abake
Rex Tremendae Majestatis
I'm a long time collector of DML WWII figures, and have only recently started buying SST (I do have some of the old Universal Monsters), mainly because of SW and LOTR. I've also bought Medicom's SW figures and HotToys' Colonial Marines.
Having all those different types of figures from different manufacturers, I thought about how much these things cost and what is feasible nowadays in 1/6 scale, and decided to do a little comparison.
I hope this is not taken as SST bashing, it's just my very personal look at the dollies I buy, and hopefully food for thought on what is currently being done in the "high-end" mass produced 1/6 scale market.
So here's my findings and thoughts.
The figures are SST's Luke, DML's Theodor Wolte, HotToys' Hicks and Medicom's Luke.
This will be image intensive, so I'll start with Luke and Theodor.
Now you might say there's no point in comparing a SW figure with a WWII soldier and a Colonial Marine, but what I wanted to look at was the quality in manufacturing, paint apps and such. This is by no means a definitive review of any of these figures, just a couple of shots to highlight differences.
I've had all of my DML figures in storage for ages, so I was very surprised when I got Theodor and saw the difference in sculpt and paint apps. I've always felt that SST's paint apps are a bit heavy handed, but the difference is striking! DML's figure is much more detailed, the head is not huge, the paint job is very subtle, yet keeps a very life-like appearance, the detail of wrinkles, hair line and expression are enhanced by the paint, not covered by it.
Taking these pictures I also noticed the seam on Luke's head for the first time. I wasn't too impressed...
Hands are not exactly DML's forte as you can clearly see in these pics. SST's hands are much more detailed, and the extra swivel joint gives them much more poseability.
You can't really tell from these pics, but DML's belt and harness are a true wonder! Real leather, fully functional and even the clasp on the belt closely matches the real thing. Useful in 1/6? Not really, if you ask me, but it just showcases what can be done. SST's effort looks a bit crude in comparison.
Enough has been said about SST's boots, but I thought it would be nice to see them (almost) side by side with DML's. It's not just the shape, it's the lack of detail and the hard material used that make SST's boots look a bit odd.
I'll post a couple more pics and then move on to Hicks and Medi Luke.
Having all those different types of figures from different manufacturers, I thought about how much these things cost and what is feasible nowadays in 1/6 scale, and decided to do a little comparison.
I hope this is not taken as SST bashing, it's just my very personal look at the dollies I buy, and hopefully food for thought on what is currently being done in the "high-end" mass produced 1/6 scale market.
So here's my findings and thoughts.
The figures are SST's Luke, DML's Theodor Wolte, HotToys' Hicks and Medicom's Luke.
This will be image intensive, so I'll start with Luke and Theodor.
Now you might say there's no point in comparing a SW figure with a WWII soldier and a Colonial Marine, but what I wanted to look at was the quality in manufacturing, paint apps and such. This is by no means a definitive review of any of these figures, just a couple of shots to highlight differences.
I've had all of my DML figures in storage for ages, so I was very surprised when I got Theodor and saw the difference in sculpt and paint apps. I've always felt that SST's paint apps are a bit heavy handed, but the difference is striking! DML's figure is much more detailed, the head is not huge, the paint job is very subtle, yet keeps a very life-like appearance, the detail of wrinkles, hair line and expression are enhanced by the paint, not covered by it.
Taking these pictures I also noticed the seam on Luke's head for the first time. I wasn't too impressed...
Hands are not exactly DML's forte as you can clearly see in these pics. SST's hands are much more detailed, and the extra swivel joint gives them much more poseability.
You can't really tell from these pics, but DML's belt and harness are a true wonder! Real leather, fully functional and even the clasp on the belt closely matches the real thing. Useful in 1/6? Not really, if you ask me, but it just showcases what can be done. SST's effort looks a bit crude in comparison.
Enough has been said about SST's boots, but I thought it would be nice to see them (almost) side by side with DML's. It's not just the shape, it's the lack of detail and the hard material used that make SST's boots look a bit odd.
I'll post a couple more pics and then move on to Hicks and Medi Luke.