One of the things that makes WWII: The Struggle for Europe and the Struggle for Asia stand out is that the counters are designed to be played with miniatures mounted on them.  Playing a WWII ConSim with a stack of cardboard counters is one thing, but to pick up a miniature Tiger tank that represents your panzer division outside of Kiev is one of the things that makes this game extra special – there is nothing like having painted miniatures across your map of Europe that you get to push around as you make the strategic decisions that will win or lose you the war (... I mean “game”)!

All of the counters used to play the game have been deliberately sized to have the dual-role of providing the important combat and unit designation information of the unit as well as serving as a base for the miniatures to be mounted on top of them.  A good method to assemble the counters for the game is to print them out on glossy label paper (they are sized to be printed out on 8.5”x11” solid sheets).  Print out on an inkjet printer and then stick the whole sheet on white styrene plastic sheets (available from most hobby stores). Then score the individual counters using a round razor wheel that is attached to a plastic guide (available at most stationary stores). Finally, just snap the counters apart.

Recommended places to buy miniatures for the game:

www.skytrex.com – skytrex offers a great range of 1/3000th scale WWII naval miniatures which are the perfect size to mount on the naval unit counters for the game.  Additionally they have good 15mm infantry and 1/300th scale armor.

www.tumblingdiceuk.com – tumbling dice has a great range of 1/600th scale aircraft perfect for the counters in the game.  For something extra cool mount the miniatures on a stand or a base so they sit up off of the counter by ½ inch or so!  These miniatures are also sold by www.brookhursthobbies.com in the U.S.

www.ghqmodels.com – while expensive, GHQ has probably the best molds for 1/300th scale armor and artillery.  We use GHQ for most of our artillery, AA and AT guns as skytrex artillery miniature molds usually have a base as a part of the mold which obscures the counters too much.

A less expensive option is to use plastic miniatures. You can just about fill out your entire miniature needs in plastic at www.historicalboargaming.com. Between the various sets and individual minis you can buy there, it looks to have just about everything you need.