casting as well. This brings back memories.
I would love to see the actual sculpting process
Here it is: The video we've all been waiting for!
Thanks guys!
Finally, right!
Not my scale of figures. But I love to see how all that works. Thank you for your work!
Because of this channel I have begun purchasing Bac models. Love them. My goal is to purchase enough of their civil war like to have every single soldier in lees army represented. So thousands and thousands of them. I want to create a massive mock up of gettysburg
I like making mocks since I don't have a game group.
Thanks for a visit with the big guys behind the small guys.
Could listen to people discussing the miniature casting subject for days! loved this little nugget of knowledge about the art! would be interesting to hear about the difficulties of sculpting and designing in 6mm scale compared to 10mm and 15mm scales and how to best design poses weapons and vents at such a tiny scale
Fantastic products. Love to see the behind-the-scenes.
Great stuff - and wonderful to see MADE IN SHEFFIELD!
Being both from Germany and interested in the American Civil War, I will try to explain my fascination with the topic.
To me, this seems to be one of the last armed confilcts where the personalities and oddities of the commanding generals had a huge impact on the events before the industrialized war takes over. People like McClellan, Lee, Grant, Sherman, Jackson etc. had an influence on the course of the war far out of proportion with their actual positions.
And also, this is probably the last war which still has some "romantic" aspects.
It also is one of the few modern wars with obvious "goodies" and "baddies", who aren't German. Horses being vital is a plus, I guess, as is the fact you can rout for both teams - the outmatched but defiant rebels and the noble and strikingly blue unionists. Also has great music.
Great behind the scenes video - thanks to all involved. Now, time to order my first 6mm figures . . .
Yorkshire taking over the world (in 6mm). Nice to see metal from the Steel City (Sheffield to the uninitiated) being such a success across the globe. Really good service, excellent miniatures and an expanding range.
My Federal and Confederate armies are my current WIP...cos...who wants to be a lieutenant when you can be a general! BTW, Greg, love your Altar of Freedom rules, the perfect match to my baccus brigades. More of this sort of content please.
As someone who orders Baccus figs at a greater rate than I paint them... It was nice to see inside their operation. I'm amazed by how little metal seems to be used to cast a wheel of figs. Also your re-sculpts are fantastic. The improvement between your Republican Roman figs are fantastic (and almost had me consider ordering even more to replace them...)
This is an absolute joy. Thank you, to you all.
German here. Regarding ACW popularity: I guess it's either because we were not involved in that one or because of that TV Series "North and South". Or any other reason :)
There were many Germans in the Union army, a whole corps in the Army of the Potomac, and at least one general, albeit a minor one - Frank Sigel. I had assumed this might in some degree account for the interest, though it appears not.
I might also have mentioned Carl Schurz. Both he and Sigel commanded XI Corps of the Army of the Potomac, composed of German immigrants like themselves.
@@liberalhyena9760 Let me rephrase my answer a bit "the German nations wasn't part" if it was only "German immigrants" (what to me translates to "new Americans") On a serious answer: I really have no detailed knowledge of the ACW besides of what TV shows have been pushing. Maybe that's the appeal. Also: playing "modern" games as a German playing German (aka Nazi) forces is still very much looked down at in many parts. It's nothing we like to think of having had any positive connotation.
Sheffield's finest!
Hendos in 6mm metal form!
Thank you for this video! It is awesome to see the behind the scenes of how my minis are made. I am painting Great Northern War armies. When I first started, I figured that I could speed paint my way through them after watching your videos and some others. Then I discovered that I am a little bit of a perfectionist. (You would never guess by looking at my room). I have to admit that I have astonished myself as to how well my painting has looked. You never know until you try. I have gotten faster at painting and I have created 18 painting stands that can be placed on 1x4 boards with dowels on it so that they can't tip over!
I think part of the reason I have been a bit of a perfectionist is because my brother and I plan on creating a series on the Great Northern War, and we plan on using these minis to show the battles.
