"Perry Plastics vs. OG" Topic

Based on the raving reviews of the 28mm ACW Perry Plastics, I ordered two boxes of infantry to give them a looksee. To be fair and admit some bias, I have always turned my nose up at plastics and have been of the philosophy that if Im going to spend about an hour per figure (thats about what it takes me to do a 25/28 up from cleaning to flocking) that I may as well spend it on a decent figure.

Enter Perry Plastics.

I open up the box and see first that you have to put the hats on and some other minor assembly is required. There is also a small amount of flash that will need to be cleaned. Secondly, I see that the figures are limited in pose and are rather static. Thirdly, as I begin to assemble my first test fig to paint, I notice that the forage cap/Kepi does not fit well on the fig's head. Slouch hats fit okay, but the Kepi does not (admitedly a minor thing). Fourthly, I notice that the guys all have "pin heads" compared to the other ranges that I have and are noticebly smaller in style (not size, really). I already knew this from reading the reviews and seeing the discussion on anatomically correct vs. cartoony style, so Im not totally shocked. Also, the figs are rather plain, especially in the upper body & face vs. say, OG.

All in all, the Plastic figs match fine with my existing foundry and OG stock, but the small heads do bother me. Not a huge deal, really, just being picky.

But here is the big deal – I spent about $30 USD on a box of 30 plastic figures. Thats a $1 USD per fig, right? You can buy OG's all day long at $1 USD per fig, even the new 2nd ed. figs.

The OG's are more animated, have more detail (albiet the old line is fairly dirty compared to other, more expensive lines) are more durable, offer much more variety per bag/box and are the same price, and, come assembled.

So I have to ask, why would anyone buy Perry Plastics???

Why not buy OG's at the same price, for the reasons above?

Where's the beef?

I have to say I am not into gaming ACW but I would hazard a guess here based on expereience with other ranges, manufacturers as mentioned

OG does have a notariety to have some dodgy poses and rougher sculpting style (not all ranges by any means)

Perry will mix with Foundry ranges – same sculptor which a lot of gamers would nto mix companies minis so go for one stlye.

The perry stuff is new and is expanding wuite rapidly which catches any gamers eye, with lead figures being released to support the plastic range

They are by Perry – a company of Note :0)

The OG deal doesnt transfer across the pond to Europe so Old glory would equate to $1.50-$1.60 in the UK and Europe

You could reasdily play around with the plastic minis for conversions to other periods, forces etc (see the workbench for negro heads etc.

Another strain of gamer would not necessarily want lots of poses so the boxed set would cover formed units and the others in firing poses skirmishers etc

I had a similar experience to Basilhare. It should be noted as well that the new "2nd Generation" ACW figures from OG are very, very nice. I don't think you'll find "dodgy" poses any more. With regard to mixing I think the Perry plastics are very small and as you noted have grossly undersized heads (odd from the Perrys).

So like Basilhare, I've been wondering about all the excitement for 25mm plastics.

Isnt there always excitement for new figures etc good or bad and I think both sides of the coin have been discussed on lots of forums " rot" being my favourite one from the Frothers gang for anything plastic :0)

I picked up the Perry figures to convert for zombies and noted the points you chaps made however the decider was £12.00 GBP for 36 figures I can easily modify (and can peruse on all sorts of forums as the pictures abound) with a scalpel and hot pin or £22.00 GBP for 30 figures from OG which to be honest I can only think of 1 picture of 4 of the figures in march "attack" pose which did look similar to those from Perry and very nice too.

Okay, my bad…there are 36 figs per Perry box, not 30. So we have a cost of .83 cents per fig vs. OG @ $1 USD each – though if you use the army discounts you are at or below the Perry cost in the US.

I will concede the comments on conversions – I had not thought about that aspect. But this is appeals to only about 10% (or less) of your average miniature gamer base. I dont know of many gamers who do much converting.

I also had not considered the UK pricing issue, so we are saying that OG are twice as high per fig in the UK vs. Perry???

I will concede that point as well, then, but for me I think I would still pay the difference for the reasons I stated. Also, since Foundry is UK based, I think I would be more apt to look at them vs. Perry if I were in the UK….unless, I needed figs for converting…

Thank you, Basilhare, for having the courage to say what you do about the Perry figures. I agree with everything! I am a huge fan of OG's 2nd edition figures for the reasons you state, especially with my OG Army discount. I'm excited that OG are expanding the 2nd Ed ACW range later this year. Why anyone would want the Perrys is beyond me, unless you want a toy soldier look to your army.

