Mil-Art Miniature Question

[Adrien Campbell]

Hi,

I have struggled to find any commentary on the web about the quality (sculpt and casting) of the 80mm Mil-Art miniatures - so if anybody would share, greatly appreciated!

Happy New Year!

Adrien

 

[peedee]

Hi, Adrien

I have bought a few of these many years ago.

At the time they were very well cast with little flash or pitting.

Compared with today's sculpting andd resin casting, they are not quite so brilliant,
for example chain mail is not as well sculpted as it would be today.

BUT, at the price you should pay for old models on Ebay or similar......
I would not hesitate in buying them today.

I would love to know which you buy if you go for it!

Good hunting

Paul

 

[Adrien Campbell]

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for the response. I actually noticed some WW2 miniatures for sale and like the 80mm scale - if I can get one for a low price I will definitely report back.

Again, thank you!

Regards,

Adrien

 

[peedee]

Nice one Adrien!

I have Robert the Bruce on Foot in Great Helm and Cameronians WW1 in Glengarry cap yet to be painted and they look good.

Paul

 

[Foxwood Figures]

Hello All,
I guess I am biased in that, continuing our theme of buying older, out of production figure ranges and re-releasing the figures, we now own the Mil Art range of figures and vehicles - so we think that the figures are pretty good! Having said that, like all figure ranges, their are good 'uns and bad 'uns! But what most modellers don't know is that the majority of Mil Art figures were sculpted by Mike French with a smattering of early figures from Moz Corry and Carl Reid. These are some of the best sculptors around and we think that this is reflected in the quality of the figures - with those names, I think that might be enough said about the quality, but some of them are really good! What has changed is that Mil Art started when masters were made out of metal and poses tended to be quite static (although if you study paintings of many of the figures modelled, most of the poses are static too).

We are slowly re-releasing the better ones but bringing them out in resin, with just a few being left in white metal. Where appropriate, we are improving and updating the masters to make them even better. So, answering the question about quality, most are good, some are very good. And the poorer ones....we will put those to one side for the time being.

In terms of cost, we have to have all of our figures outsourced for casting so we have costs that many do not. The prices we charge cover the acquisition costs of the masters, the casting costs of the figures, marketing costs and a small profit . The costs are what they have to be to make it worthwhile for us to continue to purchase older oop figures and bringing them back to the market.

We currently have five listed on eBay, with all the others sold out over the Christmas trading period. These reflect the range from static to more dynamic poses, although many are let down by pictures of figures painted 20 years ago when painting standards were not as good as they are today - just look at the last three pictures:

100mm Roman Cavalry Officer, 5th Century A.D. - resin kit - £25 plus postage
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252226648937?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649



If anyone out there has an unmade version of the East Anglian King then please pm us here or contact us at [email protected] because our master is unusable and it would be nice to complete the range.

80mm Captain Souter 44th (Essex) Regiment Gandamak 1842 - resin kit - £22 plus postage
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252226648937?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649



Their is a second figure of a private to go with Captain Souter but we are missing his rifle. If you have this figure as an unmade kit sat in your attic then please contact us using the email address at the bottom or pm through this site.

80mm Colonel, Northamptonshire Regiment 1881 - white metal kit £15 plus postage
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252222442714?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649



80mm Sergeant, Derbyshire Reg. Crimea 1854 - white metal kit - £15 plus postage
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252222438599?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649



80mm Sergeant, Queens Own Highlanders, 1992 - white metal kit - £14 plus postage
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252222427796?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649



We will re-stock currently available figures, adding more as we progress through the year. We are also bringing out a number of Oakwood Studio 90mm figures as well as continuing to release the ex-Stormtroopers and Firing Line figures that we acquired. A number of Hearne Originals, more AQM plus a few new commissions too. All in all, a busy 2016. As for the website.....work in progress continues. Meanwhile we do offer occasional emails with current stock lists to customers who may want one. Any queries, email me on foxwoodfigures@ btinternet.com.
Regards,
Jackie
Foxwood Figures

 

[peedee]

Great news Jackie.

There are so many happy memories for many of us to attach to these figures and brands you deal with that I for one am delighted to read this post.

I hope you feel my summary of how things were was balanced I have enjoyed painting the ones I bought, and still have to complete.

Paul.

 

[Foxwood Figures]

Hello Paul,

I think your summary was quite fair and well balanced.

The truth is that some of the figures from these older ranges are simply not up to the standards produced today. But what we hoped for - and what is actually happening - is that modellers are buying them for what they are. And what they are is an enjoyable change from the complicated figures around today, many in periods not so popular with current sculptors.

We find many modellers like to buy and do our kits in between more demanding newer ones, almost as a break. One modeller described some of our figures as an enjoyable evening project. Having said that, many can be finished to a standard that is comparable to newer figures, albeit with a bit more work involved.

Most importantly of all, we enjoy hunting down, buying and then bringing these older figures back to the market. We know that we will never make as much money as commissioning new figures but we simply enjoy this side of the hobby. And that is what it is all about.

We hope you still find the odd one to tempt you Paul!

Regards,

Jackie

 

[peedee]

Hello Paul,
I think your summary was quite fair ..edit
..
We hope you still find the odd one to tempt you Paul!

Regards,

Jackie

Cheers Jackie I didn't want you to think I was going ro critiscise.
I have all manner of golden oldies in the queue to paint and I love buying bits and bobs I wanted first rime round.
so have you got the odd one to tempt me?

YOU KNOW IT

Paul.