Perry Matador released.

[Volleyfire!]

Like the title says.........

[Marine0846]

I like the look of the of the truck.
Off to the web site to see the cost.

[Duke Donald]

I agree this is a very nice truck, and quite a versatile kit, as it could also be used in all sorts of postwar settings.

Does anyone know the exact scale? I couldn't find any information on scale (or exact dimensions of the kit) on the Perry miniatures website.

[Volleyfire!]

I agree this is a very nice truck, and quite a versatile kit, as it could also be used in all sorts of postwar settings.

Does anyone know the exact scale? I couldn't find any information on scale (or exact dimensions of the kit) on the Perry miniatures website.

It should be 1/56th to fit in with the Perry figures.

[Duke Donald]

It should be 1/56th to fit in with the Perry figures.

I'm not convinced the WW2 Perry North Africa are 1/56. From what I remember when they came out, they seemed really small, closer to 25mm. That's the very reason I asked about the exact scale of the truck.

[Volleyfire!]

Blitzkreig Miniatures are either 1/56th or 1/48th, I doubt it'll be the latter that would tower over the Perry stuff. I'm sure all the BM stuff on the Perry website is 1/56th.

[Duke Donald]

Blitzkreig Miniatures are either 1/56th or 1/48th, I doubt it'll be the latter that would tower over the Perry stuff. I'm sure all the BM stuff on the Perry website is 1/56th.

Thanks. I didn't realise Perry miniatures outsourced their vehicles. I went to the Blitzkrieg miniatures website. Indeed, they do models in 1/48 and 1/56, and this is definitely not 1/48. Thus, I assume it is safe to assume it is 1/56.

[Wyrmalla]

I'm not an authority, but from what I've seen at shows the Perry's stuff isn't 1/56th. Comparing them to other manufacturer's they're more like 1/60th. I matched 3 different Kugelwagens together and they were the smallest. The thing is their troops are fairly small, and I think they're scaling their vehicles smaller to match. However the troops look better with larger 1/56th vehicles than the Perry stuff personally (when you can barely fit one guy in the front of a Kugelwagen its a problem).

[Duke Donald]

I'm not an authority, but from what I've seen at shows the Perry's stuff isn't 1/56th. Comparing them to other manufacturer's they're more like 1/60th. I matched 3 different Kugelwagens together and they were the smallest. The thing is their troops are fairly small, and I think they're scaling their vehicles smaller to match. However the troops look better with larger 1/56th vehicles than the Perry stuff personally (when you can barely fit one guy in the front of a Kugelwagen its a problem).

Thanks for the information!

[carlos marighela]

Thanks. I didn't realise Perry miniatures outsourced their vehicles. I went to the Blitzkrieg miniatures website. Indeed, they do models in 1/48 and 1/56, and this is definitely not 1/48. Thus, I assume it is safe to assume it is 1/56.

Perry have always outsourced their 'straight line' models. Traditionally Norman Swales did the artillery pieces  and that goes as far back as the Foundry Days.

As for vehicles, there are two ranges. There's the proprietary range they sell, in this case with masters from John Hart and they also sell the Blitzkreig range on their site. In return Blitzkreig sell Perry crew on their site. Perry list the two ranges separately so there shouldn't be any confusion.

It's a lovely model but I sometimes wonder how many people out there are buying what is essentially a diorama piece as opposed to a gaming item. Presumably enough to justify the costs.

Matadors didn't see extensive service post war, except as civilian purchases from disposed stock.

[vodkafan]

I agree this is a very nice truck, and quite a versatile kit, as it could also be used in all sorts of postwar settings.

Does anyone know the exact scale? I couldn't find any information on scale (or exact dimensions of the kit) on the Perry miniatures website.

Thanks for asking this question! It was exactly what I also wanted to know. I have the 8th Army and Afrika Korps figure sets and they are smaller than the "standard" 1/56 for sure. I don't mind if the Perry vehicles are 1/60 (I have lots of diecasts that scale out around that) but it's nice to know before laying out cash. 

[Captain Blood]

They're 1/56.
Or at least, when Perry first released the WW2 range, Michael stated that the reason the figures were noticeably smaller and slighter than the usual 28mm wargames figures is because they are 'true 1/56 scale' designed to fit with the 1/56 Blitzkrieg vehicle range.
Given that the Perrys are meticulous about everything they produce, and especially their plastic figure sets, I'd be really surprised if they weren't therefore 'true 1/56 scale' - and if their own brand vehicles weren't scaled accordingly.

I have a lot of the figures, plus vehicles/AFVs  from Perry, Blitzkrieg and Rubicon, all notionally 1/56, and they all look absolutely spot on to me.

That said, truthfully, if you can really tell the difference between a 1/56 scale and 1/60 scale model or figure - especially once its down on the tabletop - I'd be amazed.
If a 1/56 scale figure is sculpted in the traditional way using Green Stuff, Procreate or whatever, there are always going to be slight variations in height and stature - depending on whether he's meant to be a beefy 6'2" tall man or a skinny 5'6" tall man. That would more than account for any notional difference in 1/56 vs 1/60 scale in the end model, wouldn't it?

I think the waters are muddied by manufacturers other than the Perrys. Obviously Warlord are the leading provider of 1/56 scale kits and resin AFVs to WW2 wargamers. But their 28mm figures are clearly not 'true 1/56 scale' - rather more 1/48. They're not even consistent in terms of stature and height because they've been done by different sculptors with different styles. In fact most metal wargames figures in the familiar chunky style are nearer 1/48 scale - particularly once you've popped them up a few more mm on a base...

[Helen]

John Hart works to 1/56th scale. AFAIK, Michael then designs the miniatures to suit the vehicle. You can see this with some of the Italian crew with John's models.

[Duke Donald]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm not obsessed by scale (or rather I am, but not by different minis and vehicles being nominally of the same scale, but them looking right together). As Captain Blood mentioned, mini figures are essentially never to a scale. Heads, hands and feet are systematically enlarged even for the more realistically sculpted one, and miniatures are systematically more chunky than normal reasonably fit real people. From personal experience, vehicles look best when slightly oversized, as otherwise it is unclear how any of the minis could squeeze into the seats. Another reason for slightly oversized vehicles looking "more right" is the fact that minis are on bases that add non-trivially to their perceived height.

The Perry brothers may well be meticulous but this does not systematically extend beyond historical accuracy and their products are not always perfect. I've also been wondering a few times about their quality control procedures. I personally do not rate most of their miniatures particularly highly, with the faces in particular often being fairly approximative and some miniatures they released are frankly ropey (e.g. the BMW bike they released a while ago - below). I'm sometimes slightly surprised by how much goodwill they get relative to their smaller competitors.

 

[Volleyfire!]

Is this still the same model? I thought they pulled it after various criticism on forums like this one and re-modelled it? With the photo angle being different it's hard to tell. The wheels still look too small to me if they did though.