English Civil War!

In my previous posts, where I wrote about the Plastic Warrior show and my purchases therefrom, I enthused about the new English Civil War cavalry by Replicants. I was particularly pleased by these as the timing could not have been better. 

I have wanted to game this period for some time and have been squirreling figures away for the past ten or more years. I probably have between three and four hundred figures awaiting the attention of my brushes, but the project kept being pushed to one side, as my hollow cast addiction was fed. 'One day', I kept promising myself. 

In the meantime, about four years ago, I suffered a small 'bleed' in my right eye. Three lots of laser treatment and 28 steroid injections into the eye, have failed to remedy the damage and I have probably lost 40% of the sight in that eye. 

The main issue is a loss of depth perception. I have difficulty judging when the paint brush is touching the figure, and as you can imagine this has slowed me down somewhat! I can still paint 54mm figures but not with the accuracy or speed that I did just a few years ago. I love modelling, painting and gaming with my toys but I am having to face up to reality...my days of quick army painting and large projects are over and this did not bode well for my long planned English Civil War project. That is until I found out a large, heavily converted and expertly painted ECW collection was available to purchase. 

From initial phone call, to their arrival here at Apperley Towers, was a matter of days. I exchanged a not insubstantial amount of coins of the realm, for over 250 infantry, 50 plus cavalry and 2 guns and crew! I now had the basis for the two forces I had been planning, without the years of effort and delays. It meant I could start gaming this era, whilst leaving me with the luxury of adding small units, characters, and other factions, without any time pressure.

This financial shortcut made so much sense. I was exchanging money, which can be replenished, for time, which cannot. More importantly, my dream of refighting this period in 54mm was now a reality. 

The collection itself, was originally that of the extremely talented and all round nice chap, Eric Kemp. Eric had sold it to a toy soldier dealer, who is a friend of mine and I bought it from him. 

So, two beautiful armies, ready to fight for king or Parliament! So why is this not a battle report I hear you say? Well, I needed to organise the collection to address my personal future gaming requirements. I had acquired approximately 80% of the original collection, the rest having been disposed of to other buyers. This meant that there are some units which aren't complete and will need a few additions to bring them up to strength. Fortunately, most of the main infantry regiments were all present, but Eric had built them around 9 pike and 18 musket plus 5 command figures. I have decided that I want to organise them based on multiples of 6 or 12 which will work better for my proposed rules (Pikeman's Lament and another home brewed set) so repainting a few coat colours is in order. 

In addition, there is some minor repair work and touching up to do on a few figures, as they are over 20 years old. In general, they are in immaculate condition, but the odd rifle, sword, scabbard etc has flexed and lost paint and I would like to put that right. 

The biggest time consumer however is basing. All of the figures are just as the manufacturer made them (apart from the many conversions , head swaps etc) and in a lot of cases the plastic bases are small and the figures unstable. I have therefore decided to do what I do with my hollow cast armies and base each figure onto a plywood/mdf base for stability. Sticking them to bases may not sound like a big task, but when you have to paint and then varnish each base for a 'proper job', it becomes very time consuming. 

So the collection is not yet ready for me to game how I want to, but I expect it to be ready in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I have taken a few photo's to give you a taste of the figures involved and my progress with some of them. Yes, I realise a lot of people would have just played with them as they came, but I am cursed with a need to organise to my own design. OCD?..... Moi?

The first two photos give you a snapshot of my wargames table with the collection spread over it as I tried to make sense of the units. The cavalry were all loose and I had no idea which rider went with which horse! They were not interchangeable! I spent way too much time on this particular issue but eventually made some sort of sense of them and glued the riders to the horses! 

 

The next photo shows a New Model Army Regiment of Foote, reorganised to my own specifications of 36 men, divided into 3 units of 12 men. 12 Pike and 2 sleeves of 12 musketeers. I decided to spread the 5 command figures amongst the 3 units with the banner and the drummer in the Pike block. When finished, there will be 6 full regiments, 3 New Model army and 3 Royalist. Probably way more than I will use in one game but its a great feeling knowing I can play larger games. 

The collection included two artillery pieces. I shall be adding more, but of different sizes. 

