A BOX OF FIGURES ARRIVE, £5 (Part One)

I think this auction win has a lot of potential. It comprised forty-one lead soldiers and two animals. The total cost was only £5, as a family member arranged to pick up the figures on his way home from work.

I appreciate this is a load of damaged toy soldiers, but I can see possibly ten or more high ranking and aide de camp officers being converted from them. With perhaps another ten guards, orderlies, and personality figures. Did I mention the medieval bronze statue for the town square?

The figures are a mixture of home-cast and copies, with a handful of originals. I have already removed twelve as they were indifferent castings, too damaged, or not required, which is fine. They will go in the melting pot. I bought these to provide some interesting command figures for odd collections, and I was expecting losses and some vigorous knife work.

Here is a possible conversion..... a damaged Charbens pre-war circus ringmaster. This will provide a hotel character for my Zubrowka collection (Grand Budapest Hotel).

Here is Mr Gustave, concierge at the GBH, with his new head and bow tie.

Not sure of the date of manufacture but it might be the same as the period portrayed in the movie!

MGB 

SULTAN'S GUARDS (Medieval)

I'm blaming this on our June heatwave, have been slowly augmenting my Saracen/Turkish Medievals. Yesterday, I revamped a couple of Deetail figures for service in the Sultan's Mamluk Foot Guards.

STATE OF THE COLLECTION, with morale ratings. Have just completed an inventory and can now muster the following.

Sultan, mounted        1                               A

Seated clergy            1                               A

Captains on foot        3                              A

Blue barded Mamluk Horse    6                A

Green barded Mamluk Horse    6              A

Artillerists                4                                C

Guard Mamluk armoured on foot 6           A

Sultan's troops armoured 8                         B

Armoured Ghazi            8                           B

Archers, armoured    7                                C

Archers, no armour    4                               D

Javelinmen, armoured 7                              B

Javelinman, no armour 1                             D

Levy, red                    8                                D

Levy, blue                    8                              D

Levy, black                    8                            D

MGB

The LIVERPOOL SCOTTISH (and other completed projects)

My battle plan has been to clear the spares box and also complete the establishments of wargame units. The problem with this is that painting single figures is a very tedious process. But it has been a successful undertaking.

My Liverpool Scottish have increased to twelve figures on foot, and a mounted officer. These are converted plastic Heralds with home-cast heads and rifles.

And lets not forget a WW1 hero, better known for his film portrayals of Sherlock Holmes.......

OTHER PROJECTS

A spare Lone Star figure has been painted up as a Royal Marine c.1950. They now muster a full battalion of twelve.

I completed a Soviet LMG team. One of the figures was 1/35 scale, but the head and weapon looked too small and feeble. Decided to add a metal head and construct a metal LMG. Looks much better now, and appears to be the same scale as the Airfix Soviet.

Two spare 8th army figures have been converted into a 'National Army of India' Bren gun team. So these will be fighting on the side of the Japanese.

In my spares box was this Lone Star stretcher bearer, Will be seeking another.

A Timpo 1960s plastic Tommy is ready for active service.

My London Scottish battalion, in their distinctive hodden-grey uniform, is now eleven figures strong. 

My French 1860-1914 collection urgently needs some more staff officers on foot. Converted this plastic Foot Guards officer into a high ranking French engineer.

Pleased to see these figures sorted.

MGB

Saracen and Moorish Archers (Medievals)

My collection of 54mm Saracen-Turk Medievals has a serious shortage of shooting figures. Comprising a modest seven archers, and eight more I claim are javelin throwers, I really do need to increase their number. Having picked up four broken/oxidised Timpo Arabs, decided these could provide an opportunity to furnish a few more archers.

Here they are after some repositioning of arms and heads, supplemented with steel rods and milliput.

SWEDISH MEDIEVALS As a footnote, here are two 1950s lead knights. Decided to leave them pretty much as they were, just added some feathers. These will serve as a Swedish command base. No plans to raise an army, will draw on my Italian/French/Imperial/English collections. But I did find a plastic figure to hold the Swedish banner.

MGB

FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION (2nd Regiment)

Have taken some time off maintaining fruit bushes to work on on my second battalion of French legionnaires. This has been a nice project. The recently acquired five recruits were all needing some repair work, and one was particularly hit with plastic oxidisation. The latter has received milliput/steel rod legs, and replacement arms. It now serves with the transport. Well, I still need one more figure to complete the battalion to twelve.

That legionnaire bugler and spare horse, picked up at the Exeter show, are also ready for service.

MGB

Postscript. I also had a carbine-armed plastic Arab, decided to paint it up as a dismounted Algerian Spahi, I think it looks the part.

NEW FIGURES (Painted and based)

Have been working on the new figures recently acquired. First up are the five Timpo plastic WW2 American infantry. Must admit, I rather like these figures and will certainly seek to increase their number. They are based on their earlier lead range, but those often go for ridiculous prices.

Pleased to have formed a Timpo mortar unit.

You can never have enough medieval archers, one more for the collection.

An old Guards bandsman will now man a French gun.

I don't normally seek 60mm figures, preferring 50-56mm scales. Having picked these up in a swap, thought they might make a nice command base. These figures by Cherilea are notorious for plastic oxidisation, but the milliput, steel rods, paint and varnish should make them quite safe to use.

MGB

1960s Crescent Figures (a bit of fun)

Yesterday I spent just over an hour working on four post-WW2 British infantry, recently acquired in a swap. With two more I already had in my collection, decided to form them into an independent company of Crescent figures. For additional distinction, the radio operator's aerial has been supplied an appropriate company colour.

Its just a bit of fun!

MGB

 

A Quick Swap (New Additions)

Decided to clear a box of 25mm sci-fi figures I painted and based about ten years ago. They were Galoob plastic spacemen, or possibly copies. Truth is, they had no value to me, was happy to exchange them with a local trader who runs a collectables shop. Returned home with sixteen 54mm figures. Its another very mixed haul, and many will need some fairly heavy repair work, but they will still be useful.

The top row are lead, the others are plastic.

MGB

A Day Out brings More Toy Soldiers

Today I had to visit my dentist, again, but I did return home with twenty-two toy soldiers! Visiting a local collectables shop, the owner kindly brought out of his storeroom a box of soldiers. It really was a mixed parcel. All periods, all makes, broken and fine, plastic and metal. But having the potential of filling quite a few gaps in several military units, etc. Here is what I selected out of his box.

First up are the metal castings. I can see some mounted officers for my Schleswig project.

And here are the plastic figures. That second battalion of French legionnaires is near complete. I have been keen to recruit a larger unit of old Timpo GIs, and I now have a mortar team, too. Do I really need Napoleon?

I just wasn't planning to spend any money today but the above figures cost £16. I believe this is their going value, but being able to 'pick and mix' has made this acquisition peculiarly useful.

MGB

The King of Denmark arrives (Schleswig Wars)

This figure has a noble service record in my collection. He was previously ruler of Ruritania, and then a high ranking officer in my Spanish army. When I discovered it could be repainted to represent a Danish officer, I went to work. (Generals had the white-red sash, I will later change it to pale blue, for the King.)

Having already raised the Ribe Militia (see previous Schleswig posts), it was interesting to find that the town also had a corps of jaeger. With four figures going spare, thought this unit could be of service. The 1850s Danish rifles came with both long and short barrels, but the former had a swivel bayonet and, for all appearances, required no alteration from the muzzleloading muskets. Took three hours from priming to conclude with a coat of varnish this morning.
  

MGB