The Cibola Lumber & Mining company

I like people on my railroad. They round out the scenes and give the layout a sense of being a real place. Unfortunately in 1/20.3 they cost a lot. The average price tag is $10 each in resin and four times that in 3d print. In some cases the unique pose or dress of a specific figure is worth a bit more to me but most of the time all I want is to fill the streets. In my pursuit of a population I have found some very good Fn3 figures as well as some made for other hobbies or scales that fit right in. This guide is designed to help others benefit from my mistakes and successes. Hopefully it will save you from wasting money on unusable items.

Everything I recommend below are figures I own. I will include a picture of each item but in most cases it may be the manufacturer’s photograph. I have no agreements to promote any of these companies nor have I been compensated for my reviews of their products. For painted, converted or re-sculpted figures finished for use on my layout check the “Completed Figures” section of the website.

This listing is for suitability in 1/20.3 scale and not a determination of value or cost. The argument that “people come in different sizes” is true of the real world but in a model scene it is not. When judging a figure I consider the average height, size of the head, width of the shoulders and general physique. Some figures can look good as tall and thin or short and fat but in most cases they are to slender or diminutive compared to properly scaled figures. To avoid the circus freak-show look I avoid those figures that are on the extreme ends of this average range. I am not trying to belittle those garden railroaders who mix scales or like to use toys such as the vinyl Homies or Playmobile people, just stating that this information is not likely to benefit you as much as those working within actual scale limitations. For current prices on these items check the websites linked below.

Commercially available 1/20.3 figures. Everything listed in this first part is claimed or suggested by the manufacturer or distributor to be suitable for Fn3 but not all of it is. See the comments for details on each figure.

Scale Humans by Richard Kapuaala – http://www.kahunanui.com/orderform?NGF

Rick’s figures are my favorites. If he continues to offer the full line (about 30 figures) then it is the largest selection I have found. It is certainly the widest choice of female figures for garden railroading. He is currently offering them as 3d prints but does batch resin cast orders periodically. The resin casts are about 1/3 the cost of the Shapeways prints. He makes more figures than what I am showing. Only Mz M is available as a Shapeway figure the rest are resin cast only. This review covers only the items I own.

B. F. Dillingham – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Perfect as a railroad executive. Single piece resin kit.

Guinness Driver – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Two-part resin kit.

Harry – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Harry is a large man so kind of on the “Hoss Cartwright” side. Single piece resin kit.

Hobo with chicken – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single piece resin kit.

Pippin – (Recommended, suitably scaled).  Good fit to be looking out the window or over the top of the boiler on most 1/20.3 engines. Perfect fit on the Bachmann Connie window. Single piece resin kit.

Marcus – (Not Recommended, over scale) Excellent detail. The only one of Rick’s figures that is just to big to look right. Check the comparison below with Dan from Railroad Avenue and one of the Scale Human ladies. Single piece resin kit.

Mz M – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Fits the Accucraft J & S passenger coach seats. Multi-part resin kit.

Clyde – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Fits the Accucraft J & S passenger coach seats. Multi-part resin kit.

The Brit – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Multi-part resin kit.

Sitting Females – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. I have forgotten the figures names but Rick made these four ladies all of which are wonderful. There is a standing version of the third lady but I do not have a good picture of her. She can be seen standing in front of the fireworks stand in the Mik’s Challenge Build section.

Railroad Avenue sold by Bridge Masters – https://www.bridge-masters.com/products/RRAve.htm

The Railroad Avenue line is produced in China and come hand painted to a marginal standard for about the same cost as unpainted figures from other companies. If you are not inclined to hand painting your figures this is the most affordable option. If you are willing to repaint them this is still a very attractive line cost wise. The only real drawback is the over sized feet of many of the figures. I also found that some of them are overly large for 1/20.3 unless you want “Hoss Cartwright” on your layout.

5001 Bob – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Engineer, fits the Bmann K-27 cab.

5002 Mike – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Fireman, fits the Bmann K-27 cab.

5003 Ben – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5004 Slim – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5005 Jack – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5006 Freddy – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Will not fit the Accucraft coach seat.

