"Looking for Perry, Victrix & HäT side by side comparisons" Topic

Does anyone know of a side by side comparison of Perry, Victrix & HäT figures? I currently have Perry British and Victrix French and am planning on getting some Victix Highlanders but I thought it might be fun to add some Bavarians in to the fray. As HäT seems to be the only other 28mm plastics manufacturer for Napoleonics, I'd like to see a comparison before I take the plunge.

I've read the reviews but I'd like to have the photographic evidence to make the decision for myself so please don't turn this into a debate on the quality or lack of with any of these lines. Please. I'm just looking for side by side comparisons. Thanks

Take a dump next to a Victrix fig and wala your have your Hat comparison.

Really? 252 days on TMP and this is the extent of your contribution? And what does the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association have to do with this thread?

Yes indeedy.

When the models are basically a lazy scaled up version of their 1/72 scale figs with the same level of detail I quickly lose interest.

Hat = Pooh on a sprue.

Unless you're a talented painter:

TMP link

HaT seem to be more realistically proportioned than most 28mm offerings. Seems they may have read Tom Meier's Blog:

link

I think Hubbynz' review can be improved upon :o)

The 28mm French Carabiniers and Voltigeurs and the even better Bavarians are actually quite nice figures. Height-wise comparable to Perry and Victrix, but the main problem (if you choose to view it thus) is their build.

HaT sculpts their figures in more or less anatomical proportions, unlike Perry/Victrix who use the traditional wargames approach of oversized heads and hands. So the HaT figures will appear more slender.

They are also usually one- or two piece sculpts, so the detail level is somewhat less, but certainly not disturbingly so.

You can view them very well here: hat.com/Othr8/Pijl20P.html

and here

link

And of course their price can't be beat.

Hmmm, pile of poo. Well, that wrap's that up. So no need for a side by side photo.

Of course, there are some issues to consider. The HaT masters for 28's are not scaled up 1/72, but made for 28mm figures, new, not available in 1/72 (much to the disgust of us 1/72ers who would like to see them make them in god's own scale)

They are anatomically correct, so they look slim line

In the "flesh" they are really nice figures – the detail is there, but it is to scale, not over-emphasised

They are making a wide range of European powers available

They are interestingly inexpensive, so for big armies they will be incredible value of money

They will not smelll like poo does on your table, or leave brown stains.

Of course, YMMV, but the figures deserve a better look than is currently being suggested. I have some and quite like them, and their quality is improving as HaT get to grips with, for them, a new size.

I liked the Voltigeurs box. I painted ten of them, the only negative is that some of the faces were possibly casted badly as there was no noticeable relief to them, but they are worth every penny and more. I can't wait for the Bavarians and Russians.

I also like the fact that the assembly was just adding the backpack to the figures, and that's it! Loved it!

Thanks for the input so far but I'm really trying to find a side by side compaiison.

One thing about the TMP, you can always count on someone to raise the tone of the conversation. Its a magnet for asbergers suffers.

I just received a box of HäT figures in the post this morning.
They fit quite well with Alban Miniatures size wise if that's any help.

link

"They fit quite well with Alban Miniatures size wise if that's any help"
Thats the main reason why I wont buy Alban.

Thats not being negative about HaT or Alban, its just recognising that they don't match with anything else I have or anybody I know for that matter.

I think that the Barvarians look decent. Both Victrix and Perry later releases have improved in quality from their initial release, the current old guard set from Victrix is streets ahead of their first effort. However if HaT figures are compatabile with Alban you can forget putting them along side the other plastic manufactureers as they just dont look right together. That said I might do waterloo with victrix and perry and Austerlitz with HaT . . . i love plastic!

Are the HaT in hard plastic or soft plastic?

Hard. Plastic. Just like all the other hard plastic figures.

Hubbynz, you do realize that the HäT figures are all sculpted huge, then pantographed down to 1/72 molds? They can use the same masters for 1/72, 28mm, and 1/32 without sacrificing detail because the original figure is around 90mm.

Now I've taken much more time and effort to correct your misconception than you ever took conceiving it.

Now now Scott – don't feed the animals :-)

Love the site by the way (as I used to love it when you painted HaT's test shots in the old days)

Yeah, I should have known better. :-)

These look rather nice, and painted up well

link

And a really great comparison by Scott

link

I appreciate that HaT may not be everyone's favourite, but I do think they deserve a second glance. In Scott's photos they really do match up quality wise to me (although I am biased as i like HaT products).

