Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

If you have a tank query and you can't find the answer anywhere else, post here. (TIP - Check for answers in FAQ, use the 'search' facility or even check this board before posting here).
Forum rules
If your question is electronics related please post it in one of the relevant boards here: viewforum.php?f=31
User avatar
43rdRecceReg
Major
Posts: 6295
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:38 am
Location: North West Highlands, Scotland

Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Having had a whinge lately about Tamiya providing a piece of (quality?) string lately, in several Full-Option kits (Panther, Pz IV etc.,) to simulated metal tow cables/hawsers, I thought I'd have a whinge at some crew offerings from rival manufacturers. Given that a £900 kit from Tamiya can provide string as a substitute for a metal cable, perhaps it's no surprise that a £400-500 top end Torro, Taigen and £ 300 Heng long can provide these misfits:-
This chunky Heng Long character owes more to Chairman Mao statues, than to WW2 german crewmen:
Hauptmann Mao
Hauptmann Mao
Hauptmann Von Mao.jpeg (78.84 KiB) Viewed 4018 times
It's not simply the lack of detail in these figures that irks, but it's also the case that they're not in the scale they claim to be. After all, you don't want an 8ft tall crewman on top of your prize Tamiya Or Taigen, do you? ;)
Just take a look at Heng Long's Huge Hans. There's just no way someone with his proportions could even get through the cupola into the turret or casemate. :lolno: :eh:
Heng Long's Huge Hans can't get his butt though the hatch
Heng Long's Huge Hans can't get his butt though the hatch
Thwarted, Hans has an animated discussion here with a Lamb's a*rse.
Huge Hans in an intense discussion with a Sheep's buttocks
Huge Hans in an intense discussion with a Sheep's buttocks
Here he is making the Tamiya Pz IV hatch look weeny...
Huge Hans-tries to get into a Tamiya Cupola unsuccessfully
Huge Hans-tries to get into a Tamiya Cupola unsuccessfully
Ok, Hans is meant to be holding a pet dog..the Abteilung's mascot, I expect. But it could be the Invisible woman.. :think:
Painless and his 'Crazy Joe' have slipped into legend. However, with a £200-300 tank from Taigen, you could get to meet his German cousin, 'Verrückte Josef'. :haha:
Heng Long- Taigen 'Verrückte Josef' with Hauptmann Mao and lookalike
Heng Long- Taigen 'Verrückte Josef' with Hauptmann Mao and lookalike
The point is, however, for a considerable outlay of cash, you should be able to expect better figures than these. :think: If you have seen Tom's Cromwell commander, you'll know what I mean.
The question is, then,who makes the best 1/16 scale tank crew figures? By best, I mean in kit form, or pre-painted and complete?
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
User avatar
PainlessWolf
Lieutenant-Colonel
Posts: 7399
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:09 pm
Location: Southern Colorado Rocky Mountains

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by PainlessWolf »

Good morning,
Wait til' you see what I can do with a 1/6 scale figure.! Hah! Hah! I say. ( I completely agree. I have a lot more fun painting Tamiya figures and usually wind up with a passable looking Commander or crewman. If I am being forced to tart up a HL or Taigen figure, I concentrate on the uniform and adding headset wires, etc. Not much I can do with those faces...)
regards,
Painless
...Here for the Dawn...
User avatar
43rdRecceReg
Major
Posts: 6295
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:38 am
Location: North West Highlands, Scotland

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

PainlessWolf wrote:Good morning,
Wait til' you see what I can do with a 1/6 scale figure.! Hah! Hah! I say. ( I completely agree. I have a lot more fun painting Tamiya figures and usually wind up with a passable looking Commander or crewman. If I am being forced to tart up a HL or Taigen figure, I concentrate on the uniform and adding headset wires, etc. Not much I can do with those faces...)
regards,
Painless
I've not begun to tart these freebies up yet, Painless. They're not exactly a great basis for model painting in the first place. Models with credible facial features, and anatomical dimensions don't seem to appear in 1/16th scale.
I have a Tamiya freebie, and began to paint his uniform with what they described as 'flat black'. I took 'flat' to mean 'matt'; but it's anything but matt. In fact his tunic is so shiny it could have been worn by Liberace. :lolno:
For the present, then, that commander is back in his box. At least his facial features look human. Tom's Cromwell commander looks good, but I believe he was fairly expansive and bespoke.. :think:

The image of 'Crazy Joe' in 1:6 scale really doesn't bear thinking about.. 8O :D
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
User avatar
gp100
Private
Posts: 73
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2018 11:44 am

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by gp100 »

The first time I laid my eyes on the tank commander with no legs that came with my tiger 1, I had only one thought...

