Which to buy?

[gnomesofzurich]

Well, I'm looking at various ranges of vehicles to buy, but I am undecided which to go with.

To start, I'm looking to get a M2 Half Track (actually M3, since I can't find any M2s).

The models that I have identified and are under consideration include:
Black Tree Designs 1:48 scale www.blacktreedesign.com/northamerica/product.php?productid=25072&cat=2551&page=1
Brigade Games 1:50 scale www.brigadegames.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BG-PWAV18&Store_Code=BGAHSL
Corgi 1:50 scale www.aikensairplanes.com/corgi/us60401.htm
Bolt Actions Miniatures 1:56 scale shop.warlordgames.co.uk/m3-halftrack-1090-p.asp
West Wind Productions 1:60 scale www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_118&products_id=172

If anyone has experience with some or all of the above, please let me know what you think scales best with Darkson figures. I am considering picking up some Tamiya kits, but as they don't make an M2 (M3) Half Track, I'm looking at other sources, so how the model would scale with Tamiya could also be a factor in my decision.

Reading the forum, the sense I've got is that most people prefer the 1:48 scale Tamiya kits, but that Darkson's 28mm, realistic-proportioned figures would be more in the range of 1:64. Would it be better to go with something closer to 1:64 (like the West Wind M3), something at the 1:48 scale, or somewhere in between?

Also, as I understand it, the M2 is a bit smaller version of the M3, so even if going for the 1:48 to 1:50 scale would normally make sense, would it be good to go with a smaller scale for this model so that it is closer to the size of a M2 relative to the figures?

Sorry if the above is a bit rambling and confused sounding. I'm still trying to sort out the various scales and how they vary between manufacturers.

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

[mkcontra]

I've been nothing but impressed w/ Bolt-Action.

[Darkson]

I picked up the Corgi as they are close to the same price and already built, painted, and diecast. . More time to spend painting my miniatures.

[CmdrKiley]

I've got a number of plastic kits from Tamiya, Bandai and Hobby Boss.

[grumpysmurf]

Bolt Action are really nice, I would stay away from Black Tree as they have a consistent run of never filling paid orders. Hit TMP on this one and read all the horror stories

[severedirkitis]

Company B has outstanding models - bought a M3 Half-track recently and love it. I will probably buy all future vehicle models from them if they're available.

Grumpy's right - stay away from BTD. I personally had an issue with them, of course I didn't see the horror stories on TMP until after I had placed my order.

[gnomesofzurich]

Thanks for the opinions. I like the look of Bolt Action Miniatures, I just wasn't sure if the scale difference was a big deal. The Corgi of course is also appealing, but a bit more expensive (at least where I've been able to find them). If anyone knows of a place to buy the Corgi models for a reasonable price (and half-decent shipping to Canada), I'd be interested in that.

My US Army Cavalry detachment will also be appreciative!

[fattdex]

+1 corgi diecast/painted halftrack its really good. I live in Aus, I think I just trawled eBay until I hit a reasonable one.

[pixelgeek]

I use Artizan figs for most of my WWII minis. I have some Black Tree figs that I picked up from a friend that look okay. Bolt Action are very nice and I like their vehicle kits as well. Another source of American Airborne is Offensive Miniatures. Not sure how they scale with other figs.

The Tamiya kits are cheap and easy to find but I find that they have far more parts than I am willing to deal with.

Scale doesn't seem to be much of a problem across ranges with the exception of the Victory Force figs which seem a bit big. I'd just go with minis that you like the look of and can get easy access to.

[CmdrKiley]

I've got a matrix made of of who makes what, with stock numbers and links to their sites and such. It's not 100% done yet, but a pretty good guide so far.

But before I post it I want to run it by Chris & Rob, just to make sure it doesn't reveal anything that shouldn't be revealed yet.

Chris, if you're out there drop me an email (I don't have it on the PC I'm working on at the moment) and I'll send it to you.

[gnomesofzurich]

Jul 7, 2010 13:44:16 GMT -5 CmdrKiley said:

I've got a matrix made of of who makes what, with stock numbers and links to their sites and such. It's not 100% done yet, but a pretty good guide so far.

But before I post it I want to run it by Chris & Rob, just to make sure it doesn't reveal anything that shouldn't be revealed yet.

Chris, if you're out there drop me an email (I don't have it on the PC I'm working on at the moment) and I'll send it to you.

I look forward to seeing it, when it gets approved!

[Scorpio]

I've been meaning to try out this place:

hobbyarmordepot.homestead.com/worldwarii.html

[CmdrKiley]

I should have it up tonight, barring anyone objecting with it. Chris gave me an OK, so I'll get it up. It's in a Excel 2003 format, so I hope that dosn't pose any problems for you.

I've taken the extra time to include some more sources I've found and other tanks beyond the official AE-WWII statted vehicles. That way some creative minds can stat out some vehicles that have some existing model support.