Starting a French Bolt Action Army in Third Edition

Starting a French Bolt Action Army in Third Edition

If you've been thinking about starting a French Bolt Action army, Third Edition has made the faction much easier to approach. France now has its own dedicated Armies of France: Third Edition book, an expanding selection of plastic kits, and the new Hold the Line! French Starter Army designed to provide a complete playable force.

France also offers considerably more variety than its early-war reputation might suggest. Armies of France supports the French Army of 1939–40, the Vichy Armistice Army, and Free French forces, allowing one faction to cover very different periods and theatres of the Second World War.

This beginner guide explains what you need to start, which French army you might want to build, and how to expand your collection without buying everything at once.

Browse our Bolt Action collection for starter armies, infantry, vehicles, army books, and accessories.

Quick Summary: Starting Bolt Action France

• Get Armies of France: The Third Edition army book is the main reference for dedicated French forces.
• Choose Your Period: Decide between 1939–40 French, Vichy, or Free French before buying heavily into one theme.
• Start With Infantry: Rifle Platoons form the foundation of a Bolt Action force.
• Consider Hold the Line!: The new all-plastic starter contains 42 infantry plus heavy weapons and two French 75s.
• Add Support Weapons: Mortars and machine guns provide useful supporting firepower.
• Add Armour Later: Tanks can expand the army once you've established your infantry and support elements.
• Don't Buy Everything Immediately: Build and play your core force before deciding which direction to expand.

Why Start a French Bolt Action Army?

French forces offer a combination of distinctive miniatures, interesting historical periods, infantry, artillery, and recognizable armoured vehicles.

For years, many players primarily associated Bolt Action France with the campaign of 1940. Third Edition broadens that considerably.

Armies of France: Third Edition includes three major army lists: the French Army of 1939–40, the Vichy Armistice Army, and Free French forces. That means a French collection can explore campaigns ranging from the Battle of France through North Africa and later Free French operations.

Warlord Games has also expanded the plastic miniature range alongside the book, including new Foreign Legion infantry, heavy weapons, French 75 artillery, and an all-plastic starter army.

Step 1: Choose Which French Army You Want to Build

Before buying miniatures, decide what period or force interests you most. This will help prevent you from purchasing models that don't fit the army you eventually want to build.

French Army 1939–40

This is the classic choice if you're interested in the Battle of France.

You can build your force around French infantry backed by machine guns, mortars, artillery, and early-war armour.

The standard plastic French Infantry kit is particularly useful here because its components can represent several troop types, including regular infantry, fortress troops, chasseurs à pied, engineers, and colonial troops.

It's also the theme behind the new Hold the Line! starter army.

Vichy French

Armies of France also provides a dedicated list for the Vichy Armistice Army.

This gives historical gamers an opportunity to explore French forces and campaigns beyond the familiar fighting of May and June 1940.

If Vichy France is the force that interests you, plan your collection around the specific theatre and period you want to represent before purchasing large quantities of models.

Free French

Free French forces provide another very different direction.

The 2026 range expansion makes this option particularly interesting because Warlord has introduced a new 30-model plastic French Foreign Legion Platoon.

The Legionnaires are designed around Free French forces fighting in North Africa and combine British-supplied uniform elements with French weapons.

If desert warfare and Free French history interest you more than the Battle of France, this can provide a very distinctive army project.

Step 2: Get Armies of France: Third Edition

If France is going to be your primary army, Armies of France: Third Edition is the logical army book to add to your collection.

It contains the dedicated French army lists alongside unit entries, rules, historical information, artwork, and modelling inspiration.

Most importantly for a beginner, it helps you understand what units are available before you start buying miniatures.

Planning from the army book can save you from accumulating models simply because they look interesting without knowing where they fit into your intended force.

Step 3: Build Your Rifle Platoon

Infantry is the natural starting point for most Bolt Action forces.

The standard French Infantry plastics provide a flexible core for an early-war army. The kit includes different weapons, heads, and equipment that allow you to create several visually distinct French troop types.

For beginners, there is no need to make every squad highly specialized immediately.

Build a solid infantry core first. Once you've played several games, you'll have a much better idea of what additional units fit the way you want to play.

The Easiest Starting Point: Hold the Line!

For a new 1939–40 French player, the Hold the Line! French Starter Army provides a straightforward starting point.

Warlord describes it as a fully legal Third Edition French force built entirely from plastic.

The box includes 42 infantry forming a large Rifle Platoon. Those miniatures can be assembled as a mixture of regular French infantry, fortress troops, chasseurs à pied, engineers, or colonial troops. Weapon options include SMGs, light machine guns, and VB launchers.

That infantry core is supported by heavy weapons and artillery, giving you multiple platoons rather than simply a pile of riflemen.

What's in the Hold the Line! French Starter Army?

The starter is unusual because it doesn't depend on an armoured vehicle as its centrepiece.

