1:22.5 SCALE FIGURES
Manufacturer: Phoenix Model Developments, Ltd. Available in the U.S.A. from Brandbright/Railway Garden, Ltd., 4210 Bridge Street, Cambria, CA 93428. Price: "G" Scale U.S. Conductor, Dispatcher, Fireman, Brakeman, and Engineer figures in pewter, $11.50 each suggested list (prices may vary due to currency fluctuation) plus air mail shipping from England. Please order directly from Railway Garden, Ltd.
IF YOU HAVE the December 1991/January 1992 issue of Outdoor Railroader, you may remember reading a review of Phoenix' detail kits for Bachmann rolling stock. Your pal in Cambria, Samuel Addison Muncy, had enough perspicacity to recognize the quality and creativity in Phoenix' product line. He also had enough sense to import the line. So what does Phoenix do? Bring out the second stage of a one-two punch.
Their figures are superb. Better than their Bachmann detail kits. So outstanding, they are at least the equal of any large scale railroad figures the hobby has seen so far, including the former Magnuson line now available from Big Train Backshop.
Each "man" is a pewter casting in "clothing" appropriate to the period from about 1900 to 1940. Yes, that takes in a long time, but the clothing is generic enough to work. Each figure requires the "assembly" of at least an arm. At first it seemed the reason was to make the arms, heads and, in one case, hands positionable. But no. It is to prevent damage in shipping and to allow better detail in manufacture. Of course, if you're handy with a file, you may reshape a few limbs to modify a pose but it might be slow and tedious work.
Phoenix suggests gluing on the limbs with epoxy. I was in a hurry. I used a combination of Walthers' Goo and CA (superglue). So far, so good.
The detail on the figures is excellent. The buttons, buckles, and seams are crisp. Pockets sag realistically. The metal creases and pleats really emulate cloth. Even the conductor's pencil appears of realistic proportions. The faces are credible and the hands, perhaps as difficult to sculpt as anything, look fine.
The figures have virtually no flash nor parting lines. I may have spent a total of fifteen minutes cleaning up all five and that's because the initial quality was so good I strove for perfection.
The Dispatcher stands 5 feet 8 inches, the Brakeman 5 feet 11 inches, the Fireman 6 feet, the Conductor 6 feet 2 inches, and the Engineer 6 feet 5 inches (to the tops of their respective hats).
The Conductor and Engineer would be suitable for 1:20 scale (they would "shrink" by about ten percent). The Dispatcher and Brakeman should work well for 1:24 scale (they would "grow" by about seven percent). All are probably too large for 1:29 or 1:32.
We have reviewed some terrific castings in OR's PRODUCT REVIEWS. Railway Garden, Ltd.'s Phoenix figures stand with the best.--RR
