28mm Napoleonic Plastics: Perry or Victrix?

I’ve made some progress building painting and building some of my new French 28mm Napoleonics. My infantry is all plastic figures from either Perry or Victrix and I’m developing a relatively informed opinion for both. Here are what I see the strengths and challenges for each set:

Perry:

Positives

• Very good sculpting, with the detail features both easy to see and paint
• Very quick and clear assembly time, I especially like how the arms and musket for firing poses are one piece
• 36 of the 42 figures have roughly the same marching pose (minor variations) which I find aids “assembly line painting”
• Pointy parts are relatively strong (bayonets, swords, flag poles) which means a more durable table-top piece
• Cost per figure is $0.67 (source the WarStore) vs $2.58 from Foundry

Negatives:

• I’m not a fan of the mixing of infantry with and without great coats - 15 of the infantry sport a great coat and 15 don’t. This isn’t a problem if your just starting out and buying multiple boxes but if you only buy one box you’ll have an odd mix of with and without winter gear.

Victrix:

Positives

• Lots of variability in poses (all figures need to be assembled and consists of a body, two arms, a head and backpack).
• Very good detail (a little more “realistic” than Perry)
• Cost per figure is $0.58 (source the WarStore) vs $2.58 from Foundry

Negatives

• Very long assembly time
• Pointy parts (bayonets, etc) are very thin and delicate - they will need some minor repairs from table top mishaps.
• Can be a bit awkward to mount on six figure company stands (this may be more due to how I chose to assemble the figures)

Bottom Line:

I plan on using both. I will use Perry for may basic line infantry battalions and I’ll use the Victrix for my “elite” light battalions that fight in open order based on the rules my club uses. If I had to pick only one, I’d go with Perry, but that’s more because I’m just starting out and want to field a force fairly quickly.