Crossposted from my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, part 1 of work in progress on converting some of the stranger Poundland penny toy soldier figures (£1 for a bag or tub of 100).
Some before and after pictures here at:
https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/desert-warriors-conversions-wip/
These were inspired by the hill tribe warriors pictured in Donald Featherstone’s Solo Wargaming book.
I also want to do another set painted black robes instead of white, more Generican tribesmen or warriors, perfect for my future Bronte fiction-al campaigns.
To oppose the desert or hill tribes, I will need some paint conversions of these handy cheap Poundland / poundstore figures into a set of blue coated or red coated Colonial infantry created from these modern troops. Paint, a scalpel and some Fimo additions such as backpacks should help here.
Multiple conversions from a restricted set of figures is an interesting challenge inspired by a photo of one plastic cavalry figure converted ten different ways (Are these Spencer Smith cavalry?) in a different early Featherstone book, Tackle Model Soldiers This Way (1963). This was his second book, produced just after his first book War Games(1962), also for Stanley Paul. It has a lovely little chapter (almost a summary of War Games) on “Fighting War Games with Model Soldiers” too, to match his short “War Games” chapter in Henry Harris’ How To Go Collecting Model Soldiers (1969).
The full restricted range of these pound store penny figure poses to play around with are shown here:
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/more-pound-store-warriors/
Lots of penny figure fun in a poundstore near you. All very much work in progress for the coming winter / year …
Postscript
Checking through it appears that the cavalry are Spencer Smith Napoleonics now available in metal.
http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/html/ssm_naps.html
Blogposted / Crossposted by Mark, Man of TIN, 16 October 2017.
Man of Tin blog 
Yes they are the plastic ACW figure and a lancer figure from the Napoleonic range , both by Spencer Smith . I have converted some of the plastic lancers into Union cavalry carrying lances (a Pennsylvania regt if I remember rightly)
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Thanks for the confirmation. Such a shame the Spencer Smith plastic figure bags are no longer available. Spencer Smith lancers and Union cavalry – Tempting! With no cavalry on offer from the Poundland £1 for 100 figure bag / tub selection, I checked the Poundland infantry figures size (base to top of head c. 35mm) versus Spencer Smiths (base to top of head 30mm). At a push Spencer Smith cavalry might just work. I am working on some Poundland conversions to gunners. The Spencer Smith artillery pieces would fit (and at a pinch 25mm or 40mm Prince August guns).
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Very inspirational, very old school, very cool – love them. Certainly need horsemen from Poundstore. They must make cheap ones somewhere!
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Thanks Jon. If all else fails, Spencer Smith 30mm cavalry might do at a pinch to match 35mm figures or I have some heavy old lead cast 40mm Prince August cavalry horses from moulds (Useful horses for guns etc). Most of my current games are skirmish Infantry games anyway in very cluttered terrain, so little role for cavalry.
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