Verlinden figures

[combatartist]

Good morning; I was wondering about not seeing many examples of Verlinden figures posted on PF. I'm working on a couple of 120mm figures which I bought years ago, and I'm not sure if there is a reason for this - maybe I'm just missing the threads.

Tony S

 

[Babelfish]

There are a few on here Tony. There's a guy in Japan (can't remember his name) who's posted up a couple of stunning 120mm Verlindens.

But the dearth of Verlinden here is probably due to the fact that (frankly) most of them are piss-poor in comparison to what's available today from the likes of Pegaso, Andrea, Alpine, Romeo and many other newer companies in terms of sculpting quality, realism and overall finesse.

That's not to say that they're all bad. Some of their 120mms are still perfectly serviceable, and Verlinden were arguably the premier name in their heyday ('80s/'90s). It's just that things in the hobby have moved on at a blistering pace in recent years, and Verlinden have simply failed to keep up. For example they're still cranking out some very strange-looking figures in gawky or stuffy poses and with manic, ape-like grins. And that's not something that the "discerning miniaturist" is going to rush to shell out his hard-earned readies on when there's such a veritable cornucopia of far superior figures available from so many other companies.

So while you might see the odd one dug out of someone's stash and painted up, I don't think they sell like hot cakes any more because guys now have much better things to throw paint at. Verlinden are no longer a go-to name, it's as simple as that. At best they're an also-ran. At least that's my take.

- Steve

 

[housecarl]

Mitsutaka Fujiwara is the Verlinden aficionado.
Carl.

 

[Ferris]

Tony,

I fully agree with Steve, but would like to emphasize that some of Verlinden's huge range still comfortably meets today's standards. It's a pity Verlinden never communicated who sculpted his figures. He obviously used several sculptors and some of them, or maybe one and the same, we'll never know, produced top notch stuff. The top figures are mainly in the older range. One example is in my vBench: the Hamburger Hill figure (1:35). But some of the early 120mm ones are equally great, for example the standing SS grenadier in camo smock, Memphis Belle crew member, etc.

I still have quite some Verlinden figures in my stash and also still buy some via eBay every now and then. But overall, I agree, Verlinden has long since moved out of the vanguard.

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[PhilinYuma]

Andrea's Figure Magazine International, #40 (last quarter of 2011), has a short interview with Francois Verlinden which implies that he makes all of his own figures, though I don't see how how he could produce 27,000 products himself in 35 years!
As for his ability, the article shows a pic of a samurai that also adorns, unattributed, the cover of John Garratt's The World Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers. It is not in the Verlinden site, and I don't know the scale, but it is one of the most impressive figures, at least in terms of detail, that I have ever seen.

 

[Meehan34]

Tony,

I fully agree with Steve, but would like to emphasize that some of Verlinden's huge range still comfortably meets today's standards. It's a pity Verlinden never communicated who sculpted his figures. He obviously used several sculptors and some of them, or maybe one and the same, we'll never know, produced top notch stuff. The top figures are mainly in the older range. One example is in my vBench: the Hamburger Hill figure (1:35). But some of the early 120mm ones are equally great, for example the standing SS grenadier in camo smock, Memphis Belle crew member, etc.

I still have quite some Verlinden figures in my stash and also still buy some via eBay every now and then. But overall, I agree, Verlinden has long since moved out of the vanguard.

Cheers,
Adrian

I think our very own Gordy used to sculpt for them.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Good question Tony. I suspect many of us wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Francois & his ability to inspire us to new levels of modelling particularly figures which were hard to come by at a reasonable price back when he began. He & later with Bob Letterman did revolutionize our hobby in many ways e.g. diorama sets, resin figures, 120mm etc. etc.
So I believe we owe him a debt of gratitude.

Having said that he also created a market, that like Steve pointed out has overtaken the company today.

