Samurai and Mongols from Willers compared at the 1/72 Multiverse

Eric (EY) runs a fascinating blog under the name “1/72 Multiverse” that covers a lot of ground. He is interested in showing how figures from various manufacturers compare in scale, although his focus is often on fantasy types rather than historical.

A few days ago, he posted some comparisons using Willers Miniatures figures.

Eric compared the Willers Mongols to Zvezda and Giant. He also showed the camel from that set beside an Italeri camel from their Mongol Cavalry set.

He then compared the Willers Samurai to samples from Redbox, Caesar, and Zvezda.

His comparisons can be found here:

http://72-multiverse.blogspot.com/2011/10/willers-miniatures.html

Eric obtained the Willers figures from the CW Toys site, and they can be found in this listing (with thanks to Sir William the Aged, who pointed them out in the Comments below):

http://www.cw-toys.de/1-72-Hersteller-Zinn-Resin/Kleinserie

The sets included in Eric’s post include the following:

Zvezda 8003 “Mongols, 13th to 14th centuries”
Italeri 6124 “Mongol Cavalry, 13th century”
RedBox 72005 “Japanese Warrior Monks”
Caesar H003 “Japanese Samurai with Ninja”
Zvezda 8017 “Samurai Army Infantry, 16th to 17th centuries”

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.

Ral Partha vs RedBox, Medieval Asia foot, part 2

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

Manufacturers’ designations:

RedBox has produced three boxes for Ashigaru. The two figures on the left can be found in box 72006 “Ashigaru (Archers and Arquebusiers),” while the figure on the right comes from box 72007 “Ashigaru (Spearmen)”

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

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-165 Ronin with Katana
DH-179 Samurai Spearman
DH-166 Ronin Spearman

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
RedBox 72006 – 19mm.
RedBox 72007 – 20mm.
Ral Partha / Iron Wind – 22mm.

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

Availability and Cost:

The RedBox figures were introduced fairly recently, and are available through various plastic model distributors. Price at a typical retailer: 8.00 € at CW-Toys.

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, with the retailers.)

Other notes:
The RedBox 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.

Ral Partha vs Redbox, Medieval Asia foot, Part 1

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

Manufacturers’ designations:

The plastic figures come from RedBox’s box 72005 “"Japanese Warrior Monks (Sohei)".”

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

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-165 Ronin with Katana
DH-179 Samurai Spearman
DH-166 Ronin Spearman

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

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

Availability:

The RedBox figures were introduced fairly recently, and are available through various plastic model distributors. The RedBox website is listed in the side panel.

As mentioned above, the metal figures are currently available from Iron Wind. They need to be ordered directly from the manufacturer: see the website also listed in the side panel.

Other notes:
The RedBox figures were provided by Eric Yin in a very helpful trade.

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

Ral Partha vs Caesar, Feudal Japanese Foot

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

Manufacturers’ designations:

The plastic figures come from Caesar’s box H003 “ Japan Samurai with Ninja.”

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

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-165 Ronin with Katana
DH-179 Samurai Spearman
DH-166 Ronin Spearman

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Caesar – 22mm.
Ral Partha / Iron Wind – 22mm.

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

Overall conclusions:
With no height difference, these figures are generally well-matched, although where the Ral Partha sculptor has gone for a heavier style, the metal figures do look a little different from their plastic cousins. The left most metal figure provides an example of the difference. Despite that, the two ranges should work together in most situations.

Other notes:
The Caesar figures were also traded to me by Eric Yin.

Ral Partha vs Zvezda, Japanese Feudal Foot

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

Manufacturers’ designations:

The plastic figures come from Zvezda’s box 8017 “Samurai Army – Infantry.”

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

These Ral Partha figures are currently manufactured and distributed by Iron Wind. The catalogue numbers used by Iron Wind are as follows:

Left to right:
DH-165 Ronin with Katana
DH 179 Samurai Spearman
DH-166 Ronin Spearman

Height compatibility (measured from sole of foot to eyes):
Zvezda – 20mm.
Ral Partha – 22mm.

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

Overall conclusions:
The 2mm height difference is enough to make these figures mismatched. This effect is increased with certain Ral Partha sculpts which have larger heads and exaggerated weapons (see the left most metal figure as an example).

Other notes:
The Zvezda figures were traded to me by Eric Yin, along with a large number of other samples.