Toy Soldiers in Art No.36

Found this whilst browsing , it's a hardback book cover seeminly advertising 'Father Ted's' . Welcome Gifts series published in 1912 (?) . If I was the dog I would get out of the way of the lad with the cannon ! , once more the sailor suit makes an appearence - I half wish I had had the opportunity to wear one in my youth ! . I will investigate more on subject of Fathers Ted's books .

PS Did a bit more digging into the above post it was published bu Raphael Tuck & sons , at one point they were the worlds largest postcard publisher ! , more here at  Raphael Tuck & Sons - Wikipedia 

 

Another 'Grand Day Out' !

 

With one thing or another it has been two years since I have been to a wargaming show so when 'A' invited me down to Partizan I jumped at the opportunity !. A rather poor selfie (due to my short arms ) , Me , 'B' and 'A' , we met up with 'B, at the show . We all got in on the concession rate - sadly nobody questioned our qualifying ages .

I was keen so see this game put on by 'The Paperboys' 

All hand cut 16,000 figures - one to one ratio Hastings !

Two units of Norman Archers 

The sheer number of figures was jaw-dropping !

The veiw from the top of the ridge - they played the game using Midgard rules and I believe it was a draw - Harold was killed but the Saxons still held half the hill by nightfall .

The show was packed with wargamers - very busy indeed .

I liked the use of 'teddy bear fur' in this game - Arras 1940 I believe - got a lecture from 'B' on the differences between Universal and Bren gun Carriers ! (trackheads !)

Interesting Japanese/Samurai game using 54mm figures '

They had got the snow effect just right , lots of figure conversions as well .

This WW2 Pacific game was massive !

The aircraft were well done as well.

The mountain side was magnificent, hundreds of glued on pieces of bark chippings giving a brilliant affect .

Of course there had to be this viginete !

Lace Wars game, was impressed by the Standards carried by these Regiments.( note to self I should invest more in banners instead of just photo copying them)

The Battle of Minden - with hundreds of superbly painted figures - a great spectical .

Just before we left we came across this game using 'lego' style figures and bricks .

Very clever system ! each unit came with its own casualty / status marker built in, as well as its own range device .

A very unusual idea , clever and VERY different ! . Well it was 'a grand day out' ! it was good to catch up with 'B' and to talk wargaming all the way down and back from the show with 'A' (click on photos to enlarge)

A forgotten treasure refound.

 

We are busy redecoration the back bedroom so my gaming/painting has taken a bit of a knock . Whilst reorganising I came across my copy of 'Battle Cry' the C&C version of the ACW , I purchased it quite a long time ago and not played it much , so I thought it ideal for a quick game or two this week.

It was designed to be sold at ACW gift shops at various battlefields in the US , very eye catching and marketed to catch the non-gaming publics eye , plastic figures nice terrain and easy rules.

Easy to set up and quick to play - ideal for me this week !

A reminder of the past - I got it when the dog was a puppy - hence the chewed edge and corners - I obviously left it lying about unsupervised !

This weeks project - Jackson's Valley Campaign , starting with Kernstown .

Real Life halts Gaming.

 

Sorry for my absence from the Blogosphere but I've been busy with real life - namely the repurposing of the back-bedroom, this room just gathered junk - things got put there for "storage" and were forgotten - it also housed my library .So that room is being decluttered and I thought it best to resite my bookshelves into the 'wargaming' room . I also took the oppertunity to thin it out and reorganise the shelves. Still a work in progress ! 

I also sorted out the 54mm figures I have on display , years ago I decided I would collect figures that had to do with World War One pilots and aircrew - okay these three aren't piots etc BUT they are looking for aircraft - 54mm hollowcast probably Johillco or Britains , the one on the right is quite unusual leaning back on a chair ! 

These are larger, over 2 inches and are I think Manoil hollowcasts from the USA , I especially like the chap with the bomb . Hopefully thinks are now back to normal and I can get back to gaming and painting once more- watch this space ! 

PS Blogger seems to be acting strange once more and my 'Reading List' of blogs I follow doesn't seem to be updating properly ! Grr ! 

A brief moment in time.

 

Doing the round on social media at the moment . That brief window of time in the 70s when wargaming was 'cool' , White Horse whisky - you can take a 'White Horse Anywhere ' the young woman is Catherine Schell who stared in the Callan movie again with wargaming as part of the plot . I would guess the model figures and table are by Peter Gilder .

A glimpse of the distant past .

Whilst searching through my old blogs I came across this from 14 years ago (that would make the game mentioned 38 years ago 🙄 ) I put it up to embarass two of the participants who occasionaly look at my blog . I of course was a mere child at the time ! (Click on photo to enlarge) 

 

Wargaming humour No. 12

Hopefully me when we are on holiday in N. Wales and passing Porthmadog Model shop this summer.

 

Toy Soldiers in Art No.35 (and a sad story)

I don't normaly post things straight from Facebook , but as we are having problems with the internet (AGAIN !!!!)  I'm having to use my i pad and mobile phone and I find them difficult to be creative on them . This is from Military Toys from our childhood Facebook page , and has an interesting and rather sad story behind it . 

I think HG Wells sums it up best - 'prancing monarch' , 'adventures' , 'excitable patriots' etc ! , I can make a list of present politicians etc who should be locked away with a plentiful supply of toy soldiers and leave the rest of use alone ! - end of rant !

Click on photos to enlarge 

 

A very odd mould indeed .

 

Whilst sorting out my collection of moulds I came across this old one I'd forgotten I had . I don't remember were it came - probably from ebay and I don't think I've ever tried casting from it , so I thought I would have a go . This is the result a small (20mm?) Lancer the the figure above it is a 25mm Napoleonic Prince August figure for scale .

Here is a better close up of the figure , it looks perhaps French ?? ,I need to clean him up and investigate more . Sadly he is of interest only as he does not match any on my existing collections .

PS 

I did a bit of research and found this from something I posted about several months ago ,

There he is in the bottom right , this is from the Henry C. Schiercke catalogue from the 1930s (?) . I think the moulds must have come in various sizes as I have some of these moulds/figures in 54mm and 70mm (ish) .

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 !