King & Country vs VID Soldiers vs First Legion (1 Viewer)

[oberstoskar]

From L to R: K&C, VID, FL

My brief opinion

Sculpting
K&C 2/5
VID 4/5
FL 2/5

Painting
K&C 4/5
VID 3/5
FL 2/5

Hope to see fellow tree frog member opinions.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

So adding up sculpting and painting yields K&C 6/10; VID 7/10 and FL 4/10

No controversy there :rolleyes2:^&grin

It's easy to put up a scorecard without explanation but not very meaningful and bound to start an argument. It would be more useful and have some validity if you explained the ratings with remarks specific to the figures. Same for responders to this post.

Terry

 

[Fitzgibbon]

View attachment 211597

From L to R: K&C, VID, FL

My brief opinion

Sculpting
K&C 2/5
VID 4/5
FL 2/5

Painting
K&C 4/5
VID 3/5
FL 2/5

Hope to see fellow tree frog member opinions.

Hi Oberstoskar,
A neat approach to comparison. These are all credible figures, relatively speaking and all on the desirable list for Nap collectors. A first glance finds my attention fixed on VID though they are unfamiliar to my habit. The Busby and face are very well proportioned and the detail offers a degree of realism lacking in the flanking figures. The half-closed eyes, lacking the out-of-proportion whites of the others, are more believable. The etched fur on the Busby has provided the painter with opportunity to highlight and thus further accentuate that important detail. The flesh tone on this figure is also more believable than the other two. All three figures offer painting opportunities in the uniform lace though the 7th Hussar lacks a pelisse being on sentry duty. There are uniform differences in the two Chasseurs of the Guard, which may indicate different periods or just artistic licence.
I guess that, if I had fifty dollars and these were all the same price, I would be likely to choose the VID example. The bent sabre does not present any challenge as I am equipped for any repair that may result from straightening it; but not all collectors are so equipped.
As a comparison between chosen individual figures, this is a useful exercise; but as a caution, it does not extend to a brand comparison. In real life, variation of uniforms existed in every regiment and varied further over time. In the manufacturing world, variations also occur for any number of reasons: research sources differ; painting skills vary; quality assurance regimes vary; sculpting skills vary; and that happens within the one manufacturing company. I have some great pieces and some not-so-great pieces from both K&C and FL. I will say that I have repaired paintwork on both and the work is more difficult on FL because of the significant depth of paint - a chip has a substantial thickness.
I would find it difficult to judge one manufacturer as twice the standard of another, which is what happens here when the score is out of a very low number. I find brand comparison quite tiresome because it generally lacks any valid framework. Figure for figure though is useful and thank you for this opportunity to exercise the grey matter.
Bob

 

[jazzeum]

If you want to cherry pick figures, you can obtain any result you want. On balance, based on the photos I've seen of VID figures, I'm not impressed and would rate them well below First Legion.

 

[joesgis]

I don't recognize the FL figure you selected. Is this one of their earliest figures? The figure # would answer that if you get a chance.

Thank you,

Joe

 

[jazzeum]

Joe,

It's NAP 30A, French Guard Chasseur scout. It was also in the Napoleon and his staff se, NAP 30.

I like the figure and have both in my collection but it's nowhere illustrative of the level of their current figures, which are superior to anything made by VID.

Brad

 

[oberstoskar]

Let's try to comment on this for some more fun.

L to R:
K&C, VID, First Legion, John Jenkins, Kronprinz

 

[King Tiger II]

Not again........ ^&confuse

 

[jazzeum]

You must have gone out of your way to pick the ugliest figures you have.

 

[King Tiger II]

+1 to Brad

 

[thebritfarmer]

I moved this to general matte discussion as it seems more appropriate.

 

[Napoleon1er]

The K&C, JJD, and FL figures are all fairly old; the painting standards for all three companies have since increased dramatically. That said, here are my honest notes (setting aside my personal collecting preferences and acquaintances with manufacturers):

K&C: the painting is crisp and there is some weathering. The detail on the drum is around equal to the VID figure. The face is much bolder than the VID, FL, and KP figures, but has around the same level of detail. The sculpting is a bit bulky, but the gear looks complete and each piece is clearly demarcated. The reliefs on the brass are minimal or non-existent.

VID: The painting is rather pale and lacks much weathering, but the detail is there (see my comment on the K&C drum). The face is well-sculpted, but the painting is a but rough. The figure is much less bulky than the K&C one, but some of the gear lacks certain details. The brass has good relief.

FL: the shading and colors are excellent, but the face is a bit sloppy (it just looks a bit odd.) The details on the brass, shako, and drum are all quite fine and well-highlighted. The body shape is a bit strange.

JJD: the weathering is nice but the blocky painting style is not my favorite. The face is a bit rough, but the dramatic pose sets it apart from the others. The detail is all there, but the bulky nature takes away from this.

KP: This looks to be the best proportioned figure, and the painting is kind of average, which I mean in a good way; it isn't too pale or too bright. The level of sculpting detail is approximately equal to the VID figure, but the face is better.

 

[oberstoskar]

You must have gone out of your way to pick the ugliest figures you have.

In my opinion I think these are all nice figures.

I like VID soldiers because their scale match my existing K&C Naps collection. VID has a huge selection and allows certain amount of customization in terms of regiment and paint scheme when I placed my order. I really enjoyed doing some historical research on the uniforms online and giving specific instructions on how I want my figure painted. The details of the uniform and accessories are crisp.

The painting of VID soldiers is slightly inferior to K&C/JJD. I think it is slightly more detailed than kronprinz.

Kronprinz is smaller in scale (1/32) instead of 1/30 and does not match well.

JJD is slightly smaller (1/31).

I agree that recent FL may have improved sculpting and painting, though the price has steeply increased (US$6x -> US$1xx for a foot soldier). The paint color tone is not as bright as the others.

The verdict is that VID soldiers are best to compliment K&C in terms of scale and color.

 

[Mirof]

To the eyes of the painter of figurines in kit, that I am, First Legion is the best balanced in colors, shading, higlighting . This does not negate the works made by the other producers
The only one I would be tempted to repaint is the last on the right ( KP) .