Besides the 'Dice Gods' don't care what scale your figures are or whether they're made of finest pewter or recycled milk cartons....
As an aside why do our most lavishly painted, elite troops invariably perform like muppets on the battlefield? I have a unit of 15mm ACW Union Zouves who've yet to last an engagement before routing or, on one particularly galling episode, fail to advance past turn 2...hmmm this nice safe wood in the rear looks like a good spot to brush up on bit of 'pretend to be invisible practice'.
Bloody Zouves..give me a unit of raggedy arsed regulars with the odd broken bayonet and some tin showing through and I'll take that damned hill for you.
But back to the topic.
"I often wargame with plastic 20mm figures"...there, I've said it, admitting you have a problem is half the battle they say.
...my name is Gavin and I've been playing with plastic soldiers for about 40 years, I've tried numerous times to quit but every time I walk past a model shop I just have to, well you know...
...thank you for sharing that with the group Gavin, are there any other plastic addicts who'd like to spew their guts out for the benefit of everyone?
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| Rogers Uhlans |
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| Rogers Hussars |
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| Rogers Bavarians |
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| Adrians Saxons |
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| Geoffs Middle Guard |
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| Geoffs Brits |
Credit for the Napoleonic Bavarians goes to Roger Wood, Geoff Martin for the Napoleonic British figs and the Middle Guard. Saxons are care of Adrian Powell.
This is just a small selection.
Oh well, they say being able to talk about it is the first step!
Nothing wrong with plastic addiction, doing WW2 and there's plastic all over the bleeding place, screw them I'll play with anything including lego!
ReplyDeleteActually the world has turned for me and I am getting back into plastic...affordable, convertable (no period is too obscure again, just like it usd t be at the beginning). Now I have seen your colonials I am going to have to give them a go!
ReplyDeleteNot laughing here, some very nice work there indeed.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly not my cup of tea - I really dislike trying to trim the flash on these soft plastics, and I find trying to glue the bits together that need it (airfix romans - try getting the shields to stay on or assemble the chariots, I have yet to find a glue that works and will resist little hands playing with them...) nigh on impossible. I've tried the PVA trick but even that didnt work enough to resist handling. I had high hopes that these cheap figures would allow me to get my young son used to painting his own army albeit basically and used to wargaming. It didnt work for reasons cited. But he still likes playing with the toy soldiers anyway, as I did when I was his age... I think thats the reason for my mental hang up on these as 'wargaming models', rather than toys.
But as you have proved in your pics - they clearly can be.
Oddly enough though, one of my earliest recollections of a painted army was, an airfix napoleonic army that a neighbor had painted that I saw when I was about 4 years old... It musted have impressed me greatly as the memory of it is still with me!
A very nice selection of pictures indeed.
Bravo! Well done, that man!
ReplyDeleteHaT and Zvezda, in particular, are producing some great figures (beautiful sculpting and more realistic poses) that are more useful for wargaming, moving away from some of the overly-animated poses that Italeri, for one, specialised in. Italeri's Napoleonic cavalry are still some of the best figures there are IMHO.
Thanks for sharing your collection!
Very impressive work indeed. It's not so long ago that I was gaming with plastics - mainly medieval and ACW - because of the financial side of things, which was greatly exacerbated by the unfortunate disapproval of one of those wifey-things.
ReplyDeleteThe plastics went the same way as the wife, although I have to say that from time to time, I miss the plastics!
'Nuff said!
These are as nice as any 28mm collection; actually far bigger than many. You've certainly made a valid argument for 1/72nd gaming. Best, Dean
ReplyDeletePlastic or not, they all look fantastic, with the price of lead figures as they are now, I could see myself going over to plastics, only problem I'd have is terrain, mine is all 15 or 25mm!!
ReplyDeleteNice to see my esteemed colleagues still have a soft spot for the plastic. I may have pinched your nostalgia nerve.
ReplyDeleteHope you didnt include the ex missus as a job lot with the plastic figs Colonel?
Yes you're spot on about Zvezda and Hats current output Rosbif. Strelets are also picking their act up with some nice poses albeit a bit gnomish in appearance but funnily enough they paint up better than they look. I admire the fact that the Plastic boys are tackling some of the more obscure conflicts.
Dont be too worried about the terrain Ray, 15mm actually works ok with 20's. Most of my European buildings are 15mm and there's no scale in trees if you think about it.
Great collection you got there old son. Actually, I think a fair number of them are mine. Knew I shouldn't have left my fig's with you. Your Austrians do look great though.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures within the post! Excellent to look at! Keep up the great work because you're excellent at it!
ReplyDeleteLovely work.
ReplyDeleteOh alright, I'll confess. My name is Ross and I've been playing wargames with 1/72nd plastic figures for over 40 years. Tried to give them up, 25mm metals, 54mm plastic, 40 mm metal and hard plastic but I can never completely escape the little blighters, they lurk in corners and keep coming back to play games.
ReplyDeleteJust not as attractively painted as yours!
Off to enjoy more browsing and ogling past posts.
-Ross Mac
Most if not all of us started with piles of these wonderful figures i must admit mine weren't paint quite as well as yours great pictures nice painting great to see another awesome kiwi site keep up the great work
ReplyDeleteCheers
Kent