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

Monday 8 July 2019

Shiny Schleswig-Holstein...

Shiny Schleswig-Holstein...
(Try saying that after a few gins)...


Dan Faulconbridge from Wargames Illustrated asked me if I could take a few pictures of my Shiny Toy Soldier Schleswig Holstein collection for an article in this months issue...


As the magazine has now been published I thought that I would post the full set of pictures that I took...


I know its not to everyone's taste but this is one of my favourite collections... and one of my favourite periods.













I have been (very) slowly rebasing and reorganising this collection and hopefully sometime near the end of the year I will have a game or two...
They are of course all made by yours truly and are available from...


http://www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/html/s_t_s_.html


All the best   Aly

44 comments:

  1. Schleswig Holstein: an affair worth remembering! To paraphrase Johnson, "He who is tired of shiny toy soldiers of the Chocolate Box Wars era is tired of life" :) Lovely stuff!

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  2. Thank you Ed...
    What can I say... When you are right you are right...:-)

    All the best Aly

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  3. What's not to like?
    Wonderful figures, the most colourful uniforms in history, interesting weapons and tactics, and all so very shiny. Alright they are not 30mm but you can't have everything.

    John

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  4. Not to my taste of course, but each to their own.

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    1. I new you were going to say that... ;-)

      All the best. Aly

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    2. I didn’t disappoint then!😉

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  5. Aly, this is a collection that is elegant in sculpting style and classic painting. I think it is brilliant and I would enjoy seeing these troops out on either parade or in battle.

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  6. Splendid shiny soldiers. What are the bases made of ?

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    1. Thank you...

      The bases are MDF from Warbases... two of their 3mm rounded corner bases stuck together.

      All the best. Aly

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  7. Yeah....I have to with David too but I know you like these shiny toy soldiers Aly and well done on creating a range that others can purchase if they so desire!

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    1. Thank you Keith...
      This is the joy of our hobby... so much choice.

      All the best. Aly

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  8. The essence of wargaming..... what's not to like. Easy to paint, nice to handle , look beautiful. Thanks for showing, and I would love to see more figures produced this way, historical and fantasy.

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    1. Thank you Springinsfeld...
      They always bring a smile to my face...

      All the best. Aly

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  9. Agreed with previous commenters. These are one of my favorites. If ever I feel my mid-18th century project is finished, I have a mid-19th century project in mind for which these figures would be perfect.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thank you Stokes...
      Do the 18th and 19th centuries at the same time... go on ... you know you want to... ;-)

      All the best. Aly

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  10. Those are very nice figures indeed and an interesting war which would play very well with 'A Gentleman's War'

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    1. Thank you Tony...
      I tried an early version of ‘Gentleman’s War’ with these in my pre blogging days and it worked really well...

      All the best. Aly

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  11. Lovely proper toy soldiers!
    Best Iain

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  12. Such lovely shinyness.
    I'm currently reading about the 2nd S-H war which could almost have been fought in black and white since the uniforms are comparatively drab and the cold weather hid anything under flurries of snow or black or grey greatcoats!

    I'd love to see a GW (Gentleman's War that is!) game played with these .

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    1. Thank you Stuart...
      Yes the 1864 campaign was quite bleak... but very interesting.
      I fully intend to use these for A Gentleman’s War.

      All the best. Aly

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    2. Drab yes but a few what ifs transform it magically:
      What if the Danes had not been yet issued with the new nasty uniforms?
      What if it was a hot spring and the Austrians minor states and Prussians all took their coats off?
      What if the Brits took exception to Bismark's snide 'sending a policeman' dig and sent an intervention force?
      And the biggest what if of all supposing we varnished our North Star Danes and Perry Intervention British shiny???

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  13. Proper shiny and lovely to see 🙂

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  14. Fascinating period of history ideal for wargames!

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    1. It is indeed...and very colourful.

      All the best. Aly

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  15. Very shiny Aly, but lots of fun!

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    1. Indeed Mark... fun of course being the most important part...;-)

      All the best. Aly

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  16. Lovely! thanks for bringing these onto the table and camera.
    Wasn't it a winter war? Can't remember...If so, shouldn't the bases be a pure pristine white for new fallen snow?

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  17. Thank you...
    You are thinking of The Second Schleswig-Holstein War in 1864... the first half of the campaign was fought in the winter.

    All the best. Aly

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  18. A wonderful collection! I love the look of shiny toy soldiers, and I hope that they give you many years of enjoyment.

    All the best,

    Bob

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    1. Thank you Bob...
      These are still some of my favourite toys...

      All the best. Aly

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  19. Inspired by this and loving the Little Britons I ordered quite a large batch to make two armies. Sadly the castings, particularly the hoses, leave a lot to be desired in terms of quality now.

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    1. Hi Brian..
      I am very sorry to hear that your toys are not what you expected…
      Peter Johnson at Spencer Smith handles all the production and sales of the STS range…
      Please feel free to contact him via the Spencer Smith website about your issues …
      I am sure he will do his best to help you.

      All the best. Aly

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  20. I've bought lots of the Little Britons range and had excellent service but sadly not this time. The BC4 horse is dreadful and Peter had suggested returning for a refund but that leaves a huge holes in the project (as well as the castings). A pity as arthritic fingers are gradually making things more difficult and I'd decided on this as probably a last big project. Peter says he has contacted you about a new master so perhaps it will still prove possible. In the meantime the project may change direction slightly to become more of an 1848 Revolution game. Hope the busitis soon heals, I've had that and seemed to continually bang my (very sensitive) elbow!

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    1. Hi Brian…
      Peter has in deed been in touch and I have sent him my original master…which is in very good condition.
      He will be making a new mould and I am sure he will be back in touch with you when he has some castings.
      My elbow is healing but is still painful… It is indeed amazing how many things seem to want to bump into it.

      All the best. Aly

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  21. That's great news re the master. Peter has been in touch and he'll replace the horses when the new mould is made. Meanwhile I'll get on with the infantry. I'm really pleased this is now back on track. I love the Little Britons but the STS look even better, such brilliant designs. Arthritis in my fingers is a big problem noiw and this may well be the last big project I can manage but it's going to be a good one!

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