Newline vs Strelets-R, ACW mounted

The photo above compares two metal cavalry troopers from Newline Designs (A,C) with a pair of plastic generals from Strelets (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come are from Newline Designs’ American Civil War range, and are catalogued as ACW 50 “Cavalry in Kepi, Carbines Slung.” Newline’s ACW range is quite extensive, and currently includes 101 different products.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 32mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

These figures are currently in production, and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Cost is £3.00 for a set of three horses and riders (all in the same pose).

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from Strelet’s box 47 “Confederate General Staff (1), Civil War 1861-65.” The box includes 12 different riders, and 12 horses in 6 positions.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 33mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 21mm.

Availability and Cost:

Strelets released this set in 2006 and it is easily found at hobby shops and online dealers. Drum and Flag currently sells the box for £5.60.

Irregular offers "A Very British Civil War"

Ian Kay’s company released an intriguing new 20mm range earlier this summer. Called “A Very British Civil War,” the line includes such archetypical British figures as bobbies, fox hunters and boy scouts. The intrigue comes when you realize that they are all armed, and looking for a fight.

The line currently includes:

Four policemen;
A mounted policeman;
A num and a lady in long dress;
A pair of farmers;
A mounted fox hunter;
A boy scout.

Arms include rifles, shotguns, a tommy gun, and a Molotov cocktail (about to be thrown by the boy scout).

The figures are best suited to the period after the Great War, up to the 1950s, although several of the figures could have a wider use.

Foot figures are being sold at 50p, while mounted ones cost £1.00.

The image above is from the Irregular Miniatures site. Click on it for a larger version.

Ral Partha Renaissance Turks vs LW Cossacks

The photo above compares three metal Turks from Ral Partha (A,C,E) with a pair of plastic Cossacks from LW (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The Ral Partha figures come from their “The Condottieri” range. According to a 1985 catalogue, the Turks in this range included 10 codes, some of which contained more than one pose. In addition, the range included Swiss and Imperialist troops.

The figures illustrated are from the following codes.

A: 54-608 “Turkish Archer”
C: 54-611 “Iyaler with Sword”
E: 54-610 “Turk with Scimitar and Buckler”

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

With the exception of Colonial subjects, most Ral Partha historical figures continue to be produced by Iron Wind, a successor firm. However, Iron Wind does not seem to be offering The Condottieri range at present.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from LW set 2012 “Cossack Artillery, 16-19 AD.” This box includes 20 figures in 5 poses, along with 4 guns.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from ground to eyes): 22mm
Height (measured from ground to top of head) 24mm

Availability and Cost:

According to Plastic Soldier Review, these figures are actually pirated copies of metal originals. In this case, purchase is not recommended.

Notes on the Samples:

The plastic samples were obtained in a trade with Eric Yin.

More Wodensfeld ACW releases from Nostalgia Revival

John Cunningham, of 20mm Nostalgia Revival, has recently provided a full list for the revived Wodensfeld ACW range.

Infantry are available in packs of ten figures for £4.50 GBP. They are organized by position/action:

Marching at right shoulder shift
RSS 1 shell jacket, gaiters, kepi
RSS 2 shell jacket, gaiters, hat
RSS 3 shell jacket, kepi
RSS 4 shell jacket, hat
RSS 5 shell jacket, blanket roll, kepi
RSS 6 shell jacket, blanket roll, hat
RSS 7 sack coat, kepi
RSS 8 sack coat, hat

Charging
ADV 11 Louisiana Tigers
ADV 12 5th New York Zouaves

Skirmishing
SK 17 Berdan's US Sharpshooters

Command packs include 5 figures with, officers, flag bearers, drummers, NCOs and buglers as appropriate. They sell for £2.50, and include:

CP 1 shell jacket, gaiters
CP 2 shell jacket
CP 3 sack coat
CP 9 Louisiana Tigers
CP 10 5th New York
CP 11 Berdan’s USSS

Mounted figures are as follows:

CPM 1 Mounted officers 2 kepi, 2 hat with horses £ 4.00GBP
CWP 1 Lee & Major Taylor ADC £3.00 GBP
CWP 2 Jeb Stuart & Sweeney (banjo player) £3.00 GBP
CWP 3 Jackson & Longstreet £3.00

At present only some of these figures are available, but the rest of the range will be ready over next few weeks. To order, or for further information, contact John at CunnJoh@AOL.com

The image at the top of the page shows some test figures from this range. From left to right, they are RSS 4, RSS 1 and SK17 (two figures). Click on the picture for a larger version.

