Pages

Thursday, October 8, 2009

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.

No comments: