Peter Cushing - a Wargamer with Style !

 

Now that's painting figures with style ! - that's whats wrong with the hobby - a lack of dress sense !

Found these on the Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook page . A different era sadly lost - but I wouldn't want to wear a tie to game !

Wargaming humour No. 36

Me when I walk into a Games Workshop store for some paint ! 

 

The earliest toy soldier !?

 

Found this on the Interweb, it's in the Walters Art Museum and is a bronze model of a knight about 800 years old and is assumed to be a toy - the measurments are 37mm x 43mm x 17mm so would mix with 28mm modern figures .

The lance is a modern extra , I think it is rather cute and reminds me of 15mm Peter Laing figures .

The Author as invisioned by AI

Messing about with AI , and as it sees me !?

 

It MUST be true - it's the result of an Opinion Poll !

 

I have long suspected this ! - and now it is proven by an Opinion Poll !

PS I have a very poor opinion of opinion polls - nobody I have ever know has taken part in one and a girl I knew in London used to supplement here earnings by going around asking people their opinions for various polling companies, said it was common practise to make things up to make sure you got your quota in .

'The Cleansing'

 

I've been busy tidying up the wargaming room - ("my husband's toy soldier room") as my wife refers to it ! , ' The Mother of all Cleaning' or 'The Cleansing' ! , think I have got rid of 50% of my rules and rules paraphernalia - the hard back stuff has gone to a charity shop the others to recycling - some I have kept for sentimental reasons but I have only kept the rules I regularly play with . My C&C board games are also much more accessible now ,

The far side of the table is now accessible without breaking your neck - more tidying is due on this side as well.

Then I braved 'under the table' !!! the boxes will be restacked and labled so the ones I use regularly can be found easily - again a lot of stuff has been got rid off - mainly damaged scenery items not worth repairing.

Got some new box files to help the storage situation.

And even had time to set up a game ready for 'S' calling round tonight - a battle report will be forthcoming soon.

A blast from the past !

 

Busy clearing out my cupboards and amongst the rules and paperwork I found this poster, I think it was given away by 'Miniature Warfare' magazine probably in the early 70's in that brief period when Wargaming clubs seemed to flourish and the hobby even appeared in the media (as the media was then - not the modern media) , the odd film or even TV series (Callan) , before disappearing again. I have just noticed that there are two thriving Gaming Clubs in my locality , both specialising in Fantasy and 40k and even a small shop that deals in card and board games again with a heavy bias to the Fantasy and SciFi .

Just noticed this on their Facebook page - queue of fans awaiting the shop to open , evidently a new issue of Pokemon cards (!?) (2) Facebook - It makes me feel old - Oh ! I am !!! - a ever changing hobby !

Wargaming humour No.67

 

Are we in the bottom  photo ???🤣

If only I could have bought these .......

 

Found these on Facebook , the hours I spent looking at them as a youngster (1960's) they were in Superman comics etc passed on to me by our neighbour - a quiet bald moustached Postman who you wouldn't think would read that sort of thing. 

I especially wanted these, but I didn't even know what a Zip code was let alone sending a postal order to the USA . I now know they where cheap plastic semi-flats but they were exotic unobtainable treasures to me then.

We go Hi-tec !

 

So I have been painting up some 2D Ancient / Hyperborean flats - and finding it hard going ! . By and large I have quite good eyesight (for my age) I think, but the flat 2D Zinnfiguren have very slight definition - being only 1mm thick I suppose doesn't help . So I purchased the above magnifier and light and am trying it out .

I have tried magnifying devices before but they where free standing glasses on plinths and didn't like them , this head mounted one seems easier to manage - and makes you look like a minor Super Hero !

Here is the first figure I have manage with this devise . I won't be painting the rank and file to the same level . I'm quite happy with the results but think his trousers could have done with a bit more shading .People that paint Flats as a hobby tend to use Oil paints so they can blend them better , but I will stick to my acrylics and practise a bit more.

An Early Advert for Airfix Figures.

