Rafm vs Revell, Ancient Germans and Celts

The photo above compares three metal figures from Rafm (black washed metal) with three plastic figures from Revell (in tan plastic). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Rafm figures come from the “Armies of the Caesars” range, and are catalogued as RAF7252 “Early German Infantry in Trousers.”

The “Armies of the Caesar” range currently includes 30 types. For the Romans, there are 14 infantry, 3 cavalry and 2 command sets available. For their enemies, the choices include 7 infantry, 3 cavalry and 1 command set. Most of the codes consist of a single pose.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Body Build (from 5 categories): D (Somewhat Heavy).

Availability and Cost:

Rafm’s metal figures are currently available. They can be ordered directly from the manufacturer. Cost from manufacturer: US$7.95 for six figures (all in the same pose).

Notes on the Samples:

The figures require some assembly (separate heads, shields and spears).

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The Revell figures come from box 02553 “Celts (Gauls).” This box includes 50 figures in 14 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.
Body Build (from 5 categories): C (Average).

Availability and Cost:

This set is not currently listed as being in production at Revell, but new boxes and used figures can be found at online and local hobby shops.

Notes on the Samples:

The sample figures were obtained from two sources: a trade with Frank Ivansic, and a donation from Liam Sullivan.

General Notes:

See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.

Feedback: Metal Figure Preparation

Recently, I noticed a short thread on Rafa Pardo’s forum. In the thread, Rafa very kindly introduced this blog to his fellow hobbyists. One of the readers (under the name “lannes”) then posted a suggestion that the pictures used here would be more helpful if the metal figures were prepared. Up to now, I have just been shooting the samples as they come, but this comment made a lot of sense to me.

So I decided to experiment. The photo above shows the result. The figure used is Irregular’s Napoleonic Highland officer (BNI 14). The example on the far left is simply bare metal. Moving to the right, the next figure has been sprayed with white primer. The third figure has had a black wash applied over the bare metal. Finally, the figure on the right has had both primer and black wash applied.

Based on the results, I think the black wash on bare metal gives a very good result. There doesn’t seem to be enough improvement between the third and fourth figures to justify the additional step of priming.

Going forward then, comparison shots on this blog will include metal figures that have been treated with a light black wash. Thanks Rafa and lannes!

To see the rest of the resource section of that forum go to:

Recursos/Resources

Outland vs HaT, Napoleonic Russian Infantry

The photo above compares three metal figures from Outland (unpainted metal) with three plastic figures from HaT (in gray plastic). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The Outland models come from their Napoleonic range. They are catalogued as follows (left to right in the picture):

R-25. 1804 Russian Grenadier Advancing, Bushy Plume
R-14. 1812 Russian Foot Artillery with Rammer, in Kivier
R-13. 1812 Russian Foot Artillery with Ball, in Kivier

The Napoleonic Russian range currently includes 34 poses: 21 infantry, 6 cavalry and 7 artillery

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 19mm.
Body Build (from 5 categories): B (Slender) mainly due to their spindly legs.

Availability and Cost:

Outland’s metal figures are currently available. They must be ordered from GFI – the distributor. The figures can be ordered individually, at a cost of 65 cents (US) each.

Notes on the Samples:

The Outland models were generously provided by the manufacturer.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The HaT figures come from box 8099 “Russian Militia.” This box includes 100 figures in 17 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 22mm.
Body Build (from 5 categories): C (Average).

Availability and Cost:

This set is currently in production at HaT, and available through online and local hobby shops. As a 100-figure box, the price is of course higher than for smaller sets. Sample cost: £8.09 at Modelsforsale.com

Notes on the Samples:

The sample figures were obtained in a trade with Will McNally (of Will’s Wargames Blog).

General Notes:

See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.

Readers, please add any comments on other considerations with regard to these two types, in particular any thoughts about the compatibility from the standpoint of historical periods.

