Discussion : WWII : Axis or Allied ?

[Johan]

Well I don't know for sure what title I should give to this topic i'd want to discuss, but what I want to talk about is this :

recently, in plastic modelling (afv, aircraft) we do see, after many years of emphasis on Axis models, a slight move of the "gravity point" of interest towards the allied side ... modellers are now starting to "discover" the many Allied vehicles and afv's, with more and more good kits being released of U.S.A. and British tanks, trucks, guns etc.

So, I wonder : will figure makers follow this trend ? will we get figures in 1/35 AND in 1/16 (a beautiful scale) of Allied soldiers ?

... U.S. soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge ? British soldiers in 1944 from Normandy to Arnhem ?

 

[housecarl]

So, I wonder : will figure makers follow this trend ? will we get figures in 1/35 AND in 1/16 (a beautiful scale) of Allied soldiers ?

... U.S. soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge ? British soldiers in 1944 from Normandy to Arnhem ?

I really hope so,
Carl.

 

[tonydawe]

Me too.

WW2 German figures....I'm sick of them.

 

[bigtodd]

I think it cycles. but..... yes give us more allied 1/16 figures. If only S&T would start back up.

Thanks to Maurice Corry for doing some!

Todd

 

[FigureLover]

It has been my belief that figures of British, US and other personel have had quite a good representation and following, maybe not way in the past, but definately in the last one or two years, more so than AFV's and aircraft. Yes, German stuff has always been popular, and probably always will, but I think figures lead the way in showing a high representation of allied stuff. You only have to look at some of the interesting stuff that Young miniatures and Carl Reid are putting out.
If it's unique, I think we will buy and paint it!!!!
Ben

 

[stu]

Hi,

As somebody who has produced a few WW2 Germans in my time I can confirm that they are not the big sellers you all percieve, but they are constant sellers with generally no fads and no fall off.

People who like these figures are interested in the period full stop, they have a very informed knowledge of the subject matter and as such a lot of the german figures you see produced are very accurate historically. If not they just dont sell.

At present I have 2 WW2 brits to release, but its not so easy gauging interest and comments of " think" and " maybe" are not great reasons to rush it into production.

I personnally love all aspects of WW2 but sometimes the info can be a little sparse but is getting better. British soldiers during the period wore some pretty diverse stuff and thats not to mention the common wealth and allies and what they did to it.

What we as manufacturers need from you is to see if there is a genuine passion for the period and not a fad because it can be quite costly if it goes wrong. Releasing any figure can be a juggling act, dont cast enough and you get caught out(I know that one) and cast too many,,,,,,ebay.

On a more positive note I am looking and will be producing some in the next year .

Stuart

 

[gordy]

Only if they are done well will they sell.. stuff like (Machine gunner) Pacific ocean. WW2
( http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36150 )

is a great example, anything mediocre people will gravitate to the tamiya/dml sets

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Stu,

Thanks for your comments mate and I do take your point about WW2 Germans.

I suppose I am expressing a frustration that I have about the lack of representation of military subjects from the Asia-Pacific region, (not just in WW2 but WW1 and Korea) and a perception that German figures are over-represented.

What I look for in a figure (or bust) is a great character face or a great pose that expresses a strong emotion or sense of context that reflects something of the time and place. Mostly it's about capturing the face of a soldier and the "look" that expresses both the honour and the horror of war.

 

[Johan]

What we as manufacturers need from you is to see if there is a genuine passion for the period and not a fad because it can be quite costly if it goes wrong.

Stu,

for what it's worth : I am from the part of Belgium which was liberated by the British in 1944, more precisely the region liberated by the Guards Armoured Division, and I have always been interested to see models and figures of British soldiers in september 1944. I'm also interested in "Market garden".
So, again for what it's worth : I do have a genuine passion for Tommies in 1944 !
When the Hornet 1/35 scale British figures by Roger Saunders came out in the early '90ies (they're still the best !) I was very, very happy ! If a figure of that quality of a British soldier in 1944 in North-West Europe would come out in 1/16 scale, I'd be in modeller's heaven.

 

[T50]

As somebody who as produced a few WW2 Germans in my time
I can confirm that they are not the big sellers you all percieve,
but they are constant sellers with generally no fads and no fall off.

Stu, I think you nailed it perfectly! Bread and butter for people like us.

I also noticed that there has been a growing interest in Allied kits recently.
Now we have all different types of Sherman tanks in 1/35.
We also have many new Russian, Brit/CW and French kits out there.

I believe that each genre is "proportionally" represented with kits according
to its own market size and demand. Bigger market has more kits with
wider choices, smaller market has fewer kits. Don't see any problem there.

At present I have 2 WW2 brits to release, but its not so easy gauging interest,
and comments of " think" and " maybe" are not great reasons to rush it into production.

