A bit of a mixed bag this evening! Firstly, four new Pulp figures are added to the growing collection - these are Chinese Warlord officers by Mark Copplestone. Then, a parcel arrived today from Caliver, containing a box of 32 Wargames Atlantic 28mm skeleton warriors ....to add to the 24 I already have - I think that is going to be PLENTY Skellies! Then, I took a few images of the Warlord skeleton assembly process. Next, apropos recent discussion of Valiant Miniatures, I have a comparison shot of some different 20mm figures. And finally, a few images of the rather nice 3D printed scenic items I received from my son and daughter at Christmas.
The four Chinese officers, painted to represent the two current Warlord Chinese contingents
The first "Blue" officer...and below, with female companion!
Likewise the first of the "Grey" officers
"Blue" officer number two....
And finally, the second officer of the Grey Contingent
Todays arrival - greeted with an anguished cry of "MORE soldiers!" from my wife as she took possession from the delivery courier!
The contents above and below - there are 8 identical sprues of four figures each, as shown below
Contrast this with the Warlord (Wargames Factory) version below - I think I will prefer assembling the recent arrivals!
Following is a brief summary of the assembly process for the Warlord skeletons...
Attach individual feet to the legs (!)
Ensure position of feet allows for a realistic stance
Glue feet to the supplied base
Attach skull to torso...then...
Attach torso to legs....
I must have stopped ta that point and added arms and weapons the following night, without recoding the process - but you get the general idea - a lot of fiddly cutting, trimming and assembly is involved! With the Wargames Atlantic figures, three out of four are the whole body as one casting, and you only have to add arms (which have weapons etc attached) and the skull - a doddle in comparison!
Here are some 20mm figures, just to show how much more "heroic" the Valiant Miniatures versions are.
Dont quote me, but I think the brands are...Elheim Miniatures, Liberation Miniatures, Wartime Miniatures, Liberation Miniatures, Valiant Miniatures, Valiant Miniatures, Plastic Soldier Co, Plastic Soldier Co and Zvesda. The size difference on the two Valiant figures is pretty obvious. They are very nice figures and personally, I dont mind too much, but they are certainly a bit bulky!
Finally, the 3D printed furniture. These pieces are really designed for fantasy gaming and are probably closer to 30mm than 28mm scale, but they do look very nice and they were really inexpensive, so chances are, I may get some more at some point, as I think I could make use of them in my Pulp games as well as in the interiors of my Border Reivers buildings.
Shelving unit, wardrobe and desk (my particular favourite), with a large chest flanked by a pair of sets of drawers
A couple of images with some of the Pulp figures to provide an indication of scale.
I have a weeks holiday coming up now and we are heading down the west cost of the North Island to New Plymouth and the Taranaki region, where a few inspiring bush walks are planned. I may be out of circulation for a few days as a result, although we dont leave till Monday, so I may have time for another post before we depart.
Plenty going on Keith I like the Chinese figures they might work for our B of Beyond gaming ?
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt - I am absolutely certain they would work for BoB - they are sold as BoB by Copplestone Miniatures! Lovely figures as always from this awesome range.
DeleteCracking work on those Chinese figures Keith, ditto the furniture too:). Nicely posed against the building backdrop too. Those skeletons look an absolute nightmare to assemble and I would worry about how strong they would be when handled in a game. Some nice comparison shots of the figures there and personally, once on the table, I doubt I would notice the difference in size/heft. Enjoy your mini-break and look forward to some nice pics of your walks etc.
ReplyDeleteCheers Steve! I am glad the various topics were of interest - yes, I suspect the skeletons may need careful handling (if they ever actually make it onto a table!) I kind of agree about the figures too EXCEPT if/when they are in close combat with "real" 20mm figures - but they are very nice and personally, I wish Valiant had done Russians in their inimitable style too, as the PSC ones seem much more "Airfix-like" in comparison. Stand by for far too many photos of the New Zealand bush in coming posts!
DeleteKeith, you continue to be knee deep in Pulp. I like your Chinese and the grey uniform with yellow trim is especially handsome. Skeletons? Well…
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time away and I look forward to seeing your photo journal of your explorations when you return. Still quite cold way up north.
Thanks Jon...skeletons, I know, who woulda thunk....! Still reasonably mild here EG its 1037pm Fri evening and current temp is 18c - that's summer day time where I originally came from! This whole week its been warm and sunny so hopefully we get more of the same next week!
