Alejo Dorca – Page 29 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Mastery

I know, I have posted his work before… but well you must forgive me because I think it is superb Military Modeling… Not my field of expertise at all, but I am not immune to it. So here we are again.

Captured in facebook… work by Alberto Bertoni

Found, means the great joy of finding something you wanted… more about that in some days (I am afraid I am gonna develop this subject)… in this particular occasion see the pic and you’ll understand what I am talking about.

NO they are not mine… just seen in Facebook an Austrian transaction…

John Firth’s Own (III)

You must be pretty tired of it by now… bu not me… so here we go again… something different tomorrow I guess…

John Firth’s Own (II)

Lets have some cavalry from the same author.

Really you can field exotic uniforms of Yeomanry and Volunteers that way, curiously enough THE BATTLE OF DORKING intended as a “depressing and alerting” book is somehow revered by the wargames fraternity as an opportunity to turn the tables on the willy foe! (You need all sorts you know…)

Maybe some more tomorrow. Enjoy.

John Firth’s Own (I)

Temptation is great to get involved in AGW in 54mm… still thinking about it mind…

The other side

French Napoleonic figures are a joy to paint because the uniforms are gaudy … and the the plumed shakos are a must!… after a time you realize the changes in uniform in a span of 20 years… but who cares… even the design of the flags changed… look at a Carabinier (mounted) of the early times and of the Waterloo type… nothing in common… lol

A fantastic era for the painters!… so you pay your money and take your choice!

The pic is of Light Infantry of course!

If yesterday was the Brits… today is the French (both sides… pardon the pun)

British Napoleonics 28mm

My first love when I discovered metal soldiers was the Waterloo battle (see elsewhere in this same web page), then I was convinced that it was a British/French affair (lol)… much later I discovered the King’s German Legion, The Hanoverians, The Dutch&Belgian, the Nassauers and of course the Prussians! (LOL). It was a long journey… and now at seventy I know that the main pleasure was in the “journey”… all those years buying books, reading about it, checking (and double-checking ) my Armies compositions etc etc etc.

It was a great hobby, and I was entertained for more or around thirty years by it!… I have no regrets. But I must comment that one of the things that put me out of it was when the “finish of the painting job” become Military Modeling like!… I have nothing against it mind… but in my mind the point was not there, the pic of today shows what can be achieved in that scale (and inferiors too) by extremely good painters. Transforming a wargames unit (I must admit I was more Toy Soldier focused) in a mini diorama. You need all sorts you know!… Suddenly my painfully researched and balanced Waterloo Armies looked as “past” as a British Two Seater if you know what I mean (my other hobby been cars). So I quitted.

Not wargaming mind, I still have the thrills!, but you’ll need a magnifying glass to see my 6mm ACW paintjobs! (lol again)… seriously even having a permanent quite big table (see elsewhere in the webpage) I love to have more “room to manoeuvre”… “no secure flanks”… and “lines of supply”… I understand perfectly the trend to downsize the minis and have more fun with the game itself. Now I simply collect in the traditional 54mm scale (as I have always done), display them on cabinets ad hoc… and wargame in 6mm.

Mind, I still love those units as the pic of today shows but my time for them has passed away, nor I have the room to field them, nor the funds or time to get them “right” (I have abstained to enter in the argument of “parade look” versus “campaign look” on purpose… I always preferred the former…).

So, without much more to say today… I will let you ponder on it. Enjoy.

Der Alte Fritz minis (again)

One of the successes of “Imperial” forces (not exclusive of the British Empire) is the raising, training and correctly use of “auxiliaries” or “allies”… good logistics and financing needed… in the end Empires crumble by financial overstretched reasons (and yes corruption too).

Lovely pic. Enjoy.

The perfect gift!

Not much to ponder on or digress, that was always welcomed by me when getting gifts. And never mind the anti Toy Soldier movement post WWII… as if real wars were declared and fought by Toy Soldiers!

Enjoy.

Zouaves (French) but useful for the ACW too!… lol

Colonial 28mm

Well, hereby you can find your daily dose of painted lead soldiers… as announced yesterday those are 28mm by the talented Perry Bros. Soldiers from the collection of Dave Docherty and pictures courtesy of Mark Freeth. Guess that all of this is easy enough to find in Facebook… but yours truly does the work of choosing and showing. That’s that. Wargaming with Toy Soldiers (here am I preaching again!) has nothing to do with Colonialism, Imperialism, Real War, or whatever other whimsy world facts… it is an ideal world to display fortitude courage and adventure in an old fashion way… it is not that times gone by were better at all… it is not that local people were NOT right in fighting Invaders mind!… it is just FUN. If you do not find funny better stop trying to understand.

By the way… another example of indulging wargaming with minis painted to such high standard that it looks like a Military Modeling Diorama… (nothing against it but OMG!)