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Toy Soldiers “in action” by Scott Lesch!

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Nowadays a hard core of aficionados has rediscovered the charm of wargaming (without throwing pellets) in 54mm scale with Toy Soldiers. After all it is a normal consequence of 28mm skirmish type of games… I am in it in spades… you will see in a couple of days when I post my “new” additions to an Army of French Foreign Legion figures by DORSET SOLDIERS… painted by myself because once retired it is a rediscovery (not exclusively for the less money involved.. because you get it exactly right!… and even fastest than to wait fot them to paint them).

Not that I do not buy painted one’s… in general they do paint better than me (specially Andrew Stevens who seems to get his shop REPLICA ready for business again!… and that is a piece of excellent news!). Dorset Soldiers (now amalgamated with IMPERIAL MINIATURES and ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN) do paint better than me too!… bu I have the patience and the time (Or whatever amount of time remains… LOL).

Enjoy!

They can not be nicer…
Another shot!
And Another!… I just love his figures…

“Grandeur”… French always had a touch of style…

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Straight from THE VAULT…

I am unusually happy with myself, as yesterday I discovered where I had put my old colour catalogues of DORSET SOLDIERS (from Giles brown time!)… that would facilitate enormously my emails and chats with Antony Spencer the actual “magic maker”… Only Old Hands would understand what I am talking about… but never mind… we old men are like that!

Enjoy the pic!

Seen in Facebook… majestic!

Can you do better?

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I do not wargame that period at all… but the uniforms are a joy to paint and see… when wargames units started to look like minidioramas like this one I went (and for other reasons too!) down to 6mm. For me it is simply impossible to achieve those results… Military Modeling like… and to think that my grandchildren would “manipulate” those minis on the tabletop is also nightmarish… call me squeamish if you want… I predicted all that back in 2006-2008 when I was so innocent as to write a book about it!… I love them but personally count me out.

Enjoy!

That’s the level we all want… or not?

Fantastic Diorama

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Nothing surprise me a lot nowadays… but sometimes… sometimes… sometimes I am shocked by sheer quality!… What a masterful work!

On the other hand another surprise was the announcement of a Toy Soldiers’s Collection for sale (Mr. Luc Lezun) using www.mytoysoldiersandme.com in Facebook… just remember all transactions are a private agreement between gentlemen and the site has been created only for pleasure and no commercial objectives at all. Simply beware as usual. Thought better to clarify… wish I could buy them all! The use of mirrors on the back of the cabinets where the Collection for sale is displayed “doubles” the effect of quantity… anyone can see that… but better mention to be absolutely clear!

Enjoy!

It is so good I thought it was a master oil painting (a la Detaille if you please!) Congratulations!

Khartoum

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One of the Boy’s Own paradigmas… the rescue of Gordon (who did not want to be rescued)… excellent stuff for wargames… have seen it in most scales… BTW there are excellent books about it… try Michael Asher’s one…

He will be avenged at Omdurman with relish…

Enjoy!

It looks as Khartoum to me…

6mm today…

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I have my ACW armies in 6mm ready to fight!… but for the SOLO rules I am working on (intermittently I agree)… After much reflexion I have decided on recreating a “generic battle” NO real generals involved… meaning that I have found quite impossible to PLAY with Lee and Grant or the rest… a game of attrition… Union worried by Washington security… Confederates trying to have a Victory that enables Political recognition from Europe… quite true objectives but I will be in command and the sub-commanders will act as their real counterparts but without names and characters attached… I guess this is the best I can do in a SOLO game.

Enjoy the pic!… have always liked the uniforms of the Franco-Prussian War but find the Historic reality too much unbalanced (as the French High Command!).

Franco-Prussian War

A bit of humour…

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I will translate for you…

“Your friend Robert Villepreux did come yesterday.”

“It is my duty to beware you that he ordered two Infantry Regiments and three Assault Motorized Divisions”

All right, Jean Jacques Sempé was one of the best cartoonist in France for decades, ironic, subtle and very good at minimalist drawing. I can think of a lot of other texts to use for this drawing… but the one he choosed resumes perfectly our megalomania.

It could have been:

“I understand that gloss or matt is a difficult decision…”

or:

“Maybe I do not have exactly what you want Sir…”

But never mind… I laughed myself out for a while with it… and thought better Post immediately!

Enjoy!