SPECIAL THANKS. I would like to thank Paul Watson for his sponsorship of several lead figure collections on this blog. Having decided to clear his spare/surplus figures, he generously forwarded them on with no other requirement than they deserved to be restored. I would also like to mention George S. Mills, who kindly furnished a quantity of plastic figures which allowed me to complete another five or six military units, serving in several collections.

Friday 12 February 2021

SARACENS & TURKS (Medieval)

I recently sent a couple of 1930s W.Britains armoured cars to a close friend, George Mills. He is raising 28mm armies for AVBCW and I thought some period-correct items would be a novel addition. Imagine my surprise when a box arrived with a mixture of 54mm plastic figures. George was having a clear-out and knew these figures would be useful towards my projects. In the box were four Timpo Arabs, ten Timpo French Foreign Legion, and five metal-based Deetail cowboys. 

Here are the four Arabs. I decided to cut away the sabres and knives, the former were unlikely to keep any paint, and they have now been replaced with home-cast pewter scimitars. I also found an ornate resin button with a perfect shank to attach to a figure, to serve as a shield. The casualty figure is now a standard bearer.

Decided to muster my Saracens and Ottoman Turks!

(Thanks George)




8 comments:

  1. I remember the originals well from childhood - These colourful conversions look great!

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    1. Thanks Mark, I enjoyed the project, and knowing the four figures can now be used on the wargames table.
      Michael

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  2. It is interesting to see what you have done with the Arabs, lovely work.

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    1. Thank you Allan, it was vital to replace the soft plastic sabres, they would never have suffered handling or storage, the pewter scimitars will last for ages.
      Michael

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  3. Very pleased you enjoyed them Mike! They have come very well and conversion work has enhanced the figures a great deal. The armoured cars will be an excellent addition to my Somerset defences forces. Looking forward to viewing your growing collection in person.

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    1. Cheers George, as soon as the climate makes it viable, you should visit. Have gone back to my lead castings now, making a gun team from spare figures, giving them pith helmets.
      Michael

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  4. I love the flag bearer, a wonderful conversion! Deetail figures en masse always are a beautiful sight to behold! The command tent is really awesome! Great job Mike!!

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    1. Thanks Brad, it was simple to cut the hand off, and drill-pin it back facing the correct way, having also drilled a hole for the pike. It certainly makes it more useful. Have seen some beautiful Deetail Saracens on Ebay, great paintwork. Hope to do something similar with mine. This collection was a by-product of collecting Medievals, but now I really like them. The tent is scratch built out of card.
      Michael

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