Tabletop wargaming is a hobby with a lot of moving parts. There’s the visual appeal, of course. An army of hand-painted soldiers and tanks deployed across a vast tabletop battlefield of scale-model buildings, trees, and grass-covered hills looks as much like a diorama as it does a game. Add a good set of rules that turn those figures into a tense, tactical battle, and you’ve got the recipe for hours of satisfying play.
Battlefront Miniatures builds that experience from the ground up. From miniatures and rulebooks to pre-painted scenery, they make it easy for players to enjoy the entire hobby. We spoke with Battlefront Miniatures Chairman Peter Simunovich to learn about the many ways the company supports its fans and keeps the hobby thriving.
Flames of War
The seeds of what would become Battlefront Miniatures were planted more than fifty years ago in a small gaming store in New Zealand. As Peter explains it, the
company’s beginnings were rooted in simple necessity.
“We realized we loved 15mm World War II but couldn’t get the miniatures,” he says, “so we just started making them ourselves. The rest is history.”
Today, the company’s flagship game is Flames of War, a natural evolution of those early back-room battles.
“Flames Of War is special because it’s a 15mm mass-battle World War II game where every figure on the table represents one real soldier, and every tank or gun stands in for the real thing,” Peter says. “It’s designed to play fast and keep the focus on the action, meaning the rules don’t get in the way of the miniatures or the fun.”
With a huge assortment of miniatures, boxed sets, and expansions, Flames of War gives players the chance to assemble and paint armies of historically accurate troops from across every theater of the war.
“You might be leading an American Sherman company against German panzers, holding the line against a swarm of light tanks, or unleashing your own assault,” Peter explains. “It’s all about testing your wits, making bold moves, and most importantly… having fun!”
Although Flames of War is rooted in history, it isn’t afraid to let the players shape the experience in their own way. “Even though we write the rules,” Peter says, “the players really own the game and the hobby. Our job is just to give them the tools so they can play the way they want.”
Top-Shelf Miniatures
Today, Battlefront is a truly international company. Their main production facility is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, run by a dedicated team of about 140 people. They also have sales and warehousing in Nottingham in the United Kingdom as well as Maryland in the United States. The company’s head office and studio 
remain in Auckland, New Zealand.
“The time zones can be tricky,” Peter says, “but we’ve learned to work around it! Thankfully, our partners are really understanding. They know how much we love what we do, even if it means the occasional late-night call.”
That global infrastructure exists to make the best miniatures possible. From design to production, Battlefront’s focus is on quality miniatures that meet their high internal standards.
“We’ve got a really committed team with one clear goal: to make miniatures that are accurate, easy to build and paint, and tough enough for the tabletop. In short, we can say we make the best 15mm wargame figures ever produced.”
…And More
Of course, great miniatures are just one part of what Battlefront offers. The rules of the game can be found in the main rulebook, while products like D-Day and Eastern Front: Mid-War Forces give players army lists, historical information, and other resources to simulate specific battles and fronts of the war.
When it comes time to bring models to the table and put those rules to use, Battlefront has paint sets, tokens for tracking actions and objectives, and beautiful terrain for dressing the battlefield. It’s all part of Battlefront’s multi-layered approach to supporting the wargaming hobby.
“Battlefront’s philosophy is that your army is yours to paint and make personal, but we can help with everything else if that’s what you want,” Peter explains. “Our pre-painted Battlefield in a Box range is a great example. It goes straight from the box to the table and looks fantastic all whilst giving players more time to paint the things they actually want to be painting (their armies).”
Building Communities
From its beginnings in a small New Zealand game store to its international network today, Battlefront’s mission has remained the same: to bring players together around a shared love of history, strategy, and hobby gaming. Through demo events, tournaments, and online communities, the company continues to build connections among players worldwide.
“We support as many tournaments and events as we can,” Peter says. “Our team is also active on social media. Of course, we’d love to do even more and be at
every event, but we do what we can.”
For new players curious about joining the hobby, Battlefront offers easy on-ramps like the Flames of War: Fortress Europe Starter Set, which provides two well-matched forces ready to face off right out of the box.
“[The box] comes with an American force, a German force, an A5-sized rulebook, a Quickstart Guide, unit cards, and dice,” Peter says. “Everything you need to hit the ground running!”
Even More?
While our conversation with Peter focused on Flames of War and related products, Battlefront’s full product line includes a huge variety of offerings. You can view Noble Knight Games’ entire Battlefront stock, including the alternate-history game World War III: Team Yankee, as well as a huge variety of battlefield terrain 
including historical, fantasy, and sci-fi genres.
Be sure to read the rest of our interview with Peter Simunovich below!
A Few Questions with Battlefront Miniatures
How do you decide which historical theaters or nations to support next? Can you share how those choices are made?
We’d love to cover every period, but it’s really important for us to focus on what our players are actually enjoying. We try to support them in the areas where the hobby is most active and where we all want it to grow.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Battlefront? Any upcoming projects or new directions you’re excited about?
Early War. Early War and Early War. Did I mention Early War? It’s my favorite period! We’re really excited about France 1940 and the Blitzkrieg campaign, coming in early 2026 with our biggest and most comprehensive plastic releases yet. It’s going to be an amazing journey, from France to Russia and the desert battles. Some truly great games are on the horizon, and we can’t wait for players to dive in and see everything that’s coming!
Thinking about Team Yankee vs. Flames of War, how do the audiences differ? How do you approach Team Yankee’s more modern warfare versus WWII on the tabletop?
There’s definitely some crossover, but every player makes their own choices about what they enjoy. Each period comes with its own challenges, for example: World War II doesn’t have missiles or helicopters but the core game engine stays the same.
What’s your favorite scenic or terrain piece that you’ve ever seen? What about it made it memorable?
I just love everything about our Battlefield in a Box range. I have every piece at home! If I had to choose a favorite though, it would have to be the clock tower. There’s nothing like seeing a Tiger II roll under the arch.
What’s the best aspect of the hobby: modeling, painting, or playing?
For me, it’s all about collecting and playing. Sometimes I just love looking at my armies, especially when they’re nicely arranged on the table. And of course, there’s nothing better than seeing the opposing force all in smoking wrecks!
What’s the most surprising feedback you’ve ever had from a player / tournament that made you think differently about the game?
There has been so much great player feedback over the years, some of the best business advice from our players has been to not overthink things. We’re all guilty of trying too hard at certain times, and to just make sure that beloved product lines remain available rather than trying to force something new.
If you had unlimited resources, what’s the dream cinematic battle scenario you’d like to see made into a boxed set?
The tank battles at Prokhorovka, during the battle of the Kursk bulge in one-to-one scale. 1,000+ tanks… wouldn’t that be something?!
Peter, thank you so much for your time!
