John Clarke’s Own

Visits: 57

Expressly built for A GENTLEMAN’S WAR ruleset I guess…

The battle of Dorking (completely fictional) is surely embeded in the mind of a lot of Toy Soldiers Wargamers in 54mm… do not ask me why… a sad depressing book (highly readable though)… shrinks/quack doctors do make a hard cash from it!

Enjoy the model! Ah! incidentally topped 120.000 visitors a couple of days ago, as usual this is popular specially in the USA (It puzzles me because stopping at 1900 it leaves out the US Century… but you’ll never know why at all)

I must confess I have acquired some Prussian Playmobils to play it too but maybe à la Wells.

Another nice piece in gloss this time…

Castings from IMPERIAL/DORSET SOLDIERS.

Visits: 65

Due to the long absence of REPLICA from the market (hopefully available again in January) I checked and ordered some unpainted castings from IMPERIAL/DORSET Miniatures to complete some units. Yes, I will paint them myself and hopefully you will see the results in this webpage in a month or two.

Just writing this lines to praise the understanding and help from my contact (Antony) who delivered precisely what I needed. All this is a suite provoked by the HELP of Paul Watson with another Ensign I sorry missed.

So here you have me, meddling with brush and paints at my age!… LOL… in fact it is perfect for my age… a relaxing hobby if one exists.

More in a few weeks (keep checking).

Lateral view of future Ensigns around 1878
Highlander Bugler (without arms) and two Pipers
Frontal view of the Ensigns to be (I will add right arm with flag myself)
They would look like this once painted…
My pic (and Toy Soldiers) of the 66th (Berkshires) last stand at Maiwand. (The last eleven counting the dog) Those who are also History Buffs will know that in fact there were several last stands that day, and many fugitives that reached Kandahar in a pitiful state.

You usually care about details in Wargames or Toy Soldier Collecting after reading a lot about periods in History. The Second Anglo-Afghan War is well documented. What I do not understand is the obsession with Afghanistan at all in modern times!… but I digress… I stop my wanderings at 1900 for many good reasons and will not comment about later times nor – God forbid!- current events.

A big thanks to Paul Watson (II)

Visits: 57

It has been a long time since I painted myself a 54mm miniature!… but here we are (well… me) doing it as if time had not passed by. The Heliograph party (2 figures) and the Regimental Colour of the Gordon’s coming quite nicely using Andrew’s Toy Soldiers as a very useful guide! On the pure painting side I am using too many tricks nowadays… old Humbrol enamels (not dried up), Vallejo I guess and Poska markers… and in the end Gloss finish to be sure!

On my last edited entry on the subject if all goes to plan you will see the final version nowadays still pending gloss varnish of course!

I do found more and more difficult to show my own pet subjects by fear of being boring and tiresome, you must understand that collectors and wargamers are in a state of constant doubt, what will I do next?, do I buy this or that (evidently enough budgets have limits), painted or unpainted (that means I will have to paint myself!)… is what I want available?… or affordable?… it is quite more complicated than you think… and my mind juggles and jumps from one option to another several times a day! Once a decision taken one goes to considerable pains to get the goal, sometimes considerably annoying everyone whom has items commercially available… more or less.

The actual three “new” additions on the foreground

Enjoy your hobby.

Close up of the group used to work the results.
Work in progress…
A week before…
Same as above…
Working place… if that qualifies as work… which I doubt!

And more… AGW

Visits: 60

I have posted a lot of Scott Lesch work because it is awesome!… Does that mean that I am going to indulge in the Franco-Prussian War (1870)? NOT AT ALL!… but you must admit his production of Armies is very mice indeed!. And sometimes when awareness is down… I think of it seriously!.

The fact that every unit seems to field a “cantiniere” is non important for me… but adds a “je ne sais quoi”… LOL

AGW Franco-Prussian War Battle.
Nice Cuirassiers…
Another French side view…
I added those Prussians as an afterthought
No contest without them…
So here they are… The Second Reich would be won at the end of the campaign.

Here we go again!

Visits: 63

Excuse me if you have already seen this pic (my own for a change) 75mm Customized Playmobil (Just the headgear I guess)

Congratulations to the British. The civic attitude was paramount and those public and privately professionally involved gave a lesson on “how it is done”. There is no better example to compare. Long live the King!

This webpage would again be alive as from today with the usual business of giving you your daily ration (or dose) of Toy Soldiers. Cheers.

Paul Watson’s Band!

Visits: 57

Paul uses thid pic sometimes to celebrate the entrance of new members in our FaceBook site (or Group)… yes… mytoysoldiersandme … 450 members from ’round the world. I am much busy nowadays and keeping the webpage alive everyday consumes my time so I do not post a lot in FaceBook… but other members do so regularly!

A great hobby!

This is not an usual subject so… enjoy!

Imaginary Nations

Visits: 66

As seen in Facebook… group A Gentleman’s War of course!… delightful pics all round. Have had the rules for a long time (Howard Whitehouse) but never played a game with them… maybe in the not so distant future… but using Playmobil figures. You need etc…

A Close Up
Michael “the black” commander of the Streslau Army (John Clarke)

John Firth’s Own (II)

Visits: 65

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…)

Fancy uniforms… the stuff of ZENDA!
And again…

Maybe some more tomorrow. Enjoy.