Britain’s modern farm series 54mm Scarecrow – a little sinister?
Great camouflage for an enemy spy …
Blogposted on All Hallow’s Eve, 31st October 2019 by Mark (Straw) Man of TIN
Halloween Spooky Figure 2019
Month: October 2019
Packing Sugar at Freddie! Snowball Fight Wide Games Scenario
Crossposted from my Tabletop Scouting Wide Games blog:
Figures here:
Resin Christmas Village snowballing 54 to 60mm figures from Lemax:
Blog posted by Mark, (snow) Man of TIN, 29 October 2019.
Save a Bronte Tiny Book!
As a big fan of the Bronte Imagi-Nations for my games table, I was interested to read about a campaign to save one of the Bronte tiny books designed in matchbox size for the toy soldiers that inspired their juvenile fictions:
You can read more about the Bronte Society Appeal / Bronte Parsonage Museum:
https://www.bronte.org.uk/support-us/donate/7/charlotte-brontes-little-book
Thanks to Hugh at the appropriately titled Small Scale World blog for flagging this up:
So if you have a spare £650,000 …
P.S. Me and the tiny tin men had a quick whipround and sent them an appropriately tiny amount …
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN 26 October 2019
On Wargames magazines and ‘new’ Airfix figures
I rarely buy wargames magazines now.
When I was a youngster, my Dad would bring back Military Modelling, the occasional Airfix Magazine and then Miniature Wargames each month when it first came out in the 1980s. No doubt he read and enjoyed them on the train home for the history articles. I still have many of them in part or whole. Thanks Dad!
So I was interested to read the wargames magazines reviews and comments on various blogs including Bob Cordery on Wargaming Miscellany as the magazines have changed audiences and editors over the last few years.
I wrote a little about this back in 2016, having not read many gaming magazines for years: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/30/miniature-wargames-magazine-milestone-issues-1-and-400/
Many of the recent comments on the changing nature of some magazines seemed to fall into a generational trench or historical vs fantasy gaming camps, the recent editorial and ownership changes to Miniature Wargames magazine having polarised opinion.
Some confess to fall no back in love with print magazines like Big Lee:
http://www.blmablog.com/2019/09/falling-back-in-love-with-print.html
For a fringe or niche hobby, it is a surprise to me that there are still in 2019 three colour wargames magazines on the newsagent stands alongside two toy soldier collector magazines and all the tabletop and fantasy gaming magazines.
I usually flick through these magazines when I go into town to see if they are ‘worth buying’.
Irritatingly, some are shrink wrapped issues with free gaming show catalogues or free sprues of the latest plastic figures (i.e. clever product placement) so that you cannot see inside some of the magazines.
This freebie is calculatedly and temptingly an effective entry level drug to a new period, scale or games system, clever but something new that I simply do not need with a head and a paint table already full of ideas.
There is also a QR code on the front cover to scan to see the contents page, if you have that sort of phone (which I don’t). It loses Wargames Illustrated Magazine and Miniature Wargames one potential reader every month.
Like many of those who comment on the review posts, which is obviously just one slice of opinion, I am regularly put off buying several of these magazines over the last twenty years by the increasingly advertorial scenarios for certain games systems and figure ranges.
If you don’t play those systems, this style of magazine article seems almost meaningless.
I do like a look at the adverts and new figure ranges, although quite often they are featured long before on the websites of other bloggers, excitedly distracted by the next new shiny thing.
One interesting feature in the most recent Wargames Soldiers and Strategy WSS magazine www.wzssmagazine.com is the thematic approach to the core articles of each issue. A few months ago I bought the French Indian Wars issue as this is when my favourite Featherstone Close Wars small wooded Skirmish (natives vs soldiers) rules are set. This month I bought the mostly WW2 1944 issue – theme: the Fight for Overloon and Venray.
I recognise a few of the opinion column writers from past magazines, blogs and podcasts such as Henry Hyde, former editor of Miniature Wargames and Battle Games and Guy Bowers the Editor.
I enjoy the Guy Bowers‘ figure reviews showing a sample of what figures in what scales are currently available to play for each issue’s main theme period.
Obviously not every manufacturer and every scale could be featured in such an article.
Wot No Airfix?
I noticed one surprise omission on the figures page for WW2 1944 Northern Europe scenarios, which covers the current fashionable scales from 6mm through 10mm and 15mm to the ubiquitous 28mm. (No 54mm?) One set of cheap and affordable figures were missing – there were no Airfix.
There were four other 20mm manufacturers mentioned, mostly metal – Adler, Frontline, Valiant plastics and Wartime Miniatures (Australia). Foundry 20mm are mentioned rather than shown. Some of these figures are £1.20 each!
