June 2022 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Serious Military Modeling

Mikey Tavarez Military Modeling piece as seen in facebook…

They do not come much better than this… awesome work on an Apache Scout.

A picture is worth a thousand words… this is an example.

By Gian Luca Cocchi… another pic that says all… seen in facebook too.

That box started it all…

Britain’s extra large set (two trays) Coldstream Guards… fantastic gift from my parents!

Now, that brought along a lot of reminiscences… seen in an Auction in the USA… not that I am going to bid at all… I had the real thing at the time it was needed…

I already had a lot of plastic, rubber and aluminium toy soldiers… but that box suddenly become the apex of my loot!

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics but they were really small.

As you all know I was hooked on Toy Soldiers for life…

Britain’s Cavalry

There are probably one of the nicest toy soldiers around, Britain’s Cavalry are almost always splendid casts. Nowadays only REPLICA manages to get the spirit of them.

Cavalry

Cavalry was redundant at the end of the XIXth but no one had the courage to tell them… Magnificent example of a good conversion and painting job.

Toy Soldiers Geneva Convention.

Excellent Models!… but I hate Indirect fire… it is perhaps too much realistic for me!

Do not misunderstand me those are Toy Soldiers (BRAVO!)… but as an ex-infantryman I loathe mortars and distant Artillery you know… so I am all for the line of sight gunnery approach… no wonder I like to wargame the ACW. This is perhaps too close to reality I fear. Something of a beast gun.

So perhaps we need a Toy Soldiers Geneva Convention after all… I know War (and wargames) are based on the point of throwing “things” to the enemy… but limits would be nice.

Probably the limit (read “my limit”) on the tabletop… LOL

Little Big Horn

The guidon is wrong in colors and number… but a nice impression overall. Seen in Facebook.

Much much much more realistic… as seen in Facebook too!

25th of June… LBH day… so many different approaches to it in a long lifetime… at seven years of age I would have followed Errol Flynn anywhere (Custer or the real Custer was not important at all). As so many others I was hooked on THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON… great Hollywood historical fiction… that Anthony Quinn (Crazy Horse) would end as a Catholic Pope on the flick THE FISHERMAN’S SHOES is not here not there… But I digress…

The Little Big Horn has a pathos of their own… we in Europe have Leonidas and the Thermopylae… Americans have Custer… If you read about a hundred of books on the matter (as I did) you will discover that Custer will die no matter what… and that he put himself and his battalion in a NO WIN-NO WIN situation.

The best books in my collection are those by Frederick Wagner III… you do not need to read much further than those. But there are other more general that are a good read too.

Must read… specially second from the left.

Of course at Seventy I would not have enlisted in the Seventh Cavalry in the first place… that is how time changes your perspective!

Honour the death (on both sides) of what will become the native american’s swan song…

Incidentally over the years I have build the 7th Cavalry in 15mm (MINIFIGS), 28mm (FOUNDRY), 75mm (PLAYMOBIL) and finally in 6mm (BACCUS proxies). A long life wargaming obsession…

Tired of seeing this one?… every year I am afraid… Riding to posterity (if not “glory”)

Sadly I di not take pics of the impressive 15mm lot… a pity perhaps… sold them long time ago… if 15mm is your thing there are no better “Injuns” in the market than MINIFIGS… the 28mm FOUNDRY are the most “historically accurate”.

and last but not least the man himself (quite idealized I agree)

I will not resist the temptation and I adjoint my Playmobils too!

It finally has evolved in a long post today… but probably something in it would interest you (if you have read so far!).

Garryowen.

Toy Soldiers…

Bowley’s Own. Marching on to the front… as seen in Facebook.

Those table pics are quite simple you must think… but they have a charm of their own… out of focus?… a bit… bad lightning?… must be early dawn of course!… Quite a “simple” setting… minimalist you should say… but excellent scenery nevertheless (quality instead of quantity)… I am always deeply moved by them… so here you have them. Enjoy.

Confederates

Tim Boles’s Military Modeling piece as seen in Facebook

Guess it must be in 54mm scale but not sure at all. Simply excellent!

John Clarke’s own

Toy. soldiers have an appeal of their own.

A Gentleman’s War

Old School Wargaming (as seen in Facebook). Quite charming and anything pre-WWI has my endorsement in the Toy Soldier field. As you know 1900 is an special limit for me. I am quite a realist and read my papers and watch CNN etc everyday… but everyday real life has nothing to do with my hobby. You can call me Post-romantic but I have my feet on the floor nevertheless. Found those schematic buildings part of the charm of it.