Earth calling hubynz and his pile of doo-doo……….

Sorry guys but I'm not buying that Hat is similair quality to Victrix and Perry plastics.

I don't really care if they are more realistic in proportion that is not the issue. The issue for me is the level of detail which is where Hat falls flat on their face. The detail is very flat and poorly defined that I have only seen these figures look good by talented painters who make up for the lack of detail with their skills.

They hold up ok from distance and are probably highly suitable for someone who wants to be be able to assemble and paint their armies quickly. The last point is probably their key strength along with price and covering niche periods that haven't been strongly covered in the market yet.

If you are willing to sacrifice quality detail for a lower price and ease of assembly by all means go hat, but Victrix and Perry are as cheap as cheaps anyway.

Here are some wargame factory figures we have painted.

link

Sanath

And that is the issue – detail on a figure for display, against a wargaming piece. I think HaT will score by being significantly cheaper and easier to build (glue backpacks on) compared to say Victrix (or even trying to convert Perry's by cutting heads off at the shoulder etc).

The detail is not as well defined as the "traditional" wargaming manufacturers as it is closer to scale, but the figures I have are detailed enough to take paint well – buttons, piping, shako cords etc.

So by releasing a very large range of central European armies HaT will clearly make their own market. But it will come down to personal choice as always – some people like Front Rank, some Elite, some Foundry etc etc. But those companies do not seem to come in for the constant bashing that HaT receive. Why is that? Is it because they are "challenging" the Perry's/gods? I think Scott's photos show that they will form nice units, and so they should be welocmed to the hobby – instead, their seems to be a lot of "blow" over them and their products.

Me – I am just a happy customer (more in 1/72 actually, but have got their 28mm as well)

I wish I had read this thread earlier. I could have been £23.98 GBP richer.

Why?

I struggle to see the logic in Hats 28mm range strategy. They don't announce complete ranges, but don't fit in too well with other plastic and metal figures.

They get me all interested by announcing Prussians, then half way through the development process as I'm dusting off my credit card they forget about Nappys and put up some El Cid stuff, then with the Prussian Landwehr still hopefully in progress they stop developing the Prussians and put a load of Russians in plan. Actually, its not in plan. To be a plan there needs to be an actual date on delivery for it. For none of these is there enough to make a full army, although I guess the Russians might be versatile enough to have one uniform fit most. but even here you need loads of cannon , which they dont plan to make and would cost mucho in metal. D'oh!

I'm not buying any 28mm from Hat until I know that they aren't going to leave me in the lurch like they did with the intended and allegedly in plan SdKfz 251 Hanomag! I'll need to see at least the infantry complete. I would still need cavalry, officers and artillery in an army – and no plans of those from Hat at all.

I think that may be a common problem with any plastics range. The Perry brits appear to lack cavalry and artillery. The French are better. Victrix lack cavalry, although the Brit artillery are coming. Neither of which are good on promising/notifying delivery dates UNTIL they are actually almost available.

I think this just reflects the problems of mould making. Of course, I hope it is also to do with the fact that, as each release gets seen by the public, HaT further refine their sculpting/mould making so as to make better and better products.

I also think we may be naive if we imagine that ANY manufacturer will make everything in plastic. The Perry's will not, neither will Victrix. So maybe the real question is will a metal manufacturer make some figures to match HaT plastics? Looking at Scott MacPhee's site, the HaT already appear to be compatible with some metal ranges, so maybe that is where artillery, generals etc will come from.

Enjoy

Neither of which are good on promising/notifying delivery dates UNTIL they are actually almost available.

Which, considering all of the vagaries of (plastic) miniature design and pre-production procedure, is probably rather sensible. Especially for a small company.

It is way too easy to get burned by making optimistic promises of a delivery date. All you gain from making such promises is a risk of bad reputation. Much safer to wait until the moulds are ready and tested before starting to give any release dates.

Er, yeah. I was responding to date guy and his dig at HaT. I know it is a common "problem" of plastic production.

1369traveler.

I don't have any HAT figures but here are some side-by-side pictures of the Perry and Victrix British.

picture

Hope this helps, Michael

Thanks for that useful comparison photo, Michael.