Comparing Manufacturers (1 Viewer)

[colenso]

Hi all,

I am relatively new to collecting and am mainly interested in WWII at 1:30 scale. So far, most of the units I've acquired are from King and Country, which I've found to be quite good in terms of their finish and attention to detail. I am particularly fond of their recent all-metal tank models.
However, I am looking to include pieces from other manufacturers in my collection and wonder how these compare to K&C, especially in terms of build quality, accuracy, and attention to detail. I have been considering the following brands:

WarPark
First Legion
John Jenkins Designs
Thomas Gunn Miniatures

I was wondering if people had any thoughts or recommendations. Many thanks!

 

[wayne556517]

First three go well together but not so with K&C
TGM figures goes well with K&C and some vehicles go well with WP,FL and JJD.

 

[Desertkiwi]

First three go well together but not so with K&C
TGM figures goes well with K&C and some vehicles go well with WP,FL and JJD.

As Wayne rightly points out scale is an issue if you're mixing manufacturers. Britain's also work well with WP, FL & JJD as does Collectors Showcase vehicles with K&C figures. TGM is a mixed bag, with their figures working well with K&C and TCS, however most of their vehicles seem to work better along side WP, FL & JJD.

All have pros & cons, however the main thing is they provide interesting options and allow collectors some artistic license......

 

[colenso]

As Wayne rightly points out scale is an issue if you're mixing manufacturers. Britain's also work well with WP, FL & JJD as does Collectors Showcase vehicles with K&C figures. TGM is a mixed bag, with their figures working well with K&C and TCS, however most of their vehicles seem to work better along side WP, FL & JJD.

All have pros & cons, however the main thing is they provide interesting options and allow collectors some artistic license......

Thank you. I would be very interested in learning more about the "pros and cons" that you refer to.

I own a set of WP figures and, relative to K&C, they seem to be about the same height yet significantly thinner or less "bulky". Their uniforms also seem to have a bit less detail than K&C.

I'm not sure whether this is the norm, or just this particular unit. I would be interested in knowing more about the differences across manufacturers if people have specific thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[jazzeum]

To supplement what @Desertkiwi said WB will work with FL but the two don’t go with K & C.

 

[tmanthegreat]

Colenso, it’s certainly one of the annoying aspects of this hobby in that while multiple manufacturers say their figures and vehicles are all 1/30 scale, in actuality there is a bit of variation. Some manufacturers stick to 1/30 scale with both their figures and vehicles, while others are larger at 1/28 scale. Still other manufacturers make 1/28 scale figures but 1/30 scale vehicles. You can see where I’m going here, lol! Personally, over the years I’ve would up with two parallel collections of sorts - a proper 1/30 scale collection and a 1/28 scale collection.

However, in an effort to help streamline things, here’s a general way to group the figures and vehicles from different manufacturers, though even then there can be some variation…

Manufacturers with Accurate 1/30 Scale Figures and Vehicles:

First Legion
John Jenkins Designs
W. Britain
War Park
Xuan Hua

Manufacturers with Inaccurate 1/30 Scale Figures and Vehicles:

King and Country (figures are typically 1/28 scale; vehicles range between 1/30 and 1/28 scale)
Thomas Gunn Miniatures (figures are typically 1/29-1/28 scale, but vehicles are almost always 1/30 scale)
Collectors Showcase (both figures and vehicles 1/28 scale)

There are other current and retired manufacturers I’m not covering here as I don’t own their products, but the above is a way you could group or pair figures and vehicles from different manufacturers while still retaining scale accuracy.

Ultimately, it’s your choice to collect what you want and which brings you the most joy

 

[jazzeum]

Scale discussions in the past have tended to become quarrelsome as adherents of different companies contend their favorite company is true 1/30, etc. I enjoy collecting both K & C and FL but I don’t exhibit them together.

 

[colenso]

Thank you all. This is useful information.

Beyond the scale discussion and thinking more in terms of quality of finish and level of detail, is there any firm that delivers consistently above-average products? So far I have only seen a handful of WP and K&C units.

Thanks again.

 

[OzDigger]

Colenso, it’s certainly one of the annoying aspects of this hobby in that while multiple manufacturers say their figures and vehicles are all 1/30 scale, in actuality there is a bit of variation. Some manufacturers stick to 1/30 scale with both their figures and vehicles, while others are larger at 1/28 scale. Still other manufacturers make 1/28 scale figures but 1/30 scale vehicles. You can see where I’m going here, lol! Personally, over the years I’ve would up with two parallel collections of sorts - a proper 1/30 scale collection and a 1/28 scale collection.

