--- In Piquet@yahoogroups.com, "bo9493" <OmanBT@...> wrote:
>
> Ick. Aren't 10mm figures inexpensive enough?
>
> For the life of me, I don't understand the fascination with plastic
> figures. OK - maybe if you have to have Perry style at a less
> expensive price...but...
>
> I don't get it. All I can guess is that instead of 200 unpainted
> figures stored away, gamers can have 300 figures unpainted stored away.
>
> Plastic this, plastic that...it all looks like duplication of existing
> lines and periods to me.

Brent, you're too young to be talking like this. Change and new things are
always a part of
life. In this case, ACW is perfect for plastic 10s as it allows some degree of
mass for
uniforms that are, on the whole, rather nondescript anyway. You could still use
compatible metal "head of the column" figures for officers, drummers, standards,
etc.
and, properly done, could allow true Corps or army level actions at a very
reasonable cost.
(The dismal grey, khaki and brown of WWII are an even better case!)

The look of the denser regiments at 10 mm. is perfect for the large battles of
the ACW or
FPW, and they still have the ability to have a great deal more color and
character than most
would think. In these times of economic pressures a less expensive price is not
a bad
recommendation, either.

I would suggest that the likelihood of unpainted figures goes down with scale.
I suspect
that there are fewer 10s in drawers than 54s and fewer 15s than 28/30s. As for
it
duplicating existing lines and periods, this is only true if you already HAVE
the lines and
periods. For new gamers 10s offer an attractive option for big battle games.
For gamers
new to the hobby, all new figures of whatever scale are...well, NEW! They have
no great
investment in one scale or casting substance as you do in metal 28s.

I, personally, have sold all my large scales and converted to 10s, which I find
an absolutely
GREAT wargame scale. I also am very pleased with Pendraken metal figures for
several
reasons, among them are great animation and detail, and attention to some less
popular
periods I have grown to love-such as the FPW. However, I would look at plastic
ACW
Union troops for conversion to the FPW Republican French without hesitation. In
any scale,
after they're painted and mounted, there is no discernible difference except to
the
pocketbook.

I am now having some great fun with mass battles with a 2000+ figure collection
of
Imperial Period FPW troops, and a soon to be developed 1500 Republican Period
troops. I
will be expanding to Maximillian and Austro-Prussian in the next year-all 10 mm.
They
look great! I can only hope somebody adds some plastic 10s in these periods for
at least
the "rankers." I could then get to some truly BIG battles.

I don't always understand you elitist 28 mm. guys (even if I was once one of
you-though I
was younger then, and that is always a handicap). I will, however, try to not
call my
figures Nappies-even if my new granddaughter has made me more than a little
aware of
nappies.

Chacun a son gout. But some gout is truly meilleure!