Some useful artillery park accessories – A127 “Piled arms” (muskets / rifles), A121 mortar, A129 powder barrel and A125 pile of large cannon balls, all very useful in many periods.Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian Artillery TrainAnother favourite figure the Peter Laing Marlburian (A112 Muleteer?)
Peter Laing’s first figures – the first 15mm Wargames figures ever produced in October 1972 – were a small range of Marlburian figures. Literally a small range as they are somewhere between 12mm and 15mm and very slender!
I have been chatting by email with fellow Peter Laing collectors Ian Dury and Alec Green in the Midlands about this Marlburian range, a few of which I bought directly by post from Peter Laing and painted c. 1983. Recently I found a small group of a few unpainted Marlburians, mixed in with other figures in a 15mm figure job lot online.
What I liked about Peter’s range were the link items or his suggested possible “Dual Use” items that fitted more than one range – more for your money if the figures could be (painted to be) used in several periods. I have some of these lovely Highlanders, but that’s another blog story.
Marlburian limber (A108) for artillery, painted c. 1983 with Muleteer (A112) and draught horse walking (M104).Marlburian drover (A106) and limberPeter Laing 15mm artillery equipment – waggon(A???) cannonballs (A125) and powder keg (A129)Doing the Lambeth walk? Close up Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian drover (A106), a figure to use across many periods.Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian Mortar (A121) and escort – Private marching (A102)Keep your powder dry with this A113 Powder Cart.
Lots of tricornes, horses and turn-back long coats abound in this Marlburian range, it’s like an outbreak or episode of Poldark. Or Smoldark as it / he is known amongst the ladies at work …
Not part of Capability 300 to celebrate landscape gardening but the Marlburian gunner with bucket (A119), another lovely figure from Peter Laing in 15mm.Peter Laing Marlburian gunner with sponge horizontal (A102), with a very delicate but well-proportioned sponge.A game of bowls? No, a surplus of Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian artillery gunners (A120) holding cannonballs!Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian infantry (grenadiers on the right) F122 Private advancing, F102 Private marching, F101 Grenadier marching and F120 Grenadier throwing grenade.Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian F117 grenadier drummer, F104 infantry drummer marching, officer F114? and sergeant F116? standing with half pikes.Rear view of these figures.Peter Laing 15mm Marlburian infantry painted as French-Indian Wars in America, French troops, painted c. 1983. F109 Private standing, F124 Private kneeling.Rear view of these ‘French’ troops.Peter Laing 15mm Mounted officer (M103) – is it Marlborough himself? Mounted dragoon, musket slung (M101).Beautifully modelled Marlburian dragoon with slung musket (M101) and mounted officer (M103).Three different paintings of a Marlburian mounted kettle drummer (M106).A fine Peter Laing 15mm unpainted Marlburian mounted trumpeter (M107) and drummer (M106).A spirited Marlburian cavalry trooper charging, M105 in the Peter Laing 15mm range.
Hello I'm Mark Mr MIN, Man of TIN. Based in S.W. Britain, I'm a lifelong collector of "tiny men" and old toy soldiers, whether tin, lead or childhood vintage 1960s and 1970s plastic figures.
I randomly collect all scales and periods and "imagi-nations" as well as lead civilians, farm and zoo animals. I enjoy the paint possibilities of cheap poundstore plastic figures as much as the patina of vintage metal figures.
Befuddled by the maths of complex boardgames and wargames, I prefer the small scale skirmish simplicity of very early Donald Featherstone rules.
To relax, I usually play solo games, often using hex boards. Gaming takes second place to making or convert my own gaming figures from polymer clay (Fimo), home-cast metal figures of many scales or plastic paint conversions. I also collect and game with vintage Peter Laing 15mm metal figures, wishing like many others that I had bought more in the 1980s ...
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Ian, Amazing amazing detail on these Peter Laing figures of yours and those of friends – thanks for sharing this link which I will add onto the original post.
I’m afraid super detailing will have to wait on mine until I’ve worked out a plan for faces and detailed finish, still keeping that toy soldier look in gloss acrylic (new paints for me, most of my 80s figures were Matt enamels). Partly it’s impatience to individually rebase and paint / repaint figures to get them into the field. Spit and polish or detailed mud and grunge wash will come later! Mark (Man of TIN)
I have a large collection of the Peter Laing WSS figures. Still, your post has shown me several figures that I don’t have. I wish I could get more of the mounted kettle drummers; I just love that figure. I also love the powder cart. I have thought of doing a campaign with these figures, where I would use limbers to move artillery and have sieges where sappers would be used. Earlier this year I was thinking of an imagination game using Lilliput as the nation at war. I have also thought of using the movie “Last of the Mohicans” for a story line.
John
If I come across any mounted drummers online I will let you know or put some aside. Maybe Ian or somebody else has some spares? I’m not sure how well they will recast as the crossed drumsticks like the gunners’ sponges are very very fragile.
