After a shuffle of space in my ex-office… all begins to fall in place.
Cabinet has been reorganized, and now the British are on the right of the picture and the French on the left (seems apropiate somehow…)
The Armies (both) would be completed this year 2025 I guess… and then all hell will break loose… Not exactly Imagine-nations, but certainly imagination will run free (NO ENTENTE CORDIALE AT ALL I FEAR), I only collect what I like so it does not matter to me to pitch them against each other from time to time. I do not collect Russians or Prussians or other more exotic Armies… I stick to what I know best and that’s that.
Enjoy.
New ubication of the small cabinet.Detail.French Foreign legion Units (and French Artillery).The rest of the French Army (still expecting reinforcements).British Army (SIMKIN TIMES). It lacks the Naval Brigade.The British Cavalry.British Kakhi Army (Colonial NWF/SUDAN etc)
In fact 70 years old and a bit… The state is original… those are the rests of the original paint… on anything not rigid (or even quite rigid) paint peels off I am afraid. Those three are all what remain of my big box of infancy…
My maternal grandfather used to play with me back then… that been the case it started a life long love for the “Mounties” only slightly superior to my obsession with the French Foreign Legion as a result of been exposed to BEAU GESTE (The book if you please)… and of course the Guards Regiments (Horse and Foot)… my parents always looked North from Spain… anglophiles but also liked France. My father even studied in Liverpool before the Spanish Civil War made a mess of a lot of things…
Lucky me I was born in 1952… so wars were a thing of the past… or in far away exotic places (Korea, Vietnam, Falklands,Iran, Irak, Afghanistan)… not in Europe anymore (well the Balkans)… and mainly USA wars (sometimes with staunch allies at his side)… the XXth Century was the USA Century to be sure…but we lived a long peace.
Enjoy,
RCMP REAMSA rubber/cautxuc soldiers of aprox 45mm scale
That lead me later to this of course… Collecting 54mm gloss toy soldiers come many years after… and they are DUCAL (99% of the set, Tradition of London 2 figures, 1 REPLICA -a cast that is now once painted my personal avatar- and 1 an iconic BRITAINS)… you need all sorts you know…
The full collection.Detail of the last addition by myself (converting and painting)Finally got one of the iconic Old Britains figures (well, maybe not so old… but iconic not the least)
Not complaining at all because the order from 2023 arrived on 2025!… quality compensates in spades.
The “cottage” industry of Toy Soldiers has that… limited production… long queueing… but SATISFACTION!
The Toy Soldiers Britains never did… not in its heyday (classic times)… not in his centenary sets either… bespoke orders… simply fantastic output.
You can also buy from him… see replica metal model soldiers in google or email “HQ@replicametalsoldiers.co.uk” HQ@Replicametalsoldiers.co.uk and just wait to be satisfied… it helps if you are not in your seventies like me!
Enjoy.
Line Infantry Charging!Rifles firing.Royal Fuziliers…“THE” General… of REPLICA’s fame!And something completely different… an armoured car (Rolls&Royce) if you please… a model a bit late for my period… but I guess the fact that is a secret prototype can adapt well to my needs!
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)
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!
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).
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.
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…
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.
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!
