BLOG – Page 8 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

The Second US Cavalry as portrayed in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. (II) and some distractions on the side

I had a set of Guardsmen from REPLICA and decided to assemble them after a crisis (I nearly sent them away to be painted!)… then on reflection I thought better paint myself… long winter months ahead (if there is a winter).

Enjoy!

While the US Cavalry is drying… assembling some figures!

That figure would become King Charles III (quite probably!)

A Guards Commander with Binoculars (mounted) and an ADC (4th Hussars aka very young Winston Churchill!)

The Second US Cavalry as portrayed in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (I)

Finally I am doing them, it has been a busy task to drill the holes to fit the heads, and also put the arms in place. A normal procedure when buying casts and a bit of DIY. Of course that is after gluing together the two parts of the horse (YES the casts come in two parts and you have to glue them). Had to add pistol holster (from DORSET SOLDIERS) and add the guidon from my spares box (Old DUCAL lance). Not complaining at all but it is not my favourite time with them… I enjoy painting but the assembly part is like work in a way…

Now, the pots of Vallejo painting have been buyed long ago… I will prim the figures and let them dry. And then it would be the usual Henry Ford approach of painting in a “line of production”. That way when you have finished the last figure (54mm REPLICA) the first is already dry and so on.

Really it is more fun to show what I am doing instead of simply posting what others have done (syndrome of “look Ma what I have done!”).

You can simply skip those Posts if not interested.

2023 was a very chaotic tasks jumble with the production of the Baccus proxies for the Brigade of British Guards in the Crimean War interrupting all the time work in other scales. With them finished and out of the way finally able to do Nathan Brittles Second US Cavalry patrol.

The need to add them to my collection has always been there… but until Andrew Stevenson produced the sample (see bottom) I was not able to locate the casts at all (with my own specifications and variations).

Hope you enjoy.

6MM Union Cavalry (and other units on the pics)

On the Baccus Forum we had a lively discussion or debate about the basing of ACW Cavalry.

After reading books about Brandy Station, Trevilian Station and others… I concluded that I needed more variety than the standard 60x30MM base (one brigade) of many stablished popular rules.

Here are the results.

Of course I will do my own thing as usual!

Enjoy!

6 MM Some crew added to Gunboat

On the last parcel there were the much needed guns and sailors for the Gunboat.

The company of Highlanders on board come as an afterthought!

Enjoy!

Omdurman has now all the troops in 6MM needed to do the wargame my way.

Closing Time! (Meaning the end of other people pics. Only my own work from now on)

I’ve been doing this for years now… and in a way it is quite futile… followers of this Blog must know that from now on Saturdays and Sundays I will not Post as a rule (with exceptions). And this is just the first step… in slowing down.

AND as I have gone over the 500.000 visits mark (including robots)… I am gonna end Posting Facebook pics you can go to Facebook to see for yourself:

Go to Facebook, search for Scott Lesch, Graham Hilditch, Alan Harrison, Gian Lucca Cocchi, Daniel Hodgson, James Opie, Tony Dilley, REPLICA, Andrew Stevenson, Antony Spencer, Imperial Miniatures, Dorset Soldiers, Ducal (or Fort-Ducal), Stuart Asquith, Dan Allen, Donald Featherstone, Daniel Borris, Paul Watson, Tradition of London, RPWorldModels, Baccus, Peter Berry, Dave Mitchell, Bill Horan, John Firth, Roberto Lodoli, Al Fisher, John Clarke, Timothy Hyndman, Paul Griffith, Gavin Holliday, John Clarke, Stefano Allorini, Massimo Vittucci, Alan Green, Steve Snark, Claude Bailey, Bertolini, Howard Whitehouse, Frankowski, Der Alte Fritz, Glenn Robert Pearce, God’s Own Scale, British Bulldog, Steadfast Soldiers, New Buckenham Historical Wargamers, Perry Miniatures, MINIFIGS, Nate Fogt, Alejo Dorca, etc. Groups like: H.G.Wells Little Wars, www.mytoysoldiersandme.com, Playmobil Pictures and Dioramas, 6MM wargaming, W.Britains, Dixon Miniatures, To The Redoubt Miniatures, Perry Miniatures, A Gentleman’s War etc etc etc… Just browse my Posts and then go to Facebook… I am sure some of you already do.

