GHQ... Old School
Early GHQ Moderns

GHQ is both the originator and premiere manufacturer of 1/285 miniatures today.  While the models being released today are in many ways tiny masterpieces, this is a quick look at some of the early GHQ efforts at modern armor.  Keep in mind that while some of these models may look rough by today's standards, they were in fact state of the art at the time.

This is a fairly random collection of vintage GHQ items that I will be adding to as time goes on.

    Contents



La Vivandiere

GHQ had a magazine in the early 1970s that also served as its catalogue.  La Vivandiere reportedly ran for at least 4 issues and as many as 8.  Here's a link to a scanned copy of the first edition, from the Fall of 1973.  (note -- files are very large, and the quality of the images in the word files is significantly better than in the PDF files.)

Vivandiere Fall 1973 Word File
Vivandiere Fall 1973 PDF File



By 1978, GHQ's catalogues no longer contained articles, but instead was the obvious predecessors to today's well-laid out affair.  This edition shows that the GHQ range had expanded to include moderns, micronauts, and other items.  (Again, please note that the files are very large, and the Word file has better resolution than the PDF)

GHQ 1978 Catalogue Word File
GHQ 1978 Catalogue PDF File
Early GHQ Infantry

Today's GHQ infantry are small works of art.  While most with an interest in the hobby know of the earlier effort to portray micro-scale infantry as "squad stands," still available from GHQ, what is less-well known are earlier attempts to produce workable single infantry and support weapons.  Please note that these miniatures are new from the package -- except that I have trimmed off considerable flash, and given them a light dusting of light gray primer to bring out the details.  Please also note that the titles are tentative -- in both cases, the packaging they came in was quite old and barely (if at all) legible.

Soviet Motor Rifle Infantry
This is a fairly interesting set -- it contains plenty of PK light machinge gunners, plus ammo handlers, SA-7 launchers, a mortar and crew, a Sagger (AT-3) missile, plus several guys with flamethrowers.  While they look crude compared to modern models, these little guys were state of the art when they were made.


Soviet Desant Infantry
This set has many similarities to the motor rifle infantry, but has several items of interest, including an SPG-9 recoilless gunner and an RPG-7 gunner.  I believe these are meant to represent Soviet parachute or airmobile infantry (there was also a US Air Cavalry set) but Desant can also mean (in some circumstances) troops that rode on or with tanks.

GHQ Under License

As many other miniatures companies have done, GHQ licensed its production to RAFM in Canada at one point.  While I don't have the exact date these miniatures were produced, they certainly appear to be either the late 1970s or early 1980s.  The five packs I have from RAFM are all NATO, and include N-1, the old-style M60A1, and N-17, the early version of the M-48.

Early GHQ Packaging And Creed

While early GHQ miniatures were apparently packaged in small clear acrylic boxes, much as CinC's are today, by the mid-1970s they were in a store display pack similar to those in use today.   One major difference -- instead of being a blister pack glued to a cardboard backing, they were a blister pack held between two layers of cardboard and stapled in place.  



Proof that hobby shops never throw anything out -- I purchased this pack (dated 1976) at a hobby shop in Connecticut in 2006.  

Also of interest is the GHQ "Tradition", printed on the back:
Early GHQ M113 Variants

Here are several early GHQ M113s and variants.  I can't put a date on them, but they are all clearly marked on the bottom.  I haven't stripped them down, but I may do so at some point.

This looks to be the first attempt at an ACAV


... and this would be a later one -- already, there is significant improvement.


This is an obviously very early M577 command post


This M106 mortar carrier is obviously from a later period than the above, but is still a generation behind the current offering.


Here is the current version...