Plastic Warrior Show 2023

 The PW Show has been running annually since 1985 (2 years COVID lockdown excepted), and on Saturday someone said to me "It pretty much runs itself now doesn't it".  Well, no it doesn't, there are always problems, there are so many things outside of our control, and the Gods love to have fun with mortals who make plans.  This year they had a lot of fun and we had a lot of challenges but the support and camaraderie of the enthusiasts who overcame the travel problems and turned up carried the day.  So if you were one of them, thank you, you're the ones who really make the show.

I always use the show as an opportunity to clear out stuff I no longer need, stuff that has sat in a cupboard unloved, unlooked at and unused for years.  I wanted it when I bought it, perhaps on a whim, or maybe for a project that never came to fruition (plenty of them!), some stuff was just picked up to save it from the skip or the ravages of tiny fingers, whatever.  

The important thing is that it gives someone else some pleasure in acquisition, takes up their storage space and ultimately becomes their problem.  It also frees up space in my cupboards and in my head for me to get more stuff.  This was my haul for the day (plus several bags of Hing Fat WW2 out of the pic), by coincidence I ended the day with as much cash in my pocket as I started it, so in my personal microeconomic view I got all this stuff for nothing.

This is the Garibaldi Red Shirt set made in Italy by Co-Ma, I've only been searching 40 years for them so I expect they'll be turning up all over the place now.  Very similar to Atlantic in style but a bit smaller at about 50mm tall, four of them should have muskets in black plastic, I'll give them Timpo ones.

I do like to see English cavalry in a pillbox cap, this composition figure was made in France by Bon Dufour, badly damaged but condition has never been an issue for me.

Some odds and ends for various collections, a couple of Natives from PZG of Poland, some composition figures gifted from Andreas Dittmann who came over with the collectors from Germany and some French infantry by Toumoulage that will find employment in the International Brigade for my Spanish Civil War project.

I usually try to get lots of photos of the tables to encourage more people to come to the show, this year I didn't really have time to wander around taking pics but here are a few bits that give a flavour of what it's all about.  

When I got home I took a few more pics of the stuff I bought and I'll try to get them posted up over the next few days.

Recent additions.

 A couple of hollowcast lead finds from last month's show in London, the bugler with articulated arm is marked Japan, the wounded man was made in England by Crescent.

Battle Cry Vitoria 2

 Here are the rest of the pictures I took of last year's game of Vitoria, which Anthony played using the Battle Cry rules system.

The Highlanders have pushed the French back across the River Zadorra and now prepare to cross in the face of opposition from an Italian regiment.

The French come under pressure in the centre.........

........while things go from bad to worse on their right flank.

The French take a hard pounding in the centre of the line......

.......and the Highlanders break through to isolate their right flank......

.......and as the Allies cross the river in force it's all over for the French.

I got along to the Spring Model Show yesterday, this is the rebranded name for the March event formerly known as the London toy Soldier Show.  There is still a hardcore of toy soldier dealers while the slack has been taken up by sellers of model kits and modelling materials, the later were doing a brisk trade and it is hoped that this shot in the arm will enable the event to continue, certainly there was a good stream of buyers coming in through the door.

I took the opportunity to stock up on acrylic paints made by ICM in the Ukraine and a few other bits which will no doubt find their way onto this page in due course.

Battle Cry Vitoria

 About this time last year Anthony and I played this game, based on the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, using the Battle Cry rules system.  With the passage of time I can't remember the details too well, suffice it to say that I commanded the French and took a good trouncing, so at least we managed to keep the correct historical perspective!  I did however take lots of pictures, so here over two post are lots of toy soldiers with few words to interrupt them.

The initial set up, the French defending behind a bend in the River Zadorra face the Britsh and Portuguese attack.

The allies move up through the woods to threaten the French left flank.......

........while the French have fortified a position on the north bank to protect the river crossing.

I think we found the scenario for this and numerous other Napoleonic battles on the Command & Colours website

Events in the real world coupled with domestic upheaval have taken their toll on my enthusiasm for the hobby this past twelve months.  I did continue to attend collectors events but the Central London Toy Soldier Show has never really recovered from the Covid lockdown and the affairs last June and December were so poorly supported I have nothing to report on them.  The Plastic Warrior show last May by contrast was something of celebration of the faithful with so many old familiar faces making an appearance and at some point I'll put up the photographs I took.

Woking Wargames Day 2023

  Yesterday I managed to get along to the Woking Wargames Day, once more an annual event since the passing of the Covid pandemic lockdown (that seems a long time ago now!).  Organised by Mike Lewis for members of the Little Wars Revisited Forum it seeks to promote wargaming with 54mm toy soldiers.  I could only stay for the morning session but 5 games were in play and this is what they looked like:

I took part in this North West Frontier game using "The Men Who Would Be Kings" ruleset, and jolly good fun it was too, a bit dice heavy for my tastes but the system is easy to pick up and quick to play once you get the hang of it.

The Armies in Plastic figures have appeared here before but the Armoured Train is a new addition and is very impressive, the scenario has the train ambushed and immobilised by the tribesmen who must hold off a flying column of British infantry and cavalry that are riding to the rescue.

The game opened with both sides sniping at each other from cover while their artillery kept up a desultory but largely ineffective covering fire.

