"FoB vs PSC vs Battlefront/FOW comparison" Topic

Hello

For those of you who have tons of experience playing/building in 15mm can you enlighten me as to which of these 3 brands you prefer the most? Maybe a pro's/con's of each?

Thank you!

FoB(?????) or FiB (Forged in Battle)?

PSC are good, solid, go together well and are priced reasonably, they need some sprucing up to make them interesting (like most tank models). Plastic FoW/Battlefront are made of a more solid plastic, well detailed, a little more expensive but often come with other options (M4A3's have both 75 and the 76mm turret) and often magnets/decals. Resin FoW cover a huge range, are sometimes misshapen and are more expensive than plastics. Zvesda (I know they weren't in the list) are cheap, go together ok (with practice and a little bravery) and have some things not available elsewhere. My opinion only :)

I think he meant Forged in Battle!

My local hobby store has a few fellas that bought some Pz IV's and they look nicer than Battlefronts stuff. Battlefront, imo, look worse than the other options.

Are you aware of the sadly not updated anymore but sorely missed Nordalia website?

link

My favourite feature were the "firefights". They compare all the manufacturers' models of a specific type, like the all the different Panther Ausf D out there, to each other.

Unfortunately PSC did not exist at the time. But they do cover one outstanding 15mm manufacturer that you missed – Peter Pig. And Old Glory (AKA Command Decision).

For me, Peter Pig would be my first choice, but between the three you mention, I like FiB's armour and Battlefront's infantry.

Battlefront's plastics beat PSC because of the one piece tracks – PSC tracks are a pain in the behind in 15mm and even if you can get the pieces to join accurately there's still a loss of detail on the curved areas. Battlefront's tracks have excellent detail all round. PSC don't give you any decals either so you would have to source separately (Dom's Decals are excellent) – but they have a wider range of plastics currently.

I'm not sold on 15mm plastic infantry – too many flat areas from mould limitations, Skytrex Command Decision metals are very nice.

Later PSC tracks are single piece, I recommend all of their models highly – if PSC makes it I buy it. BF may have decals and other items included but they more than charge for it too.

I agree on PSC plus with careful shopping they cost roughly half the BF ones. And, as mentioned, they also have gone to one piece tracks though I didnt have too much of an issue with the two piece ones.

I have a comparison of a number of models on my site including Peter Pig

link

Currently only Panzer IV, StuG G, Sd Kfz 251, and some Shermans.

I love PSC, Peter Pig and Battlefront plastic! Problem is, they ain't necessarily compatible size wise. For example the PSC T34 is decidedly smaller by a couple of mil in all directions than the Battlefront plastic. The difference however is not so noticeable with the Panther, so seeing them side by side is a must before splurging. Model Dads video reviews on UTube are invaluable in this regard.

The PSC T-34 is slightly smaller than other 15mm T-34s, not entirely sure why but it was their first kit and I think that all the subsequent models are pretty much the same length and width as BF if not the same height but BF will deny till the cows come home that they make their models over tall.

How do the PSC figures match up to the BF ones? Can I mix and match German figures?

Furgie

PSC are a bit bulkier and a bit taller, but should mix in ok with FOW plastic infantry.

If it's available in PSC, then I buy it from them. The kits are clean & go together quickly. You can buy most Zvezda sets from PSC, too. Although the FOW models might have more detail, I don't worry about that when I need 6-12 tanks to fit out a company.

FOW is my first choice for those hard to find models. I also prefer their artillery since they come with bases & crews (and lately it seems PSC has scrubbed guns from their web site). Most of my infantry are FOW also, since I play FOW rules and they typically come with the right number & assortment to fit out a platoon. Although, PSC support weapons seem to make it easier to find light mortars for some reason.

I delve into Forged in Battle when I need multiples of models I'd usually buy from FOW. For example, I needed 8 HMG stands and both companies sold them in packs of 4, so I bought one pack from each.