I should note that I am comparing the plastics kits from Perry and Fireforge, not the stand alone figures that come in metal from Perry and resin from Fireforge. In terms of options, they are both pretty solid, the Foot Sergeants from Fireforge come with options to assemble men with cross bows, spears and hand weapons, the Perry boxes I have put together also contain a good range of options, though I feel Fireforge may have the edge here. It is important to note, however, that it will strongly depend on the boxes - some are quite set in terms of what they offer, some more flexible.
So with the range of options sitting around equal, the next and most important question is one of aesthetics, how do the miniatures look? For me Perry wins out, the bodies, arms, heads and weapons all seem more appropriately scaled against one another, with Perry seeming the more realistic of the two styles. I like the Fireforge miniatures, but they are a little chunkier in terms of weapon sizes, body shape and head.
The poses of both sets are good, and multibasing them has led to units that have some dynamism to them - they are not just a set of cookie-cutter miniatures, with each man looking relatively identical to those they stand alongside.
In terms of casting, I feel like the Perry miniatures have the slight edge here, although this could come down to the finer vs the chunkier styles of both.
Assembly of the Fireforge seemed to be quicker and easier than the Perry miniatures, and again, this could come down to the style of the sculpts. Perry are finer, with smaller joints and attachment points. In both cases a set of side cutters, a scalpel and some plastic glue will see you through.
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| Side by side, Fireforge on the left and Perry on the right. I hope what I have written in terms of the visual style of each comes through in the photo! |
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| Fireforge, note the weapon, body and head sizes. |
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| Perry, here the arms, legs and weapons are all finer and for me, more realistically scaled. For what that's worth when using them in a fantasy game! |
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| Spearmen - Perry on the left and Fireforge on the right. |
So there's my 2c on the comparison between Fireforge and Perry. Both are excellent and well priced for what you get in the boxes. For me the aesthetic of the Perry miniatures is more appealing, but both are very solid choices. While boxes like these might seem most commonly used for large scale battle games, I really can't recommend enough the idea of grabbing one for a skirmish game. Be mindful of the options each box provides, but a single box (very well priced) will provide much more than you need for a game like Mordheim or similar, and the miniatures are of the highest quality.
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| All but the halflings in my Mordheim band are Perry miniatures, and I think they look as good or better than any metal or resin cast I've bought. |
