Publius Next Offering WWI Germans and Russian Figures the rumors have confirmed. Publius will be doing World War One figures. The figures will be based on their metal figure line. Each set will have six figures.
Publius Next Offering WWI Germans and Russian Figures Germans
The German soldier poses are as follows
- Officer with pistol left hand on sword
- Charging while wearing full pack
- Advancing with rifle across waist
- Ready with bayonet rifle
- Standing firing rifle
- Pointing with left hand rifle in right hand.
As you will notice the uniforms and their head gear is from the early years of the war. I like the three styes of head gear.
Publius Next Offering WWI Germans and Russian Figures Russians
The Russian soldier poses are as follows
- Russian officer legs spread pistol in his right hand
- Officer advancing pistol up in his right hand left hand on sword
- Soldier either loading or holding his bayonet rifle
- Russian soldier with automatic weapon as waist advancing
- Charging with bayonet rifle
- Cossack standing firing rifle
Likewise the uniforms are from the early part of the war. These were changed in 1908 after Russo-Japanese war. I wonder why Publius had two officers in the six poses.
Publius Next Offering WWI Germans and Russian Figures Final Thoughts
This is a period of history overlooked by plastic makers. Only Armies in Plastic and Engineer Bassevitch have done in recent times. Only Marx and Remco did World War One Germans in the past. These figures will be a welcome addition.
Note we are showing the metal version of the figures. Publius may do changes to the poses.
Update.The German set may actually be used as east front mix Austria Hungarian and German set.
The 5 pose is a Hungarian hussar.
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Well i like add with respect please and not as correction.
In vintage.
Crescent did WW ONE mounted and foot nice sets
Resiler did US mounted 1911/1918.
Starlux did WWI Germans and French as well some premium such Mokarex cover as lot in french armies least with 7 action poses very nice done plus many more in marching else poses.
Reamsa did nice action Turk WWI unique set by the way.
Dulcop did ww1 italians
Cane did WWI Besalieri and Alpini sets
On new makers.
Emhart did 4 sets recently in WW one .
New Russian maker Urgin did German s and Russians limited and costly action poses .
Heritage toy soldier(Ducote) did resin germans 1914 back in 90s in nice action poses plus a nice French Tank
But none had cover the eastern front or Balkans campaing as these.
I know I’m missing some in vintage now…
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Airfix made some nice WWI figures but never scaled them up to 1/32 scale. Too bad as their sculpting & poses are some of the best.
yes is true many HO cover the WW1 more than any ,as cheap to make tons then .
in reality was AIP the one broke the ice in this forgotten war .
too bad they stop as the machine gun,mask and winter set could /may had been a plus .
Also colonials sets too .
I been trying recreate the eastern african campaign and the amazing undefeated war rage by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck ,call the Lion of Africa and truly undefeated in the field during entire war .Challenging overwhelming odd of British Empire,Belgian and portuguese armies.
But not toy soldiers for either side right correct ever made .The Askaris i can only made then off conversion using marx marching pose from safari set .
i had try use australians head and body parts to do others ,but too much work x me.
You can read about this here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_von_Lettow-Vorbeck
You have hit on the mythical set which was once shown in an Airfix catalogue but has never been seen in real life.
The rumour mill many years ago suggested that ALL the WWI set were upgraded to 54mm size as moulds but were never produced. It’s a nice idea but no facts are available to back it up.
I think there was an Airfix catalog which listed WWI British in 1/32 scale but it was merely a typo; it should have read WWII.
The catalogue had an image of a walking WW1 British Infantryman, one of the 1/72 scale poses.
Obviously printed in error, but a little more than a typo.
The catalogue was the same year that the 1/32 scale Sherman Tank was shown but it was never produced by Airfix and only came out as a model when CTS got the use of the moulds.
This added to the rumour mill that the Ww1 British mould had been made but never produced just like the tank.
Companies will aunnounce sometimes items that they cancel for some reason. If you go into action figures there are many items never produce.
The catalog I recall maybe only had the listing & no picture but I don’t remember which year that was. I have some Airfix catalogs from back then, I’ll see if I can find it.
Last but not least
I been fascinated by the fact that so poor had been wrote in western history or film else about easter front .
The WW1 eastern front was as bloody as the west or worst ,but contrary to the main part 1915-1818 of western front and Italy campaign the eastern front battles were mostly maneuver real battle with large land taken and real tactic used implemented by both sides .The war of trenchers was much less and therefore i will call less absurd than in the west .
Germans did inflict heavy defeat to Russian in several times when russia invade east prussia in 1914,while russian did same to many Austrian armies later and surfer reverse as well.The fact he battles were far more mobil and with huge movement not static reduce the use of gas too in many action and increase the clash of more cavalry action as machine gun fix position were not so abundant expect on the mountain region campaign.
