See the cabinets in Andorra la Vella: Three kinds of British Armies (Khaki-White FSH-SIMKIN times); Two (but complementary) kinds of French Armies (Basically North of Africa / Colonial and more Continental/Regular one). They are my “best enemies” always.
Some exotic units are also there Second US Cavalry (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon) and lots of Bengal Lancers.
Still waiting some reinforcements but nearly there. Probably this year I will top the needs… never the capricious sudden whims (I know).
Enjoy
The British Collection: REPLICA – BRITAINS (old/new) – Tradition of London – Steadfast/R.P Models – DUCAL – and some Dorset Soldiers too!Mainly the French Collection with on the top US Cavalry, Bengal Lancers, Scot’s Greys and 21st Lancers at Omdurman. Mainly Dorset Soldiers – REPLICA – BRITAINS (New) – and a bit of Tradition of London.Moving by boxes
As a matter of fact, it was obvious enough… once the table and painting area has been moved and put together. The cabinets in Andorra la Vella now stock all the Toy Soldiers with wargaming potential (quite Old School). Will add more pics tomorrow.
Now Pal holds the marching figures and ceremonial units.
See pics.
Enjoy
Emplacement in the libraryAs you can see mementos of cars I owned (or not) and modeling experiences with my sons, also “historical toys of my life”With door openThe old set up (that you have seen many times)The way to move them without casualties.
After a shuffle of space in my ex-office… all begins to fall in place.
Cabinet has been reorganized, and now the British are on the right of the picture and the French on the left (seems apropiate somehow…)
The Armies (both) would be completed this year 2025 I guess… and then all hell will break loose… Not exactly Imagine-nations, but certainly imagination will run free (NO ENTENTE CORDIALE AT ALL I FEAR), I only collect what I like so it does not matter to me to pitch them against each other from time to time. I do not collect Russians or Prussians or other more exotic Armies… I stick to what I know best and that’s that.
Enjoy.
New ubication of the small cabinet.Detail.French Foreign legion Units (and French Artillery).The rest of the French Army (still expecting reinforcements).British Army (SIMKIN TIMES). It lacks the Naval Brigade.The British Cavalry.British Kakhi Army (Colonial NWF/SUDAN etc)
In fact 70 years old and a bit… The state is original… those are the rests of the original paint… on anything not rigid (or even quite rigid) paint peels off I am afraid. Those three are all what remain of my big box of infancy…
My maternal grandfather used to play with me back then… that been the case it started a life long love for the “Mounties” only slightly superior to my obsession with the French Foreign Legion as a result of been exposed to BEAU GESTE (The book if you please)… and of course the Guards Regiments (Horse and Foot)… my parents always looked North from Spain… anglophiles but also liked France. My father even studied in Liverpool before the Spanish Civil War made a mess of a lot of things…
Lucky me I was born in 1952… so wars were a thing of the past… or in far away exotic places (Korea, Vietnam, Falklands,Iran, Irak, Afghanistan)… not in Europe anymore (well the Balkans)… and mainly USA wars (sometimes with staunch allies at his side)… the XXth Century was the USA Century to be sure…but we lived a long peace.
Enjoy,
RCMP REAMSA rubber/cautxuc soldiers of aprox 45mm scale
That lead me later to this of course… Collecting 54mm gloss toy soldiers come many years after… and they are DUCAL (99% of the set, Tradition of London 2 figures, 1 REPLICA -a cast that is now once painted my personal avatar- and 1 an iconic BRITAINS)… you need all sorts you know…
The full collection.Detail of the last addition by myself (converting and painting)Finally got one of the iconic Old Britains figures (well, maybe not so old… but iconic not the least)
On the border line between Military Modeling (Scale Models) and Toy Soldiers (of the best quality), IMHO over the line and much more models than “toys” sure enough.
He did those works (artworks) in the fifties… with very limited materials at hand, to say nothing about paints and brushes.
A pioneer and a master of so many that he has become “the reference”.
Today he would have been a hundred years old and his heir Tony (see other posts about his work) posted those pics in Facebook.
They do not need comment or words from me… I just framed and polished a bit the pics.
It all started last winter… (2024)… I discovered a lot of sets of NEW Britains I did not knew about on ebay.co.uk! (not easy to buy them because a lot of ebay sellers do not send to ANDORRA!… only the really good businessmen among them (some of them real gentleman!… mind!).
Afterwards of a lot of madly buying (feeding frenzy when applied to sharks)… I decided to buy Norman Joplin’s book about those sets… the normal thing would have been the inverse procedure. A quick read showed me that I had not done so bad after all… BUT… introduced me to sets I did not know existed at all… as this present Scots Grey’s set (2 sets I bought from the same ebay seller!).
Well, in less then 24 hours after their arrived in ANDORRA… I have already converted a sergeant into a trumpeter… could not avoid the temptation…
Enjoy!
One of the segeants has been converted (quickly) into a trumpeter…Lateral view.Only had to change the arm and paint the plume red…The main reason behind buying those sets… magnificent sentry boxes!
I expect some brigades of Infantry from Andrew Stevenson before the 30th of June of 2025.
They do mix very well indeed even if the design and finition of REPLICA is superior, a case of the disciple surpassing the master.
Will add pics of the Hussars once conversions finished.
Enjoy!
The whole collection so far…The Highland Brigade.Royal Marine Artillery and Westminster Rifles (Territorials)The Cavalry minus the Hussars (not finished).Royal Artillery (DORSET SOLDIERS) and BRITAINS LINE INFANTRY in the background.
Box 1Box 2Box 3The two sets of Victorian (SIMKIN TIMES) CavalryThee Highland BrigadeForefront 6th Dragoon Guards (Carbineers) and 16th lancers in the rear rank. Pic “in process” by Andrew Stevenson.
Finally here! (meaning ANDORRA)
They are part of a larger order… but Cavalry always have an extra appeal to me.
In 2023 (by the last months) I placed an order with Andrew Stevenson (REPLICA METAL MODEL SOLDIERS)… this is part of it.
Intended to be a part of a little British Army to play AGW (Yes you’ve guessed right I will of course mess with the original rules!)
Never thought the vast amounts of patience needed nowadays to collect “la creme de la creme” (si j’ose dire)… days, weeks, months, more than a year sometimes… but well worth the wait.
The problem (main) is not the wait itself… it is my age LOL)… time is now an issue…
You can not “hurry up” Andrew… he is IMHO an “artist”… multiple interests…. multiple ranges…. multiple novelties…. multiple objectives… he also collects!…. whatever… Probably the best if you are affected by BRITAIN’s nostalgia… I have never indulged in collecting “antiques” if you think pre-WWII (or WWI for that matter) Toy Soldiers…. do not have the time… neither the money (or budget)… neither the interest (pure or purist). On the contrary I do collect NOW the Centennial sets by Britain! (You need all sorts you know…).
The use of REPLICA models in wargames is a bit of an heressy as I considere them “collector’s items” on their own right!. But boy do they bring “class” to your tabletop…
