I know some people turn their noses up at plastic animals and happily pay for tin livestock, but I don't have the time/budget to be so proud. So I was pretty happy to find very small plastic farm animals for a dollar at Target. Consider this a review of a $1 USD throwaway product…
This is in that strange little dollar-store section of Target near the front. They come in a clear plastic 3x5" zippered pouch. You get seven each of seven animals of varying scale and quality, and an eighth of one of these to make fifty. They're marketed as "counting animals," though it springs to mind that anyone learning to count is at the exact point in their life when they will choke on things of this size and shape. So its a toy for toddlers that's unsafe for toddlers. Good going, somebody. But it works for me!
Let's take a look at them, shall we?
These figures are soft plastic, and each animal is a separate color. The sculpts are okay, as in pretty good. The quadrupeds have their forelegs molded together and their hind legs molded together. The lighter colored animals have black dot eyes.
The calf is a dark brown, and looks cow sized next to a 15mm figure. If you're not picky you could use it as is, but a few brushes of white would be a big improvement. They look fine next to my 18mm Romans. Next to a 28mm figure they look like a smallish calf. I'd say these are very usable in all scales.
The pig is bright pink. Only in the most offbeat games would you want this pink on our table. Its huge next to 15mm, its a big, big hog next to an 18mm, but next to a 28mm figure its the size most people think a pig is (I think pigs are bigger than people think). So its useable in 25/28mm if you can tone down the color. Maybe a dip…
The sheep is grey. Next to 15/18mm it looks like a hereford or some other smallish cow variant. Not quite the right color, not quite the right head, you might or might not be satisfied with it depending on how desperate you are for livestock in your game. Next to 25/28mm it looks perfect, except that its a little darker grey than most sheep I've ever seen. I'd call it usable in 25/28mm.
The horse is black. Next to a 28mm it looks like one of those dog-sized micro ponies. I don't think those show up often in war games, but what do I know. They look like ponies next to my 18mm, or maybe a older colt, its withers are waist high. Possibly suitable for smaller horses of ancient history. In fact, the neck is thick enough that in 18mm you could call it a donkey and have it pull Sumerian chariots. At 15mm its finally a horse. Its shoulders are the height of a man's shoulders, and I can imagine my little 15mm moorish pirate here jumping right on and riding off. Good color, I'd say useable in 15/18mm.
The package says "Farm Animals," but this next one is clearly a wolf. He's the same dark brown as the calf. Maybe he's supposed to be a big dog. Next to a 25/28mm figure he is a big dog or average size wolf. Since you get seven for a dollar, that could be fun. Next to a 15/18mm he is now a gigantic wolf. You could ride him like the wargs in the LotR movie. At 15mm I bet you could paint him up as a tiger and get away with it. Very usable.
We enter the realm of the surreal with the rooster. He is khaki. His comb is chest high to a 28mm figure. That's one big rooster. I can't think of a historical or fantasy use for that. SciFi, help yourself. Two quick cuts to remove the comb and wattle and you have a very large bird with a fluffy rooster tail. He's prehistoric giant chicken next to 15mm. Not useable without a lot of work or in a strange game.
Onward past surreal into cuckoo land, the chick is pale yellow. He's waist high on a 28mm figure. Maybe you paint him up as cockatrice. Next to a 15mm he's a short-necked ostrich. Possibly useable as a morale marker – when units take morale hits you pile up chickens next to them, three chicks is a rooster, three roosters and they break. I don't know. Its a plastic chick, what do you want from me. Not usable.
That said, I bought two packages and I'm going back for more. I think I can really use those horses and cows. I'm going to paint up the chicks as 15mm ostriches and put some polymer clay Romans on their backs.
There. I just wrote a eight hundred word review of a $1 USD set of plastic farm animals. What the heck is wrong with me? I hope someone gets some use out of this.
Andrew