5007 Dan – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. A great sitting figure.

5008 Jethro – (Not Recommended, over scale) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5009, 5010 Unlisted figures, may be future additions to range or discontinued.

5011 Ernest – (Not Recommended, over scale) Average detail. Single part resin figure.

5012 Harry – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5013 Wayne – (Not Recommended, over scale) Average detail. Single part resin figure.

5014 Lefty – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Wearing gun, very western looking.

5015 Lee – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Can be used as Fireman in Bmann Connie or K-27.

5016 Merl  – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

5017 Olaf – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Below average detail. Single part resin figure. Poorly painted. Weird pose.

5018 Ray – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Contrary to how he is shown in the photo as sitting this figure is designed to be leaning over a wall, stack of crates or fence rail.

5019 Simon – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Engineer of Bmann shay or some sort of equipment. may need to trim his coat bottom to get the figure to fit correctly.

5020 Clancy – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Average detail. Single part resin figure. A great standing figure but poorly painted.

5021 Cal – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Fireman for the Bmann shay.

5022 Flo and the kids – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Humorous, but you may only want one on the layout because of the unique sculpture.

Fine Folks by Ozark Miniatures – http://www.ozarkminiatures.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=1279

The Fine Folks range consists of 8 figures. They are very well done and suited for the 1890s up to the 1950s except for Miss Jenny who is very much a 1930s and up sorta girl.

2825 Bill – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Listed as an engineer he is better suited to being a farmer or logging foreman.

2826 Gus – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Fireman, no specific locomotive.

2827 George – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

2828 Chet – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Engineer, no specific locomotive.

2829 Miss Jenny – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Great sitting figure. can be trimmed to fit Accucraft coach seat easily.

2830 Dan – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Salesman, carpet bagger, conman.

2831 Tony – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Shopkeeper, bartender, steward, butcher. A great detailed standing figure.

2832 Smitty – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Black smith or farrier.

Model Citizens by Supply Line – http://www.slmonline.com/shoppingcart/store.cgi?action=large%20scale.htm&uid=15

Supply Line’s figures are the best I have found as far as cleaned up and ready for primer and paint. There is nothing to trim off or file and they come with a rough surface that makes me think they are sand blasted with a fine grit. The only complaint I have is that the range consists of just five figures suitable for 1/20.3. The site shows them finished but they come unpainted.

Mavis – (Not Recommended, under scale) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure.

Bill – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Engineer or fireman, no specific locomotive.

Ted – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. A very slender figure he would excellent as a drifter or hobo, maybe someone standing in a soup line.

Jethro – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. A youthful face perfect for guy standing around the candy store or farm supply.

David – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Brass rod is included for shovel handle.

Jacob – (Recommended, suitably scaled) Excellent detail. Single part resin figure. Workman on break or talking with foreman.

Fun and Games by Scale Figures – http://scalefigures.com/

Are available both painted ($14) and unpainted.($8). They are all resin cast. The line consists of 21 figures listed as “Fun and Games Originals”. The expanded set of new figures is proving to be hard to find. They are not listed on Fun and Games website but show up at large scale conventions and on E-bay sporadically.

I only own one of the original set.

GCJ02 Fireman – (Recommended, suitably scaled) The figure is short but because of the girth and stocky build he works well for a 5′ 6-8″ man. He is well painted. I am using him in my Bachmann Forney.

I have 12 of the new set. There are more. I have been unable to find stock numbers or names for most of the figures shown below. The numbers shown may not be accurate as they are referenced from E-bay and other on line sales sites.

GJB21 Rich the engineer (Not Recommended- under-scale). Nice casting and great paint job.

Figure 2 (Not Recommended- under-scale). Nice casting and great paint job.

Figures 1,2,3 and 4 shown below (Not Recommended- over-scale). These figures scale to about 6′ 2-4″ and would be okay if not placed next to figures scaling at less than 6′. Otherwise they are going to be Hoss Cartwright and Jethro Bodine. Nice casting and great paint job.

Figures 1,2,3,and 4 – (Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting and great paint job.

GLOG07 Lumberjack Coffee break – (Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting and great paint job.

GJB20 Lee – (Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting and great paint job.

