Wargmes factory colonial brits. REVIEW

[Bullshott]

I bought a pack at the Warfare show in November. I will mainly be using these to supplement my other colonial figures with posed you can't buy in metal (for example Royal Engineers in working poses), so these will be perfect. I particularly like the choice of heads the heads in forage caps will be most useful for convering other manufacturer's figures.

[answer_is_42]

I think they look awful, along with all the other plastics the Wargames Factory has brought out. If you compare them to the three other historical plastic manufactures (Victrix, Perry and Warlord), you'll see what I mean. The quality of the figures is just poor.
I almost feel sorry for the WF, competing with the other three...

[Malamute]

I think they look awful, along with all the other plastics the Wargames Factory has brought out. If you compare them to the three other historical plastic manufactures (Victrix, Perry and Warlord), you'll see what I mean. The quality of the figures is just poor.
I almost feel sorry for the WF, competing with the other three...

I'm inclined to agree with you. Very poor in comparison.

[Captain Blood]

I think they look awful, along with all the other plastics the Wargames Factory has brought out. If you compare them to the three other historical plastic manufactures (Victrix, Perry and Warlord), you'll see what I mean. The quality of the figures is just poor.
I almost feel sorry for the WF, competing with the other three...

I'm inclined to agree with you. Very poor in comparison.

Making it all the more bizarre that (several hundred?) people have signed up to buy a whole load of non-existent product from this manufacturer... 

The first flickering sight of which is already causing ructions and acrimony amongst those who have signed up...

I knew it would end in tears.
Just not quite as quickly as this... 

[JollyBob]

I think they look awful, along with all the other plastics the Wargames Factory has brought out. If you compare them to the three other historical plastic manufactures (Victrix, Perry and Warlord), you'll see what I mean. The quality of the figures is just poor.
I almost feel sorry for the WF, competing with the other three...

I'm inclined to agree with you. Very poor in comparison.

Did you see the review of the new plastics in this months Wargames Illustrated yet? Perry and Victrix Napoleonics get the thumbs up and are "recommended" (and the pics of the sprues actually look better than others I have seen), but the Wargames Factory Romans get absolutely panned and a "I really cannot recommend these at all".

Strangely, all three sets are available through the WI website, so I'm suprised they printed a bad review of something they must be making a commission on. 

[answer_is_42]

I think they look awful, along with all the other plastics the Wargames Factory has brought out. If you compare them to the three other historical plastic manufactures (Victrix, Perry and Warlord), you'll see what I mean. The quality of the figures is just poor.
I almost feel sorry for the WF, competing with the other three...

I'm inclined to agree with you. Very poor in comparison.

Did you see the review of the new plastics in this months Wargames Illustrated yet? Perry and Victrix Napoleonics get the thumbs up and are "recommended" (and the pics of the sprues actually look better than others I have seen), but the Wargames Factory Romans get absolutely panned and a "I really cannot recommend these at all".

Strangely, all three sets are available through the WI website, so I'm suprised they printed a bad review of something they must be making a commission on. 

I did indeed see the review, and the fact that WI is selling them also struck me as odd. That doesn't stop the review being correct on all accounts, however.

I just cannot see how so many people have taken a liking to these models. It's like half the wargaming world has been suddenly afflicted with the stupid or something. It'll all come crashing down, you mark my words...

[Argonor]

I knew it would end in tears.
Just not quite as quickly as this... 

You won't see me cry - I only signed up for the zombies, and the prewiews look quite alright for my needs (and better than the GW zombies).

I have the Late Republican Roman set (I preordered it, and hence got the Zulu War Brits for free), and I do not think they are that bad. I think that they suffer mainly from comparisons to metal minis, and you cannot expect plastics to turn out as well as metals (not without a lot of know-how and making the minis in ridiculously many parts, anyway).

Regarding the Brits, I have seen some badly assembled, and some well assembled, and I have seen some well painted and some not-so-well painted, and both makes a huge difference to the actual final appearance of the figures.

I'm not saying 'go out and buy these', but if you compare them to the output of some alternative metal miniature makers (none mentioned in particular) over the last 10-20 years, they are vastly better - and much cheaper.

And I'm actually surprised that so many people are that impressed with the Warlord models - especially the Celts suffer from the 'easy to cast' poses, which they - much to my dismay - have chosen to re-use for their cavalry (look - no hands!).

And I'm not that impressed with the Perry ACW, either. They may be nice sculpts, but they are too slim to fit well most metal ranges, and there are far too many marching poses.

I have no affiliation with WF, but I think you all should cut them some slack - after all we have a company that is actually offering to interactively listen to the customers pleas. I still think you'll see their products improve rapidly over time (look at the first GW plastics compared to those of today - and remember that the Perrys have had all that experience to draw upon).

