Conversions – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Some Cavalry Officer’s Minis in 54MM bought already painted.

It is a pleasure to collect in 54MM… because it remains the Toy Soldier scale par excellence.

Sometimes I do order them by Post, sometimes I buy in Ebay (less frequently).

In any case the results have been quite satisfactory so far.

REPLICA and DORSET/IMPERIAL SOLDIERS are just two of the best manufacturers around.

Enjoy!

Bought on Ebay (expensive way of collecting).

General Wolseley painted by Andrew Stevenson (REPLICA) one of my first ever buys from REPLICA.

French ADC post 1870 painted by Antony Spencer (DORSET SOLDIERS or IMPERIAL MINIATURES)

Some Cavalry Officer’s Minis in 54MM painted by me.

I have always been fascinated by horses (lead toy horses I am afraid), films with horses in them I am a fan… but my experiences with real horses are almost nil, once I rided a horse in a tourist promenade (about 1 hour) and only can recall the vast amount of flies they carried with them.

Lead toy horses are “cleaner”… and they behave… lol

As Oscar Wilde said they are dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle… probably an exaggeration to make a laugh…

Enjoy!

RCMP Inspector (my avatar) REPLICA painted by me…

Captain Brittles (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon)… REPLICA painted by me…

HRH King Charles III (REPLICA painted by me)

Winston Churchill as a subaltern in the 4th Hussars… (REPLICA painted by me)

French Officer (DORSET SOLDIERS) painted by me… I already had the horse bought painted and asked for a suitable cast from Antony Spencer.

Churchill at Omdurman… converted and painted by me…using DORSET SOLDIERS castings. (In fact I already had the painted horse)

ZULU DAWN in 6mm (Zulu War II)

Well, I took some pics this afternoon.

It has the influence of Ian Knight brilliant output, Mike Snook’s (Lt. Col.) HOW CAN MAN DIE BETTER and the ZULU DAWN film.

The minis are mainly Baccus 6MM range (Colonial) with some conversions and minis from the spare box (heavily converted as Rapier Confederates prove)… and the standardbearers mounted do not exist too in the range…

An enjoyable afternoon.

Hope you like!

Mr. Vereker Sikali ptrol reveals or discover the main Zulu Impi.

Some skirmishing shots to warn the camp!

Col. Durnford rides with the Cavalry (read mounted infantry) to the right flank of the British Camp.

Colonel Pulleine deploys his Co`s too far from the Ammunition Wagons (IMHO)

Col. Durnford retires by Units under pressure from the Zulu Impi left horn.

This retrograde movement by the book will eventually uncover the right flank of the Imperial Infantry Line.

When the low ammunition makes the firing line slack in firepower the chest of the Impi goes forward and some rallying Company Squares are tried… to no avail.

Captain Younghusband last charge! (Extreme left flank of the British Line)

Melville and Coghill ride to save the Colour!

Last moments at the camp… some dismounted Natal Mounted Police & Carbineers, with Durnford, and the remains of the Imperial Infantry. Fade to Black.

And the last change of facings done (ebay.co.uk) (V and last)

This post ends the series of repairs and refections (including change of facings on two units) of my compulsive sentimental buys in ebay.co.uk… authentic Britains (from the early nineties… time really flashes by)… very good state of conservation (minor chipping of paint etc).

I am through but varnishing which I will do end of March.

Enjoy!

Unit with white facings lacking a drummer

Another unit (Yellow facings) ebay.co.uk (IV)

ok, I repainted collar and cuffs in yellow to have a different unit (they are now ex-Sherwood Foresters… I use the 12 minis (or figures) organization suggested in the ruleset A GENTLEMAN’S WAR (even if I do not abide my games with them… always do my own thing as you know)… mext and last would be with white facings.

Enjoy!

REPAIRED ebay.co.uk buys (III)

Well, one unit is finished!… they have been repainted where minor chipping was aparent and the Officers arms with the Colours “exchanged”… gloss will be aplied once very dry!.

Two more units to go!

Enjoy!

Finally there with those proxies in 6MM. (Baccus)

After some gluing up, I finally organized the Zulu War Cavalry… even some mounted Infantry to be redcoated yet.

I started with the 17th lancers from my spares box… and followed with some NNC Cavalry (also from the SB)… but the Natal Mounted Police and Carbineers come from GREG… after organizing and basing (pending flock) I did a surplus contingent of mounted Infantry.

