Ranking Plastic French Infantry Sets Worst to Best

[@213thAIB]

I’m so old that I remember the unbridled excitement when Airfix came out with its Napoleonic line in the 70s. I still have them.

[@MaisieMaesMovies]

Great little channel. I haven’t gamed 4 decades but watching these vids reminds me of the joy of painting something other than houses....May the gods of the algorithm bestow it’s bounty to you

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

Haha, thanks man! And remember, unlike their commanders, the minis don't age if you get back into it!

[@rettson22]

the Perry 1807-1814 is my personal favourite/ best sculpted miniatures with a lot of options

[@SirHector1999]

As someone just starting napoleonic wargaming, this series is going to really help! I really appreciate all your insights, and you really are making a huge difference!

[@realitycheckreally8412]

Beauty of the plastics is the ability to combine the different manufacturers kits..

[@collin4592]

In 2019 I started my foray into Napoleonics, and I bought the Warlord French infantry from a local gaming store. After I opened it, I shoved it all back in the box and sold it on ebay. I then used the money to buy a bunch of AB’s. I have not looked back.

[@samb2052]

AB is definitely the way to go. Not only are the sculpts second to none, but gaming in 15/18mm gives you a lot more real estate on a gaming table.

[@collin4592]

@@samb2052 As does 6mm, which I may do for the same campaign, then use 18mm for skirmish and Brigade minus size battles, and 6mm for Division plus.

[@alwayswearblack2840]

Thanks you so much for shouting out the action poseabílity of the 3rd placed perry minis. Im not really a napoleonics player, but the glory of your folks' minis cannot be denied. Ive had a terrible time navigating endless sprues of guys just marching though.

[@newc1236]

Great and thorough break down. Very much enjoyed this. Couple of observations. 1. Value/rank of sets may also shift once you start to combo them. Like you, I'm a huge fan of the Perry's FN260, elites - probably my favorite set of all time. Per sprue, you get 10 heads for 5 figures - and what heads! I use the extra heads to kit out the Warlord minis you have in spot 9, the new castings of which are superb and actually better than the plastic and precision on my 2009 sets of the Perry FN100 (which you have in first spot). Put side by side, the early Warlord French bodies actually work much better with Perry, once they're all on FN260 heads, than later Warlord sets. That's why the value of the earlier Warlord set is so much higher - I use it to kit out my line units baesd on the FN260 sprues. I'd be greatly interested to see a video where you explain how you mix and mash your own sets, since that was omitted in this video for the most part, and it greatly changes the relative value of the sets. 2. I think aesthetics and uniform style play a huge role, and people may value sets differently than how you line them up in this video. French infantry had the most flamboyant and aesthetically stunning uniforms of any army ever. Hiding that all under a greycoat and covered shako's may make for faster painting, but it also removes all the pretty colors. I agree with you on the very quality of the Warlord 1815 figures (which you have in spots 2 and 4 - as you say, it's really the same sprue, command aside), but if you watch the 1970 Waterloo, lines of grey coats is not the aesthetic that made Waterloo so cinematic. I think soldiers in grey overcoats have a place of course - e.g. they might work superbly for a Russian campaign , so I'm tempted to use those 1815 body kits in conjunction with bearskins, just not for Waterloo.

[@josephwalukonis9934]

I think all of the sets are OK. The only problem I had was that the early Victrix sets were very brittle. It was very easy to break the muskets and or bayonets cutting them from the sprues. I really like the Warlord Games late war line and light infantry sets - greatcoats are easy to paint and the march attack pose is the most useful. Thank you for your video.

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

Absolutely. I was thinking this morning I should have included a caveat saying they're all good minis, no one should feel bad if they bought the 'wrong' ones. I'll deffo add that to my british video

[@WargamingHistory]

Loved it, a big fan of the warlord in great coats, I am thinking about the 1800 period period Victrix next

[@donrichterjunior]

I really love the early war french from victrix! They look SOOOO good with the new vallejo contrast! I painted some like the early war swiss and are simply beautiful

[@MattVarnish1103]

Lovely review and I have more than half of these as my collection is eclectic. Your reasons for LOVING your number 1 pick is why I hate them.. the mix between great coats and regular uniforms... I also find that while its nice having the 6 extra skirmishers, nowadays you can just use that other box with the dynamic poses and the regular marching poses from the 2nd box. I can't wait for you to do the Cavalry and Artillery for the french, as there are less kits perhaps consider doing both Cav and Artillery in the same review? That way the French Army is done and you can move on to the 'Ros-beefe' Brits :)

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@@MattVarnish1103 that's absolutely legit! A good point about the Brits, I might do inf and cav in the same video. For a sneak peak on the Victrix artillery...yes. just yes. It's a fantastic set!