Garrison, Greenwood & Ball vs Airfix, Roman Infantry

The photo above compares three metal Romans from Garrison and Greenwood & Ball (A,C,E) with a pair of plastic figures from Airfix (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

I believe that the metal figures come from Garrison’s “20mm Ancients” range, and were previously produced under the Greenwood & Ball name. Within the Ancients range, Garrison currently offers 23 different poses for 1st Century Imperial Romans. However, the poses shown in this image do not seem to be currently in production.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

As mentioned, these figures are not available from the manufacturer at the present time. However, other Roman figures are in production, and can be purchased from Garrison directly. Foot figures are sold for £0.60 each, while mounted figures cost £1.50

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from Airfix box A01730 “Romans” which has also been issued, under the same name, as set 7010 from HaT Industrie.

The box includes 26 foot figures in 11 poses, as well as a four-horse chariot with two crew.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

After a period of dormancy, Airfix is once again producing this set. It can ordered directly from the manufacturer, or found at many other online stores.

Lancashire vs FOV, WW2 US Infantry

The photo above compares three metal figures from Lancashire Games (A,C,E) with a pair of plastic figures from Forces of Valor (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from Lancashire Games’ 20mm WWII American Range. They can be found in set 20/WBP32, which is a large battle pack titled “American Infantry.” The figures can also be found in smaller sets in the range. Lancashire offers 13 different sets of US Infantry, including several modeled in greatcoats. Each code includes several poses. Other US sets in their WW2 range cover the Marines (7 sets) and Paratroops (6 sets) .

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

These figures are currently available from Lancashire Games. Battle packs of 24 figures are sold for £10.50 with a discount for purchases of multiple items. Standard packs with 3 figures sell for £1.50.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The FOV figures are included in set 85242 “US Landing Craft LCM 3.” FOV offers pre-painted figures with several of its diecast vehicle models, as well as issuing a few small sets of figures and accessories. A complete list of their figure offering will be forthcoming.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm approximately (neither of the figures are fully upright).

Availability and Cost:

FOV retires its releases from time to time. In general though, FOV products can be found in a wide range of online and retail stores.

Newline vs Atlantic & Waterloo 1815, ACW Cavalry

The photo above compares two metal ACW troopers from Newline Designs (A,C) with a pair of plastic figures originally from Atlantic, and re-issued by both Nexus and Waterloo 1815 (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come are from Newline Designs’ American Civil War range, and are catalogued as ACW 50 “Cavalry in Kepi, Carbines Slung.” Newline’s ACW range is quite extensive, and currently includes 101 different products.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 32mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

These figures are currently in production, and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Cost is £3.00 for a set of three horses and riders (all in the same pose).

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures are originally from Atlantic’s box 1004 “Far-West Story, 7th Cavalry.” They were later re-released by Nexus as ATL- 03 “U.S. 7th Cavalry.” Finally, Waterloo 1815 used the same figures in two boxes: P004 “US Cavalry” and P005 “Confederate Cavalry.”

The Nexus version has 24 riders in six poses, and 24 horses also in six poses. The Waterloo 1815 boxes are larger, containing 32 riders and horses.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 26mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 20mm.

Availability and Cost:

Despite its age, this set is still in production, and can be found online and in hobby shops.

Sgt Major's Miniatures adds Aussies for WW2

Sgt Major’s Miniatures (SGMM) is an American firm producing metal 20mm figures for the Second World War. They offer a very complete range of US figures for that conflict, as well as some Japanese and German troops.

In their newest offerings, the firm has tackled some Australian subjects, including regular infantry, command, mortars and MG sections. They have also produced a couple of additions to their German and American lines. The photo below shows the mortar set.

To lighten the mood, SGMM has also added a small set of “pin up girls” from the same era.

Both photos are from the manufacturer’s website. Click on either image to get a larger version.

Revell Thirty Years War vs Les Higgins ECW, mounted

The photo above compares two metal ECW troopers from Les Higgins (A,C) with a pair of plastic figures from Revell (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Les Higgins models come from their English Civil War range, which has been extended under the brand “20mm Nostalgic Revival.” They are catalogued as EP11 “Trooper of Horse with Sword.”