True! Comments like "it would be nice to see xxxx" are just that. They don't guarantee
a good sales number. I can say this from my own past experience. Manufacturers can
get a more accurate idea of market demand by looking at the dealers' order sheet.

 

[pmfs]

So may allied things in market today...

It is matter of taste and salesAxis/allied
I am suspect, but I think for a dealer is better for the sales the german stuff, because have more options, armour etc... how many tanks had the allies compare with germans?!
The german uniforms with all of those medals had more style than the allied ones, see the camouflages, guns etc etc
But like I wrote before, it is matter of taste.

The opposite in movies and TV fims, almost all from allied stories
As far I can rebember, films about axis we have 4/5. Das boot, The bunker, Stalingrad one with James cobburn in English etc etc...

 

[Johan]

It is matter of taste and salesAxis/allied
I am suspect, but I think for a dealer is better for the sales the german stuff, because have more options, armour etc... how many tanks had the allies compare with germans?!
The german uniforms with all of those medals had more style than the allied ones, see the camouflages, guns etc etc...

I beg to differ, Sir I explain :

The Germans indeed had some variation in their AFV arsenal, in many cases this variation was caused though by the fact that they often had to change production methods due to the Allied bombing of their factories etc. ...
The Germans did have a tendency it seems to seek for the construction of the "ultimate" invincible tank, but never succeeded in producing a great number of those heavy tanks, and on top of that these designs did have some structural shortcomings, they were not perfect.
Very important : the Germans, even until 1945, were for a large part ... an army that used HORSES to draw supply wagons, artillery etc !!! People think they had whole Divisionen of panther tanks, but that is not historically true, horses were the most common means of transportation in the German armed forces right to the end of the war. Panther tanks and King Tiger tanks were, as I said above, produced in small numbers, and quite rare on the battlefield.

So, I would say : the Allies (USA and British were completely motorized) did have a lot more tanks available than the Germans, and they did have them in some variations too. If the Germans had more variation in one and the same type of tank, that is mainly because allied bombing compelled them to change production method, not necessarily because of improvement in the design. Allied Armies were the true "Panzer" armies, and the liberation of Belgium in 1944 by the British armoured divisions and the Americans was a true example of "Blitzkrieg".

Last, I would say this : if the German "ultimate" tanks like the panther and the tiger were so good, then why haven't these designs been used as a basis to construct post-war afv's ?
You'd expect the post war German leopard tank for example to be based on the panther or tiger, wouldn't you ? Well, no way : the ancestor of the Leopard tank is ... actually the British Cromwell cruiser tank, which was a sound design it seems

 

[pmfs]

Hi Johan!

Yes, they had horses for transportation like many other armies including the allied ones but also had Halftracks, airplanes, Trains etc
With horses German 6th army reach the Russian steppes another great achievement for a nation highly organized and disciplined.
One more important thing, the Jet airplane did the allies had something like that? off course not.
Another major technological breakthrough for the future of humanity in the transport area.
Now, that you mention the phanter tank, as you know, is one of the best in the world comparing with any of the western allied armies, today the German Leopard are the number one.
Modellers like us have many much options in market both axis/allied and again like I wrote before, it is matter of taste, but the most important thing its the sales,and if you have a business what you want is sell your stuff, and the german figures and kits sells better... It is like chocolat, we have many in world, but without doubts the Belgian is the best!

Cheers,
Pedro.

 

[Johan]

... It is like chocolat, we have many in world, but without doubts the Belgian is the best!

... I totally agree !

 

[billyturnip]

One more important thing, the Jet airplane did the allies had something like that? off course not.
Another major technological breakthrough for the future of humanity in the transport area.

Cheers,
Pedro.

Actually Pedro Great Britain had Frank Whittle who invented the jet engine, admittedly at the same time as the Germans apparantly and the Gloster Meteor jet aircraft flew operationally towards the end of the war.

And our chocalate and beer's better (Just to wind Johan up )

Roger

 

[IIICorps]

...will we get figures in 1/35 AND in 1/16 (a beautiful scale) of Allied soldiers ?...... U.S. soldiers of the Battle of the Bulge ? British soldiers in 1944 from Normandy to Arnhem ?

Switch to Napoleonics.

 

[billyturnip]

Switch to Napoleonics.

and I'll bet you find a lot more French subjects than British, Portuguese, Spanish etc.

Sorry couldn't resist it

Roger

 

[Johan]

And our chocalate and beer's better (Just to wind Johan up )

Roger

... I'm enjoying a Westmalle Dubbel Trappist while I'm typing this ... hmmm

 

[Johan]

Switch to Napoleonics.

... again ??!? I just switched to WWII ?!

 

[billyturnip]

... I'm enjoying a Westmalle Dubbel Trappist while I'm typing this ... hmmm

You have just made me very jealous Johan