Woodland Scenics versus Arttista

As far as scale people go, Woodland Scenics is overall best for me: scale, well rendered, and available.  I like Priesser, too, particularly unpainted when I can get them (I prefer to paint a lot of my people).  Model Power is okay although generally I put them farther from the edge of the layout as sometimes they are not quite as detailed.  I don't use many Lionel figures: they seem to be too large many times.

 

Arttista does seem to be a bit small - maybe not S, but perhaps 1:55?.  Anyway, they seem smaller, but there are places where that fits , particularly when cramming seated people into passenger cars it is convenient if they are a bit small, so I use some of them in places, too. 

 

Also JTT's people -- as far as I know available only unpainted -- are very accurate scale figures, too, with emphasis on the "figure"  -- they all look like male or female runway models - slim, tall, young. Sort of the opposite of RMT's figures, many of whom look to be very well fed. ;-)

Arttista are true quarter scale.  WS might be closer to 1/43.  MTH/Life Like/Model Power, etc., are also closer to 1/43. Arttista also does make S Scale peeps.

Many Woodland Scenic figures are in the 1/43 range.  Also, Priesser figures come in both 1/43 and 1/48; but the 1/43 series are different than the 1/48 ones.  I have a Priesser 1/43 standing female figure that I used as a movie theater ticket seller, but had to perform "feet ectomies" in order to fit her in the ticket booth

I have some of the Priesser 1:48 and 1:43 people and they are different in size.  I prepfer the woodland scenics most, though, overall.  They look good on the layout.

I have both Preiser and Woodland Scenics figures. Both are excellent, if a little over-sized, and my only non-positive comment would be that I wish that Woodland Scenics would employ somebody who can paint eyes, as the current eye-artist has some exceedingly strange ideas. 

I only use Arttista because of size and painting. Only the family paints the figures. They have been doing it for years. I also like the flat colors they use. Click on the picture for better detail. Don

Here's a couple more shots of Arttista figures. The outhouse even had a sound system with a speaker under the house. Don

I like the WS figures.  I only have a few of the Arttista figures, but much prefer them.  As Don mentioned the paint is well done.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Whatever scale Woodland Scenices people are, I like them in many areas of my layout because they are a bit bigger, maybe almost 1:43.  A lot of the people I have on my layout are in my downtown area, 90% on the sidewalks or posed with/very close/actually in cars and trucks, nearly all of which are 1:43.  1/48 scale people do not look too good with 1:43 vehicles.  Even though many of the buildings are 1:48, for some reason the 1:43 or so scale figures look quite good with them.  Arttista and Preisser 1:48 figures look a bit too small in this venue.  I use them farther back, and finally, off in distance.  I actually sort model figures - regardless of who makes them, into those that look best close to 1:43, and those smaller which I use farther away for forced perspective, including some 1:64 when far back from the edge of the layout, etc.  

What are you guys talking about? I just measured the Woodland Scenics guy that came with the set of checkers-players. He's standing perfectly upright and measure exactly 1.5 inches--exactly six scale feet tall. How is this in any way "oversize?"

You beat me to it, Steve!  I was doing the same while you were responding.  We agree.

 

We use ALL of the figures available to the O scale market.  They each have their places and uses.  As long as you don't place different brands adjacent to draw attention to their differences, we don't see the problem.  Hey, even the Model Power and Aristo-Craft peoples that have facial appearances like the 'deer-in-the-headlights', can be modified with a few dabs, dots, and dashes of paint...or place facing away from the viewer.  Brightly painted figures like Woodland Scenics' can be toned down with a few appropriate washes and a shot of Dullcoat.

 

When REALLY bored I'll even paint up some of the MP folks molded in flesh-colored plastic.  After all, why have an Optivisor if I'm not going to use it???

 

The unpainted RailKing peoples molded in gray plastic (are they supposed to be sick or dead?) when painted are the very BEST size for passenger car ridership...just because they're on the small size.

 

All are welcome on our layout. Remember?  Diversity.  Tolerance.  Without prejudice or discrimination.  ....just like the world we live in.......right?

 

KD

I like both Woodland Scenics and Arttista figures, and haven't detected any real size discrepancies between them.  After all, real people don't come in one-size-fits-all proportions.  Admittedly, most of my figures are from Arttista, but that just because I have been buying them for years and I really like the overall appearance. I also have a good number of K-Line military figures, as well as a variety of other brands of people and animal figures.  I don't see it as a "vs." thing at all.  

All,

 

Thank you for all your input.  My question was not intended to question the quality of any of the various figures.  My eyes being what they are, the Woodland figures are easier for me to place on the layout.  However, I was struck by the level of detail and excellent paint job on the Arttista figures, which is why I purchased them.  I was just disappointed that there was a noticeable size difference when put side by side. 

