Just Plain Folks Figures

Vital statistics

1:22.5-scale figures
Just Plain Folk
818 Lincoln Ave.
Palmyra NJ 08065
Price: $8 each (with some exceptions)

Fully painted, cast-resin figures in a variety of natural poses

Pros and cons

Pros: Excellent detail; nicely painted; realistic colors; expressive features
Cons: Some poses a little stiff; mold lines occasionally visible

Just Plain Folk is coming out with a new line of 50+ figures, called the Signature Series. These represent figures from the 1930s and 40s and include people from all walks of life, including railroad folk, baseball players, police, mechanics, workers, criminals, and more.

For review, we were sent a variety of railroad workers, linemen, and one or two others. The figures are uniformly well carved, with good proportions and expressive faces and gestures. One thing I found interesting is that, in some cases, there appears to be the same character in different poses, which could offer some interesting photo opportunities.

The figures are painted in muted tones, which “read” much better than bright, garish colors. All appear to be “weathered” to some extent, which also tones down the colors and helps the figures to fit into their respective scenes better, rather than standing out like clowns. The poses were mostly excellent, although I felt that one or two were a little stiff. Also, a mold line could sometimes be detected, but you really have to look to find them. Because the figures are completely finished, modifying them or changing their positions will probably necessitate a repaint.

In all, these are excellent figures that should find happy homes on many garden railways around the world. Even though they are intended for 1:22.5 scale, they may well be suitable for other close scales.