Unknown manufacturer available in secondary market only. I have seen these in pictures on other garden railroaders but I cannot remember who made them and have been unable to identify them. I believe they are from the same line as they share several detail similarities. If anybody has specific knowledge of these please let me know.

UNK – (Not Recommended – suitably scaled head and shoulders but way to short) Average detail. Single piece resin kit.

UNK – (Recommended – suitably scaled) Average detail. Single piece resin kit.

UNK – (Recommended – suitably scaled) Average detail. Single piece resin kit.

UNK – (Recommended – suitably scaled) Average detail. Single piece resin kit.

UNK – (Recommended – suitably scaled) Average detail. Single piece resin kit.

UNK – (Not -Recommended – well scaled head and shoulders but to short). Average detail. Single piece resin kit. I use him on my layout because he looks like my buddy Rolfe Black.

Trackside Details Sculpted by Carlo Spirito – retired. Available only in the secondary market.

Ed and Dana – (Recommended but not well scaled) Average detail. Single piece resin kits.

Bud, Gail, Henry – (Not Recommended over scale with very large almost comical heads). Average detail. Single piece resin kits.

Frank, Ike, – (Not Recommended over scale with very large almost comical heads). Average detail. Single piece resin kits.

Sparky – (Recommended) Average detail. Single piece resin kits.

Here are the instructions written by Carlos that are included with each kit.

Commercially available figures from other scales or modeling interests. Everything listed from here on is not made for 1/20.3 but can be used or adapted. Most of these require some minor work such as head swaps or repainting. The last few resources will need clothing modeled onto the figure.

Woodland Scenics: -available from most railroad hobby stores and E-bay.

This line of figures is very much in the 1/24th to 1/22.5 range as advertised by the manufacturer. I will not therefore review the entire series. Suffice that only the figures I listed are usable in 1/20.3 and the rest are not.

Baggage Porter -(Recommended- suitably-scaled). This figure comes in at 6’1″ right out of the package. Nice casting and needs a repaint as the original job is sloppy.

Mechanic Supervisor -(Recommended- suitably-scaled). This figure is a great example of a man in the 5′ 6″+ range. Although shorter than other 1/20.3 figures he has the right shoulder width and head size to represent someone with a stocky build. Nice casting and decent paint job.

Kids are hard to find in 1/20.3. They are also the exception to the rule for smaller figures since they can be used for younger kids. I have used the children from both of these sets with some alterations in limbs and head position.

You Dirty Dog – (Recommended- suitably-scaled). Everything in the set is usable. Nice castings but the kids arms are fragile. Decent paint job.

Fireman Bill and Betsy -(Only Betsy is Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting and marginal paint job. Bill is under scale in every area, pass him onto your 1/24th friends.

Barney’s Big Bust – (Only the boys are Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting but fragile arms and details. Decent paint job. Barney and the trash can are under scale, pass them on to your 1/24th friends.

Fishing Buddies -I do not currently own this set but will review it when acquired.

Many of the Woodland Scenics have big pumpkin heads and little short ballerina legs that make them look cartoonish but their bodies work well in 1/20.3. The sets below are usable with major changes. The two most common are a headectomy and a leg swap. For replacement heads I use castings I have made or cutoffs from the Tamiya figures. The standing legs from the Tamiya sets are excellent and bring the figure to 6′ height in most cases. Examples of these reworked figures can be found in the “Completed Figures” section.

Most Woodland Scenics figures are too small for this kit-bash but I have not tried them all. I have only used the ones listed below.

The Sitting Seymores -(Recommended- suitably-scaled). Nice casting and mediocre paint job. I used the Seymores as passengers in my Accucraft coach. They fit the seat with just a little removal of material from their backs and boost of epoxy putty under their butts to raise them up.

Dock Crew – (Recommended- suitably-scaled upper bodies). I replace the legs on all three figures with ones from the Tamiya Pit Crew Set. Everything had to be repainted but they make for nice figures. Nice casting with decent paint job.

Milkin’ Ol’ Bessie – (Only wife is Recommended- suitably-scaled for a teenage girl). I swapped wife’s head for one with a pony tail from a Ma.K figure. Husband and the cow are under scale. Nice casting with average paint job. Wife is now “Farmers daughter” in the Completed Figures section.