Roundheads accompanying a figure which Eric thought of as Cromwell himself. Eric tried to make the two armies recognisably 'Cavaliers and Roundheads'  although we know that in reality there was little to distinguish the two sides from the way they dressed. I am more than happy with Erics original decision as I am looking for toy soldiers not historically accurate scale models.

Royalist Cavalry by comparison are much more flamboyant! Here Prince Rupert and his poodle lead a small detachment.

So a glimpse of a few units. I have completed the rebasing etc, of all but two Royalist regiments of foote and a unit of dragoons. Its been a long slow process but the figures handle so much better on the mdf bases and I also like the look of them. Another week or so and they will be finished and then the fun will begin! 

Tara a bit!

Plastic Plunder & Lead Loot, My Plastic Warrior Acquisitions!

I never know what I am going to bring back to the barracks here at Apperley Towers. I go to the Plastic Warrior show with things in mind and invariably return with something else! You just never know what you will find and that's a big part of the joy of the show! This year was no exception and I came home with a load of unexpected treasure.

A very nice seller from Wales sold me these two metal copies of the Britains armoured car and an original Britains tracked army lorry. At £30 for all three I was delighted to bring these back to reinforce my vehicle pool. I have wanted an armoured car for quite some time but the price of an original is not cheap! Similarly, I have been looking for another army lorry or two but again the prices being asked have made me hesitate. A great buy from a very nice seller. Thankyou!

A nice job lot of Starlux medieval figures, some with replacement weapons but not easy to find in the UK and will go nicely with the other 80 or so I already have. The figure far left is not Starlux but I suspect still of French origin. £21 paid in total.

Two gifts from my good friend Brian Carrick. In the first photo are two hollowcast  pieces which I shall renovate to make a costermonger pushing his barrow of wares. The second photo is a delightful soft plastic figure of a gamekeeper or hunter. A fun characterful figure that I shall enjoy painting for my civilian collection.

Professor Peabody from the Dan Dare range by Kentoys. Sold to me at a very favourable price by Eric Critchlow. I shall be stripping and repainting this model to join the other four characters already finished. I just need Dan Dare himself now to complete the set of six characters. Thankyou Eric!

All of the figures above were sold to me by Dennis and Gareth. All originally from the collection of the supremely talented Eric Kemp who is known for his skilful conversions and super paintwork. 

The first photo is of six Replicants Norman crossbowmen to join my Sherriff of Nottingham forces. Crossbowmen are elusive figures for medieval armies and converted and ready painted ones even more so. 

The medieval bombard and crew are all but one metal figures and I needed one for my siege train. Again a very nice paint job by Eric. 

Finally we have a very late medieval/early Renaissance metal female figure that I just couldn't resist. £35 paid in total.

Its mainly plastic figures at the show but not always as these beauties attest. I bought these from Adrian Little who was selling them for a friend. A lot are repainted, slightly damaged etc but they will all be stripped, repaired if necessary and repainted before serving again here at Apperley Towers. £39 paid and just the sort of figures I am always on the lookout for. Thanks Adrian! Officer with Binoculars anyone? Zouaves did you say Michael? A great buy!

Saving the best for last! Shown above are painted examples of the eight (!) new English Civil War cavalry released by Peter Cole of Replicants for the show. I was, as is my wont , the first punter at Peters table as I know from past experience you need to get in early if you want a chance to buy the latest figures. This was no exception as Peter sold out of all the new figures by mid day, even though he bought along a healthy number of sets.

I couldn't have been more pleased by this release for two reasons. Firstly, Peters English Civil War range is my favourite (or at least on a par with his medieval range) and secondly because I am on a massive ECW kick at the moment! The timing couldn't have been better! So what are the figures like?

Set one comprises two troopers, one looking down from a stationary horse and the second firing his flintlock pistol from a galloping horse. One slight issue was my galloping horses refusal to stand up for the photos but as I put all of mine on bases anyway that's not a concern. The sense of movement in the latter is superb and typifies Peters better work as a sculptor. As with all of these figures they could be for King or Parliament! 