[@darrinstanaway8943]

Great run through of what's what and your honest opion on them was interesting watch and great to figure out were and what figures would be best value sculpts and ease to assemble

[@namacron4357]

Thanks for the guide. Very helpful.

[@Mittens_Gaming]

For me the Perry's are hard to beat for the French, and make up the majority of my figures. I like a lot of Victrix figures, and they have some stuff the Perry's don't, so I have some, but I love the Perry's. Victrix does a lot of good kits though, even if their infantry are not their best. Amazing deal though. I like a lot of warlord figures, but personally I do not really care for their French infantry, though the great coat guys do paint up quick I suppose. Warlord seems to also be the most expensive.

[@ВолодимирКурченко-п9ц]

omg, same here. i cannot get enough of those 1812-1815 boxes, absolutely #1 for me. and i make my battalions of 6 bases of 4 (due to space, table, etc.) and it is perfect since i can make those in coats into separate battalions. and skirmishers are fantastic still.

[@Neal_Flores]

I love the new Perry 1807 - 1814 boxset, but it’s too hard for me to paint up. I already ruined 2 sets of infantry trying to get the white highlights just right. I ordered a box of the old 1812 - 1815 minis, maybe one day I’ll go and have a crack at the 1807 box again.

[@andreasolsoon3643]

I must say that the Perry mid-war set got misstreated here 😉 Thanks for a great episode.👍🏻

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@andreasolsoon3643 haha. I knew it was a spicy take! They're still great minis, my Vistula legion are converted from them. Where would they be in your listing?

[@andreasolsoon3643]

I really like your arguments and after all it is a hobby. I am a hopeless uncurable Perry fanboy. For me that set would be no 1 since I think that the set are the best sculpts and it is usable for the earlier period as well (you need to buy the metal heads though). Perry are generally good at capturing motion.

[@ivvan497]

Hahaha what a coincidence. I wanted to start collecting minis and ordered precisely the no.1 French Line 1812-15. Good to hear that I picked the best one :)

[@basement1908]

Thanks as always, Tim! You are awesome! My favorite set is the Perry French Infantry 1807-1814. It would be my number 1 by a mile. Have a great week 👍

[@SemperSometimesProductions]

man and im over here using hat, italeri, zvezda, strelettez 🙃 thats what i thought the video was going to be about. but never the less a fantastic video, i mean you get what you pay for.

[@OneofInfinity.]

Perry's and Victrix for me, Perry's got lots of extras on their sprues and they fit great on the older Victrix Nappies.

[@variancehammer246]

The Perry Elite kit, as you mentioned, is *perfect* for Silver Bayonet.

[@alanscouser]

The only thing I hated about the Airfix plastic figures was that the paint was liable to flake off very easily - annoyingly sapping your enthusiasm to paint any more. Even applying Unibond didn't alleviate the problem much.

[@stephenmarsh8821]

STL files from Piano Wargames is the way to go. The quality of Resin has improved from the early days of brittle resins.

[@basicminiaturepainting]

Really enjoyed this alot great run down

[@jeromekammerer4733]

Very nice video ! I've been wondering wich is the more interesting to take a box just for making a skirmishing game. Will you do a video on how to play Prussian? I'm quiet curious about how you think of them on the table.

[@ancientalex4512]

Great review! The Warlord late light infantry was a new one for me. For a hybrid for early infantry, Perry Miniatures have metal heads for fusiliers and elite companies (FN236 and FN237) for 1805-1809, compatible with their 1807-14 box. Have you seen them in the "flesh" as it were, and would you consider them worth buying?

[@dinoknight6538]

9:50 I really want to know what in heck was going through Stallard's brain when he signed off on those first early french. Just wacky on all counts. Not to mention you end up with far too few flank companies as well.

[@VioletMoonMediaWargames]

Interesting..... Hat Industries do 5 28mm French kits.... Voltigeurs, chasseurs, carabiniers, and 2 light infantry.

