Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hello all,

A newbie here. Want to start a collection, but not a die-hard enthusiast by any means -- would like to play with my tanks every so often in addition to staring at them. =)

Flirted with the idea of the big boys (1/32 and bigger) and then with the really small guys (figured I'd field a massive army of 1/285 vehicles along the lines of GHQ http://www.ghqmodels.com/pages/military/index.asp or CinC http://www.pfc-cinc.shoppingcartsplus.c ... 295095.htm Have now settled on the happy medium of the 1/72-ish scale. Not too big to play with or too expensive to collect (my two complaints about the 1/32's), nor too small to really display (in contrast to the 1/285).

I now face the dilemma of what brand with which to start my collection (want to focus on modern US military, which makes the decision a little easier).

Dragon 1/72
http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/p ... tlcode=DRR

Corgi's new Tactical Strike Series in 1/64
http://www.corgi-usa.com/code/military. ... &section=1

or Forces of Valor's upcoming 1/72 series
http://www.forcesofvalor.com/

Any voices of experience out there? I'd like detail -- and it does seem like Dragon has the highest quality. But what's most important to me is "completeness" -- if I get an Army M1A1 and a Bradley, yeah, it'd be nice to have air support come along. This seems to be the downside of Dragon -- as a contrast, Corgi and Forces of Valor make aircraft as well. On the other-hand, the Corgi and Forces of Valor seem more toy-like, whereas Dragon seems more model-like. And if Dragon and Forces of Valor share the 1/72 size compatability, well, that's a plus too. Any conclusions? Thoughts on which companies are most responsive to customer requests (and have the best selection/depth), which vehicles feel/look the best, etc?

long winded,
Larry

Welcome, Larry.

I think you'll discover that as far as the widest range of 1/72 goes, the Dragon Armor (and the Cyber Hobby exclusives) collection will keep you quite busy.

I've managed to pick up just about every piece thus far from the DA collection, while picking and choosing what I liked best in the nice Corgi Tactical Strike Collection (which is true diecast and a terrific value).

The jury's still out as to how nice the upcoming FOV 1/72 collection will be, but I'm sure I'll be picking up several pieces to start. The great thing about 1/72 is that there's a ton of stuff out there, Aircraft, Armor, and Vehicles that you can mix and match. So you really can't go wrong.

If you want more planes and choppers to go along with your tanks, check out Corgi's Aviation Archive 1/72, Dragon Warbirds 1/72, Matchbox Collectibles, and many others.

Welcome to the hobby, it's a great deal of fun.

Thank you for the prompt reply Mr. Football! This seems like a friendly community (though there seem to be a few WWII-related spats). =P

As a point of clarification, you mentioned complementing your collection with the Corgi Tactical Strike series. Just wanted to know: did you find the difference between the Corgi 1/64 and the "standard" 1/72 size ratio that jarring? Or manageable?

thanks,
Larry

I wouldn't plan on mixing the two together, the difference is noticeable, not jarring though. I really liked the Abrams as well as the Apache. The limited range of the Tactical Strike collection means that most of your collection will be in 1/72 if you collect DA, Matchbox, and FOV 1/72.

Golly- have you thought about 1/87 scale. ROCO makes a huge variety, and this scale melds right in with HO scale trains, as this is in fact HO scale. The models are plastic however and come in relatively neutral tones giving you the opportunity to paint and customize them yourself with relative ease. They also come premade so there isn't a lot of messy model making.

Mr. Football and co.,

So, it seems like the consensus is:

1. Dragon is amazing, and contrary to what I thought, they *do* make fixed wing/rotary wing aircraft.

2. Forces of Valor's upcoming 1:72 scale should be sweet.

3. Corgi's Tactical Strike series is nice, and given Corgi's history (I'm just presuming here), they should be coming out with new stuff. Even so, it's still limited in potential because Corgi is the only company making stuff in this scale.

4. Thus, if I'm going to stick to one scale, 1:72 is the way to go.

Did I get it right? =) Thank you all!

curious,
Larry

I'd say you certainly do have it right. 1/72 tends to be affordable and even more so if you like to model (as opposed to premade, prepainted and premeditated) as there are then thousands (!?!) of kits by dozens of manufacturers that you can buy and build at an even lower cost.

I'd say you certainly do have it right. 1/72 tends to be affordable and even more so if you like to model (as opposed to premade, prepainted and premeditated) as there are then thousands (!?!) of kits by dozens of manufacturers that you can buy and build at an even lower cost.