Being a careful person (ok mean my wife says) I am always looking for the cheaper option when possible after all a pound saved is a pound for a new engine
To provide some figures for the layout I decided to try some cheap eBay ones from China and I thought others might be interested in the results
A pack of 100 painted cost about £4 Inc. postage. They are supposed to be modern day passengers for the most part. There is a mix of men/women/children with some seated figures. There seem to be about 15 different types. About 10-15% were damaged and unusable.
The photo shows a typical collection, lots of sprue, some holes in the mouldings and the painting is terrible, but there is some promise
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/54/thumb_7326.JPG) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=7326)
After some cleaning up and repainting they look like this and I am certainly not a great painter especially for tiny figures like these
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/54/thumb_7327.JPG) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=7327)
I then bought some more unpainted for £3 Inc. postage!
Nothing like the best from Farish or Noch but a tiny fraction of the price and fine for inside a building or in the distance
I have some of those figures and it was only when I photographed them I noticed they all seemed to be Chinese ::)
However after seeing the excellent job you have done with your figures I realise they can be westernised :D
Keep up with being frugal and you will soon become an honorary Scotsman :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
cheers John.
For interiors it's often enough just to spray them dark grey or black as you only see the shape through the window anyway
Thanks Scotsoft we Welsh can be canny to
The figures do have an oriental feel some are tall and thin which appear often in Chinese art also the sprue looks like a topknot
You have done an excellent job with the figures :claphappy:
I'm in awe of your ability to paint something that small :thumbsup:
Ahhhhhh sooooo , well done glasshopper :thumbsup:
Agree that on first impression that these "cheapo's" tend to look oriental; The sprue on their heads makes them look like they've all got "top knots". However I have found once this small piece is removed and a dab of paint to hide the "bald" spot they do become more presentable.
If it's not against the Forum rules, would it be possible to post up a link please?
I have had a look for them, but just cant seem to locate them....
Many thanks
CT :thumbsup:
Quote from: carlmt on October 08, 2013, 11:04:46 PM
If it's not against the Forum rules, would it be possible to post up a link please?
I have had a look for them, but just cant seem to locate them....
Many thanks
CT :thumbsup:
Here are a few links where you can get these figures, you makes your choice and pays your money ;)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lot-Set-100-Mixed-Sitting-People-Figure-Paint-RR-Train-Model-1-150-Scale-N-Gauge-/171138641425?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item27d8a86e11 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lot-Set-100-Mixed-Sitting-People-Figure-Paint-RR-Train-Model-1-150-Scale-N-Gauge-/171138641425?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item27d8a86e11)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-x-1-150-Scale-Painted-Model-Train-People-Figures-N-/320661687383?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item4aa8ed0c57 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-x-1-150-Scale-Painted-Model-Train-People-Figures-N-/320661687383?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item4aa8ed0c57)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lot-of-1-150-Painted-Passenger-People-Figures-Train-Model-N-Scale-Mix-Pose-Age-/370915056566?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item565c429bb6 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lot-of-1-150-Painted-Passenger-People-Figures-Train-Model-N-Scale-Mix-Pose-Age-/370915056566?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item565c429bb6)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100pcs-N-Scale-1-150-Mix-Painted-Model-Train-Park-Street-Passenger-People-New-/350878039333?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item51b1f5fd25 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100pcs-N-Scale-1-150-Mix-Painted-Model-Train-Park-Street-Passenger-People-New-/350878039333?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item51b1f5fd25)
cheers John.
I've bought from many of the suppliers on John's posts and can recommend them :thumbsup:. They do take a little longer to arrive but the quality of customer service is extremely high. As rhysapthomas states, the painting can be terrible but some are easily good enough to place inside buildings etc.