Good lord.. The Germans are getting so desperate, they're sending double amputees into the war now!
I used to be indecisive. Now, I'm not sure..
User avatar
tomhugill
Captain
Posts: 4745
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:21 am

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by tomhugill »

Hey Roy,

My Cromwell commander was from forgebear and is a dgs (dgskirk on here) creation, he also does a driver figure. Price is about £20 for the commander and slightly less for the crewman. My others were from twmodelltechnik sadly no longer in business.

For general (read german) figuees alpine miniatures are the best, koleso884 (seller on eBay) has some fantastic figures at reasonable prices, heikes modellbaugasse has some lovely German and russian crew (I used the shouty one on my panther), sol models do American, IDF and German crew, their sculpts are excellent.

If you can find them the verlinden crews were ok although would represent a taller person being 120mm.
User avatar
tomhugill
Captain
Posts: 4745
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:21 am

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by tomhugill »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Tom, aren't Sol 120mm too?
Some are some are 1/16, they do a Sherman crew in both scales
User avatar
43rdRecceReg
Major
Posts: 6295
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:38 am
Location: North West Highlands, Scotland

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

tomhugill wrote:Hey Roy,

My Cromwell commander was from forgebear and is a dgs (dgskirk on here) creation, he also does a driver figure. Price is about £20 for the commander and slightly less for the crewman. My others were from twmodelltechnik sadly no longer in business.

For general (read german) figuees alpine miniatures are the best, koleso884 (seller on eBay) has some fantastic figures at reasonable prices, heikes modellbaugasse has some lovely German and russian crew (I used the shouty one on my panther), sol models do American, IDF and German crew, their sculpts are excellent.

If you can find them the verlinden crews were ok although would represent a taller person being 120mm.
Thanks, Tom for the detailed info, and I do recall a discussion now on Dean's figures. I'll certainly check Koleso884 on Ebay, as well as the other links. :thumbup:
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
User avatar
43rdRecceReg
Major
Posts: 6295
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:38 am
Location: North West Highlands, Scotland

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

I'll post a few images from the links that Tom suggested, as well as others that may emerge, so we can have a rough idea of what's around.
These are from Licmas in Germany and available on Ebay here as well.( https://heng-long-panzer.de/en/advanced ... words=long )
Panzer Kommander from Licmas tanks
Panzer Kommander from Licmas tanks
Licmas Panzer Kommander.jpg (19.21 KiB) Viewed 3903 times
Russian Commander from Licmas
Russian Commander from Licmas
Licmas Russian commander.jpg (14.96 KiB) Viewed 3903 times
Tankrider pic A
Tankrider pic A
Tankrider A.jpg (33.58 KiB) Viewed 3903 times
German Tankrider pic B
German Tankrider pic B
Tankrider b.jpg (31.63 KiB) Viewed 3903 times
All of these are a class apart from Crazy Joe and Freaky Fritz, and seem reasonable priced in around the £20+ mark, I think. The Tankriders are from Koleso884 in the Russian Federation.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
User avatar
silversurfer1947
Lieutenant
Posts: 3338
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 9:54 pm
Location: Bristol, UK

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by silversurfer1947 »

There is quite a range of figures to be found on Aliexpress though you need to trawl through. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?ca ... sin+figure
Richard
Tamiya Tiger 1, Taigen FlakPanzer IV,Torro M16 half-track, Tamiya Panther,WSN/Torro T34,Taigen M41 Bulldog,H/l/Taigen Sherman M4A3,H/L T90, Haya M3 Grant, Metal Origins 234/2 Puma, Nashorn by Alwyn. I was only going to have one tank - honest! :D
User avatar
Rad_Schuhart
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Posts: 1979
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:22 am
Location: Spanish living in Graz, Austria. Heart in UK.
Contact:

Re: Best scale tank crew figures and torsos?

Post by Rad_Schuhart »

silversurfer1947 wrote:There is quite a range of figures to be found on Aliexpress though you need to trawl through. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?ca ... sin+figure
I was going to write this link too.

the only thing I dont buy at aliexpress is the food, lol.
My RC tanks website, loads of free info for everybody:
https://radindustries.wordpress.com/
Post Reply

Return to “General Questions”