Honved infantry for the Risorgimento

 Or at least my take on them. I've been sitting on a pile of Airfix Napoleonic French Line infantry and Grenadiers which I've been steadily trying to find other uses for, I got bored with painting French uniforms a long time ago!

In this case a unit of them are joining my Risorgimento project as Austrian Honved infantry from the  1840s.  Anyone conversant with the period will instantly recognise that the uniforms aren't quite right for such troops, but at least the colours are, more or less, and that's good enough for me.

A simple conversion, just a head change for a metal Austrian shako from Dorset Model Soldiers and a paint job, mounted on metal washers for stability and basing uniformity, the standard is printed from the Warflags website.

Some of the other units in the Risorgimento project have appeared here before in this game based on the Battle of Calatafimi

While I had the Dorset heads and the relevant paints out I added a couple of Austrian Artillery crews to the mix, these made from BMC American Civil War figures.

Not Quite Victorious Army

 But I'm sure they will be when they eventually get onto the table for a game!

For some time now I've been building up a generic Chinese army, I'm not sure why and I can't remember how it started, perhaps I just like the colours.  And the flags, the flags are great.  Anyway, there is no grand plan, I just bang out another unit every now and then when an idea comes to me, it's quite therapeutic, doing something different.  Here's what I've got so far:

When I call them generic what I have in mind is that they will be used as an opposition in a Colonial scenario or possibly in the "Back of Beyond" or even at a stretch against Samurai.

These irregulars in black pyjamas and red bandanas are based on the Vietnamese Pavilion Noirs, mostly made from Hing Fat and other pirate figures, some have been given shields from wooden disks, others have Chinese heads (from Dorset Model Soldiers) just to give a bit of variety.

The flag has been cut out using pinking shears to give it a scalloped edge.  The inscription means something but I can't remember what, hopefully nothing rude.

Imperial Infantry, Artillery and Cavalry in the centre, irregular horse on the flank.

The matchlock men are more Hing Fat pirates, their tunics extended with plasticene, otherwise just a paint job.  The spearmen are medieval knights, made in China, which are currently available everywhere, and very useful they are too.  For a more Quing period look they've been given plumes on their helmets and replacement spears from metal rod with tassels added.

The cannon started life as a table cigarette lighter, it looked sufficiently gaudy for the job and just need a spruce of paint.  The crew have been given Mandarin hat heads (Dorset Models again).

The Imperial Cavalry started life and Italieri Mongols, the flags I found on the internet and just played around with them in Publisher.

The irregular Cavalry are the remains of the Italieri Mongols padded out with some Huns made in Spain by Jecsan.

More of the irregular Cavalry.

Dorset Greys, who are they?

With all the Collectors Shows cancelled I was feeling very much in need of a Toy Soldier fix, so trawling through everybodies favourite internet auction site I came across these:

Nobody seemed interested in them but they are toy soldiers and they were fairly priced, so they fill two of my buying criteria (well, all of my buying criteria really), but the question is What are they?

They were listed as Dorset - Crimean War period - Infantry grey uniforms.  I could see from the sculpting and painting style they were made by Dorset Model Soldiers (they're also marked GB under the base - Giles Brown, the founder of Dorset) but Crimean War?  I'm less comfortable with that, they look something more like U.S. infantry of 1812/20 to me, what do you think?

I may have to do a bit of basing to make them more table stable.  I have no qualms about mixing plastic with metal figures in my collection but have tended to avoid the later because of the weight when transporting them.   Anyway it's nice to be able to add a complete new unit where someone else has done all the work.  I plan to use them as the nucleus for a Napoleonic Swedish army, another project which has been on the back burner for a very long time!

An interlude while I do some 1:1 scale painting

This past week I've been up a ladder with a paint brush redecorating the hall and this has necessitated taking down the display of toy soldiers I have there.  The figures need to be individually removed and dusted so I took these photos to remind me where they go when I put the display back up, as I'd taken the pics I thought I might as well share them with you dear reader.

Discreetly camouflaged by several years of dust, the figures here are not any particular favourites just odds and ends that I've taken a shine to and picked up over time. Occasionally things get moved around but the order of display is largely governed by the size of each compartment.

I've always been very open about collecting toy soldiers and when I mention my interest to anyone they immediately assume that I mean lead guardsmen standing to attention in red tunics (and in fairness there are a few of those), so this little display is my way of showing the diversity of the subject.  Click on a picture to enlarge, there are no prizes for identifying what they are but it might give you a minute or two of fun, now where did I put that duster?

London Toy Soldier Show - December 2016

Some more gratuitous pictures of toy soldiers taken at the recent show in London, the December show is usually the best one of the year as it attracts dealers who don't bother with the earlier ones.  I just noticed that the March 2017 show has been advertised as "Incorporating Wargaming" so lets hope that means we'll be seeing more of the Skirmish Group.  The show will continue in it's current venue, the Design Centre, Islington for the March and June events next year but in December 2017 it is moving to Haverstock School in Chalk Farm, London NW3.

Not sure who made these or who's stall they were on but I felt such nice models needed a wider audience

This  piece was labelled "Big Bertha" and was on the same stall as the diorama above, shame it doesn't fire matchsticks though!

This was the table of a dealer from France who only comes over for the December London Show, he brings such unusual pieces it;s always worth a good long look at his wares.  I was very taken with the Chinese flagmen, I don't know if they go with the rickshaws - clearing a way through the crowds for them but it looks like they are the same maker.

More of the table above, love those early tanks and the pairs of animals: tiger bringing down an antelope and cobra with mongoose, a bit gruesome perhaps but full of originality, made by "RF" France.

This rather nice Nile Gunboat was on the stall of Modellers Loft who mostly deal in Action Man and similar genre (as you can see from the boxes in the background) but I thought it worth taking the pic to inspire anyone who might be thinking of making one for themselves.

Other news: Dorset Model Soldiers had a stand under the auspices of Peter Jones who is taking over the mantle from Giles Brown, Giles is still involved but mostly in an advisory capacity and carrying out repairs to old figures.  The contact details and everything else remains unchanged, I had a long chat with Peter about an order I had sent in just the day before and found him very helpful so this augurs well for the future.

New to the show and new to me were Covent Garden Games who tell me they have had a toy soldier stall established in Covent Garden Market for 30 years!  I'm a fairly regular visitor to the Covent Garden area and I never knew of them so there's a reasonable chance that you won't have either and hence I'm giving them a plug here, nice young people, if you find yourself in Central London take a look in.

Also at the show was Andy Neilson representing King and Country Hong Kong, they had brought over some quite impressive dioramas which I'll try to get posted up before Christmas.

That's all for now folks.

Dorset Toy Soldiers Battleship

My final posting from the London Toy Soldier Show last weekend is this rather fine battleship from Dorset Toy Soldiers just what you need to refight the Battle of Jutland on your garden lawn. My old friend Giles Brown who owns Dorset Toy Soldiers tells me that he is about to open a shop down in the west country to sell his figures, so if yu happen to be in those parts it would be well worth giving him a call to check on opening times.

Seen at the London Toy Soldier Show in March

This arab dhow was on the stand of Dorset Toy Soldiers.