# Cheap Chinese 1/25 figures in 1/20 rolling stock?



## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Some while ago, somebody here on MLS noted the existance of some pretty cheap figures available on Evil-Bay. I checked, and it looks like the same importer is still running them. They are advertised as "1/25" scale, and are available as either standing or sitting figures.

But I don't recall anybody doing a 'review' of the product in their hands. I thought I'd get some sitting figures to populate the seats of some 1/20 Jackson-Sharp coaches I'm repainting & detailing. I figure that they could at least populate some of the 'aisle-side' seats, and hopefully, maybe, some window seats if you didn't look too closely?

So has anybody tried this? Do they look okay using the 10-foot rule? Five-foot? Or are they just too 'out of scale'?

Yer' thoughts, please..

Thankyew,


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

There are different sets of people in different scales. One offer has 20 random people but there are only 6 different types of which only 3 are sitting. Careful you don't end up with a big coach full of mini clones.
I think anything within 10% of scale works OK but more than that the difference in scale becomes very obvious. 

Andrew


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## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

I have used these figures myself and are good as a seated figure in a coach. I also use them in my 1/24 cars, but cut off their legs to make them fit properly. They are also closer to 1/29. Regards, Dennis.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

I recently bought a set of those of the bay. They are significantly smaller than 1/25... Maybe 1/30 even. Also, they are built like fashion models--very skinny for their height. I'll dig around and see if I can post a pic of them next to a Pessier figure. They're markedly inferior, though fine for inside a car or in the distance.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

*Here's a comparison*

(Edited to correct that these are LGB figures)

This is a LGB figure next to a seated eBay/Chinese figure. I'm not sure if this figure is supposed to represent a seated child/teen or not (it's the only seated pose in the batch I got), but you can see that it's significantly smaller. About 75% of the size.








This is the same LGB figure "seated" next to a standing eBay/Chinese figure. 








Here is the whole set. Notice that while the standing eBay/Chinese businessman is somewhat close to correctly proportioned (though clearly not 1/25 scale) the one woman is wildly out of proportion (the one on the left is about 60% toothpick legs) and the other is also very small compared to the LGB figure.








Sorry this is "fuzzy"--my camera doesn't do closeups well. Here you can see from the figures feet, that the Chinese-made figures are significantly "skinnier" and smaller than the LGB ones. Just as a guess, the legs of the businessman--for instance--are about 25% thinner than the LGB figure's legs.








Obviously, you'll have to factor in other things like cost, repainting (the eBay figures look like they were painted by a three-year-old) and the lack of detail. As I said, for inside a passenger car or in the background of your layout, they are probably fine. 
Keep in mind that the LGB figures are about $7 each and the eBay/Chinese ones are less than a dollar... but you get what you pay for. For my layout, I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a limited number of LGB/Pressier figures for the foreground/station/yard and put some of these "not to 1:20.5 scale guys" in areas that you can't inspect closely.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

The good thing about figures is people come in all different sizes; most are 5' - 7' (5' being 71% of 7'), and if you are modeling late 1800's to early 1900's then people were even shorter.


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

I have the one that is mentioned as being a small teen (sitting looking to left and wearing gray sweater). After cleaning up the molding lines, and repainting the figure it looks good. I have it in the upper windows of a USA Trains wide vision caboose. If you're not confident in painting figures go to YouTube and watch videos on painting scale figures. There's some talent out there. It helped build my confidence, now I'll paint figures for out in the open.


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

*re Chinese figures and size for the J&S coach*

Hi Gary,
You are coming at the problem from the wrong end: get the width of the seat first - the coaches are late 1800's, and thus really you need figures from the same period - that is small and slim, and almost impossible to find!

1/20th scale will be huge on the seats! 

The E bay ones are IF used by the side of modern figures too small, but then the persons from the same period as the seats were just that, small & petite; I cannot show you a photo as my camera has gone and died, and all my railroad stuff is packed in boxes and cannot be got at easily, some my apologies for the lack of proof.



So it back to memory - I have some of the Chinese figures which are slim, BUT I think there is difficulty in fitting a pair onto 1 seat in the J&S coaches! The will be very close and the arms will need some surgery even so. The hands are a bit of a 'so & so' they tend to fly off; fix them into sleeves with a bit of wire. 

Some surgery can be done on the quite easily, with some filler to assist in filling the vacant bits, and adding extra (and older style) clothes can be done with either (thickish) paper or metal foil - they will not have to be perfect as they will be inside a coach.

Here are a couple of modified Chinese figures on my horse drawn vehicle the peddlers van has a coat, hat ,an boots added, the other figure shows the modifications being done, the stetson brim is the metal from pop cans bent to shape and a hat added from filler.

