Update

I have done little or no gaming this week and little painting/modelling either. What with the heat and other stuff to do or think about time has passed by quickly. Here’s the state of the painting bureau:

In the foreground are some old lead fellows undergoing renovation and the early stages of painting. I am pleased with the 54mm toy soldiers waiting patiently to take the field using the portable wargame rules and Ross’s Square Brigadier. Towards the back at the bottom are some 18th century Tradgardland folk and Ottomans. Perched on the plastic box containing static grass is a very old figure of  Henry viii which has lain around for ages, does anyone know the manufacturer? Beside her is The Empress whose white clad troops are the scourge of The Duchy of Tradgardland. When painted she will have a chance to review her forces patiently await her arrival on the parade ground.

Dettol- the result...

Having soaked in Dettol since Friday l got the figures out of the jar-

The Dettol has worked wonders on them. I cleaned them next with washing up liquid, neat as per instructions. I am delighted and would certainly do this again. Have a look back at a few posts ago and see the GIs prior to the soaking. The figures that had not worked with paint stripper previously are clean thanks to Dettol too.I am free to appear in commercials for a suitable remuneration.

Upon my return

I am just back from a family wedding. The postman had left these for me-

They are a very mixed bag and not in great condition. As ever can you help identify these figures. There are some fellows amongst them l have never seen before . Thanks for your help.

Testing times

I found the jar of figures l had unsuccessfully stripped with brush cleaner-

I then added the new figures prior to adding the Dettol. I will leave them overnight and see what happens.

Currently reading and need your help...

I got this mixed bag online this week for a very reasonable sum-

Can anyone identify the figures? Thanks in advance.

These are the books that I am currently reading. I would recommend them unreservedly to you. The novel is beautifully written and engrossing whilst the non fiction one is a mine of fascinating facts and shines new light on the subject.
Finally good luck England for the game tonight, l haven’t been as caught as l am for ages.

Hollow men 3 imagineering etc

I have been looking around for options for the game and in doing so recall toy soldiers of my childhood. I always had two sides Britains v Timpo and the rest when using 54mm figures. The Britains were the good guys and the Timpo ones the baddies. I thought the Timpo ones were fine and was happy to have a variety of them but to me Britains were much superior. I think I have retained that view ever since.
I have been thinking of a background to my interwar gaming partly based on what l have available and partly on Pathe News footage l have viewed for inspiration. So we have Army Red v Army Orange,White and Green. Army Red are the King’s Army and  ArmyOWG are their celtic speaking neighbours. Relations between the two countries are cordially, since the OWG fellows gained their independence peacefully but occasional disputes occur. This was established by the fact that I had some AIP figures about who would pass as 1930s Irish. I am still doubtful about mixing the plastic and lead but considering the price of Dinky tanks l need to save money somewhere.

As this is the World of toy soldiers there is absolutely no political element to my choice of sides,after all it is fantasy and merely a conceit for some fun modelling and gaming . I wish to offend no one. So here it is . A game built from plastic,lead ,celluloid and paper nothing more.
Finally all the best to England for this afternoon’s game from everyone here in Tradgardland!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Hollow men 2: the look of things

I am going to use my 7.5 cm square cloth. I wanted to see how the Britains figures looked in that sized square-

Four figures looks a little crowded for my liking so l will probably settle for three. Assuming l can get one at a reasonable price l will use Dinky medium and light tanks. They are a different scale but I think they will give a pleasing effect with the figures. As l am meeting a friend for coffee this morning and the World Cup is on later l don’t think l will get much done today but that’s ok l think.

We are the hollow men...

These arrived today ,an online purchase-

They are certainly walking wounded but , in my opinion, are full of charm. A few new heads,arms (Dorset miniatures perhaps) and they will serve admirably. I thinking of Portable Wargame/ Square Brigadier game with toy soldiers of the time set in the interwar period. Possibly using armies in plastic too although I am uncertain of the old and new figures mixing, we shall see.  A little wars look for the jazz age?

Broken

I have enjoyed Man of Tins recent posts on repairing old toy soldiers. He uses a combination of skill and technique to great results. I found these laddies waiting aid on my desk top -

I will see how l get on. The feet replacement is okish but I am not so sure about the missing head. Perhaps a wee sculpting challenge to build it up in milliput?

We’re going on a boar hunt,we’re not scared. Late Scandinavian Bronze Age Tradgardland

I got these rules recently and they are well laid out and interesting. I am going to try them out with a small boar hunting expedition.

Incidentally I was thinking about magazines l used to read and recalled A W N U T S made up of splendidly whimsical model railway. Sadly when l downsized 21 years ago the magazines couldn’t be kept. I’d love to read them again . The odd copy appears on eBay but with £15 postage charges. Just too much for me. Any thoughts on where to get copies?