The idea of Baccus Italian Wars minis makes me incredibly happy!
Using centrifugal force to get detail in the molds is brilliant.
Takes me back to working in the casting room at Citadel Miniatures back in the mid to late eighties.
Went there in 2018, and had from Peter a tour in his outstanding workshop
Just found Baccus today and was keen to learn more, this video has convinced me to get some. Now the typical struggle of deciding which ones to get.
Very interesting! Most of us just add our little men to carts and pay, while counting the days until arrival. It's nice sometimes to see how the sausage is made. Also, the quality of that old low tech spinner is outstanding.
I have been wanting to know how it was done for years! Thank you so much!
Nice to meet the crew! Happy customer playing with little romans and celts 😁
Thanks and Joy of Six is on my calendar for 2023.
Having retired at 60,I would happily spend my remaining years casting figures as its pure joy.
That was so awesome, really something to see inside the facility, thank you for sharing.
Worked for a company that did something similar with metals and molds. Super fun and dangerous. The part where he says “ave a coffee” brought back memories.
I love 6mm and Baccus is by far my favorite producer. Looking forward to the Italian Wars line. Landsknecht baby!
Fascinating, thanks for filming and posting this.
I love that they're using a spincaster from the 60's
Haha right?! So very old school in this shop. It’s all…perfect.
I can't believe I have just spent 5 years at Uni. Of Sheffield and hadn't realised you were in Sheffield. Same with Rails and Olivia's Trains, although I did visit them. I could have also hopped on the Train Tram to Rotherham for Rother Valley Optics for astro gear. Sheffield is the best city in England. Go Boromir.
Really enjoyed Thank you
Showing us the process (and the folks behind this great company) was a wonderful idea.
ACW and Napoleonic Wars tend to work well if you have a large enough game to have reserves, so that could be part of the reasons for the popularity of those periods.
I used to work as a 'White metal spin caster' in the 80's, making costume jewellery. Nothing's changed.
Can't wait to see what you guys produce in 28mm!
I hope one day to put this guy out of business with my own business idea. I'm coming for you Peter!
Very interesting indeed nice to see some off the old ways still being used. I have only recently started to explore the world of 6mm and that's simply because I don't have room for big battles in bigger scales , so I purchased a load of ECW from baccus and I am very pleased with the results. Hope you carry on the line and produce a lot more little men. Many thanks Terry
I remember your first days at the shows … in particular the Norman Keep, Happy Days in that voyage of wargame discovery.
Finally I got an answer to one of the many questions I have.
Thanks
great video. as a keen historical wargamer who loves his metal minis, we do take the process for granted after seeing the depth at the process... love it tho. many more tours of companys i'd love to see... many thanks for doing this for us all on here..
Excellent video and very interesting to see what goes into making our little metal men.
Awesome! Big fan of their ACW figures!
I have a bunch of these lying around in my basement, they are really excellent quality, and I should probably put some time in to paint them.
Oooo! Italian Wars, that is great news. A very interesting video, thanks for sharing.
god this is the best yt channel
High praise indeed! Thanks Mr.!
A Byzantine range in the works...awesome.
I just ordered my first 6mm Napoleonics from Baccus. Looking forward to seeing them when they arrive here.
Great video. So cool to see some behind the scenes views of where my 6mm models come from!
"they are what all the little men come from" What? No Mummy and daddy mold that go in a dark room together and 9 minutes later they part ways again? Oh noes! ;)
What a nice tour! This really makes one think about buying some of them. 😚
By the way, my son here in Germany owns some Baccus 6mm ACW. 😂
Nice.
Fantastic video, thank you!
Those pink moulds look the same as the ones I use for production moulds.