Afghan tribesmen and irregular infantry made good use of cover to move in on the train from both flanks but took casualties which resulted in four units running from the field, despite this they eventually overran the train to narrowly win the game but at great cost.

Anthony brought along his Expeditionary Force, Dark Ages collection for a game using a grid terrain and the "Age of Penda" rule system designed by Daniel Mersey.

It was great to finally meet Mark, who brought along his Snowball Fight game, ably assisted by the Tradgardmastre.  I didn't get to watch the game in play but you can see more about it here on Mark's Man of Tin blog

Pat brought along his collection of Anglo-Normans for another Daniel Mersey designed game, this time Lion Rampant.

And finally the other Brian C brought along his skirmish game of Smugglers and Revenue Men which uses his own rules, the figures above are Charbens and Replicants.

More of Brian C's beautifully painted figures, these are Marx and Historex.

London Toy Soldier Show March 2022

I went along to the London Toy Soldier Show back in March, but I'm only getting around to putting up the pictures now, It's been that sort of a year! I have to say the event was rather sparse compared to pre-pandemic times but I suppose that's only to be expected as people begin to re-emerge and things slowly get back to the old normal.  Nonetheless I managed pick up a fairly eclectic haul, but first stop was at the game being run by members of the Little Wars Revisited Forum.

Several spectators took part in this demonstration game which saw Fort Pippin take centre stage.

The stylised terrain is really quite charming.....

......as is this rather neat little armoured train!

I bought these from Harry Kemp who just returned with a junk box of plastics from the Nanterre Show in Paris. Top left is a copy of an Elastolin Turk made by Cane of Italy, next two are by JEM of France and the bottom row are by Bonux of France. The four small size figures of WW2 Russian and Japanese infantry were made in Spain by Transplastic of Madrid, the came as premiums in packets of bubble gum available across the EU in the late 1960's under various names such as Dargaud y Tito and Dunkin.

Odds and Ends!  A rather fine Swedish hussar from the Tennfigurer range made by Holger Eriksson, I'll get around to painting him one day (hopefully) the mounted figure in the centre is made of a composition material in post-war Communist Hungary and finally a Britains hollowcast Togoland Warrior in need of some TLC.

I've no idea what these are or who made them, solid white metal and quite chunky, I have them in mind for a Wars of Religion project which has been simmering on the back burner for several decades, the riders will be going on nice sturdy Deetail mounts.

More of the new display

I've been wondering which figures to display on the extra shelves I added to my IKEA display cabinet, this is what I've come up with so far:

Some Polish Lancers, the officer in the centre made in France by JIM, the troopers around him made in Poland by PZG (the Polish Association of the Deaf), beautiful figures destined to remain in the cabinet and not risk the rigours of the wargame table.

The Corsican Ogre himself, made by Cyrnos, the Mamelouk standard bearer made by JIM as are the Carabinier and Hussars behind them. 

The Duke of Marlborough, mounted by Cherilea and on foot made by Tradition, the Grenadiers in the background are repainted Cavendish figures.

A hotchpotch of American Revolution figures, many converted from old Britains swoppets and Helmet kits parts by Denis Donovan and Gareth Lloyd, who have established an enviable reputation for such work.

Upcycling a display cabinet for toy soldiers

 Some years ago I picked up an IKEA display cabinet in a charity shop, and have been very pleased with it.  I got it for a reasonable price, and some time later learned that it is their DETOLF model, which is a "Best Seller" and is still available brand new for a very reasonable £65.  Here's what it looks like:

I use it to house my 7 Years War collection of wargames armies, which are quite attractive figures but the collection has now outgrown the four shelves in the unit.  It can house about 300 foot figures but as you can see the big drawback with this unit is that there's a lot of empty space and for years I've been looking for a suitable method to install additional shelves.  A few weeks ago a friend on facebook gave me the heads up on a firm in Northern Ireland who produce custom made supports and Perspex shelves for this very unit.  So I got some! 

The original shelf for two Regiments of Infantry (BMC AWI), two guns and two companies of Grenadiers (HaT and various conversions).  The new shelf supports are a bit fiddley to attach but after acouple of goes you start to get the hang of it and I managed to add a further eight shelves in the space available.

The new layout with additional shelf, for 2nd Cuirassiers, two more Regiments of Infantry and some light troops.  The figure of Old Fritz on the left is an early tin flat.

The original display of the Cuirassiers was a bit cramped.  The bronze disk in the foreground is dated 1757 and is a Campaign Medal issued for the battles of  Lissa (Leuthen) and Rossbach, I found it in a junk box of old coins 50 years ago when I was a teenager working a Saturday job in London's Portobello Road Market, it seemed appropriate to display it here.

The Austrian shelf (these also double as French but I need to do more flags) Three Regiments of Infantry (HaT Prussian infantry), two companies of Grenadiers (Italieri) a unit of Pandours (various conversions) and two guns (BMC)

On the left are the Russian contingent (BMC AWI) and on the right the Army of Brunswick (Marx infantry and HaT cavalry)

New layout with additional shelves.  The Brunswickers on the top shelf and below them the Austrians with the Pandours at the front covering the guns.

And finally a closer look at the Russian Infantry and Artillery.