Geez, why are HO model railroad figures so geeky? Seems like 80% of them are engaged in some goofy, exaggerated activity, or have their hands up in the air. The engineers all like to wave and wear silly hats. Why don’t they ever wear a modern ballcap. Why must manufacturers make their figures so cartoonish?
Maybe I can model a cold day when everyone stays inside.
There’s a reason I don’t bother with figures on my layout. A friend of mine went with me to a hobby store once and went hysterical at the types of figures available…well, specifically one. She was floored by the one with “Fat People.” I think to this day it provides a good laugh.
I don’t know. I think there’s a pretty good selection of different figures these days. Much better than 10-20 years ago. I use them because they creep my sister in law out. She has a phobia about little figures. [}:)] You could model the town I live in which is like a ghost town and has no people in it’s shut down industries.[V]
I’m not beeing sarcastic when I say, if you don’t like them, change them. Do you think they really make a snake oil salesman, or a 7 foot guy riding a bull.
Well to me in HO there’s pretty much Preiser #1 and “everyone else” a distant second. (Well, I do like Bowser engineer figures - especially the half figures.) I’ve used Model Power figures in a few places where they aren’t that noticeable.
If you paint the Preiser figures yourself using the undec ones, they’re pretty inexpensive.
Back in the 50s modelers made figures from lead…They would make a wooden mold,melt the lead and pour the figure let cool,remove said figure from the mold,clean off any excess burrs and paint.The figures was just as good as one’s mold making.
Today we are bless with many figures from companies like Preiser, Woodland Scenics,Merten and other such companies.
I am sorry but,like everything else you get what you pay for.Use the cheaper figurers and get those goofy poses.Use the better figures and get realistic poses.
Now…Whats wrong with using these “truck drivers” for engineers?
They don’t have the proper union card!
It’s a lot better than 40 years ago. I still have my leftovers from my teenage layout. Most of my figures then stood at attention, although I have a few that were either waving or performing a stiff-arm salute once popular among the European “runner-up” nations in WWII. (How’s that for politically correct?)
Was the “fat” reference above to WS’s “Full Figured Folks?” I’ve got a set of those, and I think they add some reality to an over-idealized world. I would say that both Preiser and Woodland Scenics have been putting out some interesting character sets for a while now.
But there are still way to many figures standing around waiting for a train. And there still aren’t any miners.
Admittedly, the Preiser figures are the best of the bunch, they actually have ones that are subdued. All the rest, WS included, I think are pretty ridiculous. I guess, yes, you get what you pay for. And you pay a lot for teeny people.
I saw recently that George Sellios removed a bunch of figures from his layout, especially the main passenger station, and that he felt it made it look much more realistic. BTW most layouts (especially steam era ones) have too many automobiles too!!
[soapbox]
Since I’m modelling an iron ore railroad, I’d love to see more miners and/or workers with hardhats!! I think Preiser makes a couple. I have some Stewart F-9’s on order that will come decorated for Erie Mining Co. in Minnesota, their engine crews were members of the miner’s union, and were required to wear hardhats when running trains.
[:O]
In O scale, we are lucky to have the Artista line, lots of people doing real-world things.
They’ve become my favorite figures. Much better than most HO figures’ poses.
Now…Whats wrong with using these “truck drivers” for engineers?
Well Brakie, for one thing they are not currently in stock at Walthers, which doesn’t help.
A lot of the cheaper (lower quality) figures, usually from WS, Life-Like, Model Power, Bachmann and a few others, are based on activities and clothing apparel from the 50’s. Even in the 60’s, when I was a kid, you didn’t see a lot of people wearing ball caps. It just wasn’t done. A lot of the poses of figure with the hands in the air, some of these are reflective of outdoor activities, such as backyard football, sandlot baseball, etc.
Not all the figures are geeky, but I’ve seen some that are really questionable. Last time I had the chance to go through Germany, I found a really neat hobby store in downtown Kiaserslautern, Germany that had all kinds of HO scale prieser figures. I bought about 50 bucks worth of assorted ones , and to my surprise about a dozen of them turned out to be nude sunbathing ladies! But for the most part, the purchase was worth it!
Shawnee: Boy, do I agree with you, most of the figures look like gumby toys, most are so bad I will not include figures on my layout, it seems strange that people spend thousands and thousands of $ on equipment then clunk down a bunch of odd misshapen, toy-like figures all over their layout. I’ll wait till someone gets it right.
On the figures that are in strange poses or a bit off on body proportions, you could get some tiny needle files and dental picks and tools, and modify the figures to suit.
Also, there was a MR article not that long ago (few months or less, I think - could be wrong, though) that had some ways to modify figures from stock poses, etc. Same principle as what I wrote in the previous paragraph…
We have lots of model railroaders who apply grab steps and other details, add parts to really nice locos, etc. to make them more believeable - why not do the same with the figures, if it’s something that is important to you? My [2c]
Hope that helps some,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Guys,I prefer the Woodlawn Scenics figurers over Preiser…To my mind the Preiser figurers look to European.Even at that I do use the less European looking Preiser figurers.
That’s one of the things that I have always thought was out of place in the Walthers catalogs – too many scenes have the same man with both arms raised up as if he’s signalling to someone, but many times there’s no reason for him to be there. The shiny plastic glow of the figures also detracts from the realism.
Does anyone make a man in a bunny suit?
I’m looking for some HO scale midgets.
I’m also looking for a conductor, to stand on the rear platform of a caboose, with his hands on the handrail. Never been able to find one. I’d also like to find an engineer, looking out the cab window, with both elbows on the armrest.
Can the figures be bent? I’ve never tried it.