DeleteBeautiful painting on the figures. The furniture is excellent looking. All very impressive.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark...I think furniture may be on your agenda, for all those beautiful mdf buildings you have built recently?
DeleteAmazing and eclectic group of figures and mini furniture there, Keith. Impressive details on all of them - particularly the dragon lady.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean...eclectic is a good description of my painting at the moment...WWII 20mm armour, skeletons and other bits and pieces that take my fancy!
DeleteI like those Chinese Warlords. Like you I prefer the Wargames Atlantic skellies. Much easier to put together
ReplyDeleteCheers Scotty. To be fair, the Warlord pack would allow you to create twenty four unique models, no two identical. I just don't see the point of the separate feet...they make everything far too fiddly.
DeleteQuite a far ranging post. The Chinese figures are wonderfully painted. The ability to go Back of Beyond, Pulp, perhaps even Sino-Japanese War makes them very useful. The size comparisons are very useful for those who worry about height differences. By the way, all the examples are nicely painted.
ReplyDeleteGreat present, that terrain. Sure to be used in so many places.
Interesting about the skeleton assembly. Hopefully the glue holds.
Looking forward to you photo journaling your walk. Like Jonathan said, still cold (and snowy) here.
Thank you Joe, a comprehensive comment to match my far ranging post! I am certainly looking forward to the opportunity of taking lots of scenic photos!
DeleteThose Officers are very smart and are good additions to the Chinese collection for sure, especially that umbrella.
ReplyDeleteNo gaming miniature should be as fiddly as those Warlord skeletons. Thanks for highlighting their build, I'll be avoiding them for sure and should I need more in my collection, I'll definitely purchase the WA ones instead.
Enjoy your holiday sir - looking forward to the ensuing pics!
Thanks Dai...the Copplestone figures, as always, are lovely work and simple to paint. I agree about the skeletons...and by extension, any gaming figures (as Aly mentions below) I dislike Victrix for a similar reason and having separate heads and arms (on the cavalry) was one of the annoying things about the Ebor GNW figures I did this time last year, which in all other respects are great miniatures.
DeleteNice additions to your Pulp collection Keith…
ReplyDeleteSeparate feet on the skeletons…😳
Given what I do as a job…. I really don’t like sticking figures together…
The Valiant figures are certainly well fed chaps…
Enjoy your break…
All the best. Aly
Thanks Aly...given what you do for a job....why would the skeletons be designed that way? I wondered if it made it possible to create them in finer detail? Comparing them to the WA versions, they are less chunky all over.....unlike my Valiant boys!
DeleteI think they were maybe trying to get more out of the kit than they really needed to…
DeleteAs to detail… you can simplify a lot on a skeleton… and skull… and it will still look like what it is intended to be… a lot like drawing actually.
If they really wanted the top down details of the foot a simple solution would have been to attach all or a considerable part of the feet to the base…
The legs could then have been made to end as a peg… this would have given a much more stable assembly…
Attaching the torsos to the legs where possible would help as well…As Wargames Atlantic have done…it’s all about solving problems in a pragmatic way… a bit like your recent armour additions…
I could go on… but hopefully you get my drift.
All the best. Aly
Thanks for the very comprehensive answer Aly! Personally, I actually think the Warlord version gives more options...but I don't think the feet needed to be separate...the rest of the parts are fine but attaching the feet to the bottom of the legs is a real pain!
DeleteSome lovely details you have added to the pulp figures Keith, and the furniture looks great. A great application for 3D printing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence ...I agree about the 3D ......the furniture is much better than the figures from the same source!
DeleteSUperb Pulp figures and furniture, wow!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Phil!
DeleteNice work there on the new figures Keith- your Pulp Fiction project is bouncing along very well indeed with the additional 3D printed furniture. Cheers. KEV.
ReplyDeleteCheers Kev - having lots of fun with it, to ne sure!
DeleteYa had to assemble the skeletons?! What a PITA.
ReplyDeleteThe miniatures and furniture look good. I’ll be interested to see how (if) you eventually use the furniture. I’ve run into this problem be where you need a building do big it might as well be a game table. 😀
Thanks Stew...nice acronym! Being Fantasy furniture, I think it is intended for use the way you describe ie a 3 X 3 table is a library or the inside of a tavern etc. You gave given me a challenge though....post a AAR that include this furniture in it!
Delete