2mm Buildings comparison: Irregular and Rod Langton

I've had a bee in my bonnet for some time about the buildings and scenery currently available to match the 2mm (or should I say approx. 1/900th) scale miniatures from Irregular. As you can see in the photo above, we have the 47th Foot on an 80x40mm base about to attack Irregular's Large Town piece, (BG117), however, to my eye, the little redcoats have no chance of fitting through the door of the town tavern, although perhaps in terms of tabletop ground scale, the size of the town versus the battalion is about right.

I prefer the scenery, if possible, to scale more on a visual level with the miniatures, which I guess I find more aesthetically pleasing, rather than insisting on mathematically accurate ground scales (Each to his own...).

Now Irregular have started to produce their own individual houses, (IKS10), which I feel are closer to the size of the troops:

However, to be honest, the definition and sculpting on these new houses is a bit primitive, and as I'm not much of a painter, there isn't much I can do to make them as pretty as I'd like.

I therefore had a search around for some alternatives, and after dismissing Monopoly houses (too plain), I came across the range of buildings by Rod Langton to fit in with his 1/1200th Napoleonic naval miniatures:

http://www.rodlangton.com/napoleonic/frame.htm

Now these are truly the Rolls-Royce of 1/1200th Naval, and unfortunately come at Rolls-Royce prices, however to my eye they scale so well with the 2mm guys from Irregular, that if you have a special project, these are definitely worth a look. Here is the 47th again, on parade next to some of Langton's metal buildings:

We see here Langton M27, (which is 16mm high), M21 (15mm), M9 (14mm), M5 (13mm) and M3 (10mm). To my eye, these are spot on. Langton has useful measurements alongside each of his products on his site. Just for comparison, here is more of M3 and M5 next to Irregular's IKS10:

That is not to say, however, that the Irregular pieces are somehow sub-standard, or at fault; some of the accessories, such as BG123/BG124 walls and hedges, or BG133/134 tents and BG143 Poplars are great, as we can see below:

Furthermore, the larger pieces, such as the BG118 Castle Fortress, or the new BG160, Barbarian Village, are little masterpieces, and look stunning when painted up.

Honourable mention should go to the new range by PicoArmor in the 'States:

http://picoarmor.com/category.php?cid=12

although these are casts of the monopoly houses, they give the option of creating large towns at minimum cost, something we can all appreciate. There is of, course, scratch building, although I'm a bit clumsy for that at this scale, as can be seen at the start of my first post above in the picture of the Alamo in 2mm.

I guess if it's a case of wanting something a bit special, then looking at Langton's 1/12ooth is worth a try, although perhaps it's best to keep the building height to about 19mm, as some of the larger pieces definitely look too big, otherwise you can take your pick from the extensive Irregular range.

Tony Hughes' website, Gildas Facit, has an excellent summary, including measurements and pictures of the majority of the Irregular range, and this is the best starting point to deciding on what to buy.

http://www.gildasfacit.btinternet.co.uk/

Being a typical wargamer, of course, and not being able to settle on one thing exclusively, I've got examples from both manufacturers.....but then why buy one miniature, when two (or more), is always better!