Period Consolidation

Those of you who rely on the labels to look for particular figures will notice a change shortly. I have decided to consolidate some of the labels into broader periods. There are three reasons for this:

1. The list of labels is growing quite long, and there are still many wars not yet covered. This is pushing down some of the other information in the side bar, making it harder to find.
2. Some of the labels I am using are not creating any meaningful differences in categorizing. In other words, for some labels, all posts labelled "x" are also labelled "y."
3. The motivating reason: the software puts a limit on the length of labels associated with a single post. For some recent posts, I have had to select a smaller number of labels than I would have liked.

If any of the changes I make end up being really unhelpful, please let me know.

WarModelling German Paratroops Part 2

These images present the rest of the poses in the sample set provided by WarModelling (formerly Fantassin Miniatures). Click on the images for larger versions.

The poses are all from the sets titled “German Fallschirmjägers (CRETE)” which contains 22 different figures, plus a small mortar. This set retails on the manufacturer’s site for 19.50EUR.

The WarModelling World War II range includes

Light and medium artillery pieces
Gun crews
Vehicle passengers, drivers and commanders
Motorcycles
Infantry packs of 2 to 6 figures
Box sets of 20 or more figures

The figures cover a variety of nationalities – Australian, British, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and American.

Many of their figures are nicely illustrated on their website:

WarModelling site

Irregular vs MiniArt, Medieval Foot

The photo above compares three metal figures from Irregular (second, fourth and sixth from the left) with four plastic figures from MiniArt (in silver and red plastic). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Irregular models come from two of their ranges: “Wars of the Roses” and “Medieval Scots.” They are catalogued as follows (left to right in the picture):
NLM 8 Dismounted Knight (Wars of the Roses)
NLM 15 Highland Heavy Infantry (Medieval Scots)
NLM 1 Longbowman (Wars of the Roses)

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.
Body Build (from 5 categories): C (Average).

Availability and Cost:

Irregular’s metal figures are currently available. They can be ordered directly from the manufacturer. The figures can be ordered individually, and come with random variations. Cost: 50p UK per figure.

Notes on the Samples:

The Irregular models were generously provided by the manufacturer.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ designations:

The MiniArt figures come from two boxes. The figures on the left are from 72008 “Italian Knights XV Century” while those on the right can be found in box 72011 ”German Knights XV Century” The former box contains 48 foot figures in 12 poses, while the latter contains 20 foot figures in 5 poses, plus 16 mounted figures in 4 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Box 72008: 22mm.
Box 72011: 21mm.

Body Build (from 5 categories): C (Average)

Availability and Cost:

Both boxes are shown as currently available on MiniArt’s website. They can be purchased from hobby shops and distributors. For example, DragonUSA Online has box 72011 currently available at $8.95 USD.

Notes on the Samples:

Samples for both of the boxes were provided by Frank Ivansic in a trade.

General Notes:

See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.

Readers, please add any comments on other considerations with regard to these two types, in particular any thoughts about the compatibility from the standpoint of historical periods.

Rafm vs Accurate / Revell, ACW foot

The photo above compares three ACW figures from Rafm Miniatures (the larger, unpainted metal ones) with four plastic figures from Accurate/Revell (in blue and gray). Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The blue figures come from Accurate set 7202 “American Civil War, Union Infantry” The figures were also issued by Revell as set 02559 with the same name. The sets feature 50 figures in 15 poses.

The grey figures can be found in three sets:
Accurate 7205 “Soldiers of the American Civil War: Union Engineers”;
Accurate 7209 “Soldiers of the American Civil War: Confederate Engineers”;
Revell 02564 “American Civil War, Confederate Pioneers”;
Each includes 31 figures in 10 poses, plus accessories.

The Rafm figures are catalogued as RAF6603 “Union Infantry, Advancing.”

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Rafm – 24mm.
Accurate / Revell – 22mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Rafm – C (Average)
Accurate/Revell – C (Average)

Availability and Cost:

The Revell and Accurate plastic figures can be easily found in hobby shops. For instance, Bayshore Hobbies in Canada is selling the Revell Union Infantry for $9.95 CDN.

Rafm’s metal figures are currently available. They can be ordered directly from the manufacturer at a cost of US$7.95 for six figures (all in the same pose).

(See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.)

Other notes:

Readers: please post any comments with regard to these two types, in particular any thoughts about the compatibility from the standpoint of the uniform depicted.

