General – Page 6 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

54MM Toy Soldiers: Somehow we all have projects on standby but eventually they are one day completed.

Early nineties collectors club Britains metal figures in 54mm… a part of my collection that nowadays has grown out of proportion I fear… and REPLICA casts for the US Cavalry as portrayed by John Ford, converted (a bit) and painted by myself…

I honestly do not know if to complete the US Cavalry set from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon or not… guess I will…

On the contrary once Antony Spencer from Dorset sends my order end of June (nearly there) I will get the missing drummer (GOT IT!)… and much needed French Foes because they are naturally the best of enemies… (in real life it was the years of “Entente Cordiale” and it was great to have real PEACE!)

So, Dorking (it won’t even be called Dorking at all you know… no Prussians in my collection) would involve a fictional second half of the XIXth Century engagement between French and British forces… still not decided if it would be a Calais invasion by the Brits… or a Dover one by the French… musing on it!… but all for FUN as in RUGBY!

Enjoy!

They have nothing in common… but my fancy!

6MM The Zulu War (I)

A six months “War” full of pathos because Isandlwana… a British Empire act of rascality (well that’s what Empires do anyway…) got a bloody nose and was “put right” even before a “new” commander in chief could arrive (read Wolseley). Have some pics.

Well, maybe the summing up is too brief and harsh… after all there are so many books (good) about it… and splendid movies… ZULU DAWN and ZULU (The second was released ages before the first… but it is better to watch in the proper order)… and than you have Eshowe and other actions… have always been a fan since I saw ZULU at the movie theater… then there was no VHS no DVD no BluRay… LOL… spectacular…

Normally I use painting services Robert “GREG” Jackson) for my 6MM (mainly BACCUS), but here I indulged myself a bit and did some brush detail… the models are LEVEN painted by REVEILLE.

Enjoy!

Rorke’s Drift (Leven model painted by Daniel Hodgson) Baccus figures painted by Robert Jackson.

Ulundi “square” lateral view. (I did the 17th lancers myself and the mounted standard-bearers…)

Ulundi seen from the Zulu side…(Zulu capital).

54MM BRITAINS (modern) And the last change of facings done (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 … now already done!

Enjoy!

Unit with white facings lacking a drummer

54MM BRITAINS (modern). Another unit (Yellow facings) 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)… next and last would be with white facings.

Enjoy!

54MM BRITAINS (modern) REPAINTED/CONVERTED 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!

Not happy with the Regimental Colour… need to repaint a bit…

6MM BACCUS proxies

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).

54MM Toy Soldier’s 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 (very) busy at the beginning of the 90’s and did not notice at all when William Britains (the new owners I guess) 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. Later on even the white helmet British sets were transferred to Andorra la Vella and only ceremonial sets remain in PAL.

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). Nearly there…

The tribulations of a loony collector should I 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.

54MM Toy Soldier buying experiences on ebay.co.uk (I)

It must be my age, I am getting less and less “patient” if you know what that means. On the other hand I am becoming more and more of a “patient” of a bunch of doctors (not many quacks so far).

All of that because perusing (sorry “navigating”) ebay.co.uk one recent day I discovered a bunch of 54MM Sherwood Foresters Britains of the late 90´s… it said I could make an offer… I did (could not restrain myself)… and what the hell!… whoever it was accepted it!… OK… Paypayled him/her and some days later (quite quick!) I got a marvelously packed parcel (thanks for that) with the goods (see first pic).

Of course being a silly ass (read collector) I could not restrain myself (again) and had to complete the set as to get 12 figures units for A Gentleman’s War (a set of rules I have never used yet… but looks good in a way)… so I started BUYITNOW the items i needed (first to make two units… then three… I got a bit carried away)…

So here I am waiting for the little parcels of two soldiers each to arrive and in the meantime modeling a bit because (YES!) I could not restrain myself!… so I changed the arm and flag of the standard bearer.

Will edit or Post a new one when things look “organized”.

Enjoy!

PS: I have been very busy deleting a lot of “old Posts” with maybe no real interest (to me).

The first “bunch” was got at a very fair price!

There I am gluing my fingers to bits and pieces again!

6MM Baccus: 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/History buffs).

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!