Saturday, 29 February 2020

A leap forward

Putting the 28mm figures aside for a break I started to work on 54mm figures and buildings. This was much earlier in the day-
 Rifles replaced with ones carved from wooden coffee stirrers, missing legs with match sticks and some figures awaiting new heads. Below is the house I was working on with card tiles on one and serviettes as thatching on another. The bottom picture shows the figures before I began today. Evident are the makers mark ( J H for John Hill & Co) on the underneath of some figures and the general dilapidated state of them. I mused as I worked away about how would H G Wells have repaired the figures he used. Does anyone know ?


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13 comments:

  1. Mark, Man of TIN29 February 2020 at 18:24

    In those days of wooden or metal shells for his spring firing guns, it explains the terrible damage some of these figures attained. I have a vague recollection that He did or the nanny nurse used to melt down broken figures.
    Interesting card buildings for 54mm on the Little Wars Paperboys website shop page.

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    1. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:17

      I saw the buildings and was impressed. I am going for a home made look with my buildings to reuse what otherwise would be recycled. The shape of the breakfast biscuit boxes cries out to become a house, church etc etc.
      Health and safety would never allow such toy cannons today, which is probably for the best.

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  2. The Good Soldier Svjek29 February 2020 at 20:22

    Great renovation job there !

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    1. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:18

      Thanks you, it is a therapeutic thing to do I find.

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  3. Maudlin Jack Tar29 February 2020 at 20:36

    Lovely old figures and some great repair work. Like the look of your brick building too.

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    1. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:19

      The brick paper works well and will be tried with card tiling or serviettes for thatching. So far so good with the roofing...

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  4. Mark, Man of TIN29 February 2020 at 21:27

    The author's sons' nurse Mathilde Meyer once wrote: "Hopelessly damaged soldiers were melted down in an iron spoon on the schoolroom floor, and others had a new head fixed on by means of a match and liquid lead."
    Quote From book "H G wells and His Family as I Knew Them" by M M Meyer.
    From a lovely illustrated article of Wells' old figures
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22777029

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    1. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:21

      Thanks for finding the info. I had liked the idea of matchstick surgery so am pleased to hear that all were not melted down. I will have a look at the article.

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    2. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:27

      Really enjoyed the article. However the real treat was seeing some of HGW’s figures and so delighted to hear they are looked after by his family having given good service.

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    3. Brian Carrick1 March 2020 at 14:11

      Hi Alan, you may recall that the BBC journalist who wrote this piece came along to the Little Wars centenary game at Sandhurst that we both attended. The Britains 4.7 gun was still being sold with metal rod as shells in the 1960's, they then changed to plastic which reduced the range and accuracy considerably, Wells had the first series 4.7 guns which had a much stiffer firing mechanism, they were real toy manglers.

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  5. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com29 February 2020 at 21:36

    It seems there is a lot to be said for homecasting, hospitals where hopeless casualties are made like new!

    Nice repair work so far

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  6. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:22

    Thanks Ross, they will be a delay while I order heads but can’t wait to get them into action.

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  7. tradgardmastare1 March 2020 at 07:47

    Heads and arms sent for, so easy with the new Dorset Toy Soldiers order form. Too easy if you know what I mean, the war chest could take a battering!

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