Fun – My Toy Soldiers & Me

FASHODA (gone the wrong way or what if?) (I)

Maybe in 2025 you will see “FASHODA GONE WRONG” an Old Toy Soldiers & Old Wargame entertainment (SOLO). 54MM AGW affair using British and French Colonials (NO entente cordiale… LOL)… in fact I am pretty sure that this one would be my next wargame (Old School).

You see I do not like to “kill” natives or indigenous people in my wargames… I do not collect them as “cannon fodder” (Not even in 6mm mind!)… One thing is collecting miniatures (read Toy Soldiers) and the other is not being aware of the more grim aspects of colonialism (as if Persian, Greeks and Romans… to name a few were not “colonialist” or “conquerors”)… BUT here is not the place for discussing seriously the inhuman race.

Get a sight of the troops that would be involved on the pics below. All the affair would be precipitated by the French Commander in place… General Armand d´Hubry et Nemesis desire to win the Legion d’Honneur…

French Troops (by Dorset Soldiers and REPLICA)

British and Allies (meaning Indian Raj Troops) by REPLICA and Dorset Soldiers.

Of course, after that incident and its consequences either Calais or Dover would be involved in a messy action… follow that here website for more!

Britains Little Army (soon to be reinforced) is awaiting the second battle as a consequence…

Cheers!

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)

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

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.

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!

Finally varnished, dry, and ready to play!

I do not remember if I did that on 2023… but probably!

6MM Nile Gunboat (Daniel Hodgson REVEILLE production)

Rorke’s Drift in 6MM (Baccus Minis and Leven Buildings)

The Charge of the Heavy Brigade (Crimea 1854) 6mm Baccus Proxies!

Repainted central Toy Soldier (substitution in the collection)

The finished Brigade of Guards Crimea 1854 (Baccus Proxies and a lot of work involved!)

The “NEW” additions (Lt. Chard and Lt. Bromhead) in their proper place. DORSET SOLDIERS.

XIXth Corps d’Afrique (French) in 54MM… now complete.

The whole Heavy Brigade (Crimea) 6MM Baccus proxies.

My ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG Wargame 6MM Baccus (At the end of the game)

Playmobils 75MM… seriously considering selling my collection of them in 2024!

Saganne in 54mm Dorset Soldiers casting painted by me…

Nathan Brittles last patrol in 6MM Baccus Proxies (Pony Wars and a scratchbuild Olivia Dandridge aka Joanne Dru).

I did this “conversion” for a W.S.Churchill at OMDURMAN…. Dorset Soldiers cast!

French Foreign Legion by Dorset Soldiers waiting Varnish (Gloss of course!)

Last but not least!… this is what I remember… (fondly).

Varnished at last!… and job finished.

Really needed the gloss varnish that makes the colours pop up!

That would end my painting for a while. No new subjects in mind at all.

Adding to the collection would be painted items thank you kindly!

Enjoy!

My last Three Mounted 54MM Toy Soldiers (REPLICA CASTS).

I am getting older for all that. But for a last effort in 54MM they are not so bad… after all they ARE Toy Soldiers!

Next would be basing some 6mm Baccus 24th Colonial Zulu Wars Infantry and then to the wargames table.

I always seem to think I have finished my collection (in the sense that I won’t paint anymore excepting maintenance…)

Collecting already painted boxes of Toy Soldiers still goes on. And my orders for 2024 are done, sent and agreed upon… so in due time in the next months they would appear here.

Also plan to post some pics of the excellent work of Antony Spencer from Dorset Soldiers and Andrew Stevenson from REPLICA METAL MODEL SOLDIERS.

Enjoy!

PS: YES! they still lack the gloss varnish but I always wait about a week to do that… a lesson learned in 25mm (silver and gold colors tend to wash all over if not properly dried!)

From left to right: Scot Guards Brigadier (VC); HRH King Charles III; and last but not least W.S.Churchill as a 4th Hussar.

Lanyard corrected… (some of you are eagle-eyed!)

I used this “avatar” or pic of a RCMP Inspector General with dark blue tunic (patrol jacket in Britain) because of childhood memories.

Suddenly one day a member of Facebook commented I have painted wrong the lanyard because it was under the webbing (difficult for the pistol to be used as such at all… lol… he (or she) was right… so:

I modified the mistake.

Here are the pics, enjoy!