Instead, the force emphasizes infantry and supporting firepower.

• 42 French infantry
• Light mortar teams
• Medium mortar teams
• Medium machine guns
• Two French 75 light howitzers

These form Rifle, Heavy Weapons, and Artillery Platoons, giving a new player a substantial foundation straight from the box.

Warlord currently lists the starter for release in November 2026.

Step 4: Understand Your Support Weapons

Once you have infantry, support weapons are one of the easiest ways to broaden what your army can do.

The new French plastic heavy weapons sprue includes several important options:

• Hotchkiss M1914 medium machine gun
• Medium mortar
• Two light mortar configurations

Warlord specifically designed the crew frame to work with its existing plastic French infantry, while components can also be combined with the new Foreign Legion plastics.

This modularity is useful when you want your weapon teams to visually match the rest of your army.

Step 5: Add French Artillery

Artillery is a natural thematic addition to a French force, and the new plastic Canon de 75 modèle 1897 gives players one of the most recognizable French guns of the period.

Commonly known as the French 75, the new plastic kit includes three wheel variants.

You already receive two French 75s in the Hold the Line! starter, so players beginning with that box have artillery covered immediately.

Step 6: Decide Whether You Want Armour

You don't necessarily need to purchase a tank with your first army.

Hold the Line! demonstrates this particularly well: the starter intentionally contains no vehicles and instead concentrates on infantry, heavy weapons, and artillery.

Once you've played the infantry force, however, adding armour can significantly change both the appearance and composition of your collection.

Char B1 Bis

The Char B1 bis is perhaps the most visually distinctive choice for an early-war French army. Its unusual layout and heavy appearance also make it an excellent centrepiece model.

Somua S35

The Somua S35 is another iconic option for players building around the Battle of France.

Which vehicle you choose should depend on the historical formation you're modelling and the role you want the vehicle to perform in your army rather than simply adding a tank because you feel every army needs one.

What Should a Beginner Buy First?

If you're starting from nothing and want a 1939–40 French force, a simple purchasing path would be:

1. Armies of France: Third Edition
2. Hold the Line! French Starter Army
3. Build and play the starter force
4. Add a vehicle or additional infantry based on what your army needs
5. Expand with specialist units once you understand your preferred playstyle

This is generally more useful than buying several infantry boxes, multiple tanks, artillery, and specialist units before you've played your first game.

What About a Free French Beginner Army?

If you're more interested in the Free French, the new Foreign Legion plastics provide a different starting route.

Warlord's French Foreign Legion Platoon contains 30 plastic infantry and represents Legionnaires serving with the Free French in North Africa.

You can then expand that infantry foundation with appropriate support weapons and other units from the Free French list in Armies of France.

This also gives you an excellent opportunity to create a desert-themed army with dusty bases, weathered equipment, and a very different appearance from an early-war force fighting in Europe.

Don't Forget the Hobby Side

A new army isn't only about its rules.

France offers several interesting painting and modelling opportunities. The Adrian helmet immediately identifies early-war infantry, while colonial troops, chasseurs, Foreign Legionnaires, artillery crews, and vehicle crews can add considerable visual variety.

Choosing a specific campaign can also help determine your basing.

A 1940 army could use European roads, fields, mud, and rubble. A Free French North African army might instead use sand, rocks, dry vegetation, and dusty weathering.

Avoid Overbuying Your First Army

One of the easiest mistakes when entering a miniature game is purchasing an enormous army immediately.

Bolt Action rewards understanding how your different units interact. Playing with a smaller collection can help you determine what you actually want before expanding.

You may discover that you want more infantry and artillery rather than tanks. Another player might immediately want a more mobile force.

Build your core army, play it, and let those games guide your next purchases.

Where Can a French Army Expand?

Once your starter force is finished, there are several directions you can take it:

• Add more infantry for larger Rifle Platoons.
• Add armoured vehicles such as the Char B1 bis or Somua S35.
• Expand your artillery options.
• Add additional mortars and machine guns.
• Explore engineers, fortress troops, chasseurs, or colonial units.
• Start a related Free French force.
• Build terrain and opposing forces for a specific historical campaign.

There is no single correct progression. The advantage of the expanded French range is that you have several viable themes rather than one obvious army build.

Is France a Good First Bolt Action Army?

France is now considerably easier to approach as a first Bolt Action project. The faction has its own dedicated Third Edition army book, an all-plastic starter army, plastic infantry, new plastic heavy weapons and artillery, and additional options such as the Foreign Legion. Warlord announced the expanded range alongside Armies of France in August 2026.

The main decision isn't whether there are enough models available—it's which French force you actually want to represent.

If the Battle of France appeals to you, Hold the Line! provides a particularly straightforward foundation. If North Africa interests you more, the new Foreign Legion plastics make a Free French collection another strong thematic direction.

Shop Bolt Action France

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Frequently Asked Questions About Starting Bolt Action France