I'm not going to buy hordes of plastics from any manufacturer (at least not until my Speed Painting Skill reaches Level 10   ), but I shall when I need some cheap rank-and-file that's available. If I need beautiful character models, I'll search out some metals.

[Captain Blood]

Regarding the Brits, I have seen some badly assembled, and some well assembled, and I have seen some well painted and some not-so-well painted, and both makes a huge difference to the actual final appearance of the figures.

I'm not saying 'go out and buy these', but if you compare them to the output of some alternative metal miniature makers (none mentioned in particular) over the last 10-20 years, they are vastly better - and much cheaper.

Niels - very fair points.

[Argonor]

Well, I think that, as a whole, we wargamers are spoiled for choices at the moment - and that may lead to harsher judgments by the crowd.

And a lot of it is down to individual taste, really - as I tried to point out mentioning my reservations regarding Perry and Warlord, and I do think it's a little harsh to call people 'stupid' for buying - or wishing to buy - something they want.

Actually, it's far more stupid when we all (well, most of us) buy many more minis than we can possible paint in a lifetime, each time we get excited about a new period/game.... 

[answer_is_42]

Regarding the Brits, I have seen some badly assembled, and some well assembled, and I have seen some well painted and some not-so-well painted, and both makes a huge difference to the actual final appearance of the figures.

I see what you mean here, but I've seen them painted and nonpainted to a good standard 'in the flesh' (as it were) and they still looked awful.

I'm not saying 'go out and buy these', but if you compare them to the output of some alternative metal miniature makers (none mentioned in particular) over the last 10-20 years, they are vastly better - and much cheaper.

That was then, and this is now. Look at all the companies that have sprung up over the past few years (including Warlord and Victrix), and you can see that these are much worse than them. You can't really compare miniatures made 20 years ago to miniatures made a few months ago, as expectations and methods have changed over this period of time.

And I'm actually surprised that so many people are that impressed with the Warlord models - especially the Celts suffer from the 'easy to cast' poses, which they - much to my dismay - have chosen to re-use for their cavalry (look - no hands!).

And I'm not that impressed with the Perry ACW, either. They may be nice sculpts, but they are too slim to fit well most metal ranges, and there are far too many marching poses.

Yes, the Warlord Celts are pretty bad, and yes the Perry ACW are too small. But have you seen the WF Celts? The bare-chested ones remind me of GW plastic Catachans. And Perry have scaled theirs to fit in with their existing ranges, which I think is the sensible thing to do. 

I have no affiliation with WF, but I think you all should cut them some slack - after all we have a company that is actually offering to interactively listen to the customers pleas. I still think you'll see their products improve rapidly over time (look at the first GW plastics compared to those of today - and remember that the Perrys have had all that experience to draw upon).

The listening to customers is a very good idea, assuming they can deliver the goods on time, and to people expectations, neither of which they appear to have achieved yet.
And, as I have already said, you can't compare the first GW models to models made today. What you can do is compare models made today with other models made at the same time. These are markedly inferior to their competitors.

I think me and Argonor are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one...
I hope all this makes sence, I typed it in somewhat of a rush.

[Chairface]

Actually, it's far more stupid when we all (well, most of us) buy many more minis than we can possible paint in a lifetime, each time we get excited about a new period/game.... 

The wisest thing that has been said during this entire thread.  (something I'm guilty of too....)

[Argonor]

I'm not saying 'go out and buy these', but if you compare them to the output of some alternative metal miniature makers (none mentioned in particular) over the last 10-20 years, they are vastly better - and much cheaper.

That was then, and this is now. Look at all the companies that have sprung up over the past few years (including Warlord and Victrix), and you can see that these are much worse than them. You can't really compare miniatures made 20 years ago to miniatures made a few months ago, as expectations and methods have changed over this period of time.

I'm not only thinking of miniatures from 20 years ago - the current market has a lot of metal that's not as good as the VF stuff.

And I'm actually surprised that so many people are that impressed with the Warlord models - especially the Celts suffer from the 'easy to cast' poses, which they - much to my dismay - have chosen to re-use for their cavalry (look - no hands!).

And I'm not that impressed with the Perry ACW, either. They may be nice sculpts, but they are too slim to fit well most metal ranges, and there are far too many marching poses.

Yes, the Warlord Celts are pretty bad, and yes the Perry ACW are too small.

But I still do not see people flaming them as they do VF.

I have no affiliation with WF, but I think you all should cut them some slack - after all we have a company that is actually offering to interactively listen to the customers pleas. I still think you'll see their products improve rapidly over time (look at the first GW plastics compared to those of today - and remember that the Perrys have had all that experience to draw upon).