But no Airfix. Why the omission? It could be because they are currently and irritatingly out of stock on Airfix.com and only available in shops or online suppliers if you can find them.
Maybe Airfix figures are the generational Fault Line?
On the same basis, I’m sure the old Airfix 54mm figures are not shown in the review as their 54mm British Infantry (Combat Support Group) are hard to find in the shops and few now game in this scale. 54mm British Infantry are now fairly hard to find cheaply, but as for 54mm gamers, they are available to find online in one place at the Little Wars Revisited 54mm gaming forum.
But No Airfix? This was maybe something I only noticed because a few days earlier on a trip into a real toyshop searching for family presents, I had picked up the latest ‘new’ Airfix figures in thirty odd years. Obviously latest and new meant 2011 – I hadn’t noticed that the 1973 ones had been replaced.
This type of cheap plastic figure is where many a gamer of my generation or older cut their teeth. The metals and plastics shown in Guy Bowers’ magazine review were or still are beyond pocket money range and easy access to many youngsters, even today through online sales. I was able to look at these Airfix figures and others closely in the shop. I paid hard cash for these figures. I bought a box of the new WW2 figures partly as I am a ‘Completist’ who owns Airfix figures from all the sets ever issued but mostly to show my support for real toyshops.
Airfix is still just about available in many of the larger hobby shops, craft and toy stores as well as these WW2 British Infantry (currently out of stock) at Airfix.com
£6 for a box of 48 figures seems reasonable, at roughly 12p each figure. As Bob Cordery mentioned, this is pretty much the cost of a magazine these days. They also come with an available Airfix relaunched ‘vintage classics’ range of WW2 vehicles, admittedly ones you have to make yourself.
The only 20mm alternative in plastic shown are the Valiant figures at £13 for 68 Miniatures. This is comparable value per figure, just a big outlay for maybe too many figures for a simple Skirmish game.
Plastic Soldier Review – Airfix WW2 Britain Infantry
Airfix have issued several British Infantry sets over the years. Which do I like most?
Not these old ones – not the 1973 ones that were newly around when I was little, http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=25
These 1973 ones replaced the charming but odd 1960s Infantry Combat Group http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=53.
Didn’t really like the odd poses of these spindly 1973 ones much.
Not the 1982 Esci reissues under the Airfix name when Airfix lost the moulds for the 1973 Airfix British infantry http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=84
Here below is a better off the sprue photograph of the new 2011 Airfix British Infantry.
The review on Plastic Soldier Review is not flattering about the skinny legs, what should be shapeless but here skin-tight battle dress and poorly moulded weapons but they seem no more distorted than the average metal figures.
To me, they look a useful enough set loaded down with lots of haversacks, equipment and few useless weird diorama poses.
New WW2 Battle Dress 2011 Airfix figures – Plastic Soldier Review photo source
They are a good looking, animated set of figures which almost don’t look like Airfix. Shame that they don’t make them as copies in 54mm but there are the old Britains Paratroops, Britains Deetail and Steve Weston’s WW2 versions if you can find them.
They would be a good match for the Airfix WW2 German Infantry in either scale if you can track them down (also out of stock on Airfix.com).
At some point I will get a chance to paint these new figures. Painting table is a bit cluttered at the moment.
Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN, 20 / 21 October 2019.
Street Find Frankensteined Girl Scout
Another broken figure, a street find, restored to gaming life – read and see more about a cheap pound store figure dismembered to make a Girl Scout at:
Blog posted by Dr.Mark Franken-ManofTIN 23 October 2019, a week too early for Halloween.
Turning Pound Store Plastic soldiers into Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
When no one makes cheap 54mm plastic scouts, what can you do but convert some of the cheapest rackety cloned and distorted toy soldiers into Boy and Girl Scouts? Some of this worked well. Read more at:
Crossposted from my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blog site by Mark, Man of TIN (1970s Cub Scout, Bronze Arrow, Retired) 17 October 2019
Full Snow Forts: Scouting Wide Games report write up
Snowball fight to defend the Snow Fort! Boy Scouts vs. Girl Scouts!
Fast play Scouting Wide Games scenario for the tabletop. Read the full write up and play testing notes at:
Cross posted by Mark Man of TIN, 11/12 October 2019
Celebrate your hobby’s contribution to World Mental Health Day 10 October 2019
Huzzah! Let us celebrate today – World Mental Health Day – all that our wonderful relaxing craft or hobby of toy soldiers, gaming and modelling do for our relaxation, positive mental health and also the open and supportive community of bloggers, war-games opponents and gaming clubs.
