"Elhiem Or AB Figure Waffen SS 20mm" Topic

Hello: Which company has better figures, AB or Elhiem. I'm looking to buy some Waffen SS in 20mm.

AB is generally considered the gold standard of 20mm. I mean, Steve Zaloga has used them for his dioramas!

Elhiem's castings are super clean but sculpting-wise I prefer Xan Miniatures and Battlefield Miniatures (see their Battle of the Hedgerows range).

Out of interest, is it a lack of pictures that spurred this question?

Note that none of these pictures are mine; all taken from various facebook groups (where you can find many 20mm communities):

Elhiem

AB

Battlefield

Xan

I have Elhiem modern US Marines and Iraqis and they are awesome, the only 20mm WW2 I have is from 20 years ago and they are FAA and Britannia. So I got a look at AB and they are great I just wanted opinions concerning the two.

They all have different character. It really depends on what you like working with.

As much as I love AB Napoleonics, WWII AB figures are very popular with reason but I prefer other brands. Battlefield miniatures for example.

It's really really subjective.

Here is a review I did some time ago:

link

So I got a look at AB and they are great I just wanted opinions concerning the two.

Some AB I ordered a two years ago in 2018 had a bit of flash to clean up, though I don't know if that remains the case.

Elhiem's casting quality on the other hand has been second to none in my experience.

Sculpting-wise I prefer AB, but see the remark below.

It's really really subjective.

This is exactly why I inquired after the basis of the question, as I tend to base my own purchasing decisions on pictures.

Here is a review I did some time ago:

link

Have you given up on 20mm, judging from your more recent posts?

Have you given up on 20mm, judging from your more recent posts?

Yes, pretty much. I have a lot of 15mm and 28mm. I went full 28mm with Bolt Action.

All in all, it depends very much on what people play at the club. Most popular rulesets around me are mainly for 28mm or 15mm.

If you looking to do 44/45 Waffen SS then you might want to look at our 'Pea dot' rsnge.

For ones in smocks dont forget the Xan range.( Steel 72)

'Most popular rulesets around me are mainly for 28mm or 15mm'
how can a rule set be scale specific, heard it before and each time it baffles me lol
L

Love them all – but have been really taken in by the new sculpts from Leon at Adler.

Yes, pretty much. I have a lot of 15mm and 28mm. I went full 28mm with Bolt Action.

Damned shame, because your painting rocks!

Have you seen TQD miniatures on the CP miniatures website?

Very nice looking cleanly cast figures. CP stuff is very good as well.

All good choices but my personal preference is for AB due to the realism in posing which to me sets them apart

I really like the AB and Battlefield. Just depends what you are looking for.

If I started now I would do AB in everything they have available and then supplement with Battlefield.

Best wishes for 20mm! What a great scale!!!

there are many great 20mm SS figure manufacturers
shq- small but huge range
ab, battlefield, warmodeling all go well together
cp, tqd are a bit bigger

AB and Battlefield are my most coveted. I have them for sale if you like.

100% AB every time

Simo Hayha, painted or in-painted?

unpainted

Objectively, Sergeant Majors figures are not the "best" out there, really far from it, but I love them, the poses and feel of them talk to me:

link

I have tremendous respect for Tony Barton and the wonderful AB figures he puts out there, but his 20mm don't work for me. There is some sort of mechanical precision I do not relate to. It's really about going all artsy here :) – these people are artists and it is more what talks to you, in particular on the debate of which company has "better" figures.

It's a bit like the time I bought shield decals for my Late Romans. Once they were on the figures, I hated them. They were too accurate. I had to "degrade" by adding touches of colors. In the end, the figures worked a lot better (IMO):

I painted over the decals. The decals are certainly "better" but they just didn't do it for me.

Damned shame, because your painting rocks!

Thanks Maha. The problem I have with 20mm is the same I have with 10mm. It is a bit of a "in-between" scale and I don't know much what to do with it as I have loads of 15mm and 28mm. If I want individual figures, 28mm is here, if I want teams and platoons, 15mm is here.

There are indeed lovely stuff in 20mm and I do have a lot unpainted in this scale, it's just that I don't really see (yet) a sweet spot for them.

But more power to the 20mm community, it's a hobby guys, one for everyone to enjoy in every combination of scale, army, ruleset, material and manufacturer :)

I have tremendous respect for Tony Barton and the wonderful AB figures he puts out there, but his 20mm don't work for me. There is some sort of mechanical precision I do not relate to. It's really about going all artsy here :) – these people are artists and it is more what talks to you, in particular on the debate of which company has "better" figures.

I completely agree with you! As much as I hate to see it, I actually find AB's poses a little too stiff, unlike the more "natural" feel exuded by Battlefield's superb sculpts.

By the way, I love how the original poster seems to be ignoring most of the replies. Haha!

At this point I can't decide; Battlefield, Xan, AB and Elhiem are awesome, I guess I'll just buy a little bit of all of them.

I guess I'll just buy a little bit of all of them.

Good move friend :D

Battlefield, Xan and Elhiem go well together.

-->Check also CP Models!!

Thanks everyone

I have AB miniatures and are superb, also Xan Figures and Leo Adler and all of them fits very well and all of them are very good sculpted and easy to paint.