My Toy Soldiers & Me

Awesome detail.

I recognize quality when I see it.

Enjoy!

Classic Models

Britain’s Toy Soldiers have a lot of charm… and there are very convoluted sets to collect.

This one seems to have had some different versions of it… or variations on details of the same model… will leave that to specialists.

Enjoy!

VINTAGE TOY SOLDIERS (Antiquarian?)

Quite an “antiques” approach today… you have to like authenticity, rarity, exclusiveness, original paintjob, many years long actual state, in a word: VINTAGE Toy Soldiers…

If you look closely at the pics you will see the figures that are pictured in the rightly famous among collectors book by James Opie “Collecting Toy Soldiers” (Paperback edition in English).

It is not my speciality at all and I do not have the financial means to go chasing for rare sets in public auctions… (but if I had would not do at all… would go for paintings or rare first editions of books if you understand me), and what is more I have a penchant for the bright shiny new toy soldiers be that new future vintage or not… I do not give a fig if they will become vintage because I won’t be threre…

I guess that really Vintage means not bright and shiny anymore and the charm is “another thing”, the fact that the paint has gone away in parts (faded or fallen out) provokes in me an unnatural desire of scrap the remaining paint and do a new paintjob and use gloss varnish on top! (maybe I am insensible to the concept vintage at all… but I keep my first toys in that way for nostalgia reasons… even if they are cautxuc and less than ten items… and nearly as Old as me…) so I am in it for nostalgia reasons after all.

I guess Collectors of VINTAGE Toy Soldiers deserved a Post… well… here it is by courtesy of John Mullenger! (as seen in Facebook).

Enjoy!

A couple of shelves full of treasures… see on top right corner the figures used on the cover of the James Opie book.

They would get high prices on an auction… because of their rarity.

“Grandeur” French always had a touch of style

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!

A bit of humour

“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!

A blast from the past!

I found this pic on “The Vault” (at least mine)… surely I kept it there for some time (as seen in facebook) to Post it in a festive ocassion… they look very Napoleonic to me (to be sure)… I have seen them in real life when very young but my pocket money was not up to them I guess… found them delightful (and probably expensive)… but there you are some aspects of the hobby ARE expensive… a pity I did have not the proper address to collect them when I started seriously… or maybe they were not available then…

Currently reading ebooks edited by John Curry about the origins of the modern wargame… interesting nostalgic stuff about early rules… not that I follow any rules but my own… but I have said this plenty of times already!

Enjoy!

English Civil War

Not my period at all I fear… but great layout!

Enjoy!

By the size of the dice I guess they are 6mm (and look at the minis and the basing!)… from The Vault… as seen in FaceBook…

The Classic Way

Strictly from the Vault as seen in Facebook… not much else needed… a game of attrition and that is what is all about… who would be left standing!

BTW I reda (again) a classic by Donald Featherstone “SOLO WARGAMES” or something like that… it is really awesome to check that all was written so long ago… it is a good recommendation… read the classics.

Enjoy!