However, in an effort to help streamline things, here’s a general way to group the figures and vehicles from different manufacturers, though even then there can be some variation…

Manufacturers with Accurate 1/30 Scale Figures and Vehicles:

First Legion
John Jenkins Designs
W. Britain
War Park
Xuan Hua

Manufacturers with Inaccurate 1/30 Scale Figures and Vehicles:

King and Country (figures are typically 1/28 scale; vehicles range between 1/30 and 1/28 scale)
Thomas Gunn Miniatures (figures are typically 1/29-1/28 scale, but vehicles are almost always 1/30 scale)
Collectors Showcase (both figures and vehicles 1/28 scale)

There are other current and retired manufacturers I’m not covering here as I don’t own their products, but the above is a way you could group or pair figures and vehicles from different manufacturers while still retaining scale accuracy.

Ultimately, it’s your choice to collect what you want and which brings you the most joy

A reasonable summation of the size differences.

However it isn't fair say that a Manufacturer should be listed as being 'Accurate' or 'Inaccurate'.

It must be noted that there are several ways to measure the height of a finished figure in any scale, including 1:30 and 1:32. For example it was traditional to measure the height of a figure from the sole of their foot/boot to their eyes, vehicles were made to match these figures.

And it should be noted that some manufacturers produced their tank/vehicle crew figures in a smaller size (scale) to ensure they fit into the turret, crew area etc.

And of course some companies that are listed as being 'Accurate' above such as First Legion produced 1:30 figures that were different heights, for example their early Napoleonic range were significantly taller compared to their WW2 figures, yes I have allowed for hat heights etc.

It should also be noted that some figures are more prone to damage because of the use of resin instead of metal, this is especially evident in more detailed and expensive figures.

All of this, and more, has been previously thrashed out in 'scale discussions' on this and other forums.

In closing, if you want to think 'your' company is Accurate, that's great, but it's more likely to be just your Opinion rather than Fact.

 

[colenso]

A reasonable summation of the size differences.

However it isn't fair say that a Manufacturer should be listed as being 'Accurate' or 'Inaccurate'.

It must be noted that there are several ways to measure the height of a finished figure in any scale, including 1:30 and 1:32. For example it was traditional to measure the height of a figure from the sole of their foot/boot to their eyes, vehicles were made to match these figures.

And it should be noted that some manufacturers produced their tank/vehicle crew figures in a smaller size (scale) to ensure they fit into the turret, crew area etc.

And of course some companies that are listed as being 'Accurate' above such as First Legion produced 1:30 figures that were different heights, for example their early Napoleonic range were significantly taller compared to their WW2 figures, yes I have allowed for hat heights etc.

It should also be noted that some figures are more prone to damage because of the use of resin instead of metal, this is especially evident in more detailed and expensive figures.

All of this, and more, has been previously thrashed out in 'scale discussions' on this and other forums.

In closing, if you want to think 'your' company is Accurate, that's great, but it's more likely to be just your Opinion rather than Fact.

Thank you, this is interesting. The manufacturer's scale seems to be a delicate matter. So far, I only own K&C and WP figures and although they are technically the same scale, they do feel a touch different to me. So I do appreciate people sharing how they typically pair their figures across brands.

You also mentioned some manufacturers use resin vs metal. Could you elaborate on which one does what? I've seen price differences, but that might not necessarily imply quality variations.

Finally, is there any consensus in terms of attention to detail and historical accuracy of manufacturers? As a random example (and not meaning to pick on any specific brand) I recently found this FL Stug IV which was labeled as the 5th "Wiking" Division, yet the insignia seems to correspond to the 11th "Norland" Division.

Thanks

 

[Desertkiwi]

Historical accuracy & attention to detail is an equally contentious issue along with the continuing scale debate.

This forum is littered with threads on these same topic's, scattered over many years and the conclusions tend to remain the same throughout.

By its very nature the hobby is open to artistic license and while some collectors embrace that, others do not and discussions can become quite 'heated' as a result.

My advice is buy what you like and if in doubt do your own research.