I totally agree that the forage caps do not fit well and indeed need a bit of surgery to look just right

I found the Perry Plastics paint up quick and well – I find them good as relatively cheap filler troops to build up units – also, much easier for scratch bulding than lead

The Perrys' own ranges have moved away from the oversized heads (that they to certain extent pioneered at Foundry) to more realistic proportions, so it should not be such a shock that their platics carry on this trend. The whole size, heft and bulk of what we call "25mm" figures is mostly in the eye of the beholder; some figures some people won't want to mix in the same units, some people may not want them in the same army. Old Glory themselves seem to be convinced by the trend towards slimmer builds as their 2nd Edition ACW figures are noticably more like the Perrys' offerings and a lot less like their previous epileptic, impressionist attempts.

I'll second that. The Perry's have moved towards a more realistic proportion. They have smaller arms, smaller legs, and smaller heads. Still, I can't say I'm totally wowed by their plastic sets. But then I'm not an ACW player. On the other hand, I'm impressed with their metal ranges, especially the black militia.

I have also found that the Perry figs can be bought (with but a little bit of effort on line) for $25 USD per box which equals a bit under $70 USD cents a fig. I agree about the animation, but I mix them with OG and BH just fine.

I agree that style and types of figs are in the eye of the beholder, but unless you like plain vanilla static figures, Im still at a loss as to what the big draw of Perrys is, unless you plain on converting a whole bunch of figures.

Each to his own and I respect all of your opinions…Im just not convinced of the value, and that was the main selling point of the Plastic Range…they are supposed to be so cheap…but they're really not.

I received a box of the Perry minis as a birthday gift, and although they aren't bad, the 2nd edition OG models are by far the superior choice of the two. The Perry models take far more preparation, have almost no variety in the poses, and have a limited number of models that can be accurately used as Union and Reb soldiers.

OG has great variety of poses, better sculpting (amazingly enough), and more accurate equipment. That being said, I wouldn't touch most of OG's first edition ACW models with a ten foot pole!

I like the perry plastic, but the forage thing is abit disapointing, and on some of the figs the rifles have alsmot no details, one side of the rifle is just a plain piece of plastic.

but other then that they a good, I do buy some sash and saber to make the diffrent regimetns stand out, I might have to try the OG2 figs

I love the current releases in the new OG 2nd Generation ACW line. I love the Perery metal and plastic 25mm ACW line (even though the metals are expensive in the U.S.). I purchased the Perry plastics to give me more unique models in my units. They match up with the new OG quite well. To me it's not an either or. It's a "both" please.

"Im still at a loss as to what the big draw of Perrys is…"

Why did people follow P.T. Barnum's "This way to the Egress" sign?

Allen

I think there's the idea that plastic = wider distribution that appeals to many, myself included. I can go to my local Hobbytown and buy Perry and Warlord plastics. It may never take off, and the plastics might just sit there, but I'm glad to see someone making a go of it.

Rich

I have now painted a few Perry figures and have found that the end result looks great, I did have Renegade figures but they are now being sold.

link

so you can see am ok job.

Jules

I think that a big appeal of the plastics to me is the increased durability of them. They won't chip or scratch and the bayonets won't break off as easily as with metals.

They are easier to clean typically than metal figures as well and are faster to paint. Also the weight of the figures helps when you are carrying big armies around in 28mm.

Plastic armies don't weigh anywhere near as much as their metal counterparts. And since they won't be damaged as easily are easier to transport long distances too.

Pictors,

I agree with your points about weight and somewhat w/ cleaning (Though, I dont like the fuzzy plastic slivers that cling to the plastic after cleaning – metal just falls off after cleaning) but I disagree about the durability of the bayonets – the flimsy top part of the plastic rifle and bayonet will be every bit as breakable vs. the OG bayonets, IMHO.

Of the hundreds of OG figs that I have done up, I have had less than half dozen bayonets ever break off.

Chipping? Short of dropping your metal fig on a hard floor, I have yet to ever have a problem with metal figs chipping, if they are sealed and stored correctly…but I respect your view if your experience has been different…

Cherrypicker,

Great looking paint job – very nice!

I have some plastic figs I transport around in a bag.

If you can do that with your metal figs, no mater how well sealed, then I'll change my opinion.

Metal figs chip if they are dropped and bang against each other, not an ideal situation but it happens.

I think of the hundreds of bags of OG stuff that I have painted I have probably had very few with less than half a dozen broken bayonets in anyone bag.