The ECW range currently comprises 16 codes, some of which have multiple poses. Coverage includes officers, pikemen, musketeers, cavalry and artillery.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 30mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 20mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to top of head): 22mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Les Higgins figures are currently available from Nostalgic Revival. Most figures can be ordered individually, though these come with two riders in a pack (one of each pose). I believe the cost is 40p (UK) for each rider, and another 45p per horse – although you should confirm this when ordering.

Notes on the Samples:

The Les Higgins models were generously provided by John Cunningham at Nostalgic Revival.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s designation and Number of Poses:

The Revell figures come from box 2567, “Thirty Years’ War, Swedish Cavalry." The box contains 15 riders in 8 poses, as well as 15 horses in 8 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 32mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 22mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to top of head): 24mm.

Availability:

According to PSR, Revell first released this set in 1991. The set is not currently in production.

Notes on the Samples:

The plastic figures were obtained in a trade with Will McNally.

Elhiem adding new US figures for Iraqi Freedom

Elhiem Figures issues a web-based newsletter which provides a nice peak into their future plans. Elhiem is a very active firm, delivering 1/72 scale metal figures covering a number of conflicts.

In the latest issue of the newsletter, the company provided some photos of upcoming additions to their “Iraq and Afghanistan” line under the “Modern Forces” range.

The photos below show some test castings. (Click on the images for larger versions.)

According to the newsletter, these models portray the US Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, although they can also be used for Afghanistan. The pictures are still provisional; due to some difficulties with the moulds, some of these figures may not be produced.

Orion vs Ral Partha, Renaissance Turkish foot

The photo above compares three metal Turks from Ral Partha (A,C,E) with a pair of plastic Janissaries from Orion (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturers’ Designation and Number of Poses:

The Ral Partha figures come from their “The Condottieri” range. According to a 1985 catalogue, the Turks in this range included 10 codes, some of which contained more than one pose. In addition, the range included Swiss and Imperialist troops.

The figures illustrated are from the following codes.

A: 54-608 “Turkish Archer”
C: 54-611 “Iyaler with Sword”
E: 54-610 “Turk with Scimitar and Buckler”

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 23mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 25mm.

Availability and Cost:

With the exception of Colonial subjects, most Ral Partha historical figures continue to be produced by Iron Wind, a successor firm. However, Iron Wind does not seem to be offering the Condottieri range at present.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Orion figures are from box 72010 “Turkish Janissary, 17th Century.” The box contains 48 figures in 24 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.
Height (measured from sole of foot to top of head): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

The Orion box is currently available. Although it is not widely carried, it can be found at various online and local hobby shops and distributors. According to PSR, it was first released in 2004.

Shield Wall Games shuts down

I am not sure how recently this happened, but I just found a note tucked away on the Shield Wall Games site explaining that the company has ceased operations.

At the time of its demise, Shield Wall was offering a 20mm modern infantry range with a focus on the US army. According to TMP, in 2007 Shield Wall purchased the Faust Studio line which had previously been sold to Second City. The Faust line included 20mm vehicles for World War One and Two, as well as several 25mm ranges.

The photo below shows one of their Modern subjects. It was listed as "Modern US Troopers pack 10." (The picture is from their website.)




Anyone with further information on the fate of the Faust Studio range, please add a comment below.

Garrison, G&B vs Atlantic, Roman foot

The photo above compares three metal Romans from Garrison and Greenwood & Ball (A,C,E) with two plastic figures from Atlantic (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

I believe that the metal figures come from Garrison’s “20mm Ancients” range, and were previously produced under the Greenwood & Ball name. Within the Ancients range, Garrison currently offers 23 different poses for 1st Century Imperial Romans. However, the poses shown in this image do not seem to be currently in production.

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

As mentioned, these figures are not available from the manufacturer at the present time. However, other Roman figures are in production, and can be purchased from Garrison directly. Foot figures are sold for £0.60 each, while mounted figures cost £1.50

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The plastic figures come from two of Atlantic’s boxes:

B. Set 1517 “The Romans: Gladiators and Christians”
D. Set 1515 “The Romans: The Roman Legion”

Atlantic issued most of their sets in different sized packages. Set 1515, came in a large 92 piece box with 15 poses, while the large box for set 1517 included 64 pieces. Poses for the later set included a lion, and tiger as well as various gladiators, officials, audience members and victims (the latter on multiple figure stands).

Figure Characteristics:

1517 Height (measured to eyes): 21mm.
1515 Height (measured to eyes) 22mm

Availability and Cost:

Atlantic is long out of production, and no other maker has reissued either of these sets. They can still be found in some second hand shops, and on eBay though.