 

As a follow-up, I went to the Arttista site and was able to post the question to them, and hopefully I will get an answer as to scale sometime this week.  I initially posted the question to the forum hoping someone would have the definitive answer this weekend.

 

If Woodland and Arttista both state that they are 'O' scale, then I would think, as others have stated, that it is the 1/43 'O' scale versus 1/48 'O' scale.  The other possibility could be that the Woodland figures are 'meatier' having thicker arms, legs, etc, while the Arttista are closer to actual human body dimensions.

 

BTW, I was able to use the figures in a separate scene in a boxcar - one of those little 'hidden' scenes that I always tell visitors to look for.  So all is well in the land of little people and big trains:>)

 

KC

 

 

I have woodland scenics and arttista on my layout .

 

Guy

 

Guy,

 

Very nice indeed.  Did you make the spit over the fire yourself?  Where did you get the pot that is over the fire?  That would be a nice feature to add to my hobo scene.

 

KC

SWANKO, there's something else to consider. I think the Attista figures have much better poses than anyone else. They look like their ready to move. Don

The problem I have with Woodland Scenics people is that they are inconsistent.  I just checked the WS people packages I have on hand and The surveyors and checker players are between 5 and 6 scale feet tall and their body mass looks to be appropriate whereas the city workers measure 6 to 6 1/2 feet tall and the body mass seems to be way too large.  The fourth package I have is the  train mechanics and while they measure 5 1/2 to 6 feet tall but their body mass also seems to be too thick but not as far off as the city workers.  I had purchased three other sets of WS people that I resold at a train show because they appeared too chunky for normal people.

 

I also measured the Artista standing figures I have and all 16 different poses measured between 5 1/2 and 6 feet tall.  I agree with Don that the Artista figures seem correctly proportioned and realistic and their paint colors look more real as they are flat while many of the WS sets are shinny.

 

While I will mostly only purchase the Artista figures in the future, the WS checker players set creates some of my favorite scenes.  And going through this excersize   has caused me to examine why the checker players appeal to me while many other WS do not.  WS used flat paint on the checker players while some of the others are satin or glossy.

 

Bottom line, I feel you need to see the WS in person befor you decide to buy while I have never been unhappy with an Arista figure.

 

Happy railroading,

Don

 they appeared too chunky for normal people

 

Have you walked around a Wal-Mart lately? Or a train show? If you are modeling modern era as opposed to steam era, the chunky ones might be just right. 

I'm scared to ask what is playing on the sound system!

 

A great scene.

 

John

I guess the way to put it is that I use "the eye of the artist' to decide which figures I use near the 1:43 cars and such, which near 1:48 models, and which farther way for forced perspective.  I pretty much sort the figure - Ws, Preisser, Model Power, or arttista, by size and then use them where they fit best.  Woodland Scenics end up mostly near the 1:43 cars and trucks, though, most of the time.

I've found Arttista and WS to be very similar in size, although I've come across some Arttista "O" that was too small. Preiser 1/43 I keep separate from the other 2. Arttista has a huge selection, WS has great groups of related figures.

All of my figures are  Arttista  and Prieser but I am anxiously awaiting Jim Elster, of Scenic Express to release his new line of figures, I have heard good things about them.

KC that hobo scene is a lionel hobo motel 6-24149 it has the fire pit on it it comes with some figures i added more woodland scenica hobo's and the stone wall and junk is from model teh studios .

 

Guy

I prefer Arttista because they look better to me. They are made of metal and painted more realistically in my opinion.

 

Sizes vary between manufacturers and between designs.  But I find if you are consistent in the arrangement and composition of your scenes, you get a very satisfying appearance.

 

Its only icing on the cake that they are MADE IN USA by a small family business who use American workers, not mass produced in China or other nations.

All,

 

Arttista was kind enough to reply to my email.

 

'Measure them and decide for yourself. O scale is 1:48, 1/4 inch to the foot or 12 scale inches for every 1/4 inch. A six foot man is 1 1/2 inches tall. Mine are made to that scale.'

 

So - it would seem that, as others have stated, the best results can be had by putting similar size figures together, regardless of the manufacturer.

 

KC

I use mostly Arttista, Woodland Scenics, RailKing figures and sometimes Model Power figures.  While there are some minor size differences I have come to enjoy them all.  The choice of figures I use is primarily a matter of the pose(s) I need for a given scene.  Aside from Arttista whose figures seem to always be very consistant in terms of size, I think sometimes the differing proportion of the figures is likely more a matter of who was chosen to sculpt a particular model or group of models than anything else.  Bo 

 

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