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If I was younger I will go for a 3D Printer Machine (or whatever its name) because seeing the actual results of a clever use (see pics) the days of alloys, moulds and an era seem prone to vanish quite fast in the near future (not that I care too much about that) I will remain contented with my collections until I die and they are sold out for a pittance or go to the bin (I do not really care).
But see what magnificent start those 3D machines are into… 6mm By The Way…
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No blasphemy intended, 6mm is the scale to go IMHO to fight on the tabletop large scale Battles or Campaigns, the quality of the castings has improved a lot over the decades and even some truly amazing painters of minis achieve stunning feats of art with them!… but of course this is not the main point… gone are the secure flanks (aka border of the table), the lines of communication suddenly are there… you can even represent the tail of an Army… really a lot of things to ponder on. On the downside you lose detail (lovers of the last button would not be interested) and even your quite really good average painted minis lose detail on the distance (at naked eye view). As you know I am hooked on this scale and my passion is the ACW. See elsewhere on this web page under ACW.
Probably one of the best books so far readed by me is the single volume by Bruce Catton The American Civil War. A truly tour de force.
In fact it was the Baccus concept of basing 24 minis (or 28 with skirmishers) in a single base measuring 60x30mm and calling the unit a brigade who appealed to me. A genius move. (I evolved from there but that is another story).
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I spent nearly 30 years of my wargaming life in 25/28mm scale… I do not regret it at all… it was fun (and that was what was available and trendy I guess).
To go 6mm was wise because I wanted to do BIG battles and that was the only scale to manage it “at home” (meaning my old office).
So here using year 2021 as a container you will get my 6mm pics and experiences. Not so easy to do pics in 6mm.
Enjoy!
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Had a “mock” Parade of my Guards to check chevrons, colour of hairs, trousers, and some other petty details… took some pics… and I post them just for fun!
BTW… I still have more 54mm Toy Soldiers gloss finish by DUCAL… but the gap is closing… more than 150 figures some even with small paint jobs.
Quite entertaining.
Enjoy!
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Playmobil “aficionados” know this… specially if long involved with them… the hard-mad-core delights on it. Of course you need to learn to disassemble the figure (YouTube has plenty of tips about that) there are tools (only useful if the figure has no collar mind) but in the end the best method is the kitchen rag or Tea Towel and Scissors (used as a neck round grip and “turn”… see YouTube please a pic is worth a thosusand words!)
Step-by-step of the rag and scissors method
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65RvtQEc_Q
Somehow not everybody knows.
So in a hot day’s early morning (fresher) I decided to post some pics to show the versatility of the 75mm scale. (Too big means you need less figures to have fun -it is a fact!- you can of course disagree! (I am addicted to 6mm wargaming the ACW… so… do not be too misleaded…)
You need all sorts you know!
Enjoy if open minded.
Summing Up!
Originally posted on FaceBook … There It is very difficult (I have tried) to put the pics in order there… not here… I manage this well.
You see I have had a long life obsession with redcoated-bearskinclad Guard soldiers… very much in my eyes since I was born (before Instagram or selfies)… they were always in the news, film reels, etc… then you had BRITAINS!… to cut a long story short I have always intended to have some toy soldiers like those…
BTW I knew a REAL General of the British Army!… real life has those turns… as a hard professional he dismissed them as “Chocolate Box Soldiers”… (which of course it was only inside banter).
So:
My parents bought me a present once because I was quite sick for a time (say 6 months) and in London they got that magnificent set of Coldstreamers Changing the Guard double tray big box with Band, Soldiers at the slope, soldiers presenting, both Colours and Officers (to not mention the sentry boxes)… guess it was set 1555 later reissued as 9424 -for those interested in those things and details!-.
Once that clarified:
After dutifully collecting 54mm gloss toy soldiers from DUCAL (thanks to Jack and Thelma!). Got a modest collection of them when grown up. I did even collect them again in “action stances” some “old Britains” some “Replica Metal Soldiers & Models – Traditional Style Toy Soldiers casts I painted myseld or even some painted by Andrew Stevenson. Got them too in 6mm Crimean War Period (Baccus casts modified or converted by yours truly)…
Then:
It was only natural I bought the Playmobil figure… in fact some dozens but not up to two hundred (I have limits!). Seriously, it is IMHO one of the best clicks Playmobil ever did. I got them to play with my grandchildren without exposing the “Collection Items”. They are sturdy things, they fall from the table, never a scratch!
