Why no 1/72 scale and gaming section? (1 Viewer)

[Warrior]

True the amount of detail per figure would not be as high, but the scope of what can be depicted in the smaller scales equates to some truly epic scenes...........................

If you scroll through the dioramas section on this site, check out some of my postings (Warrior) as I've posted dozens of dioramas in 1/72nd scale as this is my scale of choice.

I've got about 4,000 ACW and 10,000 Napoleonics as well as about 6,000 WWII figures, plus north of 300 vehicles and dozens of buildings, bunkers, pillboxes, trenches, etc, etc, etc.

As you pointed out, you can do large, massive, sweeping displays in this scale. I do not wargame, I simply like to collect in this scale, all of my figures are metal, I've painted quite a few of them myself, have bought others off of Ebay prepainted and have farmed out others to professional figure painters to do for me.

While it's true this scale is smaller, the one thing you don't see is issues with stripes on pants,incorrect pistols (one of my favorite recent dust ups here), incorrect button colors, wrong chevrons, incorrect amount of nose hairs, wrong color of shoestrings and other such egregious errors.............................

 

[Denver]

The Caesar Company makes excellent looking figures.
Their line of WW2 is extensive.
My only question is , "How well do they hold paint ?"

 

[Warrior]

Soak them in water and mild detergent to wash off the mold release agent, then prime them to give the paint something to bite to and they paint up fine.

 

[Fubar]

Krylon makes some dark grey primer especially for plastic. Will bond to the figures. Weapons and bayonets, swords ect, will be able to bend without primer flaking off. When finished painting and basing, A shot of flat clear coat for last.Will further protect your painting efforts.
FubAr

 

[swalterh]

If I started into this hobby today, I would collect 54mm plastic or 28mm figures that I would have professionally painted as I am a very slow painter and could never amass enough figures to create a meaningful diorama in a reasonable amount of time... Nothing like Harold's presentations below! {eek3}

54mm and 60mm matte-painted figures are now at a too high end range of pricing for my taste. Glad I started my collecting a dozen years ago as I would never have entered this part of the Toy Soldier market today... I am only collecting selective pieces and also, picking-up some glossies which in most cases are still in a reasonable price range for me.

1/72 scale is too small for me.

As far as having a section in this forum devoted to smaller scales, I think that is a good idea but not sure if it would generate enough interest. If someone wants a host of information in the smaller scales, there are numerous wargamming sites to visit.

I’ve been on some of the gaming sites, and none of them are nearly as well laid out and administered as the TF forum. I just found it interesting that there have been a few threads discussing getting younger people involved in the hobby.

Speaking as a toy soldier enthusiast who is under the age of thirty and one who engages with the younger generation every fall as a High School football coach, I view the gaming and 1/72 – 28mm genre as a good introduction into the “general” toy soldier hobby for some of the younger crowd. It’s not much of a leap from video and computer games to the table top and picking up a few sets of smaller figures and accessories won't break their (or their parent's) piggybank. Plus, I've read some articles in a few of the video game magazines that comment on table top gaming being one of the fastest growing entertainment industries.

I just think that sometimes there can be this air of "exclusivity" amongst the hand-painted metal community that can act as a deterant to new and younger people getting interested in the hobby.

 

[Peter Reuss]

I know that most 1/72 companies produce unpainted figures. Are they many pre-painted ones on the market?

 

[HistoryfortheAges]

I’ve been on some of the gaming sites, and none of them are nearly as well laid out and administered as the TF forum. I just found it interesting that there have been a few threads discussing getting younger people involved in the hobby.

Speaking as a toy soldier enthusiast who is under the age of thirty and one who engages with the younger generation every fall as a High School football coach, I view the gaming and 1/72 – 28mm genre as a good introduction into the “general” toy soldier hobby for some of the younger crowd. It’s not much of a leap from video and computer games to the table top and picking up a few sets of smaller figures and accessories won't break their (or their parent's) piggybank. Plus, I've read some articles in a few of the video game magazines that comment on table top gaming being one of the fastest growing entertainment industries.

I just think that sometimes there can be this air of "exclusivity" amongst the hand-painted metal community that can act as a deterant to new and younger people getting interested in the hobby.

I agree, the smaller scales are a better entry point for kids and even new collectors. I personally prefer the 28mm scale as it offers a little more detail as seen by Fubar's amazing dioramas! A lot of figures in this scale are metal as well as plastic. Even collectors who are primarily 54mm to 60mm scale enthusiasts might consider getting into a new era that they have an interest in with a smaller scale just to diversify their collection and reduce their costs.

I have also noticed that there seems to be a huge interest in table top gaming in my area but the figures used are fantasy-type rather than historical/military.

 

[maddadicus]

I’ve been on some of the gaming sites, and none of them are nearly as well laid out and administered as the TF forum. I just found it interesting that there have been a few threads discussing getting younger people involved in the hobby.

Speaking as a toy soldier enthusiast who is under the age of thirty and one who engages with the younger generation every fall as a High School football coach, I view the gaming and 1/72 – 28mm genre as a good introduction into the “general” toy soldier hobby for some of the younger crowd. It’s not much of a leap from video and computer games to the table top and picking up a few sets of smaller figures and accessories won't break their (or their parent's) piggybank. Plus, I've read some articles in a few of the video game magazines that comment on table top gaming being one of the fastest growing entertainment industries.

I just think that sometimes there can be this air of "exclusivity" amongst the hand-painted metal community that can act as a deterant to new and younger people getting interested in the hobby.

I believe the pricing for 54mm and not our " aloofness ", can act as a deterant to new and younger people getting interested in the hobby. At $40 to $75 for one 54mm figure and $160 to $300 for a vehicle, I cannot imagine any growth in a new generation of TS collectors, unless plastics make a large comeback. Michael

 

[Ragnar]

I know that most 1/72 companies produce unpainted figures. Are they many pre-painted ones on the market?

Forces of Valor have a good range of WW2 tanks in 1/72 some sets even come with painted tank crews and infantry.