If altering the figures above seems extreme then grab your socks for this next group of figures. It is cut, pin, glue, sculpt time. I have quested far and wide to find figures (especially female ones) to populate my railroad. Doing it at a reasonable price makes the challenge even harder. I have had to accept $10 as a good price with $12-15 being common. Once I get the figure it has to be drastically altered and given clothing, hair and details. There simply are not that many choices for 1/20.3.

I have turned to 1/20 scale model figures from other hobbies to fill the void. Sources include automotive, military and science fiction model lines. Most need a clothing change and re-positioning of their limbs. Drivers for autos and workmen in action are the hardest to make. Since I am not a sculptor by any stretch I need a basic form to work on. The cheapest I have found are the plastic mechanics kits offered by Tamiya. They are 1/20 scale but fit right in with less than 1 scale inch of variation. The sets are made from injection molded plastic of the same quality and type as model cars. It likes Testors model cement (in the orange tube) and styrene glue (acetone in a bottle). I prefer the Testors since it is thick and has a gap filling quality. I avoid super glue as it attacks the plastic and takes forever to cure.

There are three different sets made by Tamiya: Racing Pit Team (Motorsports Team Set), Tire Changing Crew and Pit Crew Set. (Recommended- suitably-scaled) All are out of production but can be found on E-bay.

The Tire Changing Pit Crew and Pit Crew set are the same and each comes with seven figures. They are wearing short sleeves with shorts except for one in jeans. The Racing Pit Team (Motorsports Team Set) are the same but come with eight figures all wearing bell bottom pants and short sleeves except for one figure in jeans and the driver in a jumpsuit. It is all very easy to remodel into period clothes. The separate arms and legs make adjustments easy although I frequently have to make cuts at the wrists, elbows, knees and ankles as well.

Fujimi makes two sets: Pit Crew A with 12 figures and Pit Crew B with eight. (Recommended- suitably-scaled). Like the Tamiya kits the arms and legs are separate. The only draw back to these sets is they are all wearing a helmet. Replacement heads are required. All of the figures come wearing coveralls and are easily converted to workmen.

Brick Works, Ma. K Sci Fi Robot Wars Figures: Sold by Hobby Link Japan – http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Maker1=BRK&MacroType=ResKit&GenreCode=Sci&Dis=2

Bagged non-collectible figures are sold by Evolution-online (E-bay seller) for less than $8 each. This is the cheapest source I have found for resin cast figures.

The resin kits are based on the post-apocalyptic MA.K scifi comic created by Kow Yokoyama. The figures are of various military personnel and features a large number of female figures. The male figures are very well proportioned but the women are done in typical anime style with large breasts and slender legs but are easily used as teenage girls or as women with the addition of period clothing.

The kits are multi-part with the body as a single piece and the head and arms separate. I think they will be great for saloon, farm and dust bowl camps as the slender shape lends itself well to the underfed depression era look.

Strahi Maintenance Soldier – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) This is one of the two best figures in the series. The figure comes in generic period coveralls and duck bill cap. Arms are separate casting.

Female Engineer – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) Suitable as older teenage girl. This is the head I used to make the Farmers Daughter.

Mercenary Army Test Pilot – (Not Recommended- under-scale) This figure is very slight of build and short. The body image and dress are to mature to pass for a teenage girl.

Female Spaceship Crew Member – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) – head will have to be replaced due to helmet. Tall and slender. Would be great with a coat or suitable top.

SF3D Female Soldier – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) Needs a shirt or coat. Would be great for use in a rustic setting as a young woman.

Mercenary Demura Minae – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) Tall and thin. She could easily modeled with any kind of clothing or as a saloon girl nearly nude.

Inner Body Suits maiden – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) Small. Could easily pass as adolescent teen girl. perfect for rustic or dust bowl scene.

Female Space Pilot B – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) This figure is wearing a space suit. With the details filed off she is the perfect starting point for any number of poses and period clothing.

Dekkai Pilot Girl – (Recommended- suitably-scaled) Suitable for teenage girl. Will need a new head or some work to remove helmet so hair can be sculpted on.

There are more figures in this line. They have been ordered and I will review them on arrival.

More stuff coming, including animals.