"Define "old School" figures." Topic

To me it is static poses. In fact, ONE pose for figure type.
A range of figures could include 2 figures. Hinchliffe Palmyrans had a cataphract and an archer. Oh, and Zenobia as a single use personality figure.
Today, you have to have at least 3 packs of 6 different figures to account for a single troop type.
At the very least, a single pack must have all figures with at least slightly different poses.

Is it yet safe to agree with OFM? This fits my definition. Add in basing in it's most basic form to complete the definition.

We play Napoleonics with a mix of old and "new" school miniatures, with many French still old school Minifigs in their regimented poses with basic painting and bases painted green, but no flocking, etc. Nostalgic, to say the least.

We play Empire, so I classify these units as Veteran or higher, never conscript or Landwher. They have survived many a battle and stand ready at any time to conquer the disorganized rabble in newer, antimated poses :-)

Hinchliffe Palmyrans had a cataphract and an archer. Oh, and Zenobia

Cataphract, foot-archer, two light cavalry, armoured camel-man. And Zenobia.

I would add that the figures have limited detail, like the Spencer Smiths figures that required you to paint on whatever details you wanted.

Any figures that are too small when placed next to their contemporaries are Old School.

@Dynaman8789

So a 30mm Spencer Smith ACW figure is too small when standing next to a Perry 28mm ACW figure?

I'll maybe haul a couple out and check.

Just checked:

30mm Spencer Smith ACW figure is 30mm from foot to top of head.

28mm Perry ACW figure is 29mm from foot to top of head.

I did choose two figures in as similar as pose as possible.

Certainly the Spencer Smith is Old School being a semi-flat figure with some painted on detail, plain green base and gloss varnished of course. The Perry is drybrushed, inked, matt varnished and has static grass and tufts on its base so cannot be considered Old School.

"Any figures that are too small when placed next to their contemporaries are Old School."

Any figures that are the correct size compared to their bloated modern counterparts.

Old School figures are also usually in a sensible range of useful poses rather being contorted into a bunch of gymnastic excesses in the name of 'variety'.

Well, apart from Airfix….

Yes, limited poses were certainly one of the hallmarks of the older figures. Simplicity of sculpt is equally important; as 79th says, the collector was allowed to add the details he wanted and leave the finicky bits off.

I actually prefer the look of the old games/figures to the new, though will play either. Two favourites:

In 45mm, Irregular's Deutsche Homage range (which is really Old School and utterly charming to boot!)
irregularminiatures.co.uk (Can't get a direct link: go to 42mm and scroll down the left sidebar)

And, in glorious 54mm, there is Dorset
dorsetsoldiers.com

I would have to agree with painting on details, because they were not sculpted on.

As a very rough and general way of looking at it, Old School are simpler, cheaper, figures designed for mass wargames and the mass effect is most important, non-Old School (New School?) figures are larger, more expensive, have exaggerated features, multiple poses per figure and designed originlly for smaller battles or skirmish scale warfare where the looks of the individual figure is more important.

"True 25mm".

15mm strip minifigs. I still prefer them to many of the newer "15mm" figures. For me, variety of poses doesnt mean better figures.

Jim gets the prize! (we all know what for)

So, are we only talking historicals, here?

No, why do you ask?

I tend to agree with GarrisonMiniatures. I know it isn't for everybody, but I >>LIKE<< the look of my Heritage Napoleonettes all in the same pose (at least within a unit). And old Essex, too (despite being a bit Gnomish!)

Now for skirmish games where each figure represents a man, then individuality makes sense and looks better.

If that's old versus new school…

No, why do you ask?

Because no one had brought them up.

With fantasy, I would sort of go with (technically) one pose per troop type, allowing for weapon-swap variants, like Heritage did on a lot of its line.

But fantasy minis were usually intended for role playing, which means greater varieties for player characters, so that complicates things a bit. A "one advancing Redcoat pose will do you" philosophy could hold up longer.

And lots of thirty-plus year-old fantasy lines were as chunky as, of not chunkier, than their modern counterparts.

On second thought, sticking with historicals makes this a lot less messy. Carry on.

