>>10364976Like any hobby there are tiers, with the differences being quality, brand and availability. The basic and broadest army men tier is your standard dollar store fare, generally made with the cheapest materials, generic branding and heavily cloned/copied/modified poses. Above that you start to get into the some of the widely recognized brands like Timmee, Hing Fat/Billy V, BMC and Armies in Plastic - quality is better in materials and detailing and the poses are less generic, with a corresponding increase in price. The next tier would be custom/limited run sets like that Rorke's Drift, made up of various components that aren't widely produced and commanding a high price point as a result At the very top you're getting into vintage toy soldiers, the tin, lead and wooden army men of old.
There is one other tier, sandwiched between the dollar store base and the branded stuff that I'd say is my personal favorite: the all-in-one bucket set. Very similar to the premium Rorke's Drift set in that it offers everything you need to have a little war; soldiers, vehicles, equipment, buildings, scenery, even vegetation/terrain. The main difference is these are mass-produced and usually with well-known armies and gear, keeping costs down. Pic related is a set currently on Walmart shelves: for 15 bucks you get two armies (green and tan), each with a platoon of soldiers, a tank, plenty of accessories and even a couple paratrooper figs.
