ALY MORRISON'S "BUTTERFLY" ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF WARGAMES AND TOY SOLDIERS

Sunday, 10 February 2019

Shiny Napoleonics...

Greetings...


While I wait for the washes to dry on my latest unit of War of Spanish Succession cavalry, I thought that I would put together a little introduction to my up and coming Shiny Napoleonic project.


As I have said in the past... "Any major Napoleonic collection was for me always going to be 'shiny'.


And why?... I possibly hear you say...


Well... My first experiences with Napoleonics were with gloss painted  Hinton Hunt, Minifigs, Lamming and Hinchliffe Miniatures and like the duck that is imprinted on the first living thing it sees, I found myself imprinted to these...


I don't consider this as being an Old School, Retro or Vintage project because I have always liked 'shiny'... for me it is the here and now.


This does not mean that I don't think that modern Napoleonic miniatures are not beautiful... they are... but in my opinion their sculpting , detail and stature does not suit the 'Shiny'.



An example of the 'Shiny'
 
I have spent the last year or so collecting together suitable miniatures mostly Minifigs intermediate and S range with a smattering of Lamming, Hinton Hunt and Ros... painted and unpainted... from eBay.
The results of these purchases have been mixed... as have my experiences... It is incredible what some people will pay for old toy soldiers.
I tend to decide what I think they are worth... and stick to it... That will be the Presbyterian Scot in me.
Did you know there is such a thing as 'bid sniping' ... its when someone puts in a higher bid a Nano Second before the end of the auction... apparently there are online services and apps that make it possible... its all perfectly legal and I am possibly showing my age here when I say that the first time it happened to me I was rather shocked.... it just seemed ... ungentlemanly.


Okay... I am showing my age.







Some of the toys what I have bought


Some arrive a little worse for wear... although fortunately these were not expensive.


Some arrive beautifully packed... in hand made boxes no less.
 
I have painted up a few test units over the last year... to try and find my style more than anything else and also to see which manufactures work with what I want to do...


I will post pictures of these tests over the coming months... in between stuff for my War of Spanish Succession project... which has priority.


Gosh!... It sounds like I have actually got a plan... whatever next...
Oh yes!
Sticking to it...


There are a number of splendid blogs catering for this kind of madness... it is heady stuff so proceed with caution... Here are but a few.


http://thehintonspieler.blogspot.com/


http://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com/


http://hintonhunt.blogspot.com/


http://abcwargamers.blogspot.com/


http://bobthepainter.blogspot.com/


http://ilkleyoldschool.blogspot.com/


Right back to The Spanish War of Succession... It won't finish its self...


All the best   Aly





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34 comments:

  1. The Jolly Broom Man10 February 2019 at 23:50

    Now I'm not of the right generation and Napoleonics aren't really my thing, but d'you know what...the shiny works for me. Like it. More power to your elbow sir!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:15

      Thank you ...
      Of course there is no ‘right’ generation for the shiny... anyone can dive in.
      As for Napoleonics... give it time and you shall learn the error of your ways.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  2. Mark Strachan11 February 2019 at 07:05

    I remember some of those figures. There were many of these in a dear departed friend's collection, some of which have been aquired and added to the collections we still play with.

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    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:18

      It is a good thing that they are still played with... that is what they were made for and every game revives a fond memory .

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  3. Phil11 February 2019 at 07:28

    Nap, Nap, beautiful Nap uniforms...

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  4. rross11 February 2019 at 07:46

    You have managed to gather together a nice representation of 1970's figures Aly. I have to be honest and say I have never liked the shiny look - even my first Hinchcliffe and Minifgs (as well as the more numerous Airfix!) were painted in Humbrol Matt Enamels - remember "Authenticolours"? I even had some of the Ros 25mm cav - dirt cheap they were, something like 50p for ten including horses, compared with 8p each for Minifigs infantry!

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    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:23

      That’s not even the half of it Keith...
      Shiny has its place... I would not gloss Front Rank ... ;-)
      Ros miniatures are pretty cheap even now... they are not the most beautiful... but with a bit of gloss they scrub up well...

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  5. Phil Robinson11 February 2019 at 08:32

    Shinyloo, couldn't escape if you wanted too. Our Minifigs WSS collections where shiny, was the done thing then, in fact I believe we where late converts to matt finish.

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    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:25

      Shinyloo... love it!
      I have fond memories of the Minifig WSS... if there was no Front Rank I may have gone down that path...

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  6. marinergrim11 February 2019 at 08:38

    Wish you'd said earlier - just sold off four battalions of Minifigs Old Guard, and artillery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:30

      No worries Paul...
      I may already have that many myself... ;-)

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  7. Springinsfeld11 February 2019 at 09:59

    Yep, soldiers need to be shiny and Napoleonics doubly shiny. Might I suggest you have got to get the Minifigs Old Guard Marching Band for your collection unless you have done so already?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:35

      I have got the Old Guard Band... They are S Range so probably old Old Guard Band ;-)
      I am hoping to find the S Range British band so I can have the battle of the bands as a scenario ...
      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  8. Ed M11 February 2019 at 14:17

    Most refreshing to hear someone eschew the "old school" label and instead suggest a simple preference for a certain look for a figure collection (both in color and sculpt). As far as sniping, I learned that hard lesson years ago. I came to recognize that ebay is an "auction" in name only, really, which helps me to deal with the reality of sniping.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:42

      Thank you Ed...
      Shiny is indeed a style I like... but not for everything...
      Mind you at my age everything I do could be described as old school...
      eBay is a strange beast... I have seen people battling and bidding away on one auction... yet there are exactly the same figures on another and cheaper... but noone is interested ... !!?