It also should notice that in the Russian allied side the SerBians,Romanians,Greecks and other fought too .While the mix many nations of austrian hungarian had a large diversity of uniforms troops as well.
Plus Bulgaria (Who ironicle mange defeat several allied British and french forces send to balkans in awesome victories)and Turkey that fought in same region as well.
The most heavy loses were by Russians ,while Germans that used the less amount troops suffer much less and Austrian empire much more.
At wargamer ,least here i had noticed they prefer the eastern front battles than bored stupid trench western front masacres to be played.
About these sets are well welcome to me but i agree both sets have two officer or least in Central powers set it has an pointing pose and one officer that reduce the quality as true action set .
Russian have two real officer in almost same pose,a waste to my view and opinion in such small choice poses set.
my thoughts.
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Now if they can be ‘convinced’ of a need for 1918 AEF vs. the Huns to be
produced…….AIP only player in plastic in 54mm ever,to my knowledge.
Been 100 years since our presence in that debacle.U.S. wise ,maybe only
TSSD (or resurgence of Conte..gasp)might do this theatre justice.
which conte would do plastic same with tssd i haven’t seen either company do anything in awhile
TSSD has run into the problem of where it is not fesible to do the 2000 plus runs. Conte has halt new production of metal and plastic due to health issues of owner. Those issues are resolved and new metal has been said but nothing in the pipeline as of yet.
contes plastic figures are unhealthy?
NOT VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT!
The sculpting is excellent as usual,
but the random mixing of head gear and poses is careless!
They should have done all 6 figures in early helmets and done another 6 in late helmets.
Rounding out the poses couldn’t hurt ether. At least include a kneeling sharp-shooting.
As for the Russians, again did the director close his eyes when he chose the poses?
NO kneeling shooting and TWO OFFICERS?! What a waste.
Who makes these lazy decisions in the case of something with so much potential?!
Here are the metal versions for comparison:
GERMAN
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Soldiers+WW+I+German+Army+Toy+soldier+54+mm+figurine+metal+sculpture&_sacat=0
RUSSIAN
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Soldiers+WW+I+Russian+Army+Toy+soldier+54+mm+figurine+metal+sculpture&_sacat=0
And here is one that did not get made into plastic:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-Soldier-Figures-1-32-WW1-Russian-Cavalry-Cuban-Cossack-Rider-54mm/282870055289?epid=679632232&hash=item41dc5e8179:g:4UAAAOSw5UZY~LeX
Publius will not do mounted poses as horse mold will even increase more cost x these.Plus they pay rights high fees x coping then too.
So any mounted is discarded in plans.
The maker of these figures are maker of historical figurines metal cast miniatures from Russia.
Most poses are done artistically not as a set and when Publius made then as set they try match as close as possible choosing best poses of the era from those individuals poses.
They are not as Plastic Platoon.EB .URGIN and others making real toy soldiers sets x their own and designed by then.
Best.
I’m Boris the Bulgar the man with the Knife,the Pride of Sofia the Taker of Life.Good gracious how spacious and deep are the cuts of Boris the Bulgar the man with the Knife.Second verse same as the first!
Why are the metal/tin less expensive on EBAY than the plastic versions? While a plastic collector I know those metal figures will last longer and may show better details via the original molds.
It doesn’t make economic sense other than using those molds are super expensive. I don’t think Bill McMasters of BMC had that problem when he used the King and Country molds for the Iwo Jima set.
I will write a n explanation on this matter soon.There is a logic on it to those making it.
Even so it is up to everyone to buy and paid x it if like.
What I will post is not defending neither opposing.
i agree plastic should be cheaper
Problem with short run figures the cost is higher due to having to replace the molds. As I have mention before the concept of doing 2000 plus runs for our hobby is done.
Read bellow pleasee.the plastic infact are cheaper in sale on these verssion.
Rest had been overexplained here.
The plastic cheap x collectors era new production is finishing.
New production are getting high price now.Even few best long run steel mold such EXF are about 5.00 per figure now.
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I have a variety of metal figures that I painted to look like plastic. You CANNOT tell the difference in appearance until you pick them up and the weight gives them away. Details are great. Conte did this with one color matching metal figures in ACW plastic sets e.g. the one armed CSW general running with the Stars and Bars. I like BOTH plastic and metal.
First the price per individual Metal figure is 9.49 or close to 10.00 per figure while the plastic are about same as a set of 5 Publius or even less.