The listening to customers is a very good idea, assuming they can deliver the goods on time, and to people expectations, neither of which they appear to have achieved yet.

I still think that is a very subjective view. If 'half the wargaming world' as you say yourself, actually thinks they are worth supporting, they can't be all that wrong in what they'tre doing.....

And, as I have already said, you can't compare the first GW models to models made today

I think you can - sculpting and creating minis with software is a fairly new technique, and if a company has access to a lot of experience with making plastic miniatures, while another is starting out from scratch, you should expect the output to differ.

GW has had about 20 years to reach the standards they produce now (and they still totally miss the spot on some sets), while the Perrys, as I wrote, have been working for GW and hence can draw on that experience.

I don't know about Victrix, but it wouldn't surprise me if their staff includes some veterans of the trade, and Warlord clearly has people who used to work for GW.

What you can do is compare models made today with other models made at the same time. These are markedly inferior to their competitors.

You can do that - and if you can get the same product in a better quality, do it.

But I think that neither Victrix, Perry, nor Warlord do Zulu War or Late Republican Romans in plastic?

And I still think you'll see the products of VF increase in quality - already the zombie previews look quite good to me.

I think me and Argonor are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one...

Sure - as long as we can also agree to the fact that personal taste, and preferences has a lot to do with what people are willing to buy, and there's no 'set truth' to be adhered to. Otherwise it becomes like trying to convince GW-fanatics that W40K isn't the first or best wargame in the world.

AND, remember these were never meant to be 'stand alone' models. They're made with a massed battle wargame in mind.

I totally agree that the models are not 'top dollar', but I see a lot of models - supposedly being sold out there - that are worse - and more expensive.

[Dewbakuk]

At the end of the day, people will vote with their money. I certianly won't be giving WF any. I was going to, but after seeing the figures in person, not any more.

It's down to preference, as I've given up work to look after my daughter, my gaming budget is vastly reduced and inexpensive figures would be perfect. However, I've decided that I'd rather buy less things at a quality I'm happy with than to get more, inferior products.

Yes, the Warlord Celts are pretty bad, and yes the Perry ACW are too small.


But I still do not see people flaming them as they do VF.

Actually, Perry ACW got massive amounts of criticism over their size, it's just calmed down now. Also, as has been said, the Perry plastics are scaled to fit with the Perry metals, which are also more slender than most manufacturers.

The Warlord Celts are in easy cast poses yes, and I definately think they could be improved, however I do think they are much nicer sculpts, both in proportions and detail. Not that I'd buy Romans or Celts from either company anyway, it's not something on my radar.

GW has had about 20 years to reach the standards they produce now (and they still totally miss the spot on some sets), while the Perrys, as I wrote, have been working for GW and hence can draw on that experience.

I don't know about Victrix, but it wouldn't surprise me if their staff includes some veterans of the trade, and Warlord clearly has people who used to work for GW.

A fair point, but rather inaccurate. GW have had about 5 years to get to where they are now, before that computers had nothing to do with the plastics system and the sculptors had to relearn what they were doing. Wargames Factory have been working on these(Romans and Celts anyway) for a couple of years at least, so GW doesn't have that much of a lead.

Perry's and Warlord (not sure on Victrix) however, do draw on the 20 years experience of GW, because they are using the traditional pantograph system. They make 3-ups and then scale them into the molds. They don't use the computers, that however does mean that they are made in a very different way to the modern GW stuff.


Of course, if we want to smash all of them, take a look at Tamiya etc. They've been working on computer designed models for years and are vastly superior to all of them!

[Argonor]

GW has had about 20 years to reach the standards they produce now (and they still totally miss the spot on some sets), while the Perrys, as I wrote, have been working for GW and hence can draw on that experience.

A fair point, but rather inaccurate. GW have had about 5 years to get to where they are now, before that computers had nothing to do with the plastics system and the sculptors had to relearn what they were doing.

Oh, I did not mean that GW has used computer design all the time, but I would think that the experience working with plastic moulds, determining how to do the undercuts, etc. also counts when working with computer designed minis.

Anyway - I totally understand that some people would not buy the current WF models. I probably wouldn't have the Brits if they had not been given to me a s a pre-order bonus, I also would have preferred Empress or something else for my plans for VSF-skirmishing. If I'm going to do any massed battles, the VF Brits will come in handy to fill those battle-lines, because I do not need each and every model to be a beautiful representation of real life.

I just don't think that VF deserves being flogged the way we see it done. Of course there are better minis out there, AND that can be said about a lot of ranges. Given time, the sculptors will probably improve their skills, and we'll see much nicer end results. If not, VF will probably rest in peace like so many other smaller games companies.