RAFM Company

RAFM Company was a Canadian tabletop-hobby business founded in 1977 by a group of wargaming enthusiasts in Paris, Ontario. Its first major activity was publishing The Universal Soldier: Wargame Rules for Ancient, Medieval and Pike and Shot, a rules set written by Patrick Jenkins, John Laing, Colin McClelland, and Paul Sharpe. The company initially concentrated on historical gaming, particularly rules, source material, and figures representing conflicts from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As fantasy role-playing and adventure gaming expanded, RAFM broadened its catalogue beyond strictly historical subjects. It developed and sold miniature figures in several scales, including 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, and 28 mm, depicting soldiers, adventurers, monsters, historical characters, vehicles, and other subjects suitable for tabletop games, dioramas, painting competitions, and collection. Its catalogue ultimately combined proprietary miniatures with games and publications, making RAFM both a manufacturer and a specialist distributor within the hobby sector. The company became associated with several recognizable product families. Baker Company paired Second World War rules with 20 mm miniatures, while Charlie Company addressed the Vietnam War in a similar format. Death in the Dark was a 28 mm fantasy board game. RAFM also sold historical miniatures, Call of Cthulhu figures, fantasy ranges including the 28 mm Iron Lords line, Space: 1889 figures, historical reference materials, and pewter dice. Its products were distributed through hobby shops, gaming conventions, and mail order. RAFM was also important as a caster and distributor for other miniature companies. It produced or distributed lines associated with Ral Partha Enterprises and Citadel Miniatures and later distributed Reaper Miniatures in Canada. During the 1980s it produced miniatures for GHQ and Martian Metals, and it entered licensing or production arrangements involving companies and properties such as Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear, Global Games, and Palladium's Rifts. In the 1990s, it distributed Frei Korps 15 figures, including American Wild West and American Civil War ranges. Sculptor Bob Murch began working with RAFM in the early 1980s and served as its primary sculptor for many years before establishing Pulp Figures in 2002. Other sculptors associated with the company included Stephen Koo, Carol Moyer, James Johnson, Bill Schwarz, and later James and Brock Van Schaik. Because many RAFM miniatures were unmarked, the company’s catalogues became particularly important for identifying figures and matching them with product descriptions and codes. RAFM began as a partnership among its principal owners. John Laing left the partnership after moving to England in 1987, while Jack Van Schaik remained president and part-owner from the company’s early period. In 1999, RAFM Company Inc. became a subsidiary of Van Schaik’s Silver Fox Productions, and its headquarters moved to Brantford, Ontario. The company continued operating as a specialist producer, caster, distributor, and mail-order supplier for many years. Silver Fox Productions and RAFM ceased business in 2025, ending the company’s operations as an active commercial brand.

RAFM Company originated in 1977 in Paris, Ontario, when Patrick Jenkins, John Laing, Colin McClelland, and Paul Sharpe formed a business around historical wargaming. Its initial publication was The Universal Soldier: Wargame Rules for Ancient, Medieval and Pike and Shot, which established the company’s early focus on rules and supporting material for historical miniature battles. The company’s first subject emphasis was on historical conflicts, especially warfare of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the early 1980s, RAFM expanded into miniature production and began responding to the growing commercial market for fantasy role-playing and adventure games. Bob Murch became the company’s principal sculptor during this period, and his work helped establish ranges that extended beyond historical soldiers to include fantasy characters, monsters, and other gaming subjects. RAFM produced figures in 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, and 28 mm scales. The miniatures were generally sold for wargaming, role-playing games, diorama construction, painting, and collecting. The company’s product portfolio developed into a mixture of proprietary ranges, publications, and games. Its recognized lines included Baker Company, a Second World War rules-and-miniatures range in 20 mm; Charlie Company, a comparable Vietnam War line; Death in the Dark, a 28 mm fantasy board game; historical figures; Call of Cthulhu miniatures; the Iron Lords fantasy line; Space: 1889 figures; historical source materials; and pewter dice. RAFM also maintained a significant role as a caster and distributor for other manufacturers. It was associated with Ral Partha Enterprises and Citadel Miniatures and later distributed Reaper Miniatures products in Canada. In the 1980s it produced miniatures for GHQ and Martian Metals, and it signed arrangements connected with Dream Pod 9’s Heavy Gear, Global Games, and Palladium’s Rifts. RAFM’s partnerships and distribution activities gave it access to a broad range of hobby products while preserving older manufacturer codes in some cases. Its catalogues were therefore important not only as sales publications but also as reference tools for identifying unmarked figures. Known catalogue editions included Canadian and United States issues from the 1980s, a 1989–90 U.S. edition, publications from 1994 and 1996, and later catalogues or updates from 2005, 2006, and 2009. RAFM initially operated as a partnership among its principal owners. John Laing departed after moving to England in 1987. Jack Van Schaik remained president and part-owner from the company’s beginning. In 1999, RAFM Company Inc. became a subsidiary of Van Schaik’s Silver Fox Productions, and the headquarters moved from the company’s earlier Ontario base to Brantford. The business continued to serve the hobby market through conventions, specialist retailers, and mail order, while also maintaining production and distribution relationships. The sculpting personnel associated with RAFM included Murch, his apprentice Stephen Koo, Carol Moyer, James Johnson, and Bill Schwarz, whose work included engines and military vehicles. In later years, Van Schaik’s sons James and Brock also became sculptors for the company. Bob Murch subsequently left to establish Pulp Figures in 2002, but RAFM continued to be identified with a large legacy catalogue of historical, fantasy, and genre miniatures. According to the cited reference material, RAFM and Silver Fox Productions ceased business in 2025.