Sample Gladiators,NORMANS ,else are 6 x 44.00 to $50.00 approx per set or max $8.33 per figure
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Collectible-Plastic-Toy-Soldiers-Publius-Gladiators-set-132/173143774418?hash=item28502c54d2:g:bzMAAOSwMXdaoPc8
So i do not see any disparity here versus metal same poses .
Now sometimes you may see dealers individual prices.
Lets not forget Publius itself do not sale direct as Plastic Platoon or EB does.
They sale to dealers and they pretty much sale around same price with some more high than others in few differences only.
Also again and again been saying these are short run very limited run mold handmade in very cheap material that last for not more than 200 to 300 sets max production and then is .
These are not industrial steel mold that cost today for a set of 8 to 10 poses from 14 to 20 000 easy or much more ,not counting artist cost design else..
These are very small enterprise by collectors makers that use limited money resource to do few sets a year using this way that is definitely the way of today best market in toy soldiers and will be .So far every russian/east european maker using this way,Replicant or now Italian maker i post here are selling theirs fine more faster than those forces to produce 3000 set per run and end with huge overstock x years to make profit and recovery.
So first for the maker on these is the importance of maker recover their own quick as they have less money ,second quality in set figures and third amount of set they do x years.
So far short run do very good above in all this over most long rung producer in most time and sets since they strat this way recently .
Last but not least Publius do not make these original metal figures they are produced by two firm ,one call Ronin Miniatures from Ukraine and other i forgot name now.
They may need ask x permission and pay rights-commission in order to copy then and do molds for plastic cloned poses.
About Bill McMasters of BMC.He did not use same metal molds to do the only figures(Pacific sets) he extract/copy from K&C.
You can not use same mold .He may had permission-license rights to copy the molds else and produce it using either making economic aluminum mold or steel mold commission someone to do x him or else.
You can see same issue in sherman (wrong copied from K&c ) and wrong scaled made versus Tiger II ,THey copied then but both come in odd scale versus each other as Sherman had some non historical errors.
Yet i do not think at all was cheap neither profit to him when he “never” did it ever again.
So i think it was very costly indeed base in fact rest of BMC are third class sculpture designs.
Again i understand the high disparity of these sets prices ,yet i always understand the maker cost and expenses here are a plus too.
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This main tin blog link give you an idea of Ronin miniatures figures made by then and other brands tha Publius uses to copy make it sets.
Please Notice that is not main maker blog site just a tin metal figurines sellers with some samples please.Scroll down and see brand producer of then
http://tin-soldiers.org/
Actually, I remember talking on the phone with Bill McMasters after I got my Iwo Jima set to thank him for such a great playset. We talked a while and he shared that he was talking with K&C about using their figures for a Battle of the Bulge playset. About a year later I talked with him again and he said he was still hoping to do a Battle of the Bulge playset, but that K&C had decided not to let him use their figures. It’s a shame, as I am sure that would have been a great playset.
BOBBYGMOORE
That was the intention of the two tank they copied for problaby.
Not doubt would had been a great playset.
Intersting enough as Pacific set figures are copies of K&C .They are only BMC in 60 mm scale.
Maybe Victory buy will in future try new figures .
Who knows.
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Bill Mcmasters had permission from King andcountry to copy the Marines and Japanese.
The story I heard from more than one source is that K & C thought that collectors would buy the vehicles and have them painted up like K & C products to use with K & C figures ,so they felt that their sales would suffer. This is the reason they decided not to let BMC have permission for another WW2 playset utilising their designs.
How accurate the story is I can’t say, I’m just passing it along.
Well looks like many got the Tiger and Amtrak painted by now then as thousand made around.
The sherman was not direct copied x some odd reason.
Collectors of metal barrely ever use any plastic to mix w metal.
They dislake plastic and barrely even use foam building at all as well going x wood , resin or else material x building s
They are deep pocket collectors not looking x bargains and cheap plastic toy to add in their collection.
I personal doubt that be a logical.
It looks very child tale to me made up and spread around.
Prices in license, permission and rental else fees may had been involved in the stop of it pretty much.
My though.
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Most likely they thought they’d just be put on a shelf to look at rather than wargames. personally, I’d mix them in with my AIP and they’d offer some nice variations.
TDBarnecut,
I think the AIRFIX catalogue is from 1980, so it might have ’18 Edition’ on the cover.
I have one somewhere but can’t remember where I put it at the moment.
Beautiful sculpting !
New Publius WW1 sets are out on sale as off now ,here is Alex from Russia direct ebay link ,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263591677534
best .
The price of the metal versions has been lowered to USD 7.00.
Still u may/will pay high shipping in metal because weight by most sellers.
The metal are the original made by metal cast figurines brand.
Best.