 

I came across this U.S. advert for Airfix HO/OO figures on the interweb (click on photo to enlarge) . It's interesting as I don't remember back in the 60's there being any advertisements for Airfix figures in the UK - there may have been adverts in the Airfix Magazine I suppose but being a child under 10 I was unaware of them . They just appeared on the shelves of our local Woolworths and bought eagerly with my pocket money . Even then I realised some of the figure poses to be unsuitable and downright odd , all those running ACW figures waving one hand in the air !? , the odd one or two could be turned into standard bearers I suppose ? - and don't get me started about all the lying down poses in the Union box ! . I do remember my first real attempt at wargame armies by buying about 4 boxes of the Union and Confederate boxes plus Artillery and Cavalry purchased with one of my first pay packets , Ah ! happier and simpler days perhaps ? or just rose tinted nostalgia ? 

A few from my box of possibilities.

 

 

Whilst I was tidying the shed I came across my box of odd figures which might be worth renovating (my father had a draw which he put things which might be of possible use - and by and large never were) , so this is my box of possibilites. I dumped a few into Dettol to remove the paint from them and having cleaned them I'm suprised at the detail on these two , they are an odd scale the standing one being 65mm tall think they are home cast in lead from a Schiercke mould and look like French Chasseures.

This is an odd one , World War One (?) and perhaps large 40mm scale , he's going to need cleaning up with a file to remove the flash .

I do like this figure - so full of energy ! . Probably a WW1  cavalryman and he's 40mm scale, again homecast in pure lead and very bendy , he needs cleaning up to get rid of the flash but will make a great ADC/dispatch rider for my Balkans Imagination collection . I'm pleased to get these done and ready for painting and will post further updates .

Toy Soldiers in the sunshine.

 

Got the Schiercke casting varnished and taking advantage of the early morning sun took them into the garden for a photoshoot.(.: Finding an oddity .)

I've always thought that the larger scale figures look at their best outdoors in an natural enviroment .

I'm very pleased how they have turned out and although to larger scale (70mm tall) to grace the wargaming table they will take pride of place on my bookshelves .

A before photo - a great improvement to their martial pride  .

Come listen to the Band !

 

As I mentioned in a previous post I bought some figures from our local Bric-a-Brac shop . I also bought these Bandsmen , they were obviously painted and based by the same person as they both have the rather chunky bases . As you can tell from the missing paint from the ankles they are VERY  bendy being made from pure lead . 

In some ways it was a bit of a shame to take them off the base which someone had spent a lot of effort on , but here they are on their new bases , I will be undercoating them and then repainting as Prussians , more when I get around to painting them.

The Henry C. Schiercke casting catalogue from the 1930s (?)

 

Found this complete catalogue online 

I do like the 'Pressure Cannon' !

Getting paint on lead .

 

I've finally got around to painting the odd lead figures I mentioned in the last post . I've painted them as French Chasseures a Pied of the late 19th century.

I will get them varnished when I've got the other four done .

I did a bit of searching on the internet to try and find more about the figures and this so far is the only photo I have found of them and the mould they came from . It is from over fifteen years ago , they are quite distinctive as their rifles are being carried slung and not shouldered as normally in toy soldiers of this era, are the moulds made by Schnieder ? I will try and investigate further .

PS 

Found this on the internet - figures circled -

From this catalouge , more info later.

Finding an oddity .

 

We have a shop in town that sell off house clearence items which varies greatly in quality and type (ie bricker brac to junk ),  I found these figures about 75mm/3" tall made from pure lead (they bend very easily at the ankles) glued to a hefty block of varnished wood . 

The first job was to carefully remove them from the base (luckily they were not fixed to securely) and rebase them on some thin MDF . I'm going to repaint them , I think they look like French Chasseures 1870ish and they will be for display only as they are such an odd size and don't any of my other collections. I have no idea of the manufacturer but look home cast 

 

Toy Soldiers in Art No.34

 

I found this postcard advertised on eBay several weeks ago , it's obviously a young German girl wearing a picklehelm . On the table there is a large model cannon and some largish toy soldiers which are partially  hidden and I'm afraid I can't make them out . The drum also looks very Prussian so probably from the turn of the century (1900ish ?) .There is some writting and print on the bottom - could it be Gretha ? and I wonder is Amst is short for Amsterdam ? - a mystery ......