Peter Laing WW1 15mm Figures

Posted on by 26soldiersoftin

This month I have spotted online and bought several new units of OOP (out of production) Peter Laing 15mm figures from his WW1 range.

I am quite pleased to have spotted them on eBay as they were vaguely or wrongly listed as “Minifigs / Other 15mm”.

Bird watchers talk about recognising the different “jizz” of similar looking SBJs (Small Brown Job) birds. Certain figure manufacturers have a typical or distinctive look and Peter Laing is one of those.

Originals were carved by hand from thick plasticard in the 1970s and 1980s in the days before ‘green stuff’. Peter Laing figures also have certain slenderness, deliberate under-detailing and a limited number of familiar Laing poses – advancing, firing, walking Officer with pistol – that make them more easily recognised.

As these figures are just about to vanish into the Christmas present cupboard for the next four months, I thought I would share these pictures with you.

15mm WW1 German Infantry and Machine Guns by Peter Laing.

Peter Laing 15mm WW1 (700s) with early pickelhaube spiked helmet

F0712 German Infantry Marching

F0713 German Infantry Firing

F0714 German Officer Marching

F0715 German Machine Gun and Gunner

F0716 German Machine Gun Loader

Distinctive and familiar poses of Peter Laing figures.

As well as German infantry, there were French WW1 Infantry

F0720 French Chasseur D’Alpin advancing

F0709 French Officer Marching

Chausseurs d’Alpins with their distinctive walking sticks

There was an interesting suggestion from Ian Dury fellow Laing collector who runs the Peter Laing page on the MeWe community forum (which replaced the Google + Community Peter Laing page) that, with walking stick removed, these figures make excellent 19th century Carlist Infantry (obviously an oversight by Peter Laing?)

Red and blue early war “target practice” and the more sensible later grey blue French?

F0708 French Infantry Advancing

F0707 French Infantry Firing Officer Marching

The machine gunners are not by Laing. The horses and artillery team at the back are Laing figures. Laing horses are very distinctive, with a primitive pony look to them.

The light blue French gunners, infantry and officers could pass as Austrians at a pinch.

Ian Dury (in his comments below) identified the artillery riders for me as

M0704 French Hussar with Lance removed.

A0706 French Gunner kneeling.

A0707 French Gunner kneeling with shell.

A0708 French 75mm field gun

If I have misidentified any Laing figures, cavalry or guns Ian Dury and the Peter Laing MeWe collectors group will happily always put me right – find us on

https://mewe.com/join/peterlaingfigures

I have no great desire to run any WW1 historical game scenarios, instead I look at these troops as Bronte ImagiNations fodder for Ruritanian conflicts and border skirmishes.

Hopefully I might have painted some more of my WW1 Peter Laing unpainted figures to join these painted ones in time for the 50th Anniversary next autumn 2022 of the first Peter Laing figures being advertised and sold next October / November 1972, possibly the first ever 15mm gaming figures.

Roll on Christmas !

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 20 August 2021

Published by 26soldiersoftin

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 ...

12 thoughts on “Peter Laing WW1 15mm Figures”

  1. Excellent haul! Always a great feeling when something like this turns up for the collector.

    Now put them away until Christmas young man and no arguing!

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    1. Yes, Dad. No arguing.
      (But with the pictures, it’s like a sneaky peek ….)
      It was good hunting but generously in the spirit of the MeWe group I put the French and German figure group sale details up on the Peter Laing MeWe forum whilst I ummed and ahhd … then after a day or two bought them. The chausseurs d’Alpins were an instant buy though.
      They are all going to an appreciative home and in buying them I am not disappointing any Minifigs collectors who might be misled …

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  2. A nice haul there! Must admit I had my eye on some of these, but given the number of WW1 Germans, British, Russians and Austrians I still have to paint or refurbish, I really couldn’t justify buying any more!

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    1. I was pleased to spot these and did give the MeWe circle a few days grace to get in there, as I thought the same the same as you that I still had PL figures to paint.
      I’m surprised they didn’t go fast as recent eBay bids on several lots of unpainted early war WW1 that have gone for good sums.
      Several lots still left online.
      Not sure on the gunners or cavalry IDs.

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      1. I assume when you say about the cavalry, you mean the ones in use as artillery outriders?
        If so, the figures you have there as your French artillery are:
        M0704, French Hussar (with lance removed by the look of it) as the artillery outriders
        A0706, French gunner kneeling
        A0707, French gunner kneeling with shell
        A0708, French 75mm field gun
        As an aside, one of my great personal regrets is that Peter never produced any heavy artillery for his WW1 range, other than the British 6” howitzer.

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      2. Thank you very much for the ID. I wasn’t sure as I had no Austrians to compare with.
        It is a shame that the ranges came to a halt, likewise the WW2 range etc. when you think how widespread the Flames of War vehicles, guns and figures range became before 28mm took over but then you are dealing with a one man sculptor company as a second career rather than a whole company team.

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  4. Excellent purchase, full of gaming potential . I had forgotten the chausseurs d’alpine figure- l had some of these around forty years ago. I bought them based on my liking of the ww1 funcken books and the lovely walking sticks in their packs. As a boy l got a walking stick in Switzerland and nailed wee badges to it. I think that also made me buy the figures too. The stick incidentally is till with me emblazoned with memories in my umbrella stand!
    Your figures would work well on a grid with Bob Cordery’s excellent Portable Wargame Rules. Lots of time to plan before the march from barracks at Christmas.
    P.s reminds me that I have neglected my chaasseur d’alpine flats purchased earlier this year, I ought to give them some TLC
    Pps the Carlist idea is great but I couldn’t bear breaking off the walking sticks, personally!

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    1. I wouldn’t be able to destick these figures either – they must be a hardened bunch in the Continental Wars Society, although those floppy berets in the Preben Kannick uniform book are quite attractive.

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  5. A lovely find! If not enamored of WWI, these would easily fit some of the Balkan Wars types (and Bob Cordery has some interesting “matrix” rules for games in that period). Or pull Gondal/Glasstown et al into the 20th century.

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