My only four mounted drummers are attached to English Civil War cavalry regiments for some bizarre childhood reasons!
Siege games sound interesting – there is an interesting short paperback Stuart Asquith book in the Military Modelling series of books from 15 – 20 years back that you should easily find second hand cheap online (along with his Solo Wargames book).
I you have or can get access to the old Battle Magazines, there was a series on “The Siege of Dendermonde”, an early 18th century siege, by Ron Miles from December 1976 to June 1977. Sadly, I am missing both of those issues but have all the others in the series. Happy to scan what I have -but if you know anyone who has those missing issues….!
By the way, where did you get the background scenery? You and Ian Dury use it as a background for your photographs and makes for a more enjoyable picture.
Hello John
The scenic backdrops and sky papers are available in a range of sizes from a UK railway modelling company called PECO at Beer in Devon, Cornwall.
They have been around for many years and are used by many railway modellers. I imagine they would have US distributors or importers (maybe you can email them via info@pecobeer.co.uk
Hopefully you can track some down, Mark (Man of TIN)
Ian, I checked my Batttles magazines. The Siege of Dendermonde articles ran from Dec. 1976 to July, 1977. I have all the magazines, except Feb 1977 (which I think I have, but it is not with the rest of the collection right now). When I get back from camping I will scan what you would like to have.
Man of Tin blog 
If you like Peter Laing Marlburians, you will probably like these pictures I posted on an Australian Wargaming site – some figures that I acquired on behalf of a friend
http://ozwargaming.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4404&start=100#p40465
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Ian, Amazing amazing detail on these Peter Laing figures of yours and those of friends – thanks for sharing this link which I will add onto the original post.
I’m afraid super detailing will have to wait on mine until I’ve worked out a plan for faces and detailed finish, still keeping that toy soldier look in gloss acrylic (new paints for me, most of my 80s figures were Matt enamels). Partly it’s impatience to individually rebase and paint / repaint figures to get them into the field. Spit and polish or detailed mud and grunge wash will come later! Mark (Man of TIN)
LikeLike
I have a large collection of the Peter Laing WSS figures. Still, your post has shown me several figures that I don’t have. I wish I could get more of the mounted kettle drummers; I just love that figure. I also love the powder cart. I have thought of doing a campaign with these figures, where I would use limbers to move artillery and have sieges where sappers would be used. Earlier this year I was thinking of an imagination game using Lilliput as the nation at war. I have also thought of using the movie “Last of the Mohicans” for a story line.
LikeLike
John
If I come across any mounted drummers online I will let you know or put some aside. Maybe Ian or somebody else has some spares? I’m not sure how well they will recast as the crossed drumsticks like the gunners’ sponges are very very fragile.
My only four mounted drummers are attached to English Civil War cavalry regiments for some bizarre childhood reasons!
Siege games sound interesting – there is an interesting short paperback Stuart Asquith book in the Military Modelling series of books from 15 – 20 years back that you should easily find second hand cheap online (along with his Solo Wargames book).
I love the look of this garden siege wargame in plastics http://shandyandvauban.blogspot.co.uk/2012_01_01_archive.html
Best wishes
Mark (Man of TIN blog)
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I you have or can get access to the old Battle Magazines, there was a series on “The Siege of Dendermonde”, an early 18th century siege, by Ron Miles from December 1976 to June 1977. Sadly, I am missing both of those issues but have all the others in the series. Happy to scan what I have -but if you know anyone who has those missing issues….!
LikeLike
By the way, where did you get the background scenery? You and Ian Dury use it as a background for your photographs and makes for a more enjoyable picture.
LikeLike
Hello John
The scenic backdrops and sky papers are available in a range of sizes from a UK railway modelling company called PECO at Beer in Devon, Cornwall.
http://www.peco-uk.com/prodtype.asp?strParents=3309,3331&CAT_ID=3333&numRecordPosition=1
They have been around for many years and are used by many railway modellers. I imagine they would have US distributors or importers (maybe you can email them via info@pecobeer.co.uk
Hopefully you can track some down, Mark (Man of TIN)
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John, if you can’t find them in the US, let me know and I will get you some over here and ship them over
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PS – I forget to say – your picture after the mortar and escort is indeed A113, Powder Cart
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Ian, I think I might have the complete series on the Seige of Dendermonde. I am camping now but when I get home i’ll check on it.
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John, if you do have those Battle Magazines, I would love scanned copies of the ones I am missing. Let me know if I can return the favour at all
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Ian, I checked my Batttles magazines. The Siege of Dendermonde articles ran from Dec. 1976 to July, 1977. I have all the magazines, except Feb 1977 (which I think I have, but it is not with the rest of the collection right now). When I get back from camping I will scan what you would like to have.
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Many thanks, I have all of the series except the first and last as the magazines seem to have gone missing, so I would love to have copies
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