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

[Haak0n]

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.

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.

I actually have not bought anything yet. My newborn has kept me busy so far I still haven't decided which miniatures to buy, and from who. I quite like the crusades range from Perry, but the model range isn't that big. Will these guys mix well with Footsore, Warlord and Gripping Beast(including plastics)? I keep reading different things in terms of size, quality etc.

I don't mind mixing units from different model ranges, as long as they aren't too different in terms of size and sculpts.

[The Dozing Dragon]

Foundry Vikings and Normans are amongst my favourites.

Normans by Matthew Bickley

https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/normans



Vikings;

https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/dark-age-vikings-warriors-berserkers-valkyries-shieldmaidens-champions-thor-odin-saga



Also the older Citadel Perry ones (Vikings, Saxons and Normas);

https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/original-perry-vikings-normans-and-anglo-saxons-1066-and-all-that

[Cubs]

I really like the old Perry Normans, but those Matthew Bickley ones are superb; I like the unusual poses.

[Michi]

I mix any make and tie it in by painting similarly. That way everything goes well together.

Normans: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=56524.0

Vikings: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=109097.msg1536737#msg1536737

[Atheling]

I mix any make and tie it in by painting similarly. That way everything goes well together.

Normans: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=56524.0

Vikings: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=109097.msg1536737#msg1536737

It's the way to go.

I popped over to your links and your painting is fab, lovely and crisp 

[Maniac]

Gripping Beast, Perry, Warlord, Foundry, and Victrix all mix well together.  Even V&V works well for character figures, such as generals.

My Normans are a mix of Perry, Gripping Beast, Crusader, and Conquest Games.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-39995-28671_Gesta%20Normannorum%20-%20Normans.html

The Pueri are a mix of GB and Conquest Games with some putty to tie it together.  The Milites are either Perry or Gripping Beast (I have some Conquest ones sitting around somewhere).  Foot are mostly Perry but the Bows are Crusader.

My Vikings are a mix of Foundry, Artizan, Warlord (Saxon Miniatures), Redbox Games (as a single unit this scales fine with the rest), Shadowforge/Foundry, and some of the WGF plastic.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/core/gallery-search.jsp?p=1&u=39995&g=28821&ll=3&auction=0&unapproved=0&coolnesslow=0&coolnesshigh=10&paintjoblow=0&paintjobhigh=10&sort1=7&sort2=0&skip=30&en=&st=&utype=&start=0

Recently I've started work on some Victrix plastic vikings, and they scale well with the above manufacturers.

[Ikazuchi]

Might be a bit late to this post, but...I find everything other than Victrix lacks the same quality tbh. just look at the detail victrix Vikings have. their Normans, and their next dark age product(dark age archers) will be even better.

compare the photos others have to that of footsore/gripping beast metals for example. the chainmail on victrix is so pronounced. on the metals, you can barely see it. This is why i don't purchase metal models other than Steel Fist Miniatures(the best metals in the world imo) even GB plastics suck. in fact most other competition does.

you're paying extra for less quality and less options. some people also love to build plastics. my answer to you is to buy a set of victrix vikings, build one sprue, see how you like it. if they're great, build more. get some gallic cavalry from victrix kitbash the viking bodies ontop then you get a few viking raider cavalry(go for the newest cavalry box for best quality, i believe it is the gallic ones) wait for the dark age VD004 box to be released, then you have archers. get some spears/shields left over from the vikings and turn a few of those archers into levy skirmishers with javelins cut down and glued behind the shield.

if you end up hating it, sell the sprues individually on ebay and make your money back. i did that with the dacian set as i couldn't find sprues on ebay and just wanted one sprue made.

if you can't wait for the bows, victrix dacians has some bows(i believe 8 can be made) or buy conquest games medieval archers and use the viking heads on them

the possibilities with a great kit like victrix plastics are insane if you think outside the box.

[AdmiralAndy]

Which ruleset are you planning to use?

If appropriate, and given you've a newborn where space and budget maybe an issue there's a whole heap in 1/72

http://plasticsoldierreview.com/PeriodList.aspx?period=6

[Andrew_McGuire]

the possibilities with a great kit like victrix plastics are insane if you think outside the box.

They don’t actually come in a box, but the sentiment is undeniable.

[Atheling]

I mix and match too. I have found it the best way to get as much variation as possible into a Shieldwall formation.

The latest unit from my Anglo Danish army..... a mix of Gripping Beast, Footsore (older and newer sculpts), Wargames Foundry, Saxon Miniatures (now sold by Warlord) and Drabant in that little lot.

[wmyers]

Conquest Games makes the best value Normans (foot, archers and cavalry) in 28mm.

They are nice. 

Metals are nice, too.  Just don’t pay metal prices for plastic. 

[CaptainHaddonCollider]

A bit of thread'o'mancy here instead of making a new topic. I'm looking to expand my range or normans, and even though I'm aware that people can come in different shapes or sizes, I was wondering how the Foundry horses scale up to Footsore and Gripping Beast? I've seached for comparison pictures, but I only get footsoldiers. If anyone have a clue and would like to help a man out, feel free to chime in!

[Atheling]

A bit of thread'o'mancy here instead of making a new topic. I'm looking to expand my range or normans, and even though I'm aware that people can come in different shapes or sizes, I was wondering how the Foundry horses scale up to Footsore and Gripping Beast?

If you're talking about the Foundry Viking horses then they are smaller but as they didn't have formalised cavalry then they are about the right size. Note, the Foundry Viking horses are a little larger then most Foundry ranges such as their Late Romans.

[CaptainHaddonCollider]

Thanks, that's nice to know, especially that they're a bit bigger. I have a load of their barded horses for the HYW, and they're quite small. I was specifically looking at these: https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/normans/products/nm009-william-the-conqueror

[Atheling]

Thanks, that's nice to know, especially that they're a bit bigger. I have a load of their barded horses for the HYW, and they're quite small. I was specifically looking at these: https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/normans/products/nm009-william-the-conqueror

They're not too bad and would fit with most other manufacturers. They are a little smaller than the generic (old) eBob licensed horses most ranges seem to use nowadays.