The best plastic horses? (1 Viewer)

[larso]

I hope this hasn't been covered before but I've always thought that the best horses were done by Timpo. They seemed the most realistic looking and had the most fluent poses. Indeed, many would work as racing horses. Does anyone have any other favorites?

 

[Scott]

I replaced some plastic figure horses with IMEX horses that have been available in bulk bags. HaT's French Dragoon horses are pretty good and also inexpensive.

 

[thebritfarmer]

For me it is the Britains horses whether they are Herald, Britain, Deetail all were/are very nicely sculpted.

 

[fishead19690]

I think Italeri makes some of the best plastic horses. I really like the horses on the french hussar set.

 

[kilted vampire]

The Britains Deetail horses are probably the best looking. Not to mention the metal base. Oh, I just did. The ines from TSSD are not bad, but they use the same one over and over for a lot of WWII stuff.^&confuse

 

[Scott]

I think Italeri makes some of the best plastic horses. I really like the horses on the french hussar set.

Tim that is a nice set but the cost is too much for me now. I was lucky to get 3 boxes when they were $12 or $14. About the Britains horses, I don't want a unit of all rearing horses. Britains used to make nice farm and hunt horses in the 70s. I liked the "Black Beauty" horse from the UK TV show.

Timpo horses have too many "fiddy bits" for my taste. I put Timpo cavalry on Hat horses.

(Please don't think I just doubted your god or the intelligence of your children.) :wink2:

 

[Ragnar]

I will second Italeri horses.......According to Toysoldierco those Hussar's are now worth $75 {eek3}

 

[thebritfarmer]

Tim that is a nice set but the cost is too much for me now. I was lucky to get 3 boxes when they were $12 or $14. About the Britains horses, I don't want a unit of all rearing horses. Britains used to make nice farm and hunt horses in the 70s. I liked the "Black Beauty" horse from the UK TV show.

Timpo horses have too many "fiddy bits" for my taste. I put Timpo cavalry on Hat horses.

(Please don't think I just doubted your god or the intelligence of your children.) :wink2:

AFAIK there have only been 3 rearing horse made in the entire plastic range.

 

[theBaron]

I picked up a half-dozen or so Britains Deetail horse on eBay a while back, with an eye to using them for conversions. One drawback is that if you don't want to use the cast metal stand, you need to do some minor surgery to strengthen their legs, so they can carry heavier riders.

There have been some good suggestions here, and I'm going to look into them, too.

Prost!
Brad

 

[fishead19690]

I will second Italeri horses.......According to Toysoldierco those Hussar's are now worth $75 {eek3}

I know the sets are retired now but $75!{eek3} Good thing I bought like 20 sets when they were on Ebay for $7.99 a set.^&cool I have no idea why they stopped making these? I,d like to find some sets of the french Dragoons now at a decent price, those are impossible to find now also. I believe the scotts greys are out of production now also but I was never that crazy about that set any way but the dragoons on the other hand were a good set.
The british light cavalry set and the mamalukes are nice sets and those are still available but the prices have gone up so high on these Italeri sets and the latest sets of foot figures they did the sculpting just isn,t there like in earlier sets, so its like paying more for figures that are not as good as the older cheaper ones????^&confuse

 

[Ragnar]

Fish CTS have the Hussars for $29 and yea your right dont se the Dragoons much around anymore,Im glad i did get one box of them years back.
Never did bother whith the Scots Greys as they look like they have a six shooter on the saddle or it something else?..I have not seen them in the flesh.
Speaking of Italeri the Austrians are hard to get also!..Italeri should do another production run of these old sets as they obviously have been selling.

 

[ketelone]

Imex are too low but readily available for little money. What about Marx horses? The Marx horses also came in different colors... What about Breyer horses?

 

[fishead19690]

Fish CTS have the Hussars for $29 and yea your right dont se the Dragoons much around anymore,Im glad i did get one box of them years back.
Never did bother whith the Scots Greys as they look like they have a six shooter on the saddle or it something else?..I have not seen them in the flesh.
Speaking of Italeri the Austrians are hard to get also!..Italeri should do another production run of these old sets as they obviously have been selling.

I loved that first set of Austrian figures but that last set they did with the earlier uniforms the sculpting really went down hill. I think they were more intended to be 1/72 scale figures so the sculpting didn,t need to be as good or something??? The blocking on them is terrible and they are just not worth the money. the set of early french they came out with around the same time was just as bad! Same bad sculpting and blocking the hats are off sized and the figures had no necks and bad poses and faces.

I have quite a few boxes of the the first Austrians still ready to start my Austrian army at some point. I was waiting for the Hat Austrians to come out before I started to chop them up for conversion parts and the shako heads but Hat has really slowed down on releases of 1/32 scale figures and it looks like it,ll be awhile before they release there sets if they release them at all?

Years back around 2004-2005 when I believe those sets came out or at least when I first found out about them, I converted a bunch of them into Hungarian grenadiers. My conversion skills were not what they are today but here are a couple of pics of what I did with them.

I really wish I had the Hat sets now to see what I could do with them today? At some point soon I,m going to start that army complete with artillery. That was another set that Italeri was going to have coming out soon that got canceled due to poor sales.

 

[Ragnar]

Very nice,Good idea using the Accurate rev war officer....Now you just need a officer on a horse!

 

[Scott]

AFAIK there have only been 3 rearing horse made in the entire plastic range.

Right, but they just appear to be the ones I usually see. The poor Britains horses look so "uncomfortable" with that stand up their bellies.

 

[Scott]

........The ones from TSSD are not bad, but they use the same one over and over for a lot of WWII stuff.^&confuse

Yeah, the Union issue canteen on the saddle throws them off a bit. Tim has carved most of that detail off for his Cossack.

 

[Ragnar]

Right, but they just appear to be the ones I usually see. The poor Britains horses look so "uncomfortable" with that stand up their bellies.

Dont forget the rubber bands ......Well they worked ok back in the 70's

 

[Naps...just Naps]

I hope this hasn't been covered before but I've always thought that the best horses were done by Timpo. They seemed the most realistic looking and had the most fluent poses. Indeed, many would work as racing horses. Does anyone have any other favorites?

Just read this thread.
It's not that I dislike horses or anything but I was wondering if anyone knows of any plastics manufacturers that produce unpainted dead or wounded horses in 54mm.
I just want a cheap way of filling a battlefield realistically.
I know there are lots of 1/72 sets with dead horses because I've painted hundreds of them but I have never seen them in 54mm.
Thanks
Paul

 

[johnnybach]

I've never tried it - but - often thought that some of the very cheapest plastics you might find in the really cheapo shops - might respond to a bit of heat gun treatment - until they are so fluid - as to lie down, sag a bit - and - just "pretend" to be dead?

Anybody tried it yet ?? If not - maybe try it out - and report back?????

Just a thought..................johnnybach

 

[theBaron]

Just read this thread.
It's not that I dislike horses or anything but I was wondering if anyone knows of any plastics manufacturers that produce unpainted dead or wounded horses in 54mm.
I just want a cheap way of filling a battlefield realistically.
I know there are lots of 1/72 sets with dead horses because I've painted hundreds of them but I have never seen them in 54mm.
Thanks
Paul

Hi, Paul, you might try Ken Cliffe/All the King's Men. He uses plastic horses with his metal figures, to save on shipping costs. I don't know if he sells horses separately from his sets, but it's worth asking.

Ken's a member of the forum, and his website is at http://www.allthekingsmentoysoldiers.com/index.html

Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad