Oversize Small Arms? (1 Viewer)

[lcdr1635]

Let me say first that I'm fairly new to serious collecting -- I collected Britains and Marx Warriors of the World as a kid, but once I got seriously into modeling and painting my own figures, I stopped collecting any pre-assembled or painted "toys". However, as I got to be 50, time for modeling got scarcer and my eyesight wasn't what it used to be, and I realized I would never build or paint all the subjects I wanted on my shelf. At that point I rediscovered collector's soldiers.

I have probably about 100 King and Country figures in my collection now and wouldn't have bought them if I wasn't satisfied with them overall, and I do see the continual improvement in the product. However, I have one ongoing gripe (well, gripe may be too strong of a work, but nitpick is not strong enough): The size of K&C small arms -- Rifles and Submachine guns. I am referring here to WWII US and British figures -- I don't collect German (don't build models of German either), and I haven't noticed this issue with Napoleonic muskets. Garands, Thompsons, Grease Guns, Enfields and Stens, all appear to be significantly oversized. Stens and Grease guns seem to be the worst offenders -- I have passed up buying figures just because of an outsized Sten or M3.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic and expecting in a K&C figure the fine detail I get from a Dragon plastic or Warriors resin figure. Is it a durability question -- are the weapons oversize to keep them from breaking in transit?

Perhaps this is a subject that has beaten to death in the past -- I did do a forum search but did not see anything.

Please don't get me wrong -- I love the figures -- my wife wishes I didn't love them so much -- LOL, so please don't flame the newbie.

 

[OldCelt]

Welcome to the forum.
Don't worry we all get picked or nitpicked on eventually.
But it's all in good natured fun for the most part. Ther are as many diferent issues as ther are different figures.
Just (nit) pick one and have fun with it
O.C.

 

[Warrior]

"Is it a durability question -- are the weapons oversize to keep them from breaking in transit?"

Yes and also to keep them from breaking from being put into and taken out of the boxes for displaying and storage.

 

[uksubs]

Let me say first that I'm fairly new to serious collecting -- I collected Britains and Marx Warriors of the World as a kid, but once I got seriously into modeling and painting my own figures, I stopped collecting any pre-assembled or painted "toys". However, as I got to be 50, time for modeling got scarcer and my eyesight wasn't what it used to be, and I realized I would never build or paint all the subjects I wanted on my shelf. At that point I rediscovered collector's soldiers.

I have probably about 100 King and Country figures in my collection now and wouldn't have bought them if I wasn't satisfied with them overall, and I do see the continual improvement in the product. However, I have one ongoing gripe (well, gripe may be too strong of a work, but nitpick is not strong enough): The size of K&C small arms -- Rifles and Submachine guns. I am referring here to WWII US and British figures -- I don't collect German (don't build models of German either), and I haven't noticed this issue with Napoleonic muskets. Garands, Thompsons, Grease Guns, Enfields and Stens, all appear to be significantly oversized. Stens and Grease guns seem to be the worst offenders -- I have passed up buying figures just because of an outsized Sten or M3.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic and expecting in a K&C figure the fine detail I get from a Dragon plastic or Warriors resin figure. Is it a durability question -- are the weapons oversize to keep them from breaking in transit?

Perhaps this is a subject that has beaten to death in the past -- I did do a forum search but did not see anything.

Please don't get me wrong -- I love the figures -- my wife wishes I didn't love them so much -- LOL, so please don't flame the newbie.

I was thinking the same thing , the sten gun on the Market Garden range looks to big

 

[nmrocks]

Frankly, I'll tolerate the larger size for durability purposes, I'm not a hardcore rivet counter, though in general I'm looking for acurate representations.
( No offense intended to the rivet counters in our group, I admire there knowledge and attention to detail, it's just not me.)
Ray

 

[Wraith]

Frankly, I'll tolerate the larger size for durability purposes, I'm not a hardcore rivet counter, though in general I'm looking for acurate representations.
( No offense intended to the rivet counters in our group, I admire there knowledge and attention to detail, it's just not me.)
Ray

With you on this.
It only takes a slight miscalculation to lose one of the old M1 carbine or Garand barrel tips.

 

[binder001]

I agree with your assessment, but I agree with some of the others about some need for durability. I also build models in various scales and a 1/35th scale US M1 carbine is the easiest thing to break even while painting the figure. When I went to purchase the K&C winter set of an advancing machine gun team I thought to myself "that M1919A4 looks too big", but the figures and composition overcame my scale objection.

I guess if I want scale small arms I'll stick to 1/35th (seen the Dragon "Gen2" sets?) and if I want to set a scene I'll go with K&C.

Gary B.

 

[Canadian Samurai]

I certainly understand the need for a thicker barrel on the M1 carbine. Even in 1/6th scale I have had one break on me! But as UKsubs said, here is a Market Garden figure that always bothered me - I'm not sure the sten would be in great risk of breaking, yet it's way over-chunkified (is that a word? ). It looks more like a Piat or bazooka than a sub-machine gun. All the MG stens are this way, part of the reason I don't care much for this line personally.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Frankly, I'll tolerate the larger size for durability purposes, I'm not a hardcore rivet counter, though in general I'm looking for acurate representations.
( No offense intended to the rivet counters in our group, I admire there knowledge and attention to detail, it's just not me.)
Ray

I am certainly not a rivet counter for these purposes but proportions are somewhat important to me. I think the K&C weapon size on most of the lines is a bit too beefy and that it does detract from their appeal. I understand the durability requirement but some other manufacturers seem to have addressed this in different ways with good results. I don't mind having to be more careful with moving and placing the figures in return for more accurate proportions.

 

[theBaron]

I think you guys could be looking for something that might not be possible with the medium of metal. There's a balance that has to be struck, between durability, as others have noted, and accuracy in scale, and the cost and price.

With metal, we might be looking at the optimum, right now, and to get any more accurate in small arms at 54mm to 65mm, a manufacturer might have to switch to resin or plastic for a metal figure's weapons, in order to maintain the same or a similar level of durability.

Of course, if we want metal weapons, a maker might look at some other metal than white metal alloys, but that could blow costs (and price) right out of the balance, too.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Spitfrnd]

I think you guys could be looking for something that might not be possible with the medium of metal. There's a balance that has to be struck, between durability, as others have noted, and accuracy in scale, and the cost and price....

Au contraire je pense mon ami Note the differences in the weapons proportions between these FL and KC figures. I have moved the FL figures around quite a bit now with no issues.

 

[thebritfarmer]

Well from that last pic it looks like they need those big guns for those big hands

 

[theBaron]

Right, my point isn't that it's not possible to make scale-true weapons in white metal, just that as we approach the maximum fidelity in scale, we might be sacrificing durability. The makers have to consider both of those factors. As George and some others pointed out, figures have to make it through shipping.

For me, if I want something that is that accurate, I turn to styrene and resin models at that point.

Prost!
Brad

 

[uksubs]

I certainly understand the need for a thicker barrel on the M1 carbine. Even in 1/6th scale I have had one break on me! But as UKsubs said, here is a Market Garden figure that always bothered me - I'm not sure the sten would be in great risk of breaking, yet it's way over-chunkified (is that a word? ). It looks more like a Piat or bazooka than a sub-machine gun. All the MG stens are this way, part of the reason I don't care much for this line personally.

What interesting is W Britain's British paratroopers Sten guns are not that big

 

[Spitfrnd]

What interesting is W Britain's British paratroopers Sten guns are not that big

I think the same can be said for their Zulu and Napoleonic War figures. Durability is certainly a concern but the differences notes here seems more than that.