Notes on the Samples:

The Atlantic figures were generously donated by Liam Sullivan.

Lancashire vs Revell, WW2 US Infantry, part 2

The photo above compares three metal infantry figures from Lancashire Games (A,C,E) with two plastic paratroopers from Revell (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come from Lancashire Games’ 20mm WWII American Range. They can be found in set 20/WBP32, which is a large battle pack titled “American Infantry.” The figures can also be found in smaller sets in the range. Lancashire offers 13 different sets of US Infantry, including several modeled in greatcoats. Each code includes several poses. Other US sets in their WW2 range cover the Marines (7 sets) and Paratroops (6 sets) .

Figure Characteristics:

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

Availability and Cost:

These figures are currently available from Lancashire Games. Battle packs of 24 figures are sold for £10.50 with a discount for purchases of multiple items. Standard packs with 3 figures sell for £1.50.

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Revell figures come from box 02517 “WWII US Paratroopers.” This box includes 44 figures in 12 poses.

Figure Characteristics:

Height (measured from sole of foot to eyes): 20mm.

Availability and Cost:

According to PSR, this set was first released in 1995. It is currently in production at Revell, and can be found online and at local hobby shops.

Notes on the Samples:

The Revell figures were obtained in a trade with Eric Yin.

Changes at the Pelisse

So the blog is hitting a couple of milestones: 200 posts and 50,000 visits. I figured that means it is a good time to make some changes. The following list outlines what I am planning. Please comment if you have other suggestions, or feel any of the following are bad ideas.

1. In reviews, I have recently dropped the comment on body sculpting style. My thinking is that I don’t have any kind of consistent yardstick to apply, so the results were simply what I felt after looking at the figure. Since all readers can do the same by looking at the image, my categorization seemed superfluous.

2. I will be starting to record height of figures to the top of the head, while retaining the measurement to the eyes. This would allow comparison to other measurements used on other sites and blogs.

3. For plastic figures, I will stop providing pricing information. Plastic figures are available from a wide variety of retailers, even when they are out of production. Showing a price from one random store does not really say anything about the actual market cost of the figures. However I will continue to comment on which figures are out of production, when I have that information.

4. I am trying to clear up the “noise” in the right-hand column. As the number of labels grows, the other material gets pushed down. So I have started using the “page” functionality (accessed through the nav bar above) and it will replace the lists of links at the side. At this time though, I plan to retain the links to hobby blogs, since they are constantly updating.

5. As intended, the blog has really been focused on metal/plastic comparisons. However there was always a subordinate intention to consolidate information on metal manufacturers with 20mm, 1/72nd and traditional 25mm ranges. I hope to focus more on that going forward, with more frequent news items, and more extensive descriptions of each manufacturer’s ranges.

6. The growth of this blog is dependent on a growing collection of samples. I hope to encourage readers to help me fill in gaps in this collection by posting a “trading” page, listing my needs and the items that I have available for trade. (Of course I am also open to donations of samples.)

7. Finally, I expect the growing complexity of this blog will lead me to set up a website that can be accessed and searched more easily. However, not being a web developer myself, I need to learn a lot before I can do it. Any suggestions for a starting point would be very welcome.

Newline vs Airfix, American Civil War cavalry

The photo above compares a pair of metal troopers from Newline Design (A,C) with two plastic figures from Airfix (B,D). Click on the image for a larger version.

THE METAL FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The metal figures come are from Newline Designs’ American Civil War range, and are catalogued as ACW 50 “Cavalry in Kepi, Carbines Slung.” Newline’s ACW range is quite extensive, and currently includes 101 different products.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 32mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 23mm.

Availability and Cost:

These figures are currently in production, and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer. Cost is £3.00 for a set of three horses and riders (all in the same pose).

THE PLASTIC FIGURES

Manufacturer’s Designation and Number of Poses:

The Airfix figures come from box 01722 “U.S. Cavalry.” The box includes 11 riders, each in a unique pose, as well as 11 horses in 3 poses. There is also a casualty vignette in the set.

Figure Characteristics:

Rider Height above ground (measured from ground to rider eyes): 32mm.
Rider Body Height (measured from foot, to knee, to hip, to eyes): 21mm.

Availability and Cost:

Although these figures are not being manufactured at the current time, they are easily found at second-hand dealers, and unopened boxes can still be located. For instance, Netmerchants is selling new boxes for £3.95.