Preiser Figures Brand
Top Preiser Figures
Preiser 10010: HO Scale Railway Personnel (6-Pack)
Preiser 10020: HO Scale Passengers Standing (6-Pack)
Preiser 16326: HO Scale 120 Unpainted Different Tradesmen Figures
Step into a universe where unmatched precision meets artistry, bringing tiny landscapes to life with the world’s finest scale figures and scenic details.
Figures & Animals
This flagship line features thousands of anatomically flawless, hand-painted miniatures that capture everything from busy railway commuters and emergency workers to detailed farm livestock and wild zoo animals.
Vehicles, Carts, & Equipment
Preiser offers intricately designed, era-appropriate transport solutions ranging from classic horse-drawn delivery wagons and antique farm tractors to modern industrial forklifts.
Scenic & Layout Details
To truly flesh out any miniature environment, this category provides realistic diorama accessories including luggage piles, market stalls, office furniture, and packed cargo pallets.
Military Miniatures
Designed primarily for tactical historical dioramas and armor modelers, these sets feature highly detailed combat support crews, infantry units, and pilots spanning various historical eras.
Elastolin Heritage Series
This line preserves modeling history by utilizing the acquired historic molds of the famous Elastolin brand to replicate classic plastic knights and historical figures.
Customer Experiences
Arthur Pendelton: I have been building HO-scale model railroad layouts for over thirty years, and Preiser’s railway personnel and passengers are simply irreplaceable. I recently populated my main station platform with their hand-painted commuters, and the natural posture, realistic fabric creases, and distinct facial expressions completely transformed the scene from a rigid plastic display into a living, breathing story.
Elena Rostova: As an architectural designer, I rely heavily on the unpainted bulk figure sets in 1:100 and 1:50 scales to give my structural models an authentic sense of human scale and perspective. The clean silhouettes allow clients to visualize space without being distracted by bright colors, and the anatomical realism is vastly superior to the cheap, blocky alternatives found elsewhere.
Marcus Vance: For my WWII military dioramas, the level of detail on the Preiser infantry and pilot figures is staggering, making the painting process an absolute joy. Every strap, uniform button, and facial expression is crisply molded without any annoying flash plastic, allowing me to achieve a museum-quality finish on my latest combat support scene.
Preiser FAQ
What makes Preiser figures higher quality than cheaper bulk alternatives?
Preiser miniatures are globally celebrated for their uncompromising physical realism and anatomical accuracy. Unlike mass-produced figures that look stiff or generic, Preiser sculpts natural body weight distribution, dynamic poses, unique facial features, and incredibly realistic fabric draping. Furthermore, each pre-painted figure is meticulously completed start-to-finish by an individual artisan rather than sliding down an assembly line, ensuring unmatched consistency and life-like matte finishes.
Are Preiser figures painted by hand?
Yes, all finished Preiser items are detailed carefully by hand. While the initial shape is created using premium injection-molded plastic, painters take full artistic ownership of finishing each piece individually, which results in distinct, high-quality, and varied clothing details. Preiser also sells unpainted economy sets for custom painters and architectural modelers who need solid white silhouettes.
How do I know which scale to choose for my specific layout?
You should match the scale ratio of the figures to the scale of your existing layout or diorama. The most popular size is HO Scale (1:87), which is the standard commercial railroading size where figures stand roughly 20mm tall. If you run large garden railways you will need G Scale (1:22.5), whereas tiny micro-layouts require N Scale (1:160) or Z Scale (1:220).
What type of glue should I use to mount these figures to a base?
Because Preiser figures are manufactured from high-quality polystyrene plastic, a specialized plastic cement works beautifully if you are bonding them permanently to plastic structures. For scenery bases like grass, dirt, or wood, hobbyists highly recommend a specialized clear scenic glue, a tiny drop of cyanoacrylate (super glue), or non-permanent miniature tacky wax if you want to rearrange your scenes later without damaging the figures’ feet.
How can I buy genuine Preiser products if I live in the United States?
Preiser does not directly operate a standalone retail store or corporate branch in America. Instead, all official consumer distribution, dealer orders, and inventory shipments across the United States are managed seamlessly through their long-time master North American distributor, Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.