Odemars 1/72 vs Britannia 20mm, Second World War

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

Britannia is well known for its 20mm Second World War range. The company covers all the major participants in great depth. Besides figures, Britannia has a range of vehicles and also offers artillery pieces and various other useful items.

These particular models come from Britannia’s British range, but the actual model codes are unclear. Because Britannia does not publish a complete illustrated catalogue, it is not feasible to determine exactly which models they are.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 19mm.
Height (measured to head): 21mm.

Availability and Cost:

In January 2011, Dave Howitt, the founder of Britannia Miniatures, passed away. Following a period of uncertainty, his complete catalogue was taken over by Andrew Grubb of Grubby Tanks. After a few more months of transition, the complete Britannia line was once again available. The website for this incarnation of Britannia is:

http://www.britannia-miniatures.com/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £0.65.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from Odemars set PF17 “The Last Defenders of Berlin.” The set contains 42 figures in 14 poses. Odemars did produce two other World War Two sets, one portraying German commanders in the conflict, and the other covering Bosnian troops.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 21mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

Odemars shut down production in 2009, but their figures can still be found in some hobby shops and online stores.

Newline 20mm vs Coates & Shine 1/72, Ancient Greek foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

Newline Design offers a very large range of figures representing conflicts in the ancient world. Its Greek line includes 22 different types, both foot and mounted, while the Persian range is only slightly smaller with 21 types.

Figure Characteristics

ANG 3 (Greek) Height (to eyes): 20mm
ANG 3 (Greek) Height (to top of head): 22mm
ANP 14 (Persian) Height (to eyes): 20mm
ANP 14 (Persian) Height (to top of head): 22mm

Availability and Cost (as at October 2012):

Foot figures are sold in packs of four, for £1.90. In addition, the firm offers army deals at significant discounts.

The Newline website is here:

http://newlinedesigns.co.uk/

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from set 8129 “Theban Army.” The set is branded “Coates and Shine” and distributed by HaT Industrie. The box includes 52 foot figures in 10 poses, as well as 8 cavalry figures (with 2 rider poses and 2 horse poses). The set fits into the very side range of Ancients available from HaT.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 21mm.
Height (measured to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

This set was originally released in 2007, and is widely available via HaT.

Matchlock 25mm vs HaT 1/72, Colonial foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figure comes from the “Late 19th/Early 20th Century & Boxer Rebellion” range currently offered by Minifigs under the Matchlock brand. The figures were originally sculpted and released under the Falcon Miniatures name (not to be confused with Falcon Figures).

The model is catalogued as FIN13B “Boxer Rifleman.”

The full line covers French Foreign Legion, Turks, German Southwest Africa, Russians, Japanese, Boxers and various African forces.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured to head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

This line was reintroduced in February 2011. It can be found on the Minifigs website, by selecting the “Matchlock” label.

http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk/

Foot figures in this range are being sold for £1.10, with mounted figures retailing for £2.55

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The HaT figures come from box 8023 “Colonial Indian Infantry” which includes 48 figures in 8 poses. HaT has committed to building a wide range of figures for colonial conflicts; they have a number of interesting sets which are under development, or have been recently released.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 22mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 24mm.

Availability and Cost:

This set is a recent release from HaT, and can be easily found.

Britannia 20mm vs Revell 1/72, Second World War

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

Britannia is well known for its 20mm Second World War range. The company covers all the major participants in great depth. Besides figures, Britannia has a range of vehicles and also offers artillery pieces and various other useful items.

These particular models come from Britannia’s British range, but the actual model codes are unclear. Because Britannia does not publish a complete illustrated catalogue, it is not feasible to determine exactly which models they are.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured to eyes): 19mm.
Height (measured to head): 21mm.

Availability and Cost:

In January 2011, Dave Howitt, the founder of Britannia Miniatures, passed away. Following a period of uncertainty, his complete catalogue was taken over by Andrew Grubb of Grubby Tanks. After a few more months of transition, the complete Britannia line was once again available. The website for this incarnation of Britannia is:

http://www.britannia-miniatures.com/

Foot figures in this range are being sold individually for £0.65.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Revell figure on the left comes from box 02508 “German Engineers,” while the figure on the right can be found in box 02510 “Soviet Infantry.” The German set includes 40 foot figures in 12 poses, along with a few odds and ends. The Soviet set is a bit bigger, and comprises 48 figures in 18 poses.

Revell has produced a number of sets covering this conflict.

Figure Characteristics:

02508 (German) height, measured to eyes: 21mm.
02508 (German) height measured to top of head: 23mm.
02510 (Soviet) height, measured to eyes: 23mm.
02510 (Soviet) height measured to top of head: 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

Both of these sets were first released in the early 1990s. The Soviet set remains in production at Revell, and can be found online and at local hobby shops. The German Engineer set is not being produced at present, but the company has recently reintroduced a number of other sets from this period, so this one may soon be available again.

20mm Newline Designs vs 1/72 Odemars, Greek and Persian foot

THE METAL FIGURES


Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

Newline Design offers a very large range of figures representing conflicts in the ancient world. Its Greek line includes 22 different types, both foot and mounted, while the Persian range is only slightly smaller with 21 types.

Figures Characteristics:

ANG 3 (Greek) Height (to eyes): 20mm
ANG 3 (Greek) Height (to top of head): 22mm
ANP 14 (Persian) Height (to eyes): 20mm
ANP 14 (Persian) Height (to top of head): 22mm

Availability and Cost (as at October 2012):

Foot figures are sold in packs of four, for £1.90. In addition, the firm offers army deals at significant discounts.

The Newline website is here:

http://newlinedesigns.co.uk/

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures can be found in Odemar’s box PF02 “Persians.” The set contains 15 foot poses in 5 poses. There are also six mounted figures, with 2 rider poses and 2 horse poses. Odemars offers about a half dozen different sets from various parts of the ancient world.

Figures Characteristics:

Height to eyes: 21mm
Height to top of head: 23mm

Availability (as at October 2012):

This set is more than ten years old, and was never popular in the hobby. It can take some effort to track down a new box, but it is not a difficult challenge.

Notes on the Samples:

The Odemars were obtained in a trade with Eric Yin.