GERMAN SIZES: Great Escape v Assault Group v Crusader/Artizan?

[Dead1]

Hi,

First post here.

Having just offloaded a force of ugly as sin Warlord 28mm Blitzkrieg Germans, I am looking to start a new German force.

Plan is to have a core platoon or two of "early war-ish" figures and then round off with a few late war style figures for 1944-45 (including guys in camo smocks and with fausts and MG42s) to create that more rag tag later look.

I am looking at using Great Escape Stalingrad German range for the core platoon and then using Artizan, Crusader and Assault Group for some of the later war stuff.

I know Artizan and Crusader fit together but do Great Escape Germans and Assault Group's Richard Ansell sculpts work with these two ranges in terms of size?


Thank you in advance!

[Digits]

From what I’ve read…assault group minis a little thinner than Artizan / Crusader and I’ve no real experience of Great Escape.

You could however look at Black Tree Design?   They would mix in with your Artizan / Crusader minis I think?

[Shahbahraz]

Might I suggest NOT looking at Black Tree ? There is a long standing thread on LAF discussing the challenges of getting timely and complete orders from that company. You would be a lot better off picking up Black Tree from somewhere like Colonel Bill second hand, where there is a much better chance you will get what's advertised. A shame, they have some very nice figures.

[Battle Brush Sigur]

Oh, I love Black Tree figures, across bascially all their ranges. Shame so many people seem to have trouble getting their stuff. I mostly received my stuff in time (never been in a hurry though to be honest). Last time I had to wait for a few months though I think.

Anyway, I wrote reviews of Artizan, ...
https://www.battlebrushstudios.com/2014/09/review-artizan-designs-ww2-germans.html

... The Assault Group's, ...
https://www.battlebrushstudios.com/2015/09/review-assault-group-ww2-germans.html

... Black Tree Design's and Warlord's figures.
https://www.battlebrushstudios.com/2014/01/review-warlord-games-red-army-infantry.html

Hope those help. For my own personal use, I just mix all three and use them side by side. No problems to report with that. The other day I got my first Empress Germans, and I have to say that they look mighty nice. Much more on the slim side with very fine casting, so they may not mix that greatly with The Assault Group's chunkier and slightly more cartoonish (based on experience though those are the more fun figures to paint though) figures, but once there's camo on all of them ... as long as the guns aren't too different (which is my main concern in Empress vs. The Assault Group).

Speaking of guns - the Empress Pak40 is a thing of beauty. I don't own any Great Escape figures (except for a lorry driver for a Gaz-AA), but they look fine. Also on the slimmer side, I presume?

[Tom Dulski]

In defenses of Black Tree I have placed many large orders from them and NEVER had a problem with receiving them.
also the mix very well with Bolt Action.

[vodkafan]

I have also had no problems with Black Tree. Sometimes the order takes a while is all. If you register and log in you can check any in-process orders. So it is all there up on the screen and you have the electronic record of your payment through Paypal or whatever...some of my orders have taken 6 weeks but they always came.

[modelwarrior]

Just make sure you read the Black Tree thread before you buy as suggested by Shahbahraz.

[Dead1]

Thanks all for your response!

[Bowman]

Just make sure you read the Black Tree thread before you buy as suggested by Shahbahraz.

This is good advice.

Personally, I have purchased from BTD just twice and both times I received prompt service. But as the saying goes, “The plural of personal anecdotes is not evidence”. The threads found on this and other wargaming platforms attest to BTD’s issues with service in general.