Let's be honest, those of us that collect toy soldiers and military miniatures for the purposes of tabletop wargames have to salute the model railway fraternity for inspiring us to improve our terrain. And when I look back at photos of previous games, that terrain has not only affected my interest and the outcome of many wargames, but enhanced my photographs. Of course, we can never really match railway layouts as our terrain must not only be convenient to rearrange, but it must also allow the actual roving of gaming pieces well away from recognised routes, or tracks. Enough philosophising, here are some photos from the Okehampton annual Model Railway Show which was held on August 8.
SOME PHOTOS FROM THE OKEHAMPTON SHOW
May I take this opportunity to mention all the teams involved in this event were most friendly and keen to discuss their hobby. Kindly, they allowed me to take numerous photos. Please note, my photos are directed towards terrain rather than the locomotives. I must apologise if some of the layouts are missing, Despite arriving early the numbers visiting seemed quite impressive. My apologies for not linking the exhibitors, put it down to my rushed record keeping.
Arguably the most impressive display of the day, IMHO.
You see, wargamers are welcome, lol.
This stand caught my eye, very neat, very complete!
OK, I admit to being drawn to O Gauge, some of the items will work with 54mm toy soldiers. Had a nice chat with the exhibitor.
The Rev Brian Wood staged this 20mm display, no prizes for spotting the Airfix Guardsmen.
Some rather splendid electric lights.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this splendid one day event. Speaking to several exhibitors, they had travelled from Plymouth, Exeter, Exmouth, and Weymouth to support this Okehampton club gathering.
As mentioned in previous posts, I mainly use my 28mm buildings for town wargaming. But occasionally you spot some figures going at a fair price and my collection of 54mm buildings has to expand. A suitable shop for Georgetown would add some additional interest, so when I spotted these Crescent butchers in fairly good condition and going for £16.80 delivered, I took the plunge. Well, I already have a suitable van, I guess it is time Mr Jones had a suitable shop.
The paintwork on these figures is surprisingly good, although the raised arm should include a knife. I will limit my restoration to mainly covering any chipped paint, and providing some suitable town bases.
The same trader had a parcel of lead figures also available to purchase, I acquired the following for an additional £10. That Medieval figure is a Benbros, from their Robin Hood range. I will need to replace the broken halberd, but a rather nice figure.
(The Plastic Box, part one)
In my previous post I mentioned Brian Carrick had kindly sent me a box of plastic toy soldiers, many of them dating back to the 1960s. This last weekend I took a break from house restoration to start work on restoring these figures. Here are a few photos. This early batch shows the cleaning up, repairs, and Milliput work.
First up, these Herald ACW figures have regained their gun barrels. They will be painted up as Garibaldi Italians c1860.
Some rather splendid Robin Hood figures. The first is a Herald 1960s figure with a repaired arm and bow. I drilled into the arm with steel wire, looped the end to hold a wire bow, milliput finished the look. The second is a repro Alan-a-dale with lute. I needed to repair a broken arm and I wanted another bowman.... but he still kept his lute. The third is a 1960s Kelloggs cornflakes freebie also needing a bow restoration, and an ankle repair, easy drill jobs.
A few Kelloggs bandsmen from the 1970s.
Two interesting projects next. The first is the Churchill figure. With badly damaged legs and base, I had an opportunity to not only repair this figure but also reduce the 65mm height. Shaving the trouser legs did the job and steel wire drilled into a new base. And some Milliput shoes. I have also lengthened the coat to a 1900 style. The second figure was an ancient Egyptian, with a gender change it now represents an Arab Medieval woman.
This is a fun project, a 1985 Kelloggs Black Cauldron figure, to be converted into a Medieval court dwarf. The inspiration is seen in a 15th century painting showing the court of Mantua. Initially pro-Pope, the ruling family later crossed over to the Emperor's side.
Here is the planned Mantua personality base with a metal figure kindly sent by Graham Apperley.
And finally a horde of figures now primed and ready for painting.
MGB
ps Work will commence on Thursday to restore and repair the roof to my old house!
