I got so excited that I immediately started working on these - and I have already primed a good amount of my new toys. I hope I will keep momentum in the coming days.
First reactions. Hands down, Minifigs are the winner. Just beautiful: simple and elegant, yet detailed and not without some dynamic in the position of the figure, despite the "march attack" pose which in itself tends to be rather static. These must be third generation casting: clean, impressive miniature. Only some flesh under the legs, easily removed in just a few minutes of work. I will struggle through the OG15 currently in the closet, but I will never again buy from that line.
Essex, very good as well. Slightly more stocky than Minifigs, but similar style and height. Some proportions seem a little off to me (look at the miniature's left arm in the pic below), but overall I would say Minifigs and Essex are compatible with each other. Here's a comparative photo of a Prussian fusilier, Essex on the left and Minifigs on the right.
Prices: Minifigs come at $9.95 per pack of 24, or 41c per miniature; Essex are $4.59 per bag of 8, or 57c per figure. Do you really need an economist to do the math? Minifigs is the winner.
Price-wise, Edition Brokaw does even better at $4 per bag of 20, or 20c per figure. These are old style 15mm, and since I was myself a cash-strapped graduate student until a few years ago, I am glad that there are cheap opportunities to jump into a new period at excellent prices. That said, I would say that the difference between a 41c Minifigs and a 20c Edition Brokaw is far from negligible, and since, Baruch Ashem, I can go for the Minifigs, I think there will be little turning back. In this photo, Palatine Elector infantry from Edition Brokaw waiting for priming.
I still need to work on the Irregular miniatures, so expect some more pictures in the days ahead. They look good when I bought them, but I am not sure they can stand the comparison with Minifigs.
6 comments:
My own figures (purchased from years ago) are Essex. I'd been thinking of perhaps adding to them, so thanks for the heads-up about the cheaper/better Minifigs option!
CWT
Could you please give us a side-by-side photo of the different figure manufacturers you bought?
I'm particularly interested in seeing the difference between Minifigs and Editions Brokaw . . . so please be sure to have them next to each other.
I have several hundred EB figures for WSS and I want to check out how the Minifigs look next to them.
-- Jeff
Adik - I must have gone through most of the WSS 15mm ranges (and documented my findings on my project page here http://steve-the-wargamer-wss.blogspot.com/), and have to say that we are *wholly* in agreement - the Minifigs are an undiscovered gem of a figure and the sooner more people than you or I know about them, the better! ;o)
For cavalry though I would avoid Minifigs and go for Dixon (if you can afford them) or Freikorps for the cheaper option....
MiniFigs are indeed lovely figures! How exciting to to arrive home to a package full of these. Enjoy yourself!
Best Regards,
Stokes
i am learning lots about something i had NO idea even existed! i will have to spotlight you on my blog as a featured artist!
Thanks, Stacy! I may need your suggestion when I will be painting the new windmill...
I will try to add a few more comparisons among miniatures tonight, if I can get the Irregular primed. Steve, thanks for the suggestion about cavalry. I have been mostly focusing on infantry thus far, but I will soon be looking at horses. I'll keep what you wrote in mind!
To all - great blogs! I will make sure to link to all of yours later this evening.
Best,
~Adolfo
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