Interested in vikings/normans. How do different producers/model ranges compare?

[Haak0n]

Hi guys!

At the ripe age of 32 and with a newborn baby I have decided to jump into this hobby again. I have already bought some Warhammer 40k miniatures but I'm also very interested in collecting historical minis, especially vikings or normans.

I have already done some research and I have found a number of shops online which sell 28mm miniatures that I like. Before I buy anything I'd like to ask the people on this forum on their opinions or if they know about any producers which I have missed out on.

So what do you guys think about:
Footsore miniatures: https://footsoreminiatures.co.uk/collections/vikings
Warlord games: https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/vikings
Gripping Beast: https://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/The_Viking_Age--category--24.html
Perry miniatures: https://www.perry-miniatures.com/index.php?cPath=23_33_52

The models all look great, and I will most likely mix and match between the different ranges to begin with. If I stay in the hobby I will probably buy a plastic box set from Victrix.

The models are all 28mm, but how do they compare in terms of size and proportions? Will they work well together if I mix them together and put them in a formation?

Best regards

- Haakon

[Atheling]

Hi Haakon,

I've recently returned to the fold too so welcome back

To be honest I tend to mix and match mini's, unless there's a huge difference in size when they are painted up it becomes much less of an issue.

The best advice I could give is to maybe order a pack of each of the metals (a sprue if you go the plastic route) and see what you think yourself(?).

[Danger Close Miniatures]

Gripping Beast were most people's go to firm for Dark ages for quite a while, I personally prefer Footsore now, but I've just bought a pack of Victrix Saxons. They'll all mix in nicely, they're all good figure ranges you've listed. Sorry I'm not much help.

[FierceKitty]

Finished a 10mm Viking army a few months ago; they look good that way (though I think for once there's something to be said for 28mm, given how often games are likely to be skirmishes and gangster scraps). I like to remember that they laid siege to Seville, Constantinople, and Paris too.

[Byrthnoth]

The Warlord metal Vikings, Saxons and Normans were sculpted by Colin Patten, who also did the earlier Gripping Beast figures. I find the Warlord ones are more refined — better proportion and dynamism, but they fit in well together and you could mix and match easily in a single group/unit. The Warlord and GB figures have open hands that you fit weapons into, which can be fiddly, and soft spears that bend quite easily, so think about buying or making wire spears for them.

The Perry crusaders make great Normans, although you may want to pick figures carefully or do some minor conversions to use them for a British or Northern European setting. They are similar height wise to the Warlord figures, but are a bit slighter — more realistically proportioned or delicate, depending on how you look at it. You could mix them with Warlord/GB in an army, but not necessarily in a unit. I really like these figures and if Perry produced more ranges for this period I would buy them all.

I have no experience with footsore but they look really nice.

The Victrix Vikings are great. They are a little bigger than the Warlord metals, and different in style because they lean in to popular stereotypes about Vikings — crazed expressions, wild hair, very dynamic poses. I’d mix them in an army with Warlord, but not necessarily on the same base or in the same unit.

[Atheling]

This base has Footsore and Gripping Beast (older and newer) mini's on; they fit together seamlessly IMHO.






I'm sure I have some bases with Perry Normans mixed in with a lot of other stuff (see my post above) but I will have to take a pic or two to show you. They're cavalry bases if that's OK?

[Cubs]

All the options already mentioned are good, although I find Gripping Beast to be a bit of a mixed bag - some of their stuff is nice and some is lumpy and ugly, all are quite big compared to other ranges. Different sculptors and different times when originally released I guess. Conquest Games also do some nice plastic Normans.

The Victrix Vikings are my choice of plastic Vikings and for metals one option not mentioned are the old Citadel Vikings and Normans (both ranges by the Perry's), now sold by Foundry.

[Haak0n]

Thanks for the input and the pictures guys. It's very helpful!

Right now I'm considering buying a basic infantry unit from each of the different producers, just to see how they compare with my own eyes.

I assume I have to order the units from their respective websites, unless there's a handy online store where I can order all of them at once to save on shipping.

[Cubs]

If you hit eBay you can probably snatch single sprues as a taster if you don't want to spend money on full plastic boxed sets. For plastic Normans, I'm waiting on the upcoming Victrix sets, although they will be at least months if not year/s away.

[Danger Close Miniatures]

You can find most of them here mate, http://www.northstarfigures.com

[Tonhel]

Hello,

For me there is a clear winner and that are the Victrix plastics. Their vikings and saxons are fantastic and their normans will be even better. Than after Victrix there is Footsore miniatures metals and V&V miniatures resin.

The Footsore miniatures are bit smaller than the Victrix plastics and the V&V miniatures are bigger, imo to big to mix in the same unit.

The above companies are imo the toppers. I really don't like the Gripping Beast miniatures. Don't like their plastics or the metals. There is no concistency in scale or quality.

Here is a conversion I just did with a Footsore Late Saxon huscarl (released two weeks ago) and I used a Victrix plastic viking hand with axe. I will also use a victrix shield with transfer.

It looks great imo. 

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

I have happily mixed Footsore, Artizan, Black Tree (I have always had great service but many haven't), Crusader, GB plastic and the odd Foundry.
Footsore has the nicer figures and Foundry has some great personalities.
GB plastics were useful in their day but I suspect Victrix plastics are better.  On a side note, GB plastics are good if you are doing fantasy and have some extra orc heads.  Many of the poses are that odd knees-bent slightly hunched forward look.
A lot of the older metals have very short Dane axes and would be seen now as historically incorrect.
Artizan and Black tree have highly variable size of figures.  One is an absolute giant - but for Vikings you do want a few of these - and a couple are short, but short people can be blood-crazed, psychotic killers too.

[Atheling]

I think there's a bit of an art to mixing and matching models. Not all will mix (V&V are huge for example). Most will.

Crusader (large-obliquely) and Perry (smaller and slighter):


Artizan (Large), Gripping Beast (old Patten Sculpt (slighter, smaller) and Essex (slightest and smallest of all):
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--BXtAJt8MTc/XinwOnfxTOI/AAAAAAABCu0/gSY7GHcbnxAvBYxuEXE51kdas0uiLlIkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1000105.jpeg

Crusader and (new Saxons) Wargames Foundry (new Saxons)- both large by stylistically quite different:


Footsore (we will take Footsore as a mean average), Saxon Miniatures (Now Warlord- slighter) and Artizan Designs (Large)(Perry Casualty):


Paining up a unit can certainly help with size discrepancies. I think of a size differential between miniatures the problem would appear to be more obvious with single based miniatures.

[Unlucky General]

Haakon,

You've like proceeded by now but for any future purchases I would emphasize that within the 28mm ranges size variations really shouldn't matter a great deal in this period. Given that all equipment was individually crafted and often bespoke to the warrior the differences aren't as worrisome as later periods.

I have a Norman army and want to do Vikings also. I have Old Glory, Gripping Beast and Crusader Miniatures in my Norman army and they all rub along nicely. The only down side for Gripping Beast is properly fitting weapons to their open hands - I find much cutting and filing is required.

[Atheling]

I have a Norman army and want to do Vikings also. I have Old Glory, Gripping Beast and Crusader Miniatures in my Norman army and they all rub along nicely. The only down side for Gripping Beast is properly fitting weapons to their open hands - I find much cutting and filing is required.

Yep, mix and match, with the caveat (which I should have mentioned earlier) that you are thinking of multi basing. I think mixing manufacturers works better that way.