It’s World Mental Health Day today 10th October 2019 https://wfmh.global/world-mental-health-day-2019/
Veterans’ charities now focus more and more on this aspect of service and post service health. This year I have posted about the well-being value of modelling and the fine people at Models for Heroes: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/02/models-for-heroes-and-the-well-being-aspects-of-hobbies/
You can find out more about Models for Heroes at:
https://www.modelsforheroes.co.uk/
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/30/models-for-heroes-film-trailer/
Models for Heroes are exhibiting this week at an innovative Wellbeing event at the Tank Museum 11 and 12 October 2019
https://www.modelsforheroes.co.uk/blog/keep-on-track-wellbeing-at-the-tank-museum
and
https://www.tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/keep-on-track
Last Christmas / Advent I included ‘dancing with the black dog’ in my advent calendar of blog posts: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/man-of-tin-advent-calendar-day-5-dancing-with-the-black-dog/
I am fortunate to have been blessed with good mental health so far in life, having been born with quite a ‘happy-go-lucky’ kind of temperament (and a mild Airfix addiction that is easily pleased …)
This is not the case for everybody as life changes. Fortunately mental health is now more widely and openly discussed and social prescribing now takes into account the benefits of hobbies and clubs:
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
You might be fortunate enough to have a Wargames, gaming or modelling club nea4 you, full of ‘like minds’ or even a Men’s Shed nearby: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/27/uk-mens-sheds-association/
Huzzah! Thank you today for all the kind, challenging and interested comments that readers and blogging buddies leave on the Man of TIN blog, Pound Store Plastic Warriors, Sidetracked and Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop blogs. They really are appreciated.
Huzzah! Thank you also to many of my readers for the interesting, inspiring and downright distracting blogs that many of you write as well.
Three cheers for the tiny tin men that keep us all busy and mentally healthy.
Have a happy and healthy day.
Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN, 10 October 2019
First Scouting Wide Game: Snow Forts
Quick making and PVA gluing of polystyrene Snow Forts
The Snow Forts game in progress …
This was a ‘jolly good fun’ short game, featuring a small force of Gladys and four other Girl Scouts of Daisy Patrol, defending their snow fort with snowballs against an attacking force of eight Boy Scouts of Red scarved ‘Bull’ Patrol.
I will post a full game write up in the next few days, my first playtesting of some simple Scouting Wide Games rules.
It takes three Snowball hits on a defender in the Snow Fort for them to lose their ‘life’ (restored once journeyed back to HQ tent camp), but only one hit to take the ‘life’ of an attacker.
Snowball ammunition is unlimited. One scout equals one figure.
Ranges were set out or measured using lolly sticks, for close range (one lollystick – 4,5,6 is a hit on a d6), medium range (two lollystick distance, 5 or 6 to hit) and long range (three lollysticks – 6 only to hit).
Movement on snow and ice was half normal pace, (so using half a lollystick marker to measure) and no fast Scouts Pace (a strange mix of periods of running and walking) was allowed due to weather and terrain
Alan Gruber, Tradgardmastre of the Duchy of Tradgardland blog is also going to be working on the Scouting Wide Games rules and borrowed RPG elements like individual character cards.
I added some simple RPG style elements like names, age or scout ranking from Tenderfoot to First Class Scout or Patrol Leader, and badge or character achievements.
For example, Gladys the Patrol Leader of Daisy Patrol of the Girl Scouts and young Ernest, Second Class scout of Bull Patrol (Red Scarves) both have Marksman scout badges, adding +1 to their chance of hitting a scout of the other patrol with a range weapon like a snowball.
Jolly Good Fun! The game ended sportingly with three cheers for the winners and three cheers for the losers. Afterwards Agnes and Ginger of the Daisy Patrol of Girl Scouts built a “Snow Scout”.
I will also be developing a separate WordPress blog for the Scouting Wide Games project, for storing pictures, rules, research and play-testing. Watch this space for details: https://tabletopscoutingwidegames.wordpress.com/
The 1914 Christmas Truce – was there a Snow ball fight?I dug out some old Airfix unarmed WW1 figures. The Snowball fight element of this game lends itself to both civilian, Christmas and military scenarios.
Posted by Mark, Man of TIN on 5 October 2019
More Prince August 54mm home cast sculpts #3
More of the possible Prince August proposed 54mm alternative heads for new 54mm home cast figures – US Infantry pre/ post 1902.
Good to see that people have contributed suggestions back to Prince August including Anthony Jopson and also Ian Dury (hello Ian!) of the Peter Laing Collectors circle (on MeWe) and the Continental Wars Society.
More sculpts can be seen at https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/prince-august-new-54mm-toy-soldier-sculpts-part-2/
Any suggestions for new heads to extend this range? Contact can be made via the Prince August website info@princeaugust.ie or contact page.
Portuguese infantry? Ladybird Leaders: Soldiers
Or Preben Kannik, Military Uniforms of the World, eve of WW1 plates
Blog posted by Mark, Man of TIN 4 October 2019.
Man of Tin blog 