[@olafsson6431]

Great vid. I always wanted a series focusing on comparing sets and producers. Bravo! However there are some Pedantic points id like to raise purely for the sake of discussion. Personally I dont fully agree on placing the victrix line behind the warlords. If the action poses are too fiddly then you can just make them march attack like the warlords one. (and even if you do the set provides the means to customize them to prevent repetition without being too ''dramatic''.). Also the heads are EXTREMELY nice even if a good part of the bodies are ''aged''. What ruins them for me are the bodies with weird bulges in the crotch area and the muskets (the bands are awful and the bayonets are too fragile and placed underneath the barrel). The perries mid-war are just so much more beautiful that they deserved better (not necessarily 1st.). I agree with what youve said however imo details are far more important. Also they are the only ones with natural poses. By far the most aesthetically pleasing. Placing the early war victrix line higher only because nobody does them is strange to me. Couldnt the same be said about victrix guard or Bardin perries? Also the Warlords line being lower than the lights because of the metal commands. At what point the set is no longer plastic? Is it supposed to be ''all in one box''? Because then you could include metal battalions ''all in one box''. Im raising this issue because you could just buy the Perry metal bicorn heads (which are gorgeous) and make some really nice early war infantry. No need to be dependent on victrix.

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@olafsson6431 all absolutely fair points! To be honest the whole thing is a bit of an angels dancing on the head of a pin exercise! It is fun though! Glad you enjoyed the discussion though, what would be your top 3?

[@olafsson6431]

​@@NapoleonicWargaming 1. Perry elite companies (hands down my favourite kit ever. I like action poses more.) 2. Perry Bardin 3. Victrix mid war infantry First two for the same reasons youve stated and the victrix ones because i love customization and certain details (faces, hats, knapsacks). Not all poses are great with the victrix ones but some of them make for really dramatic and stunning miniatures. Made a grenadier throwing muskets like javelins for a mate of mine.

[@johnrohde5510]

I've just made up a Marine Artillery brigade (battalion size for most but this is Volley and Bayonet). The generic heads make them useful for any Legere, Line flankers, Marine Artillery and plenty else. I get your argument re the lovely Middle Guard Shakos but they still have their distinctive epaulettes.

[@e-4airman124]

thank you you are so smart

[@TwisstedSage]

Came in a bit late, as per usual, so didn't get to comment during the live feed. Nevertheless, found this episode highly useful for future projects. Also wanted to comment that the early war figures from Victrix have been "out of stock" for months now. I left more than one "NOTIFY ME" with email when they become available but haven't checked back with them in some time. I'm hoping this was due to a revamp of the molds as the details on the figures I had were getting more than a little indistinct & soft.Sounds like your health has been regained which I was glad to hear. Hope the recent change in government will provide NHS with appropriate funding = staffing = hopefully less stress on you. Reference to last Wed. video, you voiced a desire for Mameluke Guard models, you should really checkout BRIGADE GAMES, BG-NFR260, NFR261, NFR 262. Only 9 figures to choose from & 3 of them command but gorgeous, and if each represents 20 thats 180 Mammylooks and I doubt the unit had so many, most of the time. Of course, then you'll have to pay the outrageous shipping, welcome to my world ! Cheers & stay well.

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@TwisstedSage thanks man! Feeling a little better, though the first half an hour after I wake up sees me making some strange noises in my lungs! I did see they were out of stock, didn't realise they had been for a while though, that's a real shame. Just remind me, where are you based? I've seen a couple of sellers, one in thr UK, one in Europe that say they have them in stock...

[@TwisstedSage]

@@NapoleonicWargaming Yea mon General, welcome to summer pollen. Woke up a couple of days ago from a suffocation dream & my sinuses totally closed up. Hope you'll clear up soon. I'm in the heart of Texas, Austin TX. Always appreciate info on alternative mini sources. No worries really, like most of us I have figures stacked up into the next life time and can't paint, convert and sculpt fast enough as it is. I do love those bicorned Frenchies though. Thanks for all you do, get better soon. Hugs.

[@ianCarroll-v9q]

100% agree about the warlord officer....too small, badly sculpted and very odd looking. Binned him and got a perry's officer.

[@Rusty_Gold85]

Pity I cant find my excel file I made a list of all the manufacturers in a matrix of all what that company made for what Army. Its on a couple of Black Powder FB pages group files

[@rcspaintserviceandgaming]

have you made one with British figures?

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@@rcspaintserviceandgaming not yet!

[@e-4airman124]

does plastic soldier review help?

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

@e-4airman124 it's a fantastic website (honestly I can't say that enough, it's great) but it only deals with 20mm (1/72 scale) minis, not thr 28mm ones we looked at here. But yeah, it's a frequent visit for me!

[@SirHector1999]

42:40

[@Chrisbo123]

#10 in box was the first victrix set i ever got…ruined the company for me for a couple of years; never seen such a horrible box; later ones are much nicer though!