"AB Miniatures, good or bad?" Topic

Hi,
I've just been surfing around for 20mm figures and came across the AB site. I must say the figures do look wonderful, with mostly good poses (except for one German Infantryman with a dislocated arm throwing a grenade!!!) but the prices look very steep at £1.00 GBP a figure!!! And the "Order" page seems very scary with plenty of commanding information about ringing "in the middle of our night"!!!
So, has anyone dealt with AB?(presumably so) Are they good guys to deal with? Nice figures etc? (I'm thinking mainly German here, but please chip in) And the million dollar question (for them at least :P) are they worth the price?
thanks and regards,
Pete

Too rich for me, but yes, you get what you pay for – superb figures indeed.

They look great but seem pricey for those who are unemployed. ;(

beautiful figures, totally in proportion unlike some others with big head syndrome.

I've painted a lot of ABs in my time as a commission painter (and consequently own none!) and I always found them to be lovely figures. Sometimes they were hard work, where they had a lot of equipment, but I suppose that would be true of any figure with the same equipment. The one aspect I didn't like was the eye sockets which made it difficult to paint in eyes, if you are so inclined. They still look fine without eyes put in, arguably better. Its a very minor quibble.

They do seem very expensive, but you do get what you pay for.

Although I have not ordered from them in several years (moved on from WW2 for a bit)I did recieve very good service. While I can't recall the exact timeframe I don't remember it taking an unreasonable amount of time from the point I posted my letter/order to receiving the figures in the US. All of my orders were filled properly and there was no damage to the figures.

Among the best 20mm WW2 out there. Some of the recent Warmodelling/Fantassin figures match well with AB.

Lovely figures and have never had any problems except for wanting more. However have not ordered for some time as have moved away from WWII for a few other projects. Always waiting to see what new releases may turn up,

Tally Ho!

Recommended, and not over-priced for the detail sculpted on the minis.

They're accurately proportioned sculpts with a wonderful sense of movement, realistic poise and balance.
It even looks as if the weapons they're carrying have a beleivable weight and heft to them.

Casting quality is outstanding, sharp definition even on small details, very little flash & no mould lines to speak of. I've never had a duff casting.

All the orders I've placed have been correct and never late. (I wouldn't say 'fast' because there are the likes of Museum & Irregular who set the benchmark by means of teleportation!)

They may seem pricy on the page, but it does seem absolutely worth it when you're admiring them in your hand.

Fantastic figures, a great team, but somewhat short staffed at times, so service may not be as rapid as some, but worth the wait IMHO…

I very much like AB products. They are fun to paint. This is not always the case with 20mm.

That Steve Zaloga frequently uses them for his dioramas should be enough to vouch for them (check out the "small scale" and "diorama" galleries over at missing-lynx).

Amazing figures, worth the cost.

Some of the best 20mm metal figures on the market.

at 1 quid a fig id want them to be perfect, and they aint, though they are very nice and the ranges are vast I found many of mine were quite rough and some of the equipment seemed to be blended into the uniform rather than sitting crisp and clear on top.

Very nice figures that are close to being as good as the best plastics. Which cost a lot less.

Greetings,

I was under the impression AB did moderns as well, but alas I have been unable locate such. Can some one point me to a website that carries their modern line. (that or tell me I'm crazy and they don't make moderns; in which case I'll stop looking.)

Thanks,

HostileContact

Nope, no moderns from AB. Perhaps you are thinking of Liberation minis? This does not necessarily mean you are crazy, but then again, it doesn't prove you aren't either…

:-)

Ok. well that helps.

As far as the crazy thing; I work in Information Technology (IT), you got to be crazy to do that.

HostileContact

Hi.

I just got a small order in from AB. I'm in Canada and I faxed in my order on a Saturday. I received them in nine days.

I been hearing a lot about how good these figures are and to my eye they do look very nice.

If interested, please check out the following;
link
and click on "British" on the left.
That will take you to some pictures of British BLA02 that I have posted on PhotoBucket. I hope to have the German WH02 posted soon.
For comparison, I used a Revell Cromwell tank as a back drop and posed Revell's and Valliant's WW2 British Infantry as well.
I sanded the bottoms of the bases flat and only had to straighten a few barrels out.

Hope this helps, Michael in Abbotsford

You get what you pay for: I.e. They are about the most expensive and about the best.
As far as the German ranges are concerned (which the original poster was into), there is plenty of oportunity to mix their ranges (unless you are extremely anal) so, a lot of the SS figs will do for smocky whermact types and the DAK crew figures are great for any summery types (just paint them field grey). Etc, etc..
As for AB's order policy, well, would you want some foriegner ringing up at 4.00am saying he wanted to order toy soldiers?
Lots of pics of AB here:
itinerantwargamer.blogspot.com

If the photos I've been seing of them are any indication, they seem to be the best 20mm figures that money can buy, by far.

My only gripe with them is that they don't make Russian infantry (although they do have some fantastic tank crew), at least not yet.

Does anyone know if they have any plans?

Nothing has ever been mentioned, and their ranges have had relatively few additions for 4 or 5 years, I think its highly unlikely…send them an e-mail asking them, they are a nice bunch.

I still find the title of this thread amusing: "good or bad?" That's like asking "Rolls Royce: Good or Bad?" As stated many times, AB are among the best 20mm figures out there, but they are expensive. A better question would be: "AB Figures: Worth the money?" Then we get into highly personal and subjective territory, but that's what this forum excels at exploring.

I still find the title of this thread amusing: "good or bad?" That's like asking "Rolls Royce: Good or Bad?"

Well, to be fair, we'll have to assume that the OP had never heard of them, and being new to TMP, didn't read through any reviews regarding them.

But in counterpoint, I believe that the pictures on AB Figures' website speak for themselves.

I've never seen a AB Figures model in person, but I can tell just by looking at the pictures (and comparing it against other offerings such as SHQ) that they're simply the best.

Agreed.

Wow. I'd never taken note of the name AB miniatures. They are some superb looking figures. Just what I need, another scale for WWII! Thanks a lot.

Jim

Like everyone has said, AB are expensive (and not always easy to get) but very nice figures. That said, there are some downsides to watchout for, namely not all of the figures are the same size and scale. The main problem lies in some of the vehicle crews, which vary in size. Yet overall the AB figs are pretty wonderful.