What do you guys think of these figures?I like them, they have great detail, but I did notice some fine lines laying on top of the uniforms, I don't know if this is intentional,they don't look like natural fold crease lines.

What figues do you guys recommend for diorama use that are nice and wont break the bank?

Hi Ron,

What subjects do you prefer? I look forward to what others tell you.

ww2 tank crews and related ground infantry

Hi Ron:

I like Dragon figures, and I don't . I like them because I think that they are some of the best plastic figures available. And with just a little work can look as good as resin.

But what I don't like is what Dragon has been doing with their figures (at least to me) for many years now. And that is releasing a set of 4 figures, where NONE of them really seem to go together. Also I think for as long as I can remember is their tendency to have a set of figures where everyone has a different weapon. I personally would like to see figure sets where they are all armed with say the Kar98. Or all with the Stg44 etc. They're regularly releasing one guy in a trench coat, one guy in light summer jacket, one guy in camo smock and one officer in riding breeches, or some other similar collection. One armed with a Kar98, one guy armed with a Stg44, on guy armed with an MP40, and one guy armed with a Gewher43. It is a constant supply sergeant's nightmare. But that's just me.

Gary

what about the tiny sink lines in the figures?is this common?its not flashing ,its embedded into the figure

Yes, the minute sink likes are common. They are caused when the plastic cools. Once painted, they disappear.

If you are really into super detailing figures then plastic ones will always need work. Can't be helped. Result of the limited options of the molding process. Resin figs will always be superior but they are not cheap!!
I almost always use plastic figs and replace the heads with Hornet or Alpine heads and re-pose them and add stuff,etc etc. It is way easier on my pocketbook.
For a long time Dragon set the standard for plastic figs and you can still be reasonably sure when you get a set that it will be nice. Miniart and Bronco are rapidly catching up though!!
J

Don't forget Masterbox, in recent days they offer one of the best plastic figures, IMHO.
The old Dragon Gen2 figures are superb, but they stopped producing them, as far as I know.

ICM is also producing excellent figures now, but so far their most recent releases are WWl sets.

jrutman

I think the dml heads look great, why do you replace them with alpine and hornet?

What about replacing hands and repositioning hands into looking like they are actually grabbing or holding realistically?

Hornet especially has a wide range of heads with various expressions that can make a figure come alive.
Here is my Sgt Kinney from "Battleground"



Or a "not so sure" GI from another dio




Hornet and Alpine also sell sets of hands that are way better than plastic ones. I still save old plastic hands because they are too big for this scale but therefor make better hands with gloves on!! HTH
J

Mini-art figures are finely cast, although there are some issues with alignment. The plastic is soft and easy to work with. Next to Dragon Gen2, they imho are the best. I prefer styrene figures over resin, so I can not inform you on that issue. And, to be honest, DML has the broadest range of WWII German figures.

No argument there, but MiniArt does make sets of Panzer crews repairing track; cleaning out the gun barrel; re-ammunitioning; and a set of construction battalion (building bunkers, etc). MB has a set of infantry milking a cow (cow included ). Both companies produce civilian figures, even half-naked ladies bathing (MB). Dragon has a slowly slipping edge on quality, but the other brands have an increasing variety of interesting subjects, while their own quality is improving.

As it has not been mentioned, what about Tristar figures? I know their vehicles are excellent, but not if the quality carries over to the troops.

I agree with Biggles last statement but not so sure about ICM. I haven't been too impressed with what I've seen so far.
J

Alpine

The ICM figures I have dealt with were about the same quality as Tamiya's older figures. They would be good to practice on, but lack subtle detail.

Tristar figures are very good, perhaps not quite Gen 2 DML standard, but IMHO the poses are more natural. I think they are slightly undersized vis-à-vis DML and some others though.

Hey Sam. It all boils down to your choice through usage experiance. I have about 110 sets of Dragon figures because when I got back into seriously building again I bought on speculation, that I'd build them sooner or later. Most of the replies here are valid and good, so go with what floats your boat. You are building for your enjoyment so you have to be happy with it when done. There are pros and cons for every company and or the figures produced. I liked Dragon for years and looked forward to each new release, but after a 1 1/2 year on going problem with them, I realized that I had other options for figures. I really love resin figures, you can't beat the quality even with the newer slide mold injection but, being on a fixed income I can't really afford them for vignettes let alone diorama's. My personal favorite now is MasterBox. The posses are some of the best around, subject matter is great and the "customer service" can not be forgotten, something no one else mentioned. I had a problem with a MasterBox set, a few broken parts and a shortage of equipment (probably the research) as it was short on 2 out of 3 figures. It was taken care of right away and post marked on Christmass day with no questions asked. You also have many other brand companies to work from. It can also be said that many of Dragons figures can be Frankenstiended, parts of one figure swaped with other figures ect., without the need of the full treatment. I still P/U Dragons figures some times but now it depends on the seting of the figures. All in all, they are still pretty good figures to work with and should accomplish what you need. bob d.

Funny. That's not what you said here: https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=reply&forum_id=9&topic_id=213271&post_id=1794040&page=1

G'day fellas

Just to toss in my ten cents worth here, I recently made a spreadsheet of all the figure sets I had acquired over the years. These were by Tamiya, DML, Tristar, and Miniart, and I have obviously had a habit over the years of using one figure from here, another from there etc.

Despite my use on various vehicles I found to my surprise that I still have around 800 individual figures, so I can't see myself buying too many in the near future!

I have found the DML figures, particularly the Gen 2 sets, to be from good to excellent, ie with a Hornet or Verlinden head and some other bits and pieces from various sources they usually come out OK. My main beef with DML is that they will insist on moulding heads either in two pieces with a vertical join line that I have to fix or with helmet straps moulded on, which usually have to be removed.

The other problem is that I quickly learned to add ammunition pouches before arms, as they were next to impossible to fit afterwards. One firm, I think it was Tristar, actually provide a depression in the uniform for the ammunition pouches, whereas everybody else has us mounting the pouches straight onto the figure. This usually makes them sit too high and look unrealistic, particularly when the figure is sitting or crouching.

My suggestion (which I am sure figure vendors will love) is that you buy more than one set and mix and match.

Regards

Rob

Master Box also provide depressions for ammo pouches, packs, etc. With Dragon you have to carve out a space to fit these things into, otherwise they will interfere with proper placement of arms. Sometimes you have to carve out a bit of body as well as trimming the arm to make everything fit.

What set was I talking about. I can't see anything other than my statement?
J

It was in response to an entry about ICM's WWl Austo-Hungarian infantry on pg.23 Figures Forum. Dated Fri Oct 18, 2013, at 09:47 PM. Admittedly, This new series of figures (WWl) from ICM are miles ahead of their earlier releases.