I started off making a Surrey from a NENG plan the seats were too narrow: as a result of the vehicle being from the same time as the J&S coaches - the vehicle had to be widened to allow for two figures. 

One way of getting round the difficulty of 'not enough space' on the seats is to make some passenger(s) as one (not two) per seat.

Yours Peter.


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter, you are forwarding a long standing and untrue myth. Over the last 1/2 millennium people's heights have not changed that much. In the mid eighteenth century the typical soldier was required to be between 5 foot 6 inches and 5 foot 8 inches (167 cm to 173 cm).

Yes people were typically slimmer (a lot), but a modern man would not cause much notice except for being heavier.


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## Michael W (Oct 10, 2012)

I have seen those chinese figures unpainted on the Bay, does anybody happen to have any more close ups to see if it is worth buying? i am happy to paint them myself but i want at least models with some detail on them tonstrat with...
Kind regards


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

With this figure I removed the knob on the top of the head. I also sanded the molding lines off of the arms and legs.








Knob removed and sanding complete. 








This figure I used a saw to remove the right arm and raise it higher. I also cleaned up flash from the molding process. 








Backside shot 








Figures after being painted. 








I'm happy with the detail. I wouldn't hold them to the level of detail as a Preiser or Woodland Scenic figures. But for in a caboose, they look fine for me.


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Rich,

OK, I was just passing on what I received from NENG when I had a talk with him - he said his grandmother was 4ft 10 or so, in the 1880;s Maine area. Naturally some variation would apply. 

The 'slim' bit is important; the J&S seat are very narrow and were meant to seat two people.

From measuring the figures in 1/20th scale they are between 4.5, and 5 feet tall, and with arms tight against the body are 1.5feet - that is a bit wide for the seats.

The seats in the MLS Carter Brothers coaches are 2.5 feet wide, and will be close to the AMS J&S coach I believe. A male and (slim) female could be persuaded to fit.

There is 'detail' on them, and it can be enhanced by careful painting if required, a dark colored iris can be added on the eyes for instance - with a toothpick dipped in paint or ink, as a brush with care. For size a female face is roughly 7mm wide and width. There is plenty of definition on the clothing but for figures of the period modelled some modification will be needed.

Yours Peter.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Myth of "people were shorter back then"

http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/winter08/stuff.cfm

http://hubpages.com/hub/Myths-and-misconceptions-about-history-people-were-shorter-back-then

Scot


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## neals645 (Apr 7, 2008)

*eBay Figures From China*

Hi, Gary,

In 2013 I purchased several lots of G-scale figures from Chinese sellers on eBay. First some general comments and then I will show how they fit in my coaches.


The figures are reasonable human representations but lack the fine sculpture and individuality often found in the better G-scale figures. 


Body dimensions are definitely on the thin side, but figure heights are about right for 1:24. Standing males range from 2.87” to 3.15” tall (5'9” to 6'4”) and women from 2.64” to 2.91” (5'3” to 5'10”). They do seem to be in scale with rolling stock and also for land-based use. But we don't mix them with American-made figures; that looks all wrong.


If you order the painted figures, be aware that the painting process is approximate – blazer color may extend only to within a millimeter or so of the end of the blazer; hair color may not go to the underside of a woman's 'do', and so on. Faces and hands are unpainted. If you want realistic skin tones, plan to paint hands and faces to cover the faint yellowish tone of the resin. Adding eyes, lips, brows, etc. with a fine brush adds to the realism.


There are only about nine different figures available for each gender. Ordering from multiple sellers will not result in more different figure. Apparently all the sellers use the same wholesaler.


Here are the different male figures. The one on the far right shows the original, unpainted skin tone.










And the females:





Sadly, there are only four different child figures. Here they are, leaving school on our club layout.



All of the seated figures have calves or feet that are too long to fit into my coach seats.



A little surgery on the band saw and they fit nicely.



The standing figures will also work after some surgery.



In general, the figures are too wide to sit side-by-side. Two of the smaller females can share a seat.



So, here is the final assembled coach. Most of the passengers have chosen to sit on our side for the best view. I just noticed that the 5th from the front never got his face painted, but it won't be noticeable at 10' on a moving train.










Bonus pics – here our figures are enjoying an afternoon barbecue. Barbecue and benches are separate eBay purchase.










Here are two workers on the roof of the Southern Oregon Traction Company HQ. The man on the ladder had his arms and legs cut and re-glued into the right position for climbing a ladder. The man coming up onto the roof just needed arm surgery (and a Sculpey cap).


