1/56 scale vehicles - pros, cons, recommendations

[Captain Blood]

Am thinking about a small collection of 1/56 scale AFVs and support vehicles... (don't ask!)
How do Perry's own brand 'small vehicle and gun' models, the Blitzkrieg Miniatures line, and the Warlord range compare and inter-mix?
Any thoughts on relative merits?
Recommendations? Watch-outs?
Hints, tips, advice?

Thanks 

[lou passejaire]

never mix 2 models of the same vehicle from different ranges is THE RULE ...
About the Warlord, some "old" vehicles ( old ranges bought by warlord over the years ) are a bit small ( seem's to be 1/60 or less )  , some seem's difficult to build ,
but all the new ones seem's correct and the resin moulding seem's to be top quality now .

About the Perry's ... nothing to say ( may be some doubts on the italian CV35 ) .
About the Blitzkrieg ... nice models ...

[grant]

I've owned Perry and Warlord. I prefer Perry completely. Warlord are of verging size and quality depending on how old they are. Some suck utterly to put together despite having less than 10 parts. Warlord is also notorious at sending two left tracks when you obviously want one of each. Infantry are horrid - gurning faces, arms like orangutans. Hands like bowling balls. All in all, pretty packaging and fancy website, substandard result. They took all the pretty Hicks sculpts and let Wotzek destroy them with removable heads. Plastics are just as bad. 

Perry and Blitzkrieg I have had zero problems with, and if I were doing 28mm again, I would order only from there. Beautiful sculpts with only occasional casting issues; Blitzkrieg are so easy to build they are a dream.

I think I've made my point.

[Captain Blood]

Thanks both. Received and understood.
Any more thoughts on this welcome

[ancientsociety]

I agree with what has been posted so far.

To add to 1/56 scale manufacturers I've had experience with:

Blitzkrieg - nice range, great models, missing/incorrect detailing, no crew or decals
Warlord - nice range, great models, crew usually included, decals sometimes included
Mad Bob - OK range, many models available nowhere else, good models, printing/casting causes a very rough surface that needs to be lightly sanded/polished, some incorrect details, no crew, some decals included
JTFM - nice range, good models, crew sometimes included
Company B - nice range, TERRIBLE models, lots of casting issues, crew not included

[moiterei_1984]

@grant: It's obviously a matter of taste so I won't argue with you here. But frankly I personally very much like their newer plastic offerings. The proportons might be over exaggerated but I like it as it makes painting so much easier. The old Hicks sculpts were nice and far better than the newer metal ranges but were showing their age. The Perrys on the other hand are definitely not to my liking. The proportions are not what I like on MY figures and the quality of the metal casting is just waaaay sub standard.

Vehicle wise I very much prefer the newer WG resins over the plastic ones but as grant already has pointed out WG are a 'little' special when it comes to packaging.
Blitzkrieg are superb models but unfortunately lack any drivers amd such.

[Silent Invader]

Richard, you don't mention minis but for what it's worth I have some Perry (Blitzkreig) support vehicles with the Perry minis and they are a delightful match.

[mikeland]

For my North Africa I am using entirely Blitzkrieg and Perry stuff, I can't speak for absolute historical details, but the Blitzkrieg Tanks are lovely models and scale in really we'll with the Perry stuff. The Perry SAS Jeep Section is a fabulous.

I don't mind the lack of crews as the Perrys do reasonably priced crew sets (enough for 4-5 vehicles for £7) Though I always model with the hatches shut anyway.

I have also had experience of, Warlord and Rubicon plastics, for later war stuff. The Warlord and Rubicon plastics scale in well together, I have both of their Shermans and they don't look too bad at all side by side, I like the detailing on the Warlord Models a bit more, but the construction/options are better on Rubicon.

In response to Grant's post I 100% agree regarding the Warlord post hicks metals and early plastic WW2 kits, very terrible, but the last 4-5 Plastic infantry kits have been much better, improving with each release, and the plastic vehicles in association with Italeri are pretty good too. That said I love the perry plastics too and the metals I have had on their WW2 range have been perfectly cast, the smaller size minis are harder to paint, but they are very nice and look great with the vehicles.

[Captain Blood]

Thanks chaps. Useful feedback all round.

For vehicle decals, I know Warlord do a pretty extensive range? Are they any good? (Anyone else make decals in this scale?)

Thank you.

[Eclaireur]

My 2c...

I like the fact that Rubicon give you decals (that can add considerably to the cost of some other minis) and are now making stowage packs to fit in.
Just finished the Warlord Protze truck - very nice, though I realise it's a very recent release.
Am also finishing a Perry/Blitzkreig Sdkfz 250 - beautifully made with crew and stowage. Just one issue: the substance they've put on the resin to help easing it out of the mould. I had real difficulties with cleaning the resin and three times had the priming paint peel off. Mike Perry has advised me to use a non-acrylic paint to prime the model. Can anybody else share tips on preparing these models for painting?
EC 

[Captain Blood]

Just one issue: the substance they've put on the resin to help easing it out of the mould. I had real difficulties with cleaning the resin and three times had the priming paint peel off. Mike Perry has advised me to use a non-acrylic paint to prime the model.

I have heard the same about the Blitzkrieg models (read it somewhere on LAF).
I use an enamel car spray primer anyway, so shouldn't be so much of a problem. But I guess wash the resin casting in white spirit first, then hot soapy water? White spirit cleans up almost everything.

[Helen]

I have heard the same about the Blitzkrieg models (read it somewhere on LAF).
I use an enamel car spray primer anyway, so shouldn't be so much of a problem. But I guess wash the resin casting in white spirit first, then hot soapy water? White spirit cleans up almost everything.

Hi Richard,

You are spot on with the undercoat. Works well on Blitz and Perry. Look forward to seeing some of your models.

[katie]

"I use an enamel car spray primer anyway"

I had problems with a Bren carrier; can't remember whose. White spirit wouldn't clean it, dettol wouldn't, soap wouldn't and the halfords black I use as an undercoat would form this brittle skin that just cracked off in large sections from the side panels...

In the end I took a leaf out of the placcy-20mm gamer's guide and primed it using a mix of PVA thinned with black craft paint....

On the original subject, S&S were very good at doing me some casting runs on vehicles that were a pain to find anywhere else. They tend to concentrate on 20mm stuff, but their 28mms are nice models.

[Rabid Monkey]

I thought I'd give a shout out to Trenchworx as well.  No mold release used on the resin so the the models can be painted straight out of the box.  I like to think the quality isn't too shabby either... but then, I'm a bit biased.

[NurgleHH]

I own some warlord Japanese models. I think they are new ones. They are good done. And some new German tanks. The plastic models are very detailed from warlord. I think they are from ilalerie. I have one old west wind German tank, the worst thing I own. In the future I try to have a look at the perrys.