• 2025

  Operations cease

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Silver Fox Productions and RAFM cease business, making RAFM a defunct brand.

• 2002

  Bob Murch leaves to establish Pulp Figures

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  After serving as RAFM’s primary sculptor for many years, Murch begins the separate Pulp Figures venture.

• 1999

  RAFM becomes a Silver Fox Productions subsidiary

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  RAFM Company Inc. becomes part of Silver Fox Productions, and its headquarters moves to Brantford, Ontario.

• 1987

  John Laing leaves the partnership

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Laing moves to England and exits RAFM’s ownership partnership.

• 1980

  Expansion into miniature production

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company develops a broader miniature business as fantasy role-playing and adventure gaming become increasingly important markets.

• 1977

  RAFM is founded in Ontario

  [1]RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Patrick Jenkins, John Laing, Colin McClelland, and Paul Sharpe establish RAFM to publish historical wargaming rules, beginning with The Universal Soldier.

A specialist Canadian tabletop-gaming and miniature brand combining historical accuracy, fantasy and science-fiction subjects, proprietary game lines, reference publications, casting, and distribution for hobby retailers and collectors.

• Historical wargame rules · 1977

  The Universal Soldier

  RAFM’s founding publication was a set of rules for miniature battles covering ancient, medieval, and pike-and-shot warfare. It represented the company’s original emphasis on historical gaming and established the publishing foundation from which its later miniature and reference-material catalogue developed.

• Second World War rules and miniatures

  Baker Company

  Baker Company combined tabletop rules with 20 mm miniatures focused on the Second World War. It exemplified RAFM’s practice of pairing period-specific gaming systems with figures that could be used for wargaming, scenario play, dioramas, and collection.

• Vietnam War rules and miniatures

  Charlie Company

  Charlie Company was RAFM’s 20 mm Vietnam War rules-and-miniatures line. Like Baker Company, it connected a historical conflict with a dedicated tabletop rules concept and a corresponding range of figures.

• Fantasy board game

  Death in the Dark

  Death in the Dark was a fantasy board game using 28 mm figures. It extended RAFM’s business beyond historical wargaming and reflected the company’s participation in fantasy adventure gaming.

• Historical miniatures

  RAFM historical miniatures

  RAFM produced historical figures across multiple scales, with subjects drawn from military history and related periods. The miniatures were intended for tabletop armies, historical displays, dioramas, painting, and collecting. Many pieces were unmarked, making RAFM catalogues useful for identification.

• Fantasy miniatures

  Iron Lords

  Iron Lords was a RAFM fantasy range of 28 mm figures. It belonged to the company’s broader fantasy catalogue, which included characters, monsters, and adventurer-oriented subjects for role-playing and miniature gaming.

• Horror and role-playing miniatures

  Call of Cthulhu miniatures

  RAFM produced miniatures associated with the Call of Cthulhu gaming setting. The range complemented the company’s historical and fantasy products with investigators, creatures, and other horror-themed subjects suitable for role-playing campaigns and display.

• Science-fiction miniatures

  Space: 1889 figures

  The Space: 1889 figures represented RAFM’s involvement in Victorian science-fiction and adventure gaming. They broadened the catalogue into speculative historical settings while retaining the company’s focus on characterful tabletop miniatures.

• Gaming accessories

  Pewter dice

  RAFM also sold pewter dice as accessories for tabletop gamers and collectors, complementing its miniature figures, rules, and role-playing products.

• 2025

  Cessation of businessStrategy

  Background

  After decades in miniature production and specialist distribution, RAFM and its parent group ended commercial operations.

  Action taken

  Silver Fox Productions and RAFM ceased business.

  Aftermath

  RAFM became a defunct brand, leaving its historical catalogue and surviving miniatures as legacy products rather than an active commercial range.

  Source

• 1999

  Move into the Silver Fox Productions groupM&A

  Background

  RAFM had operated as a partnership among its principal owners since its foundation.

  Action taken

  RAFM Company Inc. became a subsidiary of Silver Fox Productions, associated with Jack Van Schaik, and its headquarters moved to Brantford, Ontario.

  Aftermath

  The transaction placed RAFM within a broader corporate structure while the brand continued its miniature production, casting, distribution, and mail-order activities.

  Source

1. 1RAFM Companyen.wikipedia.org