I've always considered Perry figures to be more artisitic than crisp (metals, not plastics).
IMO its the general animation, anatomy and imagination of their work that grabs me. There are certainly far sharper figures in detail terms, but usually at the expense of overall composition. The brothers work matches well with what I have in my head after reading some good history, rather like Anthony Barton's work does too.
They can be tough to paint, but still look top-tier when done well. I applaud the less prominent surface detail, but understand why it drives some folk nuts. I think their figures also age very well - I've just sold most of my wargames figures and 'leadpile'. Almost without exception I ended up keeping the Perry figs. Once I revisited them I couldn't bear to part with them.
Threads criticizing them are very common, and always have been. They have a lot of fans, but equal numbers who (sometimes very vocally) don't see what all the fuss is about.
Not really sure what I'm getting at ... probabaly something about artistry over precision or something daft like that. Oh, and that criticising their output is actually the new black