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks. I've considered those figures in the past. Looks like you've done a nice job of making good use of them.


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## Sjoc78 (Jan 25, 2014)

Some times you find knock off GI Joes at Dolartree or Big Lots, I would think they would like better for 1:20 coaches if you filed down the military garb and did some posing, but as people have mentioned there are variations in real people.


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

I bought a set of the 1/30 figures. They are slightly smaller than 1/32. The colours(Eng.sp.) are very gaudy to say the least. I shall have to give the 1/25th a go.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

I bought these when they first were offered, maybe two years or more back.
the detail is poor

they are ideal, as shown, for enclosed areas, where the presence of a body is what you want. I place them judiciously, indoors, in coaches, and areas where you cant really get a close look. size wise, again, judicious placement and juxtapositioning is required. They do look like teens or children next to preiser /lgb figures, but not bas at all alone or not too close to the others.

they are so inexpensive, its easy to cut them if you desire

mine were unpainted, and simply , the detail is so lacking, you have to paint to make up for it-time consuming

the lack of various positions for figures can be a little challenge.
cant beat the price, and if I had to do over, id buy painted and touch up-I guess id spend half the time painting


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Thanks to all for the great comments -- and especially to neals645 for the photo-tutorial. 

My problem with these figures was originally that the women are all wearing modern (post 1960s) clothing and i thought that they would not be suitable on my 1927-1937 narrow gauge ET & WNC layout. 

However, as the photos show, by cutting them down and using them in the J&S Bachmann coaches (neals654's sample is exactly the same rolling stock i have, fortuitously) the fact that they are wearing trousers is not going to be noticed.

I will be purchasing these folks soon. I plan on having my friend Bo Maldonado, a great model painter, redo the gaudiest clothing to more subdued tones, and give them a variety of skin tones. (Personal side-note -- why are there so few dark-skinned people in G-scale -- even on figures advertised by Presier as representing "American" railroad workers?) Thanks to all of the cool photos shown here, i will not be not mingling them with my expensive and accurate-looking figures from Scale Humans or Preiser, but they will be happy members of the ET & WNC's "Daisy Picker's Special" taking the tour up Roan Mountain to view the azaleas in bloom. 

Thanks for the tips!


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

*chinese figures*

Hi

Having bought a new ,this is a 'try out', with the small Chinese figures as supplied. Both the male and female figures are 3" high for reference. The left hand female has no heels to her shoes, so will need adding.

The figures are in modern dress (no doubt to sell them) so a good filler, like 'Mr Surfacer 500' can be used to lengthen skirts and thin paper, or foil, or cigarette papers if you can get them. Add filler with a cocktail stick or a knife point. It will help to add an armature from wire + foil to start off the new shape, then finalise the new item with filler; you mention 1927, materials then would be in the 'heavy' range so lots of pleats would not apply; folds yes, but smooth transitions between them. 

Here are a couple of photos




















On my monitor the photos are approx. twice size. The figures are being help upright by Blu Tack, so that what is on their feet. 

Yours Peter.


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## Neals647 (Aug 11, 2017)

Ok, I’m reviving this old thread because th the same Chhinese. Figures appear in the FX mimni-series Trust. Donald Sutherland stars as J Paul Getty in a fact-based story about his grandson’s kidnapping. In episode 1, Sutherland is seen with a scale model (maybe a model of th future Getty museum?). The figures in the model are these Chinese figures! So Hollywood went cheap and bought $1 Chinese figures rather than hire a sculptor or buy better figures from any of the better. G Scale sources.


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

*chinaman*



Gary Woolard said:


> Some while ago, somebody here on MLS noted the existance of some pretty cheap figures available on Evil-Bay. I checked, and it looks like the same importer is still running them. They are advertised as "1/25" scale, and are available as either standing or sitting figures.
> 
> But I don't recall anybody doing a 'review' of the product in their hands. I thought I'd get some sitting figures to populate the seats of some 1/20 Jackson-Sharp coaches I'm repainting & detailing. I figure that they could at least populate some of the 'aisle-side' seats, and hopefully, maybe, some window seats if you didn't look too closely?
> 
> ...


 Look good to me, easy 10' rule and maybe 5', Bill. The red combine is kalamazoo, the other is my scratch built, what I call, grover caboose ( kind of like a drover caboose but is bringing citrus grove workers back from the orchard)







.


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

*chinamen*

some reason kalamazoo car didn't post so here it is


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## Clubber (Jan 4, 2020)

Thanks for the tip. Just bought a set of these for my cars plus some other from the same vendor. I think with a little bit of painting, most will be good enough. I will put the better ones closest to the window.


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