Figure quality (1 Viewer)

[Kurt]

Considering how much figures have improved over the years and the increasing production costs in China, do you think the quality of figures has reached it's peak? Not that I'd be complaining. I think what's available now is great.

 

[fmethorst]

Andy has been pretty adept at finding the sweet spot between price and quality. I think K&C has positioned their product to be accessible to ordinary people and still maintain a quality level that is very good. Can the quality be better? Of course it can but you start to get diminishing returns for the dollars spent. I collect Russian Vityaz connoiseur figures as well as K&C. While these figures are clearly superior to K&C I'm always surprised how good some of the K&C pieces are and if cost is a factor then it's no contest in favor of K&C.

 

[Capitolron]

I have been very impressed over the years with the improvements King & Country has made with their figures. It seems each year we do get better and better figures from K&C.

I would have to believe there are more improvements and interesting figures still yet to be seen. IMHO.

 

[lancer]

KC and JJD give a great product at their price level. KC has improved by leaps and bounds to the point where I have been trading off older KC product (I am in no way a completist collector, only what I like) to attain the newer, superior figures. Compared to the high cost upper-end Russian figures KC and JJD are bargains. Sure, quality is somewhat less, but with my eyes and budget the decision which to buy is a no-brainer. -- lancer

 

[mestell]

Considering how much figures have improved over the years and the increasing production costs in China, do you think the quality of figures has reached it's peak? Not that I'd be complaining. I think what's available now is great.

For the quality and the price you can't go wrong with K&C. I collect just the Crusader range and I think all the figures are fabulous and well done. It makes collecting very affordable for the average working collector. In order to acquire different poses I have added to my K&C collection with some AeroArt and other St. Petersburg figures. These are stunning and the detail is of high quality, but comes with a price that certainly makes having a large collection price restrictive for the average collector. The average K&C Crusader on foot retails for $29 and at that price with the quality of craftsmanship its a bargain. The average St. Petersburg collection figure on foot starts at about $135 and goes on up depending on the detail of the painting. I have all the K&C Crusaders and Saracens. I only allow myself the luxury of two or three St Petersburg figures a year. As an example, here are pics of a Saracen I just purchased from Russia - lets just say I paid dearly for it, but the detail is breathtaking.

Mike

http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/mrestell/?action=view&current=arab_sh.jpg

http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/mrestell/?action=view&current=arab_r.jpg

http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/mrestell/?action=view&current=arab_l.jpg

http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/mrestell/?action=view&current=arab.jpg

 

[wadepat]

Hi Mike,

That is one terrific figure! I have no doubt you paid dearly for it. But, what a great addition to your collection! Thanks for sharing the pictures of it. It is spectacular!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[Spitfrnd]

For the quality and the price you can't go wrong with K&C. I collect just the Crusader range and I think all the figures are fabulous and well done. It makes collecting very affordable for the average working collector. In order to acquire different poses I have added to my K&C collection with some AeroArt and other St. Petersburg figures. These are stunning and the detail is of high quality, but comes with a price that certainly makes having a large collection price restrictive for the average collector. The average K&C Crusader on foot retails for $29 and at that price with the quality of craftsmanship its a bargain. The average St. Petersburg collection figure on foot starts at about $135 and goes on up depending on the detail of the painting. I have all the K&C Crusaders and Saracens. I only allow myself the luxury of two or three St Petersburg figures a year. As an example, here are pics of a Saracen I just purchased from Russia - lets just say I paid dearly for it, but the detail is breathtaking.

Mike

That is a beauty Mike. I can see why you paid dearly for it.

On the primary question, I think the cost benefit of the new K&C is rather good as well. I do think they could do better, especially in body and weapon proportions but overall they are good for the price. There are several better but the price is higher, although not much higher with some of the newer manufactuerers like First Legion and Patriot. It is a question of how much you are willing to pay for the differences. I would (and do) pay for those differences.

 

[Njja]

I think the current level of figure quality is excellent. I mostly buy King & Country probably 85% to 95% of my purchases.

The reason for this is the quality for the money I noticed early on with the figures they were producing.

Some of the other manufacters just didn't have the figures down nearly as well.

I still believe Andy's Vietnam Series & Arnhem Series are every bit as nice as his current figures, which for durability and detail are first rate in my opinion.

I still have a few of my childhood Britians lieing around missing heads, bases and such. I have never yet broken a King & Country figure! Every now and then one may tip over, but they are quite tough, and a slighly bent gun barrel can easily be straighten with a little care.......something my Britians would never allow!

Oops there goes another head!

 

[HAWKEYE]

Think andy does a great job on his figures. The so called higher quality figures usually get to dark in the face, almost unrealistic to me. Although the clothes and boots on the crusader shown do look like they could feel real. But we must remember that these are meant to be toy soldiers, and i would hate to break or chip a figure i paid $150.00 for.

 

[stevep]

i just got the waffen ss tankriders last week and they are really well done,who ever paints the camo on these figures id have to give them 10 out of 10,i only collect the german figures of the b of the b but the americans look every bit as good.and i may start collecting them while i wait for more germans to be deployed.

 

[Alex]

While looking at some of the russian figures, I've found that even if the painting could be called superior on these, sculpting does not differ that much from K&C or First Legion offerings.. Indeed, in some of these russian figures, the too much detailed painting looks weird on a somewhat average sculpted guy.. For the money, K&C was the way to go.. now with recent 50% increase in prices...hmmm.. well we'll see !

Alex

 

[fmethorst]

I thought I'd post some pictures with a variety of different manufacturers. I have focused on facial closeups.

1. K&C
2. K&C
3. K&C (new paint style)
4. Honour Bound
5. Honour Bound (new paint style)
6. Patriot
7. Collectors Showcase
8. Figarti
9. Russian Vityaz
10. Russian Vityaz

 

[fmethorst]

part 2

 

[theBaron]

If you ever have the chance to look at the raw castings, too, you should take advantage of it. You can, at some shows, for example.

There are a couple of dealers I'm acquainted with, who carry both painted and unpainted versions of some figures. And it's interesting to see the same figure as an unpainted casting, painted to basic and more detail toy soldier standards (eg, traditional gloss vs matte), and to connoisseur standards. I've seen Niena figures done that way, for example.

I agree with you guys, some of the castings sold as toy soldiers are as good as the castings the Russian studios start with. For many of the Russian pieces, the real quality is in the painting.

Prosit!
Brad

 

[lancer]

Excellent comparison photos. Very useful to see the different painting styles and technique. Makes me glad my eyes are not sharp enough to distinguish the details at 1/30 scale. It all looks good to me. -- lancer