It always seems to be feast or famine at the local car boot sale but last weekend I managed a reasonable haul:
This lot set me back £20, which I thought was very fair, there's nothing rare or special but it's quite a nice mix and they will add to several of my existing projects.
A few more Conte Normans are always welcome, my existing ones have been painted up as they came so I can afford to use some of these ones for conversions. They are made from a firm rubber which leaves the weapons prone to bending, after straightening by hot water treatment I give the bendy parts a coat of wood glue (which is an industrial strength PVA used by carpenters) to keep them from reverting to their previous shape.
The four Timpo Vikings all need repair so I will have no qualms about basing them for wargaming, the two AWI have been added to a display shelf and I have suitable mounts for all the others. The Marx reissue of Paul Revere in white is very versatile for conversion to many periods.
REAMSA remoulds from the Willian Tell set, I think the figure of Landburgher Gessler is particularly well sculpted, he looks just like the character played by Willoughby Goddard in the 1950's "Adventures of William Tell" TV series.
The more collectable items: a Franciscan monk and Mousquetaire du Roi made by Starlux, the grenadier drummer made by Cavendish is rarely found in white plastic so is probably an early example. The Cherilea Numidian, Lone Star African Native and Crescent Sheriff of Nottingham on the bottom row are all destined to be converted.
A very productive weekend indeed, Brian! You certainly picked up some excellent pieces with tons of potential! Finding the monk with intact cross was quite fortunate, and I've always liked that Lone Star Native, he looks so stealthy as he silently moves toward his objective!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brad, the Monk has found a place in a medieval diorama where he is easily recoverable should he be needed on the tabletop. The stealthy native has lost his knife so I'm thinking of arming him with a spear.
DeleteA fine haul indeed. I look forward to seeing what you do with them…
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
TBH I've been feeling in need of a challenge to kickstart my painting mojo.
DeleteHi Brian, either you sought out a majority for the dark ages, or fate was directing you to them, lol. Will enjoy seeing them being integrated. Strangely, near a third of my childhood toy soldiers were Timpo swop-it types, like those AWI figures, but I far prefer the earlier Timpo solids. Even stranger, the former are considered more collectable. I picked up one of the Crescent, or was it Kelloggs?, Sheriffs a while back, part of a superb range of toy soldiers, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteMichael (Wargaming with...)
Hi Michael, it was just the luck of the draw on the day really, but I do seem to have developed a taste for the dark ages recently. I know what you mean about the Crescent/Kellogs Robin Hood set, they were sculpted by George Musgrave who deserves much greater recognition in the toy soldier world, I visited him at the windmill he lived in which he'd extended to create a museum, a great character: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18590508.life-sussex-eccentric-george-musgrave/
DeleteBrian, shame that article did not place the emphasis on his toy making skills, TBH.
DeleteVery true, we interviewed him for an article in Plastic Warrior magazine and his sculpting output was quite prodigious, working at Herald, Crescent and his own company Gemodels.
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