Old school figures are shiny.

Gee Thanks

My pleasure old chap.

These pass for 'Old School' I am told.

link

That's picture-postcard old school!

Old school figures are shiny.

And, there you go!

Spearmen that looked like they were carrying tree trunks !

Musket armed infantry with melon shaped tumors under their arms from crapped out molds. And with same between the musket and chest.

… Flats
… Semi Rounds
… low relief sculpting
… normal anatomy
… 20mm and 30mm scales (not new-fangled scales like 15, 25, 28 or *the horror* 25/8mm lol)
… Airfix converted with plasticine and banana oil (honest kids, that was the recipe!!)

I think telegraph pole spears were really third generation (and came in with the state of the art PB range ancients figures in the early 70s) very, very old but not quite 'old school' …

Many of us still use gloss varnish but I'll concede that might be a bit OS …

Phil

Chunky, poor detail, small.

Very nice, Jim Duncan!

Love the old figures, especially strip minifigs. To me the main problem with 'new' school figures is that they are too big (15mms) and if properly painted look very alive. Look at 28mm dark ages for eg. My personal taste leans toward toy soldiers that actually look like toys, not alive little Salvador Dalis! I admire the beauty but think they are too busy. To each his own aesthetic. If I could actually paint better I would probably switch sides.

These

But a lot more of them

15mm Mike's Models

What Saber6 said. Mikes is/was my favorite miniatures manufacturer. Gosh how I wish they were still available.

Unto each generation a new "old school" definition will appear.

All very good definitions and all equally true in their way. I always think of figures made in the days before sculptors started using putties as demarking some kind of 'horizon' in the history of wargames figures. Before then sculptors soldered, carved, engraved and sometimes used wax to make their masters – and that limited the detail and affected the way some kinds of detail could be rendered – such as mail armour. After putty came along – starting with Milliput – it changed the way the models were made – not better or worse as such – just different.

Old school come in generations surely?
There are the pre Minifigs.
The Minifigs era.
The pre Essex/Irregular/Museum, Mike Models '80's

Nowadays everything seems to be resin and designed on a computer. One day soon all of my beloved metal miniatures will all be considered old school. Maybe they already are. And another thing, you young punks stay off my lawn!

For your Friday night delectation, some pics of a very large game played using a lot of old school figures, but cleverly mixed in with some new school figures pretending to be old school, and some old school figures painted as if they were new school. The mind boggles.

The Grenouissian Intermezzo, Granprix's revenge, played at Ayton last year, on my Flickr account:

link

Henry
MWBG

I consider these to be "old school" yet they are not exactly the same and have nice animation, and are relatively new sculpts. In fact I have noticed that the older figures such as Suren, Willies and that Swedish chap who's name escapes me right now did seem to have more fluidity and animation in the posing. Something that seems to be lost with the lust for being anatomically and detail correct. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people prefer newer sculpts where detail and anatomy must be as near to perfect as possible, indeed I counted myself among that number for a while.

Disclaimer: I own these molds, the figures are not available at present

So, are we only talking historicals, here?

I have fallen completely in love with older fantasy figures and set out ebay raiding parties a few years back to collect those old pre slotta gems much to the despair of "she who should be" My floorboards groan with the abundance of grenadier, early rafm and Asgard figures. Julie Guthries old sculpts have a special place in the pile of shame.

20mm or 1/72 or 1/35 or 1/32 were old school from before 1972. Then25mm. With the first innovation being 15mm. Mini fig sticks and heritage.

@Left Bank

Holger Eriksson

link

Thats him

Connoisseur is another range dating back to ye olde times that showed some really lovely fluidity

Dear List

Staddens, Surens, Scruby, Hinton Hunt, S.A.E. Holder Erickson, Spencer Smiths, a few others.

Figures are different from rules. I'd say any figure that is crudely sculpted or lack detail such as belts so that you are expected to paint them on are old school to me. Many of the fantasy figures pre-1980 fall into this category. Scrubby figures are a mixed lot. Many of his early figures would fit the category. 1st edition Minfigs as well.