"Wargames Factory Saxons" Topic

Reviewed by Mark at CMG.
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Interesting take on the WGF models. If you ae interested in building armies at an affordable price and don't care so much about quality, these are the guys for you!

Having built a box of the Viking huscarls, the review is pretty spot-on, maybe a little harsher than I would be but definitely hits the main point (for most WGF minis) – passable for big armies and certain acceptable quality for the price.

Complaining about their too-flat-butts seems a bit nit-picky, it's not something that crossed my mind once while handling the miniatures.

Complaining about their too-flat-butts seems a bit nit-picky, it's not something that crossed my mind once while handling the miniatures.

I have some of the Vikings languishing in my basement. I think they look pretty good really. I paint a lot of 1/72 scale soft plastic figures and generally like them well enough too. I suspect the reviewer wouldn't survive the experience.

Having put together a fair number of these, I think the review was about right. Maybe even a little generous. They are cheap, but you get what you pay for. The 1/72 plastics have better variety, are easy to convert, and most companies offer far better sculpts than WGF. Plus, they are cheap as well.

Yup, but they can be made to look very good indeed – (these are the viking heads, but the bodies are the same…

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I've got a box of WGF Saxons and I've barely made a dozen of them.

In the same period of time I have made 40+ Gripping Beast Saxons, a box of Conquest Norman cavalry, several boxes of Perry WoTR / Mercenary foot and Perry Mounted MAA.

But I can't be bothered to finish putting together the WGF figures – mainly because its so hard to get figures that look OK – the arms seem to be at weird angles and one of the bodies is twisted in a strange way. There are also only 4 bodies which limits the look of the figures.

I do really like the accessory sprue and have used the heads and shields on various other bodies.

Yup, but they can be made to look very good indeed – (these are the viking heads, but the bodies are the same…

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Nice brushwork!

You get what you pay for. If you have low expectations and like junk, buy the WGF saxons and Vikings. I paint single figures and give them away. That way I feel I didn't throw my money away. They can make other people happy.

the arms seem to be at weird angles and one of the bodies is twisted in a strange way.

This! That was actually my main complaint with the set, the arms are really wonky. They're not consistent lengths, and the wrist is often twisted at a very odd angle. It's not terribly difficult to cut and reposition, but it does add more effort to models that, for me anyways, are primarily intended to fill ranks quickly and cheaply.

I think I'd probably get Gripping Beast plastics for armored troopers before buying more WGF, but I will probably get a set or two of the unarmored guys since those done exist in plastic yet from any other manufacturers (unless GB releases some by the time I'd be building that army). As Neldoreth's army shows, though, mixing manufacturers looks like it won't be a problem once they're based and painted by the same person.

Nice MS3K music.
A shout out to Brookhurst!
These are unarmoured Saxons. How long do you expect them on the table after meeting the Normans?

I agree with the review. I got some Viking Bondi and the necks are horrible.
I loved that the set contained arms for a 2 handed axe though, which meant I could equip some more Dane axes on my Gripping Beast Armoured vikings.

The Wargames Factory Samurai are much better…. except the Samurai horses…

I've used these figures and they take some work to make them look normal, very easy to get strange body poses. I prefer the Gripping Beast and Conquest plastic figures.