office (213) 553-9780
fax (270) 747-8986
toll-free (000) 000-0000

About Company

Portsmouth Miniatures was founded in 1997 to manufacture 1:900 scale Napoleonic naval miniatures and accessories. 

The Need

Having a couple of dozen ships on a 10' x 10' game board we found we could not see the ship hull and detail at the smaller scale.  This became clear while running large games at various conventions and having many observers asking to identify various ships which were out on the game board.  Their inability to see the very small ships at a distance of six feet or so sparked the idea of a larger scale.

The Path

  • Working with my good friends at Reaper Miniatures we came up with a plan of how to design and make four different ship sizes.  Using computer design we created a set of stepped plans for each ship.  The most difficult part of these plans were keeping a balance of good detail and easy of painting.
  • The completed plans were used to create a dozen pieces of magnesium using an acid etching method.  These pieces were painstakingly cut and assembled into their final shapes. 
  • Master mold were then created from these four prototypes.  Several tweaks later we truly did have our masters and were ready to start casting ships.
  • Steel masts were a must as we have all broken far too many white metal masts.  Sail design, Flag and Pennant design, development of the wooden bases and the poly sales bag quickly followed.  Some years later the 6' x 4' game mat with 2" hexes became available.
  • Late in our history of products are the "Ship Yard", a carrying case for 12 ships, and the ability to ship fully assembled and painted ships using a gift box to protect the individual ship which are then packed inside a shipping box.

The Result

16 years of quality miniatures and accessories, hundreds of very happy customers and over 50 gaming conventions attended as a dealer.  Portsmouth Miniatures has become the standard for big, tough, beautiful ships on the game board.  Having made many many friends at gaming conventions through the years has been one of the best parts of Portsmouth Miniatures.