Masterbox French Cuirassier

[polyphemus]

For some time Masterbox have shown previews of proposed kits of French Napoleonic figures including one of a French Cuirassier in a fairly static pose. This appears to have been replaced by this;

http://www.mbltd.info/3207.htm

There's no indication when these might be released.

Geoff

 

[Gra30]

That is nice
I don't really understand masterbox, they show these pieces but there is never any light to when or if they will appear .
I have given up trying to look now unless posted on here , but they look to be fabulous and would be very welcome if produced. They make historex look very dated , although they too can be made to look superb in the right hands

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Can't quite make my mind up about these ,there just seems to be something lacking.
It would be nice if someone came up with a system to bring Historex into the resin era

Ron

 

[Tecumsea]

Looks like 3 great box's in the offing. The other two are still illustrated as forth coming releases, guess we will just have to be patient

Keith

 

[mcsnead17]

I own two of the figures but the third I did not know anything about .

 

[peedee]

This box set of Polish Cuirassier and peasant girl has been flagged for about six months at least, I've been keen to have it, because I also have the print it's taken from.
All I can think is that being in the ukraine, like mini-art they are probably having difficulties they don't want to admit to.
Who knows, their other two napoleonics are really good value, and I'm happy to wait a while longer.
Hey ho !

Paul

 

[chippy]

I'll have one of those when ever they become available, this year or next year I don't mind . Masterbox may not be up to the 54 mm scale we have come to expect but are really cheap and far better than Historex ever were . I know price has not been mentioned yet but very few of their kits cost more than £12.50 so I say give them a go .
chippy

 

[peedee]

Chippy, I agree about value for money, but not the quality, (and I am a real fan of masterbox).
The figures and horses are quite small and the method of design limits somewhat the conversion potential
when compared with older historex.
The modern historex stock is softer in detail due to the age of the moulds which have
never been re-engraved in recent years.
Ron, there's plenty of Historesine figures about combining resin figures with seperate weapons and trumpets etc in plastic.
Have you tried any of those?
I still love my plastic figures and still buy airfix (whenever I see them not at stupid prices).
Paul

 

[peedee]

Oops forgot here's the original illustration:-
" A Wounded Cuirassier Asks Directions by Wojciech Kossak"
What an appropriate name !

 

[Barry King]

"Masterbox is far better than Historex ever were!!??" You must be joking. Historex is still the gold standard with respect to figures in plastic. Considering that Historex kits were created in the mid 1960's through the early 1980's, name any other manufacturer from that time that still look good by today's standards. Historex figures, if properly done look every bit as good as those offered in resin or metal. While I applaud Masterbox and their attempts to offer Napoleonic's in plastic, the reality is that they pale in comparison to what a Historex kit offers, not only in terms of detail and precision, but value as well.

 

[chippy]

Barry I will defend my statement in answer to your quote "Masterbox is far better than Historex ever were!!??" You must be joking. "
O.k I know they are not near the 1/32nd (or 54mm) we have come to expect from todays' manufacturers but just take a look at that face. You would never have got a face so detailed from Historex, also the way the cloak fits the body and falls over the mount. Lets be honest, all Historex horses seem to be of the thin Arab breed, so if you were building a model which needed a heavier mount not only would you have to build the horse out but also the saddle and adjust the figures legs. The Historex arms were never accurate in thickness to scale and the stomachs were always a little rotund. I will admit that you could do loads of conversions with Historex, in fact I still have loads of spares, which I dip into from time to time to see what I can make use of.
But on a kit basis I still would rate Masterbox for accurate anatomical proportions, I'm currently building this set of 6 figures to go into a diorama with a WW1 tank.

There are 6 individual figures, each with their own highly individual facial expressions and also slight variations in height and build, all adding to a very realistic grouping. All this for £10.50!!!
Ok conversions are harder and no spare parts, basicaly you build what you buy, but I'd still rather have a Masterbox kit than a Historex kit on my work bench today. Historex were great in their day .
chippy

 

[peedee]

I see both of your points of view here guys, but
Chippy, we never depended on using bog standard heads we all had others to swap.
Whether you added Historex spares to Airfix, or Hornet 1/32nd to historex or their nemrod heads or their expressive heads.
There were plenty to use. Also the historesine kits were a major step forward and they were of the quality you mention.
Re the horses, all you need to do is glue the horse base between the halves and fair in the neck, no problem.
HOWEVER....there's a risk of not comparing like with like.
Once master box and mini-art produced their horses,nice and chunky I admit, the hooves are so small you try drilling up into them for a metal pin mount and you really weaken them. I know, I've got'em.
The historex system was multipose simply reflecting the pattern of french uniform repetetiveness.
That decided the kit breakdown, and therefore their potential.
Since then all other kits have been as per single figures and it's not easy to swap'em about.
If you want the best of both worlds, get a few big 'uns from mini-art and swap them about.
The horses can be put into the same poses as historex/ airfix, even at 120mm, and I'm doing that now.
A standing westphalian trumpeter into 1st line lancers trumpeter 1815 charging flat out leaning into a corner.
Luvvly, and only just £20 marveloso dudes
But the moulding superiority is simply because of modern moulding technique. If historex were expanding today they would be using the talents of the current crop of sculpters like airfix did with sid horton.
I wonder if we are discussing apples and pears here instead of the same fruit?

Vive la difference,
they all look good when they are finished guys.

Paul