Saturday 9 March 2013

Zombie Comparison: Mantic vs Citadel






The Photo shows two Mantic 'Kings of war' zombies in white and two Citadel 'Warhammer' zombies in grey.

The vertical scale is identical (28-30mm) and use 20mm square bases so regiments from the two manufacturers can easily be used on the same table.

However there are differences:

(i) The Mantic figures are truescale so a figure is proportioned roughly accurately with only some perspective exaggeration of heads and hands while the GW figures are grossly exaggerated. For example, look at the left hand on the Citadel model holding the scythe. It is grossly disproportional to the point of parody. The Mantic stuff are better sculpts.

(ii) The Citadel zombie set has more variation in the choice of weapons and poses. The Citadel models offer more choice.

(iii) The Mantic range are cheaper, by about one third. The RRP for a box of 20 Citadel zombies is £20.50, while 30 Mantic Zombies can be had for £19.99:  Citadel £1.03 per model, Mantic 67p per model. However, Mantic offer a wide range of army deals that considerably change the balance. Typically £45 buys a set of 110 Undead infantry models of various types, 41p per model, less than half the price of the Citadel equivalents.

So Mantic are half to two thirds the price, of comparable quality, and fully compatible with Warhammer.

You know, I may just take up fantasy gaming again. :)


16 comments:

  1. I love the Mantic bases too. There's a purity there.

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  2. Mantic - much nicer all round ;)

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  3. Good comparison reference. Thanks.

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  4. They can be sods to rank up though (says the man who did eighty earlier this year) but a bit of effort works well. They are also interchangeable with the Ghoul sprue.

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    1. The fantasy model has outgrown the 20 ml base but that is now the standard.

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  5. The current GW zombies are kinda suck IMO. The parts by themselves are useful (rotting heads on cocktail sticks to plant around Baba Yaga's hut) but built as they're meant to be... ick.

    To bad the Mantic ones don't have more variety to them... otherwise it would be no contest for me.

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    1. Yeah, other models in the Mantic range are better in this regard.

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  6. I have to say that I prefer the mantic ones over GW

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  7. Although the Mantic ghouls seem on the sprue to have little variation, I found that the 'ball and socket' joint between waist and torso meant I could have as much positional variation as I liked- the horde of 40 really does look like an undisciplined swarm!

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    1. Good point. The Mantic stuff is very flexible re positioning.

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  8. Mantic zombie clothing and items are less fantasy-specific. The warhammer ones can only ever be one kind of dead dude; medieval peasants. The mantic zombie rags are less defined, so more believable in a modern game. And when I'm painting 40 models I want them to do as many jobs as possible.

    Good comparison, John.

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    1. You're right. It did occur to me that Mantic ghouls and Zombies would make good 40K figures. They look pretty good painted.

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