The very first game (or wargame) we played with dice was METAURUS (Great Battles of the World series).
It was a hit.
We never looked back after that boardgame with 54mm plastic minis… of course more than fifty years later the plastic minis are gone and forgotten… years ago I bought metal minis to use the map with them… actually after several tries with Baccus 6mm correct figures (meaning Gauls, Carthaginian, Elephants, and Republican Romans).
The private edition by my brother is not available commercially if I understood correctly!… will post actualizations once I got my complimentary copy! (After all it was me who introduced my little brother to wargames at a very early age… that he later will transform that passion into a business still puzzles me!).
Enjoy!
First sketches from a private reedition (100 copies) for the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of DEVIR (a boardgames multinational company which has as CEO my brother!… LOL) fantastic expectations…My sixties old boardgame still in good shape!The Baccus 6mm I use with it nowadays…For a time I used Greek miniatures from Wargames Foundry in 28mm (that way both players had elephants!… but it was too symmetrical I guess…
If you do collect 54mm Toy Soldiers it would be a good idea to join The International Toy Soldier Club… really good company!
Look one of the last Posts there… A highlander late campaign uniform (kakhi) full Band (Band + Fifes&Drums)… done by Andrew Stevenson for a customer no other than James Opie of worldwide fame expertise on Britains Toy Soldiers.
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!
Followers of this website must know I am now collecting sets of the BRITAINS CENTENIAL COLLECTOR SERIES (1993)… to use in AGW Old school wargames.
With the Infantry there is no issue as they come in sets of 6… so two sets makes a complete Unit and that’s it. On the contrary Cavalry Sets have 4 Cavalrymen… you buy two boxes and then you have two redundant figures (redundant is a term I do not use at all) to be converted in something else.
Bought two sets of the 4th Hussars and then one trumpeter and one sergeant were promptly repainted to represent another regiment of Hussars of SIMKIN times… they will be added to the General Staff (A General always needs a trumpeter and a flag!)… or whatever… had fun messing with them… still not gloss varnished mind… probably work a bit more with the flag too (in the pic it is not correct… mend it by now!)… and why not paint the trumpeter’s horse white? (done too!)
Enjoy!
“New” Standardbearer… the flag is wrong and has been repainted!The other side…Ex-4th Hussars…Finally painted the horse white.Original and Conversion.Also painted the horses lancers in other colours… too many blacks as it is!They still lack gloss varnish… but you get the idea…
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.
I am nowadays buying some of this sets to hurriedly complete some projects (British SIMKIN times Army and others…).
I can not wait for the more traditional way of collecting. Probably some of this units will be “embellished” with paintjobs in the near future… I can do that mind!
Just thought to mention that for me the only “toy soldier shop” available nowadays is ebay… and that’s that… nearly instant satisfaction… at nearly 73 years old is what I need in spades!
Enjoy!
Recent arrivals… the General is a Dorset figure…Royal Marines ArtilleryBritish Hussars (two of them would be “converted”.AGW UnitTerritorials in a way…A fast way of completing your Armies!
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…
I have been collecting sets from Tradition of London from decades… I was actually a bit distracted by others periods and scales… but they are always on my mind.
I recently put an order to give a bit of colour at one of my cabinets and Erik supplied (quite fast!) the following set: 1 Officer (British), an NCO (Indian) and two lancers for 4 Regiments with different uniforms… so far so good.
Once the parcel arrived one of the lance shafts was broken above repair and so I contacted them. A replacement is on its way… EXCELLENT service and Communications…
As I loath to gave anything away I did a bit of repairing on the “broken” lancer and he has been raised in rank (twice…LOL) and decorated… and sent the pics to Erik if that can help other customers…
Here are the pics of the little tale…
Enjoy
See broken lance above left.
Detail.
Inspected and small “retouching”
Raised to Corporal (and out of bits of the lance to have a pacing stick)
Raised to RSM and decorated… I did not want to threw it away you know… I try to never do that… sometimes looks good enough!
Finally the replacement (FREE) arrived and the set is complete. Thanks to Erik from Tradition of London for an excellent service.
Curiously enough this cast (unpainted) was one of the first minis I ever painted myself (as it was mean to be… red tunic & all… and there it is still in my collection). One day I noticed I did not have thought of buying from DUCAL a RSM… so… I bought from Tradition of London the kit again and have painted in a new version with pace stick (a bit of steel paper clip).
There you have it hope you like it.
There… it only lacks the gloss finish… will add when dry!
