Recently, I have been getting back into my former hobby of collecting and painting plastic soldiers (primarily in 54/60mm scale) and as a result have decided to post some photo overviews/reviews on the sets I've been getting and painting. Each review will discuss the following characteristics of each set:
- Overview: This part of the review will discuss what each set is supposed to be a depiction of, what kinds of uniforms, weapons, and equipment they have, and which timeframe this set is suitable for; some sets might only be appropriate for a very specific campaign or scenario, while others might be appropriate for a period of several years or even decades. Inaccurate or anachronistic aspects of the set (if any) will also be discussed in this part of the review.
- Sculpting: Historic accuracy aside, how good is the sculpting of the set? How detailed is everything, and how well-rendered are things like the facial expressions, poses, etc? Are there any "design flaws" to the set that come from sculpting, like issues with balance, crew-served weapons fitting figures' hands, etc?
- Molding: How well-made is the set in terms of the material and its molding? Is there a problem with flash, are the mold halves misaligned, or is there some other problem of this nature? A well-sculpted set can be let down by poor material or manufacturing quality, while conversely a more basic set can be redeemed (to an extent) by being well-made. Also, when it comes to plastic soldiers, there are generally two types of plastic that manufacturers have to choose between: either a harder plastic that is more brittle, prone to breakage, and difficult to mold with fine details (but less susceptible to warping), or a softer plastic that can take fine details but which is more prone to warping; this part will mention which type was used.
- Packaging: What kind of packaging does the set come in? How well does it protect the product? Is it generic, or specific for that particular set? Does it come with any kind of overview or painting guide or other information? Is there any deceptive, inaccurate, or misleading aspect of the packaging?
- Selection: How many of each pose is included? How well do the figures go together as a unit? How typical or believable is the composition? A set consisting of a general, a downed pilot, and a commando on a raft (no matter how well-made it is) will inevitably suffer in this category compared to a more "basic" set that makes a convincing infantry squad or artillery crew.
- Scale: How well do the figures in this set fit in with other 54/60mm figures? I generally use an Airfix 54mm soldier as the "standard" to judge whether these figures are under-or-oversized.
- Overall: My overall thoughts on the set: I'm generally willing to forgive some quality issues or other shortcomings if the set depicts an interesting or rarely-depicted subject matter; that said, sometimes a problem in one area can bring down my opinion on the set as a whole. Also, if there are any other aspects of the set (good or bad) not covered by the above categories, here is where they will get mentioned.
As well as the review itself, I will also show painted examples of each set, and give painting advice based on my knowledge of the subject matter (corrections and additions welcome). I do not intend on giving a numbered score or letter grade to any of the sets because I don't think my opinion can be summed up in that manner, and I also don't plan on including a buy/don't buy recommendation; each review is just my thoughts on that particular set of plastic soldiers.
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