As new figures arrive I sometimes feel my initial choices could be improved upon, with a redistribution. My American gunboat fleet recently acquired figures previously employed on the three British vessels. Fortunately, this required no great amount of work, just painting the caps blue. That they are cast with somewhat shorter uniform shirts is another reason for their appropriate transfer. However, I had a few spare, and these could provide a crew for my merchant vessel. Decided to paint them up as the Georgia Navy c.1860 (there is a view this red uniform was probably never utilised, but I do like it!). The recent increase in strength of my French Navy landing party allowed me to detach six metal figures, so as to form a small American unit. The paintwork was not difficult, and the castings were meant to be Americans anyhow, shouldering arms on the right side, and no hat pompom. The three ship crews, of 4 figures each, can also serve as extra gun crews on land.
You don't see that figure often, so if it was me I'd leave it, but you're a painter and a wargamer, it's yours to paint-up to match the others!
ReplyDeleteH
Hello Hugh, I have a suspicion its one of the early figures? It has Michel rather than Starlux under the base. Will see how it looks with the others, in a battalion of twelve it might not stand out. If you know more, feel free to comment.
DeleteMichael
I thought it might be, but without seeing the base . . . early Starlux shared a sculptor with Michel and another . . . Gilbert? Similar/identical poses AND the bases all look the same! But they are all mass produced once, so you can paint it if you want to! Not that you need anyone's permission, but you know what I mean; another branch of the hobby's aesthetics shouldn't drive all the others!
DeleteH
Cheers Hugh. I will post more when it arrives. It is tricky deciding what is best. Have debated such on other peoples blogs. I do not believe collectable toy soldiers will hold their value, demographic changes will see their collapse in the same way as stamp collecting. The number of potential collectors born after 1990 just aren't there. So I argue, a good restoration and paint job 'might' give them some survival value to later generations, purely because they look nice. Even the warhammer followers are not going to drift our way, they have embraced vintage computer games. Thanks again for your opinion.
DeleteMichael
The American crews are excellent Michael! And you're right, they will work very well as artillery teams on land! The Police vehicles are perfectly scaled to your 54mm figures, great find! A real bargain with the Starlux sailor, I've seen him on eBay for 26 euros! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brad, I am very pleased with the new US navy crews, the previous are much better as Royal Navy. Made sense to swap them. Have built up an interesting collection of emergency services vehicles, that will add much to modern wargames. Its looking like I better leave the Starlux figure alone, its one thing to repair and alter a figure, another, to alter something rare in ok condition.
DeleteMichael
I always loved that Georgian naval uniform and converted some, years ago, from Timpo Action pack ACW.
ReplyDeleteHi Q, I do agree, they look very good on the gunboat, and will no doubt serve as a disembarked gun crew in some future games. Anyone wargaming the ACW should have them in their collection, IMHO. Some uniform historians have lately voiced it only existed on paper, but thats enough for me to represent them in my collection.
DeleteMichael
Starlux had a 2nd grade range of figures which sold at a lower price under the brand name Michel, which was the name of the owners son, and that's what you have here. The sailor with pistol is a nice figure and you don't see them in England very often but they're common enough in France, so I wouldn't worry about repainting it. The earlier Michel figures were made from an acetate plastic which suffers from what the French call the "maladie du plastique" where the material shrinks and becomes crystaline, but yours looks like it will be okay. I think you are spot on about the collectors market, we've seen prices plateau and fall in the lead market and now early plastic figures are increasingly crumbling, a few coats of paint and varnish may well help to preserve them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian, I would sooner integrate the figure with a paint job, so I welcome your comment two fold. I have often thought my priming, painting with acrylic, and a coat of yacht varnish must reduce oxidisation and variable temperature decay in lead and plastic figures. On a separate note, the market is flooding with Del Prado, but rarely see any being bought. Problem is, the war-game market doesn't use them, and that tops up the collectables, think some traders will be hit.
DeleteMichael
I use some of the Del Prado personality figures (mostly Napoleonic) as command units for wargaming, the main problem is they are quite large and also heavy but you can get away with the odd one as a cameo or part of a small vignette on the table. I think they are great quality for the price when compared to the likes of King & Country or New Britains and various other modern white metal pre-painted figures, I pick them up at show if they are cheap but only ones I can use in games. There are some magazines that make smaller 54mm figures like De Agostini and Eaglemoss which are very useful for wargaming but are much harder to find in UK, I usually pay about £1 a piece for these and pick them up whenever I see them, I also find them useful to give me ideas for painting schemes. I'll try to put some pics up sometime.
DeleteCheers Brian, I did not know the De Agostini and Eaglemoss are smaller, that is worth knowing! I must be honest, I don't like the Del Prado figures. They are too large and chunky for my liking. But its such a shame, so many great subject-portrayals, they could have been a wonderful resource to the wargaming fraternity. New collectors might have also drifted into wargaming, and wargamers would have sought to raise large units, rather than the odd figure on a shelf (or commander)..... oh well, missed opportunity for them and us!
DeleteMichael
FOOTNOTE. the French naval figure has just arrived. It is solid, and in good order. It is marked underneath with Made in France Michel. To my surprise, the original artwork is arguably more detailed than the official Starlux counterparts. In scale, it is equal or even very slightly larger. My only grievance is that the plastic is now cream coloured. But its a good addition!
ReplyDelete