Price is another such debate and IMO higher prices doesn't always reflect quality or accuracy.......in short its a mine field......good luck.

 

[Mastercom10]

Hi all,

I am relatively new to collecting and am mainly interested in WWII at 1:30 scale. So far, most of the units I've acquired are from King and Country, which I've found to be quite good in terms of their finish and attention to detail. I am particularly fond of their recent all-metal tank models.
However, I am looking to include pieces from other manufacturers in my collection and wonder how these compare to K&C, especially in terms of build quality, accuracy, and attention to detail. I have been considering the following brands:

WarPark
First Legion
John Jenkins Designs
Thomas Gunn Miniatures

I was wondering if people had any thoughts or recommendations. Many thanks!

Hi,

About figure size comparison, I posted a thread ( Figure size comparison on 5 November 2023 ) which pehaps could be of some interest for you.
In summary, King and Country and Thomas Gunn are noticeably oversized compared with other brands such Team Miniatures, War Park, William Britain and First Legion.
And for the world war two range, First Legion is the smallest size ( their Napoleonic figures was bigger ).
If you want to mix anyway all the brands, be carrefull to not place the figures side by side.
In regard of quality, First Legion is the number one for the paint but unfortunately figures are very weak and with some factory defaults ( poor arm and head adjustments, weapons not straight,
horses or riders not positionned straight, very sensitive to humidity, ...... ) which is very unfortunate compared to the high prices of this brand.
Other brands seems more solid in terms of paint but with also some factory defaults.

 

[Panzer ace]

Historical accuracy & attention to detail is an equally contentious issue along with the continuing scale debate.

This forum is littered with threads on these same topic's, scattered over many years and the conclusions tend to remain the same throughout.

By its very nature the hobby is open to artistic license and while some collectors embrace that, others do not and discussions can become quite 'heated' as a result.

My advice is buy what you like and if in doubt do your own research.

Price is another such debate and IMO higher prices doesn't always reflect quality or accuracy.......in short its a mine field......good luck.

Toddy:

Great post.

My two cents echoing yours, collect what you like, display how you want to and enjoy the hobby.

I mix vehicles amongst manufacturers but I do not do the same with individual figures, to me they simply do not assimilate well because of style, poses etc.

Again, to each their own, have fun with this whole thing!

-Jason

 

[Julie]

Admittedly I have not updated in quite some time, but there are a number of photos comparing figures in various ranges in the thread I started years ago: https://forum.treefrogtreasures.com/threads/size-comparison-photos-various-manufacturers.59189/

Ruler and grid lines to show sizes. Harder to vehicles in this manner though!

Julie

 

[OzDigger]

Thank you, this is interesting. The manufacturer's scale seems to be a delicate matter. So far, I only own K&C and WP figures and although they are technically the same scale, they do feel a touch different to me. So I do appreciate people sharing how they typically pair their figures across brands.

You also mentioned some manufacturers use resin vs metal. Could you elaborate on which one does what? I've seen price differences, but that might not necessarily imply quality variations.

Finally, is there any consensus in terms of attention to detail and historical accuracy of manufacturers? As a random example (and not meaning to pick on any specific brand) I recently found this FL Stug IV which was labeled as the 5th "Wiking" Division, yet the insignia seems to correspond to the 11th "Norland" Division.

Thanks

Personally I wouldn't mix K & C with WP figures, but I'm 'fussier' than most members here. The easiest solution I found is to have several cabinets, I have Seven (so far), and can split my figures, tanks etc according to scale/size etc. Of course you can mix and match on the same shelf if you wish, or display them on separate shelves.

As for the use of resin, most now use resin to some degree on their vehicles & tanks, and on figures to a lesser degree....so far. I've noticed that First Legion often use Resin on their figures, especially those requiring fine detail such as the tassles, reigns etc on their Mounted Samurai range etc. These resins pieces are very easy to damage, you have to pick them up by their base only. And as others have said First Legion also use very fine metal for finer/smaller parts that can also be easily damaged.

Finer detail improves the accuracy of these models, but as we have found it also makes them more fragile, and more expensive. That is something manufacturers consider for their products, detail vs fragility, and collectors have to think about that as well. And of course finer detail costs more money, and rising production costs etc has made the hobby far more expensive than when I started out in 2005. However that's the way it is now, it's a long time since you could buy a good old solid polystone tank with Five crew for USD $89.