BLOG – Page 26 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Tricorne

I only indulged in that particular “tricornered hats” period in my Playmobil times… now those armies (Playmobil) are on the hands of my grandchildren.

Enjoy.

Paul Watson’s completed Observation Balloon.

The complete works… with bits and pieces from here and there… the truly Frankenstein approach!

A picture is worth a thousand words… so be happy you’ll be spared my prose today! 54mm!

Delightful figures…

USA/Mexican war I guess… wonderful painting

Probably Howard Whitehouse but not sure… took it from Facebook!… those are painted “old Britain’s style” and are “my piece of cake”. Enjoy

For a lot of us collectors this is one of the goals or objectives… to be able to field an Army of Toy Soldiers… everything is there: Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry… and even some “civilians”. You need all sorts as I usually say. Enjoy.

Last Touchs III

Could have been easily named THAT’S ALL FOLKS!… but I am quite Traditional in the Titles of those Posts… And Bugs Bunny is not part of my collection… it has made me laugh mind… but that’s not here not there. A Collection that started without the intention of becoming a Collection at all… In fact those Cabinet use to contain my 25/28mm Napoleonic and ACW armies!… A nice chance (or lucky) that I made the measures in a way that minis could “breathe”… LOL… It was never intended for 54mm at the beginning… but they fitted quite well. So there you are bit by bit they grew up to that.

It contains The Houshold Division Troops + Beefeters + Men at Arms + Scottish Archers + RCMP and even Wellington/Nelson/Napoleon. Vast majority are Ducal, with Tradition of London, Marlborough, REPLICA, and some unidentified Brands. A bit eclectic but surely the first soldiers (Toy Soldiers) I did collect seriously.

Holmes&Watson getting a Hansom Cab (The Cab is the addition)

A couple of Policemen (Bobbies) and bicycle…

And that ends (for the moment… tomorrow never knows… the Classic Collection on the Big cabinet under the stairs)…

Maybe a couple of Nurses will do the trick of completing it but that depends on Andrew Stevens of REPLICA. Enjoy. I am quite through with it.

Well, not quite… bought a couple of nurses a medical officer and a detective and a set of Military Police all from Steadfast (R.Prati). And NOW it is finished (I can hear you laughing mind).

Military Modeling II

Smacks of P.C. Wren… or BEAU GESTE to be more precise. The world is divided in two big groups those who have read it and those who do not care…

A book that is “different” in such a way… that the “lessons” you learn are not the same at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 years of age. I know because I have read it at those ages and the perspective changes a lot. A critic would accuse Wren of racism, xenofobia, antisemitism, prejudices, mysoginia, white (anglo-saxon) supremacy, his phobia about “mixing races” etc etc etc… but he penned a masterpiece about “the decent thing to do”. It’s a fictional novel but with “morals”, it is a novel of adventure (boy’s own) but only in the surface… it is a Police Mystery novel (a “polar” the French say) but not quite… is it a “love story” (only in a way)… it is a Military novel and the abuse of power… (not at all but it served me right when I did my compulsory military service in the Spanish Army when the Sahara was still in Spanish hands… 13 months of boredom… so I know what “le cafard” is first hand)… I recently gave copies of the book to my grandchildren… would they ever read it?… I do not know at all… but I have passed it away anyhow…

Hope they do a lavish edition for the Centenary of its first publication.

30 years collecting French Army in 54mm. Classic&Class

Courage!… excellent obsession! As seen in Facebook. Timothy Hyndman’s Own.

Last Touchs II

Finally the Wagon is on its place… Steadfast Wagon and Ducal and Tradition mounted Officers.

Finished Collection on this Cabinet. A lifelong achievement…

I could still squeeze a couple more of Gordon Highlanders but all depends on REPLICA (read Andrew Stevens). I am quite satisfied as it is. And YES it took me years… 11 shelves: top 3 French Foreign Legion (in the 1st Cavalry and Mules Mounted Infantry); 4-6 REPLICA Second Anglo-Afghan second war; 7 Artillery; 8 Tel el Kebir; 9-10 Royal West Kent; 11 Colonial Cavalry. Nothing post 1900 interests me as a collector.

70

Ok. Let’s pay homage and follow suite… guess those pics of Grenadier Guards by the talented Mr. Dilley will suffice… after all I was born in 1952 and she has always been there as a Queen (“THE” Queen in fact)… so it is part of my life too!

Outstanding models as usual… and never take this for granted…

You can even read the battle honours!… and YES thay are 54mm…

Last touchs I

I added two gunners on the left so to make a crew of 4, bought two nice guns (if guns can be considered “nice”) and completed the crews set with 3 more gunners… and added a sailor and an officer to the right. That was all I needed and they are at last in place. Tradition of London on the back (Two mountain guns on mules marching…). Enjoy (even if you probably had to zoom on them).

Guess it is better if I provide the zooms myself.

The finally completed Artillery set… thanks to Steadfast pieces.

For those really observant… the “white towel” around the body of the Maxim is a putty “repair” because years and eons ago it came broken and I was unable to glue in place in other way… there… all explained.

Category: BLOG