Set two comprises a dashing swordsman and a trooper aiming a short barreled carbine from a stationary horse. Again the movement in the first figure is wonderful but I love the fact the second trooper is almost standing in his saddle to aim and fire! Again two cracking figures.

Set three comprises a trooper with a trumpet and a mounted Dragoon urging his fellows forward. The latter is a beautiful figure and I can't wait to paint it!

Set four is two action packed troopers, one firing a pistol on the gallop and the other galloping with sword outstretched. He also has a separate carbine which attaches on his back. A figure that could easily be used as a Dragoon. I love them both!

I suppose I should pick a favourite but its impossible to choose! Just buy them all as soon as you can! I will be adding a few more to my collection when they are restocked.

Finally, Peter had made a Plastic Warrior 40th anniversary figure for the show. A unique figure of a merchant seaman operating a radio set. A versatile addition to any collection, especially liable to see use as a resistance fighter I suspect!

That's it apart from a few unpainted accurate AWI figures for conversions, but what a haul! I am extremely pleased with all of my finds, many of which were bargains. I hope everyone else who attended, went home as pleased as me!

Tara a bit!

The Plastic Warrior Show Report With Photos Galore Of PlasticTreasure!

American War of Independence cavalry conversions, by the talented Dennis Donovan

The day started with my alarm clock going off at 4.30am, an hour no gentleman should be asked to witness! Three quarters of an hour later I was en route to pick up my  fellow toy soldier enthusiast and very good friend, John. This was a familiar start to the day, as John and I have been making the trip together to the Plastic Warrior show since the mid 1990's. Its a two and a half hour journey to the wilds of Richmond from our homes in the Black Country, but we spent it 'putting the world to rights' and discussing various toy soldier and wargaming matters. 

Setting Up

We arrived at The Winning Post  just after eight, to find the venue a hive of activity as the traders were starting to set up amidst a heady mixture of adrenaline and anticipation. John and I set up our table and then started the familiar ritual of one of us manning the stall, whilst the other went off in pursuit of plastic plunder. This is a pattern that we followed all day and even extended it to a 'three person routine' with our next table neighbour and good friend, Tim Gow. 

The hunt begins!

Tim organises the annual 'COW Wargames Conference' and is an enthusiastic proponent of wargaming with 54mm toy soldiers. It was great to catch up with Tim and this is a perfect example of why I love this show. Its an opportunity to meet, or keep in touch with people, who share our interests. This year was particularly successful for this reason and whilst the internet is a wonderful way to reach out to people, it can't replace the pleasure of meeting face to face and having a good chat about the things we all love. 

Someone once said a picture paints a thousand words, so with no more ado I will share some of the pictures I took during the day. 

Dennis and Gareth.......probably responsible for lightening my wallet more than anybody else over the years! 

Eunice (above) and John Begg (below), stalwarts of the plastic toy soldier scene and dear friends!

Hugh Walter and Adrian Little, selling madly. Hugh's blog 'Small scale world' is always worth a read if you are interested in the minutiae of plastic production in all scales

Toy soldier 'royalty' in the form of the ever personable James Opie sitting with my mate John. We had a great chat with James for 15 minutes or so, sharing photos of our soldiers!

Tim Barker, collector, professional actor and owner of 'Soldiers in Siloth' the excellent toy soldier museum in Siloth on the North West coast. See my review in an earlier post. A lovely man who I had a great chat to about toy soldiers, the museum and his role in one of my favourite films 'Coast to Coast' with Lenny Henry and Pete Postlethwaite. 

The ever cheerful Peter Cole of Replicants. My favourite toy soldier sculptor and manufacturer, with his newest creations. These were the first things I purchased that morning! (See my next post for a full review of these beautiful ECW cavalry)

So that's it! A great show and a super day out. It was only made possible by the time and effort put in by the Plastic Warrior team, all of whom are very camera shy, but I just want to say a heartfelt thankyou to Brian, Paul, Peter and everyone involved!

But Graham, what did you buy I hear someone ask? Well lots! But I am going to do a separate post to enable you to go and make a cup of tea, before I share my plastic plunder and lead loot!

Tara a bit!