Figures,figures, everywhere

[eastcoast]

Does anyone know how or who makes a very inexpensive
figure pack, all of the same pose ??? I am wanting to create
a Military Basic Training scene and need about 100 figures,
all standing erect in a formation or doing the same thing such
as push-ups or running . Any Ideas ??

[Big_Boy_4005]

My suggestion would be to cast your own. You will have to make 2 molds in the process. Find one you like, make a mold and run 10. Then take the 10, and make the second mold, and run it 10 times. Then you can go into business.[8D]

Sorry, actually you can't go into business, unless you create the original.

[Anonymous]

Look into the KIBRI line of products.
The figures are very cheap and look
cheap. If they are on the ground you
do not need to worry about seeing a
face anyway. You can get several packages
of 30 for a low price.

[Anonymous]

You might try posting this question on Fine Scale Modeler (FSM) forum. They have a forum "Figures and Misc." for Military and other scale figures.

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/default.asp?CAT_ID=3

[orsonroy]

Preiser makes several packs of unpainted WWII figures which might be useful. Most sets are of German troops, but they also make some US. The problem with Preiser figures is that they come in lots of poses.

Another option would be to check out various wargaming miniature manufacturers. Some N scale and 1/100 WWII American troops are made, but your best bet would be to look for what's called 15mm, which is roughly 1/95th scale.

[lupo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

My suggestion would be to cast your own. You will have to make 2 molds in the process. Find one you like, make a mold and run 10. Then take the 10, and make the second mold, and run it 10 times. Then you can go into business.[8D]

Sorry, actually you can't go into business, unless you create the original.

Good idea bb4005!
I have seen moulds being made from walls to reproduce structures, they made casts with hydrocal , could you use that for figures as well, or is it too fragile ?

[Big_Boy_4005]

There are a number of different kinds of rubber molding compounds, all with different properties. There have been a few articles in the train magazines over the years, but it may be easier to grab the yellow pages and find a supplier near you and call or go there to learn more. There are also a lot of different materials that you can use to pour into the molds, including a number of resins or even low temperature metals. My local supplier handles all of those things and even sells hydrocal, I guess I'm just lucky.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy
your best bet would be to look for what's called 15mm, which is roughly 1/95th scale.

actually 22mm is closer to HO scale, but 20mm will do in a pinch.

Jay

[Anonymous]

When you look into the military miniatures, you need to be very careful about scale. In fact, its been a recurring gripe of that crowd that manufacturers use a simple MM measure instead of a scale. Historically, each manufacturer deliberately scaled out their lines slightly differently, in the hope of locking customers into a particular supplier. You will find, for example, that in practice the moniker "25mm" covers figures that scale out to from 72:1 all the way down to about 56:1. In general they are closer to S scale than HO, and are all very, very noticeably larger than HO. The 15mm actually tend to be more uniform in scale but are noticeably smaller than HO. 20mm will be the closest you'll get (there are no manufacturers of 22mm) but unfortunately is the least supported of the common scales in military miniatures. Any reputable supplier will tell you, upon being asked, the actual size of the figures in millimeters and you can scale them out for yourself before ordering any.

[orsonroy]

The problem is that most 20mm WWII stuff is actually 1/76th scale. At least, everything I have that's 20mm is. 20mm is just about a dead scale in wargaming anyway, since most gamers have either gone to 15mm or 25mm for WWII.

Lots of 15mm figures are actually too 'fat" to really be 15mm. Problem is that they're not tall enough to be 20mm. And yeah, the newest, biggest lines of 15mm WWII (Old Glory, especially) really is noticeably smaller than HO. Your best bet is to look through what Preiser's got first, unless you're going to have the PT course in the background, where 15mm figures won't be as noticeable.