|
|
Post by greedo on Mar 28, 2019 20:46:55 GMT
I'm trying to decide on a manufacturer for my next armies, greeks, and romans.
Khurasan figs look nice
Xyston look nice
Forged in Battle look nice, and you get lots in a box.
One reason I sold off my Warmodelling Roman army was the fig were bit too "fiddly" for my taste. Good figs, but I'm looking for a easy, and clean paint job, without having to worry about too many extraneous details. Corvus Belli made great figs, but they are gone.
So question, out of the 3 shops above, which would you say make the easiest/cleanest cleanest figs to paint?
|
|
|
|
Post by mustrum on Mar 28, 2019 21:15:23 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by wyvern on Mar 28, 2019 21:20:05 GMT
I'm painting Xyston, they are nice figures but you have to drill the hands out for the spears and that is fiddly!plus there is a fair bit of flash on them too. There is lots of detail on them so you can really make em pretty if you want. They are big miniatures as well, so they probably don't mix well with other manufacturers.
I heard Forged in Battle are good but for DBA armies only the packs are quite large, but if you are planning on expanding the armies they would be a candidate!
Don't know much about Khurasan, I live on the other side of the pond, so ordering from them would be expensive.
Cheers, Paul.
|
|
|
|
Post by ammianus on Mar 28, 2019 22:37:02 GMT
I like War & Empire 15mm Ancients. Can't wait til they start selling their Dark Ages line.
|
|
|
|
Post by paddy649 on Mar 28, 2019 23:21:25 GMT
In general, your 3 in order: Xyston, Forged in Battle then Khurasan.
But all manufacturers are not equal for all armies. There is a lot overlap between FIB and Xyston with FIB including later armies. FIB look lovely but I don’t own any because of their packaging and do can’t comment. However I’m seriously looking st their Sarmatians, later Romans and Slave revolt armies. Xyston are excellent and I can vouch for Carthaginians, Polybians, Greeks, Skythians, Indians and Persians. Slight issues with size and scale creep but overall very nice if you are happy to drill hands and glue spears and shields.
Khursan have less cross over with the others, cover Asian armies very well but can be pricey when P&P is factored in. I can only comment on their Tang range which are excellent but am eyeing up their Tibetans and Byzantines.
Essex are the industry standard, solid and reliable if slightly . They rock when it comes to biblical, medieval, some Asians and especially early renaissance. IMHO you’ll never regret buying Essex, they’ll always have the figures you want but you’ll never fall totally in love with them.
|
|
|
|
Post by nangwaya on Mar 29, 2019 0:33:26 GMT
I would also suggest looking at what Magister Militum has to offer.
I have had very good interactions with them, and will be giving my custom to them for years to come.
I agree with Paddy that Essex has a great Biblical range, but make sure if you go with them for any Book (?) army, and you buy an army pack, that the elements provided reflect the proper list for 3.0
So far, Magister Militum have been spot on for having the correct army packs corresponding with 3.0 army lists, at least from my experience.
|
|
|
|
Post by goragrad on Mar 29, 2019 6:53:54 GMT
All I have from Khurasan are 4 T'ang spearmen, so I can't really rate them and I have none of the Forged in Battle figures.
I am put off by the scale creep at Xyston - as I have noted my psiloi make my Theban hoplites look like adolescents.
My MM LIR are nice as are my Essex. I also like the TTG lines from Alternative Armies.
|
|
|
|
Post by paddy649 on Mar 29, 2019 7:03:32 GMT
Yep - I agree with nangwaya about Magister Militum. All of my Indians, Macedonians and Seleucids are Magister. I started with them when they were Chariot and made from softer metal than they are now. They are cleaner figures now with the higher tin content. However, 2 things about Magister you may wish to consider. I think they are true 15s and so smaller than other manufacturers plus the figures are accurately proportioned so they look slimmer than other manufacturers. All this means that they don’t always mix well.
|
|
|
|
Post by nangwaya on Mar 29, 2019 11:17:17 GMT
Yep - I agree with nangwaya about Magister Militum. All of my Indians, Macedonians and Seleucids are Magister. I started with them when they were Chariot and made from softer metal than they are now. They are cleaner figures now with the higher tin content. However, 2 things about Magister you may wish to consider. I think they are true 15s and so smaller than other manufacturers plus the figures are accurately proportioned so they look slimmer than other manufacturers. All this means that they don’t always mix well. Thanks for this post.
I wondered why the Magister Militum figures were so much shinier than the ones from Essex. I had no idea it was the tin.
|
|
|
|
Post by scottrussell on Mar 30, 2019 9:14:49 GMT
If i understand what you are saying, which is the increased detail makes painting more difficult, then I would really suggest you look at Essex figures. It might sound like a back-handed compliment, but I am actually serious. The main part of the body usually has a relatively uncluttered surface, either a cloak, or armour (which can be undercoated and dry brushed) which is just about perfect for a time-limited painter using 15mmm figures.
Scott
|
|
|
|
Post by Spitzicles on Apr 6, 2019 3:25:37 GMT
Essex ... you’ll never regret buying Essex, they’ll always have the figures you want but you’ll never fall totally in love with them. Great assessment of Essex paddy649. I have painted Essex figures for two armies, their figures are pretty good, they look nice, paint up well, but just seem to lack ... something ... |
|