Beware of buying figures from some UK suppliers - check the pictures carefully and compare with the pictures of the Chinese figures as , in some cases, they bear a very close resemblance to the Chinese figures but at a much higher costs :o. I recall buying some at a show that I thought were a bargain at the time :-[
I would agree with the above people are importing them into the UK and then reselling them in small batches. I have never had a problem buying direct for the far east takes a few weeks but so far they have always arrived
Spotted these 500 off for £6.99 and they seem a different pattern to the other ones I bought before
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500-Unpainted-White-1-150-Scale-Model-People-N-Figures-/300443628448?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item45f3d5f3a0 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500-Unpainted-White-1-150-Scale-Model-People-N-Figures-/300443628448?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item45f3d5f3a0)
Quote from: rhysapthomas on October 09, 2013, 09:24:29 AM
Spotted these 500 off for £6.99 and they seem a different pattern to the other ones I bought before
That is a lot of painting if you go for that listing :goggleeyes:
I use the cheap ones for populating coaches, if I want people for an outside situation where they would be more scrutinised then I would buy more expensive figures like Prieser or Noch.
cheers John.
I would have to agree on both counts. For figures that can be seen close up or were specific types like train crew are required the quality manufacturers have got to be the way to go
I saw these in Fred Aldous in Manchester
http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/1-150-painted-figures-25pk.html (http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/1-150-painted-figures-25pk.html)
http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/1-150-unpainted-figures-25pk.html (http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/1-150-unpainted-figures-25pk.html)
I don't know if they are the same or not
It's not only the figures but quite a few other Chinese Ebay shop items turn up over here in small packs for a considerable price hike, street lamps, fencing, road vehicles, trees etc in our hobby and a similar story in other hobbies.
I took particular note of some street lamps on a UK traders stall at a show eqrlier in the year, they were identical to the Chinese ones I had received that week but being sold packed in sets of 4 for nearly twice the price I had paid for 20 and the Ebay shop had bulk packs working out even cheaper per lamp
When I was a kid I used to enjoy the Airfix oo farm animals. I have felt for some time that some quality N gauge unpainted animals would be a good seller. There have been some made in China on ebay, but they do not look that good. ..I'm suggesting a product of Preiser quality . Our chosen gauge has the potential for us to have large rural areas and fields. Covering these with large numbers of sheep or cattle can add up to a tidy sum. I once suggested this on an N gauge forum I previously belonged to. This was in response to somebody asking for suggestions for future NGS sales items. Sadly my idea was not well received. I still reckon that some quality unpainted farm animals sold in a reasonable quantity would sell well. I'm just a tad surprised that this idea has not been taken up already.
Steve.
It has - Presier set 79000, mix of 120 people and animals of various types.
Yes, you are correct there are some animals in there, but not the sort of numbers I am thinking of. If you had a large area to cover 100 sheep would be easily used up. Herds of cattle can be quite large in number as well. This is why I reckon that some large packs of "paint yourself" animals would be a good seller. Surprised that Preiser or Noch have not done this.
Quote from: trkilliman on October 09, 2013, 11:30:48 PM
I reckon that some large packs of "paint yourself" animals would be a good seller. Surprised that Preiser or Noch have not done this.
Thee is always the bulk option from China on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AN15001B-100pcs-1-150-UnPainted-White-Farm-Animals-Cows-N-Scale-/221294874484?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item338633cf74 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/AN15001B-100pcs-1-150-UnPainted-White-Farm-Animals-Cows-N-Scale-/221294874484?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item338633cf74)
Probably not Preiser or Faller quality, but when painted I am sure they would look the part. Cheap too.
I've cleaned up and repainted a couple of hundred of the Hong Kong figures but generally I'm only using them inside carriages and motor vehicles. Where the figures are out on the layout, and therefore more exposed to close inspection, I'm using the Preiser figures which are superb.
Quote from: trkilliman on October 09, 2013, 11:30:48 PM
Yes, you are correct there are some animals in there, but not the sort of numbers I am thinking of. If you had a large area to cover 100 sheep would be easily used up. Herds of cattle can be quite large in number as well. This is why I reckon that some large packs of "paint yourself" animals would be a good seller. Surprised that Preiser or Noch have not done this.
I imagine their tooling is set up to produce them in the ratio they actually sell the painted ones.
Bulk unpainted white metal sheep are available.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on October 10, 2013, 11:12:06 AM
Bulk unpainted white metal sheep are available.
Dolly - eat your heart out :D