Pictors,

You got me there…I dont think I would ever use a bag for anything, Plastics or Metal…but if it works for you, great.

I also have painted scores (not hundreds) of bags of OG 28's and have had very few broken bayonets in the bag. If we are talking 15's, then yes, I have had some breakage with those.

Understand that Im not saying OG is the "end all figure", just a better value if you are looking for a cheaper fig. For you, (and also convertors) it sounds like plastic works better. Great!

Basilhare,

And I'm not saying that plastic is better for everyone than metal. Some people just like metal. Since this is a aesthetic hobby rather than building a bridge people should do what they like. If you like metal better because of the heft or what have you then metal is better for you.

I'm just explaining why I like plastics better. I used to run a history club at the local school. Figures came out chipped, broken and so forth all the time.

The plastic figs I have were all sci-fi/fantasy until just recently, so they didn't suffer the same kind of punishment that the historicals did. But some of them have seen some serious hammering when they have been knocked off of tables by accident and even dropped from my back deck.

They have survived wonderfully.

The OG figs seem to vary with the range. The napoleonics seem to get broken bayonets and plumes like crazy, the WSS figures hardly any. I'm not sure what it is, but I have had plenty of them be broken when I got to them. I have yet to have any broken anything in the plastics I've done and I've painted nearly 200 of them so far.

Pictors – agreed. It's not a huge deal or an either/or proposition. To me, I just could not see much value in the plastics or what they add to the hobby. Several of you see some value and thats great. Thanks for the input!

I'll take plastics over OG metals any day. Now, if Foundry or Perry metals dropped down to the same price…

Basilhare wrote:

>I agree that style and types of figs are in the eye of the beholder, but unless you like plain vanilla static figures, Im still at a loss as to what the big draw of Perrys is, unless you plain on converting a whole bunch of figures.

Masterful! "I agree that individual taste may differ. If you like stinky cat , drink Coke. Myself, I prefer the refreshing flavour of an ice-cold Pepsi Max." ;-)

w.

Do the Perry figures have the notorious Old Glory "Hey Steve" figure? It's nice to have a "Hey Steve" guy.

Nazrat wrote: "That being said, I wouldn't touch most of OG's first edition ACW models with a ten foot pole!"

Actually, after receiving a bag of OG 2nd ed (no broken bayonets by the way), I think I like the 1st ed as well or better…I like the cartooney/exagerated look…stands out at 4'….the 2nd ed are definetly much cleaner figs though…

ExtraCrispy wrote: "With regard to mixing I think the Perry plastics are very small and as you noted have grossly undersized heads (odd from the Perrys)."

For those that have actually seen them up close, are the Perry plastics heads small as in out of scale or are they misshapen to accommodate the hats?

And I'd certainly game with you if you were using them. But -I- wouldn't buy them. (Except for casualty figures since nobody else makes such a nice variety of them)

I do understand, though-- I like the chunky, cartoony look of Britannia's 20mm stuff and many others don't. I guess it's all in what strikes your fancy.

But with OG 2nd edition are they going to release figures that are not in a marching pose? I want figures that have level weapons. It seems like everyone wants to produce them in marching pose. I also don't like plastics that Perry has. I do like their metal figures.

Yes they will have firing poses supposedly at Fall In. At least they are on 'the list' that came out at Hcon so I expect to see them very soon.

Baggy,

The heads are small compared to the other metal ranges that I have – OG 1st ed, Foundry, etc…they are not out of scale but are supposedly anatomically correct, but this makes them appear like pinheads compared to the more popular ranges.

Having said that, however, I opened my first bag (boxed set)last night of OG 2nd Ed Confedrates in marching order and just as Adster writes above, their heads are smaller than 1st ed (though not as small as Perry Plastic), so this put 2nd ed somewhere in between 1st ed and Perry Plastics…

For me and my house, I still think either 1st ed or 2nd ed OG are by far the better value…

Thanks Basilhare.

I have been very fortunate to have my mate Brian Phillips paint my Generals for me ( as a BIG favour ) link

I am now waiting for my flags to turn up from Flag Dude which I hope will add to the paint job ( best I have ever done thanks to Brian )

I have just started the casualties and will add them to the rank and file early next week.

Although I am not sure what colour to paint the Union guns.

Jules

a better link
bpfp.co.uk

Cherrypicker-- Carriages on the Union guns ranges from an olive drab color to one very similar to German Feldgrau (which is what I use).