Back at the end of March I bought five Panzer IV models from
Forged in Battle. I made
a short video review and promised to get them finished quickly. Well the plans of mice and men are such that they have finally been finished eight weeks later! Anyway here's a picture of the finished platoon.
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| Forged in Battle (FiB) Panzer IV Platoon |
I'm still impressed with the detailing on these models but they differ significantly from the
Battlefront equivalent. The following comparison pictures put the Forged in Battle Panzer IV next to the Battlefront Panzer IV. Both vehicles are supposed to be Ausf H version.
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| Comparison of Fib (L) vs BF (R) Front View |
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| Comparison of Fib (L) vs BF (R) Rear View |
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| Comparison of Fib (L) vs BF (R) Side View |
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| Comparison of Fib (L) vs BF (R) Top View |
As you can see there are significant differences, not least the size of the gun, so I won't be mixing models in the same platoon. Having said that I remain impressed with the quality of the Forged in Battle models.
One thing I forgot to mention were the Schurzen side armour plates. The BF models come with Plastic Schurzen whihc are much thicker than the resin ones integral to the FiB casting. They were suposed to be fixed to the model with plastic brackets but I decided these would be too weak for sustained handling, removed the brackets and fixed the schurzen directly to the sides of the BF model.
ReplyDeleteNice work on those and nicely painted but as you said it would be difficult to mix them in the same platoons.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely painted models. Agree with Fran, you couldn't mix and match thme in the same platoon given the BF model is larger and noticeably so, but if they were on different flanks of the table, or separated by other units/ models who would notice?
ReplyDeletePresumably price differance is also a factor with FiB being cheaper??
Cost is definitely a factor to consider. Five FiB Panzer IV's (A pack of 4 + 1 individual model) cost me £22.50 while a Platoon Box of five BF Panzer IV's would have cost me £30-35 depending on where I bought it.
ReplyDeleteMy only issue with this model was the Gun. Aside from being visibly smaller then the BF version it is commensurately weaker and easier to bend. I also wasn’t happy with the way it fitted into the turret, again making it weaker and more likely to get broken off during gameplay.
Having made this criticism I should add that the rest of the model was excellent. The casting of the resin was clean and detailed requiring very little cleanup before painting. I also thought the casting of the Schürzen plates as part of the hull was a better compromise than the very fiddly plastic version on the BF model.
Overall I’d rate the BF Models 8/10 and the FiB Models 9/10 taking all factors (including price) into consideration.
thanks for the comparison. i may have to pick some up now since i have Battle Front and old glory PZ IVs another platoon with another manufacturer won't hurt. great job.
ReplyDeleteThe forged in battle stuff is really great. But it is also good of you to tell the size difference. I mentioned that doing a review of the infantry from FiB, awesome models but smaller than Battlefronts so you can't mid those two.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, they are well sculpted and cheaper!
I'm liking more and more FIB stuff. They are nicely sculpted and the price is right. But the most critical factor for me is the assembly kept to a strict minimum. I can't bear anymore having a zillion parts to cut, file and glue together. FIB wins big time.
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