Wargames Factory Colonial British VSF Conversions?

[leutenantbrittan]

Hi!

I was thinking of kicking off my VSF project with some of the Wargames Factory colonial British firing line plastic miniatures as they are both cheap and reasonably easy to convert but was wondering if anyone has a review of them, or even better a few pics of painted examples!

All the best!

[chantyam]

Have you tried the Wargammes Factory site because I know there is an active discussion board with painted examples inculding the Brits as GW Imperial Guard -there are plans for Greatcoated figures in the furture

[Dewbakuk]

A few people have done threads about them on this board. Here are a couple to give you some idea about them.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=13559.0 (although a little too enthusiastic from Dawgie )

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=7805.0

[Jonas]

I have some of those and I think they are horrible, the details are not very good and the firing pose has the rifle leaning in the elbow instead of the shoulder.

The heads are very ugly sculpted and to make it more stupid all the heads are sculpted without the helmets, while this could be an advantage if you could make models with helmets on and off, this is not the case though because the hair is only sculpted on the heads where the helmets don't go, so unless all your unhelmeted models should be bald, then you have to glue helmets on all of them anyway and they easily get glued on in a wrong angle or something...

What I ended up doing after painting the first 10 models was buing Ramshackle pith helmet heads with gasmask and putting on the next batch, this makes the model a lot better, but besides the ramshackle heads they are still awfull sculpts and awfull to paint.

If I had not bought some other models and painted instead of carrying on with Wargames Factory, then my VSF adventure would have been a very short one...

Here is a picture mine:



they have a Foundry sergeant though.

And while I don't consider myself a master painter, I don't think I am an awfull painter either, but I don't have the skill or patience to make these look good.

It took me half the time to make my Empress miniatures look twice as good as the Wargames Factory...

[Thunderchicken]

Considering the setbacks you've done a good job Jonas. I see what you mean about the firing pose.   

Have you got any pics of the figures with Ramshackle's heads? I've bought a bunch and looking for compatible figures to attach them to.

[Svennn]

Wargames Factories finest? - the only thing subject wise to tempt me so far anyway.

I always got the impression these were done in the traditional 3 up masters way as opposed to their CAD malarky. So much promise but seriously disappointing for me. As Jonas says a lot of work to make a silk purse from a pigs ear when there are such good metals like Empress and Perry around for not too much more money. I think I would even go Black Tree before these. Just my two penneth.

[Dewbakuk]

These were sculpted on computer (not CAD but I can't remember the program type, I've had a play, it's very odd) and had the molds produced by a computer, which is the problem. To be fair this was I think, the first set they produced and some of the later figures look much better, however actually looking at these at shows has always made me put them back down and walk away.

The problem is the mold making. They used GW as the inspiration and decided to follow them and do everything digitaly. Of course their mistake was in thinking GW did it all digitaly. GW produce them digitaly and then have a skilled mold maker who works with the aluminium molds to work in the fine detail.

[leutenantbrittan]

Oh dear they are a bit rubbish arent they!

Im quite glad I decided to go for a small order of Empress Miniatures instead! They may be a bit less easily convertible but they look a lot better!

Thanks for the pics though!

[Jonas]

I have a picture of my WF models with Ramshackle heads, they are still WIP, has been for some time, it is a hard job to get me painting on them when I have other tempting things in metal.

Here you go:



I think the heads match up fine with these models and it improves the painting experience a lot, the worst part of the WF models are the heads, in my opinion, so I hope to have these finished up for Horisont, it will make a good alternative to the normal troops.

[Bullshott]

Thanks for posting the pic with the Ramshackle heads Jonas. I was thinking of doing similar with some of my Wargames Factory figures. Now thats a definate.

[Thunderchicken]

Thanks Jonas, that's a great help. Those heads are a good match. My Brits are either Ironclad or Redoubt and the head swaps wouldn't work with them.

Next question, anyone know which metal figs (if any) are similar in size to WF?

[Jonas]

I use mainly Empress together with my WF, the size match ok, but the Empress are a bit slimmer. They are about the same hight though and would mix fine.

Also I have used some Foundry models with them and even though they are a bit smaller, I think they mix ok too, after all not every brit was the same hight.

And besides that I mix with stuff from all sorts of other companies, but not in basic troops and not all mix as good, Eureka is lot bulkier and taller for example.

[Viper]

Back when I was still a young un Games Workshop released those rather nice Praetorian models along with that very cool battle report against the orks.

Naturally buying the models was well outside my price range back then, and probably still would be now if I played 40k, but seeing wonderful models like those I'm sorely tempted to get at least by a few colonial models and see what I can do in terms of converting some weird tech looking guns and what not for them.
 

[chantyam]

Viper back in the dim mists of time when I was not such a young un but still younger than today I bought those Praetorians a bister pack at a time, about one/two every week and only bought the "limited edition" box set because it was reduced in a pre xmas sale (remember when GW did those?) If a remember right I had the Imperial fists Strike force in one hand and a a staff member goes "you collect Praetorians theres one box left" so put the Marines down and bought the box -trawling through E-bay I have collected around 180/200 Preatorians reckon to spending an average of £1.20 to £1.50 per figure (including officers/specialists) bfore anyone asks no i don't know what posessed me to buy them. But still have bought a few boxes of the WF plastics (about five or so) yes the details are basic but you have got the choice of new heads (yes I have the Ramshackle heads and some Metal Empress ones along with the Artizan WWII Italian heads in sun helmets with goggles) and of course the options are there to try things out, add bits for other ranges.