"Wargames Factory Vikings" Topic

The whole benefit of hard plastic is ….

I think for a lot of 'gamers' being cheap IS the benefit of plastic, with mulitpart, at best, just being seen as means to an ends i.e. enabling the manufacturer to get acceptable quality on molding some parts.

GW's LOTR range are a good example of a sucessful plastic range which is by and large not multi-part (though no one would call them cheap either).

Not saying everyone feels like that (personally I like some variety in my units) just saying there are a lot who do.

I like plastic because I can cut it up easily. I like being able to convert all sorts of things from katana-wielding Vikings on a chariot to kopesh wielding Celts on foot (not that I'd do any of that).

Multi-part makes it easier. Having "open" hands also makes it easier, though there's the tradeoff of never having hands that look "closed" around the weapon.

M.

I came back from Christmas in England last night and the Perry WOTR infantry were waiting for me. With the posts above in mind, I put on my magnifying glasses and compared the figures with the WF Vikings.

Firstly, both sets are excellent. Even better, many parts are interchangable. You can fit Perry WOTR heads and arms on WF vikings, and vice versa.

Plastic – identical (as far as I can tell)

Mould quality – both sets are excellent. WF is fully matt whereas Perry has some shine. There is some slight flash on the Perry standard pole.

Mould lines – Perry have very few, WF virtualy none. Neither need cleaning.

Anatomy and bulk – Height is identical. Perry are slightly slimmer torsos and heads. Perry are slightly higher waisted but this is probably due to more the style of clothing.

Heads – Quality is the same. The heads are interchangable. The WF necks are longer which means some trimming/fitting is necessary. However, that also means that they are more flexible if you want different poses. The Perry necks are quite short. I may use some Viking heads on the Perry figures to give bareheaded archers and men at arms.

Chainmail – quality and definition is the same. Perry have chain right round the arm which looks better.

Hands – Perry have moulded on weapons so the hands are very nice. The open hands on the WF figures give more options but as a result do not look as nice.

Weapons – under a manifying glass, the WF weapons are more clearly defined. This is very visible on the sword scabards.

Weapons and arms are interchangable. I may use some spare Perry archer arms to make more Viking archer variants.

Regards

Mick

Thanks. I just wish Perry weren't cast with their bases intact; they're thin bases and don't look so hot next to guys on the standard gaming miniature square bases.

M.

Hi Cheomesh – Perry, Warlord, Victrix, and we here at Wargames Factory all include small integral bases on the plastic figures in most cases. Just like metal figures – you just glue them down to the base size of your choice.

Hm, I was under the impression they had rather large bases; guess that didn't make sense after all.

M.

I wasn't impressed with those Vikings when I first received them, but once I got them painted I found that they had really grown on me. They really do look pretty darn nice once they're completed. As mentioned by others, the poses are a bit awkward individually, but when they're put together as a unit they look pretty darn nice. I'll certainly pick up more of Wargames Factory's products in the future.

edit: crap. I sounded like a sock puppet.

The problems I encountered with the WF minis are very similar to those I've encountered with every multi-part plastic mini or model I've ever constructed. These Vikings are pretty darn good for 28mm plastic and their detail still beats quite a few lines of the white metal ancients that are being sold these days. Yes, the torsos look odd. Yes, the meeting of the arms and shoulders simply doesn't look quite right no matter what you do. The eyes I don't know about, because I gave up trying to paint eyeballs on anything smaller than Mt. Rushmore. But I do like these plastics, and I'll pick up more of them. Though, I'm not certain if I'll be purchasing their Romans since WG's Romans are priced competitively.

Thanks Valator – a nice review!