Curiously enough, I can be heterodox in the basing because small colonial affairs permit it (IMHO)… but I am quite ortodox in basing with big conflicts like the ACW (but for Artillery Commanders and other markers I use (deviating from the more popular Rulesets!)… all is a matter of personal satisfaction I guess.

That ends another Project in 6MM.

Probably my last!

Enjoy!

Both mounted and dismounted Cavalry (auxilliary but the 17th lancers).

Toy Soldier buying experiences on ebay.co.uk (II)

Sellers and postage etc went without a hitch… tip top all the way! (I clarify this because I forgot to mention). Kudos to them.

You see I was busy at the beginning of the 90’s and did not notice at all when William Britains did those soldiers in 54MM… Busy working on my real life and not much time for the hobby in that “fighting stances scale”… after a deep crisis with wargaming in 25/28MM (which caused the collection to be sold) I was going into 6MM wargaming (still are and satisfied of my decision) but indulging in Playmobils Hard Plastic 75MM… I still collected in 54MM but quite display and ceremonial sets (still have them no fear).

The acquisition of the book A GENTLEMAN’S WAR provoked an interest on wargaming in 54MM a la Wells (very old classic stuff) and I decided to reshuffle my collection. The French (mainly French Foreign Legion were transported to Andorra la Vella and left Pal forever… so did the Second Afghan War Replica Collection… and then I completed those sets (still at it mind) to play my FASHODA went wrong scenario… pitching one against the other… a part of playing them solo in colonial semi-historical more correctly.

Then one day Andrew Stevenson published a pic of his units in full SIMKIN uniforms splendid array… and I was hooked… so I am now building a purely DORKING scenario British Army. BUT no Prussians at all… the French will do the trick again! (being the “enemy” I mean).

The tribulations of a loony collector should have titled this post!

And of course 30 years later you need to search for them on ebay!

Guards should be on the right of the line but I was in a hurry!

Yes those are the Guards but I finally added the white frontal stripe.

Those are the ebay.co.uk buys… read the text for more detail.

The “oversized drummer will go out” to another cabinet… a miss…

In the process of exchanging “colours”…no way I am going to field two Union Jacks…

Third and last unit (have to paint new facings) at least the drummer is the right proportion.

See the difference?… even the base is too “tall” on the big drummer… part of a Band set I guess….

The changing of the arm was easy and swift the second time… the first one still shows the stress of the first conversion.

6MM indulgence with the “spares box” or a bit of proxies…

I am waiting for a small parcel from “Greg” (yet again), it would contain some carts with bullocks and some Natal Mounted Police & Carbineers + Durnford and Vereker (If they are spelled like that which I doubt)… too many visualizations of ZULU DAWN I guess… has little mistakes but a much better film that the recent Ridley-Scott NAPOLEON extravaganza… (I would have written a much better script myself & other thousands of armchair generals).

So, getting to the point… I perused in the “spares box in 6MM” (never throw away anything is the correct approach in any scale) and rescued some ACW Rapier cavalry that I painted as NNC Cavalry (both mounted and dismounted); but as it is I found a lot of surplus of Prussian Dragoons Standard-bearers and with very little customization are now converted into the 17th lancers (of ULUNDI policing the Empire fame).

And what’s more!… found a half painted Romans Command figures that I complemented with an Arab Lancer posing as a Numidian Prince… and what not!…

I even went as far as converting with a paint job only of the figure three 21st lancers to make up the numbers of the 17th (from kakhi to dark blue)… they are the first case of doing a “transfer of men between Regiments” (LOL).

Have some pics!… BTW it is really easy to paint 6MM… believe me… just a matter of practicing a bit… and they are so cheap!

Enjoy!

My 21st lancers (the three figures in the rear rank-middle are now converted)

Here they are (A pic too big maybe but this way you see the “painting job”

They will be based differently… maybe like this (The 17th I mean)

New Roman stands before “finishing” the flocking.

Happy New Year 2024!… and a bit of a retrospective 2023… a brief summary!

There you have it… a collection of pics is better than a long text… this is what I did in 2023… from bottom to top chronologically I am afraid!

I enjoyed the lot of projects. Some come out of nowhere… some were convoluted… some straightforward…

How the mind wanders in a year… seriously considering selling my Playmobil Collection on Ebay nowadays… lack of interest by my grandchildren… and need of space… that happens…

Hope you enjoy my recollections!