But once the Parade things done to satisfaction (are you ever satisfied?). I realized that I had no time left to buy and paint yet another Army (or several) to play a la Charles Grant!
SO!:
I decided to use Playmobils to Wargame a bit “Old School” (in a much different way!) mainly by the versality of the thing (read infinite combinations and permutations). You can not do with Traditional Toy Soldiers what you can do with Playmobils. The same 10 figures can be in 5 minutes:
1.- A 13 figure set of my formal display.
2.- A reduced to 10 figures basic unit of my Fictional Armies.
3.- I can use Bearskins.
4.- I can use different tricorne hats.
5.- I can use different “musicians”.
6.- I can use the figures as Cavalry.
7.- I can use them as Dragoons-Lancers-Cuirassiers whatever!
8.- I did not bother to picture them with a Gun (YES they are useful as Artillery too!)
The session of pics was used to make a new unit with grey hair (there are four colours available for “hair”: brown, black, blond (yellow for you!) and grey) Now I have units with all variations (some more than one per colour of course!)
And there you have it!
10 figures (as expensive as a basic lead toy soldier each of them) but with so many “different possibilities”.
Do that with other basic uniforms: Black/Dark Blue/ Sky Blue/ Green/ Yellow/ White / Red… and apply pectoral stickers and add ons like canteens, webbing/belts, munition pouches, bags etc.
And then let the FUN begin!
PS: I will maybe write a book about how I play with them if a bit of time is spared from every day chores (real life gets in the way of the hobby too often!). Not very interesting stuff I fear as I am the first to admit the FREEDOM OF THE HOBBY!
Enjoy!
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Just a series of pics of what I am doing nowadays.
I am a collector of “classic” (by now NEW TOY SOLDIERS) 54mm gloss finish Toy Soldiers, also a wargamer in 6mm scale… but I do skirmish with 75mm Playmobils -because messing with the parts is huge FUN!-
So, here are some pics
Enjoy!
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It was a favorite TV serial of the fifties… ok… you were not born (maybe)… but it was great!
“I arrest you in the name of the Crown”And… “This case is closed” become much used among small children of the period… incidentally one of my first disguises was a “Mounty” one… LOL… have never looked back…
Enjoy!
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Slowly getting there. The 7th Cavalry built for the Little Big Horn 1876 campaign doubles nicely as the ACW Michigan Brigade just changing hats for kepis. Custer is a different figure and uniform.
Curiously I like to confront a real unit with a fictional one, the Confederates are the Texas Light Cavalry of Dusty Fog literary fame (but I guess some real units can be done just getting a new commander because there are very good real one’s!).
Added the horses from the pool (pool of horses and equipment ALWAYS!), and got the appropiate sabers, pistols, carabines and what not.
Hope you enjoy.
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After a long interval I decided to play some skirmishing with small units, got plenty of yankees but no Rebs remaining in my collection, so a bit from here and there (grey kepis still in transit), and here we are, nearly ready to play!
Dusty Fog rides again!… but also the Michigan Brigade & G.A.Custer… I also am going to modify the guidon of the Rebs to enhance a bit.
They are perfect for small scale wargames.
Enjoy
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We checked all the figures, added a few lost items (very few), did some changes of headgear (mainly ADC’s), took a lot of pics, and enjoyed the time.
Their collections are in great shape as you can see in the pics. Armies usually have 4 line Infantry Units (regulars), 1 Light Company, 1 Grenadier Company; two units of Cavalry: Light Dragoons and Cuirassiers; Artillery (a couple of pieces); Sappers, and even a Doctor and assistants. Actually the Armies also have a mounted spy (masked) and a Religion Priest. Plenty of Generals and ADC’s too of course. Mainly the figures are straightaway from Playmobil figures and pieces (you are really spoilt for choice in the “tricorne period”) and apart from some resin headgear variations for the sake of shaking a bit the “uniformity” it is fairly easy to build your Armies. Old School Wargaming is probably the best approach IMHO
BTW the Red Army (British) is in the hands of the younger of my grandsons, but I do not mess with it because he is too young to take it too seriously and has to parade them a few years more I guess.
I reread the rules “Three Inch Glory” wargaming (XVIII Century) available for download free in google, recently they added a skirmish rules for 10/12 figures I must read too!
As usual an image is worth a thousand words, so here they are.
Enjoy
The Blue Army Cuirassiers.