Nicem from Italy
Next time pre-plan where you want your trees and put a hole there and plug the hole with a Dowell so when you finish the grout you can pull out the dowells and you will have holes for your trees and won't ruin a drill bit drilling through hard grout
That looks like fun
I started collecting 6mms from Baccus after seeing your Pyrrhic Wars series - excellent to see how it all happens. Though....I am collecting Byzantines and have been using Sassanians and Romans as proxies! I had no idea they were working on proper Byzantine sculpts!
Peter is always expanding his ranges-that’s a particularly intriguing one, too
@@LittleWarsTV There are so many exciting possibilities when it comes to Byzantines - I could see an entire wargaming campaign based around Belisarius's recapture of North Africa and Italy, or Alexios Komnenos's defense of the Balkans from the Normans under Robert Guiscard
THAT IS AWESOME. Recently thinking to start with baccus 6mm and now this :)
Just put an order in yesterday to add to my rapidly growing 1st and 2nd Prussian Corps for Ligny, thanks for the vid. Also if i can put in a vote for models, I want some Prussians in Litewka coats with Shakos, for Landwehr/Reserve/Lutzows Freikorps etc :P
Any plan for an Baccus Army pack for Age of Hannibal? Would be a great way for a beginner like me to start wargaming!
BYZANTINES!!! So excited for this. Breaking news as always LW!
If we get Byzantines and Italian Wars this year, 2023 will go down as the greatest year in history...
Italian wars and Byzantines coming next! It’s like they read my mind
Thinking about getting into 6mm. If so, Baccus is definitely the way I'm going to go.
Does poor Andrew get any hearing protection? That casting drum is extremely loud.
Funny enough a display of Shenandoah /ACW made me collect 6mm armies. But not ACW but Early Imperial Romans and Sassanid Persians. Currently I can field a whole Legion and the according counterpart of Sassanid troops.
✌
Have you done a review of their Napoleonic rules?
We have not. It was never a game that caught on here in the club
Small scale but great scale 🙂
Yeah I ordered from baccus a year ago took 3 months to arrive then I forgot about it and they sat in a box but now I'm starting to build them there a Zulu and British army and I'm going to be building them for black powder I know you guys aren't as fond as it as it lacks the historical flavor but I can use it for any war through out 1700-1900.
Do they have to keep the greens forever for when the mold wears out?
Anyone know if Baccus takes commissions for new molds outside of what they think will be popular? Like, if I wanted something super specific that will likely never get cast
No idea, but it can’t hurt to ask! Peter is very responsive to email and does run a business, so I’m sure for some amount of money it would be worth his time to tackle a commission
It costs a small fortune just to make the masters then the mold. Unless you have thousands of extra dollars to spend I would guess it won't happen.
Very interesting. I would like to see how the master is sculpted, 6mm has to be very difficult to do. I have a hard time getting details in 20mm. Did they use mold release agent? What is the metal described as 'lead"? I suppose you could make your own casting machine using an old potters wheel and a large drill for the motor. One day I want to be able to make my own so I need to get familiar with the entire process. Never enough or the right poses in any set. Amirite?
very cool! Maybe a silly question, but all these soldiers are lead then?
White metal alloy. Traditionally a mix of lead and tin but most manufacturers have switched to pewter because of lead toxicity
I very nice explanation of the process, but having a coffee in the casting room, with all the pewter/lead . . .
I look forward to hearing about your future Russo-Ukrainian conflict range. The game rules will be most interesting.
The only time you can say "slag" without getting a clipped ear from the wife
Remember hacking together the first web site, very basic :)
Don't tempt me! I can't justify buying any more miniatures.
I too have a large pile of unpainted baccus and others minis, you are not alone
i mean i would say you need to sell em molds but that sort of gets rid of repeat business
What is the "white" paper on top of the Baccus sign suppose to mean, "AntiChrist..." mean? Please respond!
That is apparently an inside joke at Baccus!
Those must be a real pain to paint.
You would think so given the size, but actually they are quite fast and fun. It requires a totally different style of painting than 28 or even 15mm.
Old machines and old men, respectable but they will be replaced!