Odemars vs Ral Partha, Medieval Asia foot

The photo above compares three metal figures from Ral Partha (two painted, and one undercoated white) with three plastic figures from Odemars (light tan). Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The Odemars figures come from box PF01 “Samurai.” The box contains 32 figures in 8 poses.

The Ral Partha models come from their “Momoyama/Tokugawa Samurai” range, and are catalogued as follows (left to right in the picture):
53-752 Ronin with spear or naginata
53-768 Samurai with spear or naginata
53-751 Ronin with sword

The Ral Partha figures are currently manufactured and distributed by Iron Wind. In their catalogue, the models are identified as follows:

Again, left to right:
DH-166 Ronin Spearman
DH-179 Samurai Spearman
DH-165 Ronin with Katana

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Odemars – 20-22mm (figures vary).
Ral Partha / Iron Wind – 22mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Odemars– C (Average)
Ral Partha / Iron Wind – are a mix of C (Average) and D (Somewhat Heavy).

Availability and Cost:

Earlier this year Odemars announced that they were leaving the plastic figure business. According to PSR, a new company called “Ykreol,” has recently said that they would pick up the Odemars figures and restart production. At this time, new boxes of the Odemars product can still be found at some retailers. For instance, Toy Soldier HQ is selling the box for $7.00 US as an end of line special.

As mentioned above, the metal figures are currently available from Iron Wind. They need to be ordered directly from the manufacturer: the cost is US $2.50 for an individual figure, but drops to $0.90 for quantities of 10 or more.

(See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.)

Other notes:

The Odemars figures were provided by Eric Yin in a very helpful trade.

Readers, please add any comments on other considerations with regard to these two types, in particular any thoughts about the compatibility from the standpoint of historical periods.

Outland vs Esci, Napoleonic Russian Foot

The photo above compares three Russian figures from Outland Games (unpainted metal) with two plastic Russians from Esci (light gray). Click on the image for a larger version.

Manufacturers’ designations:

The plastic figures come from Esci box 236 “Napoleonic Wars Russian Grenadiers.”

The Outland models come from their Napoleonic range. They are catalogued as follows (left to right in the picture):

R-25. 1804 Russian Grenadier Advancing, Bushy Plume
R-14. 1812 Russian Foot Artillery with Rammer, in Kivier
R-13. 1812 Russian Foot Artillery with Ball, in Kivier

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Esci – 21mm.
Outland – 19mm.

Body Build compatibility (from 5 categories):
Esci – B (Slender).
Outland – B (Slender) mainly due to their spindly legs.

Availability and Cost:

The Esci figures are no longer in production, but used figures are easily found, and unopened boxes still show up occasionally on auction sites. A review of current listings on ebay shows several boxes available in the price range of $10 to $15 US.

Outland’s metal figures are currently available. They must be ordered from GFI – the distributor. The figures can be ordered individually, at a cost of 65 cents (US) each.

(See the side panel lists for websites of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers mentioned above. To convert cost figures to your currency, use a site such as xe.com, also listed in the side panel.)

Other notes:

The Esci samples were donated by Liam Sullivan. The Outland models were generously provided by the manufacturer.

Readers, please add any comments on other considerations with regard to these two types, in particular any thoughts about the compatibility from the standpoint of historical periods.

WarModelling German Paratroops, Part 1

WarModelling have kindly provided a sample set from their World War Two range. The company was previously known as Fantassin Miniatures, and their 20mm Second World War figures are quite well regarded.

WarModelling sells their figures in a variety of different sized packs, including box sets, such as the one illustrated in the top image. Each box set includes a number of soldiers in individual poses. The set illustrated here is titled “German Fallschirmjägers (CRETE)” and contains 22 different figures, plus a small mortar.

The lower images provide better shots of the models, including some of the support weapons included in the set. (Click on the images for larger versions). I will be posting shots of the rest of the figures, and comparing them to appropriate plastic ranges, in days to come.

This particular set retails on the manufacturer’s site for 19.50EUR.

WarModelling can be found here:

http://www.warmodelling.com/index.php