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  9. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com11 February 2019 at 15:07

    I don't think you're showing your age, I feel the same way about sneaky last second ebay bids. Mind you I was glad once after having bid more than I should for some old Britains.

    There is an elegance and attitude to some of those old 25's that can't be beat and shiny shows them off best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:50

      eBay is certainly the place for the must have it now generation... and yes they can occasionally save you from yourself...:-)
      I can’t deny that there is an element of nostalgia with these older and shiny figures but at the same time I have always felt that there is a touch of nostalgia attached to playing with any toy soldiers.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  10. Graham11 February 2019 at 16:06

    Gosh, they take me back. Fortunately only as far as the cabinet at the back of the garage that are full of my 1812 Spain collection of 1976 vintage Minifigs. They have traveled the world with me, from UK to Belgium to Nigeria to India and now back to Belgium. I paint up about 2 units a year and more often than not they try out new rule sets. Next up Rebels and Patriots. And they are shiny! Yacht varnish shiny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:51

      Well traveled armies indeed Graham...
      And yes... Yacht Varnish shiny... all the way...:-)

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  11. General Buggeration11 February 2019 at 19:08

    Some of these figures takes me back to when we started gaming together at the Capital Club in Edinburgh with George Jeffery all those years ago.

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  12. Aly Morrison11 February 2019 at 19:54

    Ah!... when we were young and handsome...
    Interestingly... for me it was the Lammings that brought the memories back...

    All the best. Aly

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mark Dudley12 February 2019 at 07:53

    I am looking forward to seeing more on how this collection comes together.

    Are you stripping the figures and repainting them or doing a paint restoration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 08:23

      Hi Mark...
      I am doing a bit of both... if they are nice neat flat colours I will try and match the shade and do a wash and highlight.
      If they are a bit messy it’s a long Dettol bath...

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  14. Wellington Man12 February 2019 at 08:09

    Congratulations on taking the plunge, Aly.
    Like Mark, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you make of such a gloriously eclectic selection. If they're half as good as your other armies they'll be magnificent!

    Best regards
    WM

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 08:28

    Thank you WM...
    Eclectic is certainly the word for it... although I do have a respectable amount of rank and file...
    I am using the same principle that I have for my WSS collection... is it a pretty uniform?... yes... do they have a nice flag?... yes... they are in... :-)

    I blame you by the way... ;-)

    All the best. Aly

    ReplyDelete
  16. MSFoy12 February 2019 at 10:30

    Ooooh.

    Do you realise my coffee went cold while I was looking at the pictures here? Time for my medication. Excellent post.

    A lot of collectors (army builders) specialise in a single manufacturer, as we know - that's fine, but most of my wargaming past has been such a scramble to get enough figures that will work together that, eventually, diversity and eclecticism become ends in themselves. Lots of different things that fit together - my philosophy entirely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 20:51

      Thanks Tony...
      You might need to get a bigger cup... ;-)
      I am aiming (vaguely)for some compatibility but the main driver is... what’s pretty... and potentially shiny...

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  17. caveadsum147112 February 2019 at 13:35

    Nice shiny project,not me but I can appreciate it in others,Im afraid I'm with you on eBay,I always used to post what I wanted to pay and almost forget about it until I found out what happened! I have largely given up on it now as my looming pewter/plastic mountain wants me to mine it as does my wallet!
    Best Iain

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    Replies
    1. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 21:09

      Hi Iain...
      I appreciate that Shiny isn’t to everyone’s taste... but let’s face it I am not really doing it for everyone,I am itching that scratch... or whatever the hipster kids say... you never know I my drag you to the dark(Shiny)side... ;-)
      The weird thing about eBay is the recommendations they send you... I only buy traditional toys soldiers and wargames miniatures yet I have been recommended high end sports trainers, ladies underwear and car accessories...
      Maybe they are trying to tell me something.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  18. David12 February 2019 at 16:19

    I simply cannot comprehend why anyone would want to paint old tatt while we have so many brilliant new figures to paint, but each to there own. Looking forward to your next WSS unit posted.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 21:23

      Ah! David...
      To me they are not old tatt... they are toys of a different... if less hip and trendy...style. And to be honest some of them aren’t that old...
      As you say... each to their own...

      Wyndham’s awaits basing...

      After that ...Some Age of Sigmar then 15mm zombie apocalypse and lots of plastic Dwarves... ;-)

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  19. Rick Priestley12 February 2019 at 17:47

    I am especially enjoying your 'duck' analogy and it explains a lot - its like when you go to the Doctor and he tells you that whatever has been troubling you has a fancy name - always makes you feel better doesn't it.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 February 2019 at 21:28

      Hi Rick...
      Yes I rather enjoyed the analogy myself... Imprinted is a much nicer word than... obsessive, compulsive or weirdo...
      My doctor always tells me I have something unpronounceable ... ;-)

      All the best. Aly

      Delete

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