Calpe Miniatures
25mm Napoleonic wargames figures, meticulously researched, finely sculpted

About Us

I started Calpe Miniatures in 1994 after experiencing years of frustration collecting Napoleonics. No set of figures was ever complete, musicians and NCO�s were often overlooked and key formations were labelled 'not financially viable' and never made. I decided to 'put my money where my mouth was' and started sculpting.

The figures are designed for my own collection. I sell them to subsidise what has become a very expensive hobby. Since they are designed to suit my personal requirements there are some very particular features of the design process that new customers should be aware of:

• The figures are always designed in sets to suit a figure ratio of 20:1. No set is released until it is complete, including officers, musicians and NCOs.
• Every set is meticulously researched as I am very particular about the figures that make up my collection.
• Since my battalions and cavalry regiments are numerically large, my painting technique includes a lot of dry brushing. For this reason the figures are designed with carefully sculpted folds and creases to aid this painting technique.
• I make the figures that are required irrespective of financial considerations.
• I do not move from one nationality to another until the army I am working is complete.

What's in a Name?

I have been asked repeatedly about the name of the company. Although I am now resident in the UK, I was born in Gibraltar. Calpe comes from the Roman name for Gibraltar- 'Mons Calpe.' It was thought to be one of the Pillars of Hercules on which the sky rested, the other being Mons Abyla on the Moroccan coast across the Straits of Gibraltar. These two 'pillars' marked the edge of the known world for the Romans. It remained Calpe until the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsular. The Moors landed at Gibraltar and renamed the Rock Gibel- Tarik, Tarik�s mountain. It was fortified and garrisoned; the keep, part of the walls and gatehouse can still be seen today. The Moors retained Gibraltar until the 12th century when it was retaken by the Spanish 'reconquista'. The Spanish King granted Gibraltar a new coat of arms after the garrison resisted the attempts of the Moors to retake the fortress. The company logo is based on this coat of arms.