What I intent is just Post my Own Collection or work in this Blog… including Books recommendations or reviews. This transition will go smoothly I guess, it has been a pleasure to entertain you (if I did at all).

Another thing is I want to eliminate the pics I collected but have nothing to do with me… the categories are too crowded as it is and is hard to find things in them… I guess too many info to begin with. So I am in the process of “cleaning up”. Many things I delete are nice pics mind, but as I have said a quick search in Facebook or Instagram will bring them to you.

But the scope of this Blog is turning to a more intimate diary (and no daily entries) and only when I find I have something worth to say IMHO.

Have my Best Regards!

The Charges of the Heavy Brigade and the Light Brigade (Crimea 1854) 6mm Baccus Proxies

I have been very lazy and tardly to show those 6MM Baccus proxies… they have been in the cabinet for months (or weeks)… and they deserved a Post. Probably the less mentioned action of Balaklava!

My collection of 6MM is slowly growing (under control I like to think… lol).

This action has always been a favourite of mine.

The Russians are in fact german cavalry from the Franco-Prussian war… used just to give a sense of perspective!

Enjoy!

General Scarlett in front of the Scots Greys

Frontal view from the Russian positions…

Those were the first Baccus 6mm I ever painted myself!

I only have the British Army… well not true as my French Zouaves, Turcos and FFL from North Africa are also usable… is a long history… but to make it short: I first bought proxies for THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (Peter from Baccus helped me to find the adequate proxies that come from a variety of Napoleonic nationalities in the Baccus range)… I painted those myself… the first ever Baccus 6mm I ever painted… I loved the result… and since then I slowly built the rest…first was first and BALAKLAVA was completed adding the 93rd Highlanders, some turks (in fact egyptians from my colonial range) and some British Horse Artillery… Then I confronted the problem of the British Guards Brigade -with bearskin- had to do that myself… converting Napoleonic Imperial Guard Grenadiers (somewhat a heressy!)- I did paint them too. In paralel I bought (painted mind) the heavy cavalry brigade (Scot Greys as per Napoleonic range) the other regiments using Prussian dragoons from the Franco-Prussian war Baccus range. Only remained to add the rest of the Infantry (Line+Rifles+Highlanders) and line Artillery. And the big guns Raglan used at Inkerman. The last one has always been a favourite of mine…”The Soldier´s battle”. If you peruse the posts in the Baccus Forum there are plenty of pics of what I say. Also in some posts on my website www.mytoysoldiersandme I guess that’s all. Cheers

My old Toy Soldiers (Lieutenants Chard & Bromhead) modified and repainted

Those are mine… and as I have told you in “CLOSING TIME” this is what I am going to Post from now on.

After buying painting and displaying the “new” Chard&Bromhead by Dorset Soldiers I did not knew what to do with my “old one’s”… finally I repainted the RPWM Bromhead as an extra officer of Royal Artillery (quite an easy job!)… and kept Chard as it was but he has joined the Royal West Kent (have not decided yet if attached as a Royal Engineer or simply an officer of the RWH.

Enjoy.

Now Bromhead is a Royal Artillery Officer.

And Chard has joined the Royal West Kent.

Trying my hand at 6mm proxies by Baccus slightly modified

It was somewhat an ordeal, maybe because I am 71, but the delays due to Postal Services mishaps did not help at all.

I first tried pestering Peter Berry about them (to no use), meaning why not a proper Baccus Crimean range?… wishful thinking of course!

Then I finally (and stubborn in a way) followed the Proxies Way!… that meant eliminating with a cutter the “French” parts of the minis (obvious even in 6MM).

Painting them was fast and true… the minor step of the way… you maybe do not believe how fast it is to paint 6MM!

Gluing them into bases was easy.

Then something I have not done for years… sculpting the bases or stands… an awful mess I did of it. To the credit of the Baccus basing system the old pots where still quite useful (except the wash who had evaporated more than 5 years later).

And finally the sets of colours (Napoleonic in fact).

This is my last effort of DIY in 6MM… my daughter has forbidden me to paint less than 54MM (LOL).

Enjoy!