Ref sculptors many of the "names" of the day started sculpting commercially with Verlinden or had the opportunity to sculpt professionally as part of the 'stable'. I agree with Adrian it would have been better if they had been acknowledged back in the day & it wasn't all about the brand. That is one thing that Andrea, Pegaso, Young etc. have improved on, so the struggling sculptor is acknowledged for their contribution & artistry.
Some sculptors of the early work included:
> Julian Hullis: early 120mm Germans. recall being shown his 120mm SS officer before release by Lynn Sangster, founder of Historex Agents & prime advocate for developing the Verlinden brand back in late 80's & 90's. I had never seen anything like it & to this day am impressed by the change it helped bring about. Julian's figures were renown for sculpting quality but early figures suffered from large hands. Went on to produce some of Poste Militaire's most classic Ancient & Medieval figures still sought after today.

>Roger Saunders - Man behind Hornet got a massive break from Verlinden although had done some remarkable work with Phoenix. Did early 54mm headsets that still pass muster today.

>Derek Hansen (RIP) - Bust maestro, who sadly passed on not able to see how the world of busts that he helped popularise see where it has got to nowadays. He also did many of the second generation large figures.

I'm sure others have also worked for Verlinden (anyone got any other names? any members involved?) that could perhaps share there tribute stories & shed light on more unsung heros - did Sid Horton of Chota Sahib? Anthony Williams of Cheshire Volunteer? I think even Gordy was tied up with sculpting for the VLS operation in the 00's.

From my perspective the hobby seemed very UK\Euro based back when Verlinden began, then VLS helped grow it further in US - just my view from the bottom of a small world which seemed so much bigger back then.

Ref the cover of John Garrett's book - I think that is actually Ray Lamb's version of the Hinchcliffe kit, unsure if he painted it. Ray was the master artisan behind Poste Militaire, a brand which has few equals in the history of our hobby IMHO.

Hope that adds a little more to this thread, look forward to reading & learning more from others.

Mike

 

[polyphemus]

That should be Derek Holmes (RIP), not Derek Hansen.
Sid Horton did many of the Napoleonic releases from early 1994 until his untimely death in 1998.

Geoff

 

[gordy]

I think our very own Gordy used to sculpt for them.

One or two!

 

[Joe Hudson]

Hey guys,

I worked there myself for a little while. The reason he does not put names on the kits, this was told to me, is that if someone really likes a product that is good but if that product was not so good then that would be a draw back to the sculptor or pattern maker. By not putting any names on the product Francois takes full responsibility for the good and all the heat for the bad. I think it was and his way of protecting all the parties involved.

Joe

 

[Jim Patrick]

Was wondering when you two would step up...

Jim Patrick

 

[combatartist]

Good morning; I was wondering about not seeing many examples of Verlinden figures posted on PF. I'm working on a couple of 120mm figures which I bought years ago, and I'm not sure if there is a reason for this - maybe I'm just missing the threads.

Tony S

Well, this was very informative and gives me a taste of the "historical evolution" of Verlinden. The knowledge base on PF is incredible and I am very appreciative for the detailed responses.

I will be posting the 120mm Verlinden AAF Pilot soon. His face looks realistic, proportions seem correct and it is just one of those figures I saw in an old brick and mortar store years ago that I just wanted - got me back in the hobby! I do agree, some of the figure faces are pretty contorted and to my uneducated eye, were all painted by the same person(?) in oils.

Thanks for the insightful responses. It's interesting to read about figure modelling in the USA.

Tony S

 

[Blind Pew]

If I'm anything to go by, I reckon many modellers owe a lot to their figure rage from the early 90s.

It's just been overtaken by other manufacturers.

A shame really as quite a few of their figures are a game of two halves. Many of them are pretty good figures, but just suffer from the 'Verlinden shoulder' or similar thing that just isn't 'quite right'...

But if you take a look at their vast range, some really do stand up today. And they all have great conversion potential.

 

[Knikki]

I have a couple of Verlinden 120mm figures that I have been doing for the past *cough* 10+ years :lol: and I really like them and even compared to some of the newer figures on the market, the pose looks ok. Well, I am not sure about the French Grenadier who does indeed look like he is grumbling.

The big thing about Verlinden was his range of after maket stuff for aircraft and armour, like storage gear on the outside of tanks, brass bits for the same things plus full detail cockpits and engines in a time when most cockpits even Hasegawa and Tamiya were not great.