Apart from Man of Tin and myself I see little interest or enthusiasm for these figures depicting Indians on foot or mounted. Perhaps it is the times we live in, the lack of Westerns in popular culture or a perceived non pc element to these figures , l just don’t know. Yet the figures have charm and vigour. Mounted warriors of the Plains riding to battle, foot warriors skulking in the undergrowth or bow armed figures kneeling to make the shot. En masse they have a presence, individually they are detailed and worthy of care and attention not to mention a decent paint job-
The above ready for painting the below needing preparation first.
I'm very interested Native North American art and culture, but never seem to get into the figures. I would like to get some Tlingit in their wooden armour for my fantasy games however. Your collection is growing and it must be fun looking for these lots on ebay.
ReplyDeleteThere are lovely Tlingit figures in 28mm and 60mm from Russian companies. I was very tempted but they are not cheap. I had planned to use Tlingit or Hauda as allies and enemies in Maple Leaf Country but not found any other 54mm choices re figures.
DeleteI have these Schneider type mould 56 Natives and Settlers but not many good clear free casting days recently - it looks like you are already doing a grand job tracking down enough of these Forgotten Sons and doing them a service by buying them from Internet obscurity and gaming with them again - mould and box illustrations shown here https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/home-cast-british-army-figures-schneider-moulds/
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Cowboy and Indian figures have fallen out of favour in the toy market (maybe with the exception of Custers 7th Cavalry and Bighorn figures in the USA - their Rorkes Drift?)
Is it guilty recognition of Wounded Knee genocide and past second class citizen status for these First Peoples?
Is it the lack of Hollywood,TV serial and Buffalo Bill Wild West show type coverage?
Cowboys gunfights and the Wild West were to certain extent a legendary and literary fiction anyway, compared to the humdrum drudgery that was the multiracial cowboys' lot.
The get out clause is ImagiNations - or Imagi First Nations such as My Bronteish or North Generican Native Forest Indians 54mm games in my Bold Frontiers tree forests. Which side do I favour in each narrative? Depends on the game and scenario. miss MacGuffins rescue by Redcoats? Rangers versus Indians? Indians versus miners and loggers in their sacred forests? It shows some respect for native beliefs
I enjoyed seeing the Schneider moulds , box and figures on your blog. Over time I have got lots of these figures probably enough for my purpose.
DeleteI will probably use them in games against each other and as a third opponent in the Afrika imaginations games. I envisage as sharing the Indian Ocean island with the Army Black and Army Red/Green ...
Pop
I think I have in the back of my mind H G Wells Floor Games and the figures on islands in that book...
DeleteI have a mould with those two foot Indians but the center figure is a cowboy on a bucking bronco. Cool but not much wargaming potential.
ReplyDeleteNot mush potential in the bucking bronco at all sadly !
DeleteWesterns in popular culture? Have you seen The Sister Brothers and The Homesman?
ReplyDeleteI will look these up...
DeleteWay back in the 1960's my brother and I used to walk to the movie theater every Saturday, each with a quarter clutched in our hands. This was enough for candy and the tickets! Most of the films were westerns and we craved cowboy and Indian toy soldiers. These are nice figures, I look forward to seeing what you do with them.
ReplyDeleteMemories! I had lots of Britains/Herald cowboys and Indians as a lad. I enjoyed the films on tv too. I had one or two Winnetou 60mm plastic Elastolin figures that were my pride and joy got on a family holiday to Switzerland.
DeleteForgotten Sons - One of my favourite Marillion songs.
ReplyDeleteMine too only topped by Grendel
DeleteIn my 1960s and 70s childhood Cowboys and Indians saw many a battle on garage floor, bedroom carpet and grassy backyard. They were plastic flats and fully rounded either in red brown or bright colours, from Hong King, cereal packet and Woolworths as well as the Timpo swoppets.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Peter also had his own figures, strangely including some 60mm African tribesmen by Speedwell.
The Indians ('Injuns'or 'Itchy Bums') attacked wooden forts, cowboys and US cavalry and infantry or were allied to Confederates and Union or the latter united against the Indians.
No-one really wanted to be the Indians, who were the savage Other. We watched the Westerns where we knew they were usually the bad guys who tortured those they captured and burnt down homes (quite historically accurate for many of the tribes) but they were also shown in a sympathetic light as victims of greedy white men. Some movies were VERY sympathetic; Soldier Blue and Little Big man were obvious ones. Later, there was Dances With Wolves, which, like incense and crystal shops, overly romanticised them.
Presently I find myself using toy Indians as light archers (foot and mounted) for ancient and medieval as well as Aztec type armies. Cheap Chinese knock off ones have been around for yonks, still are and seem to have defied the decline of but never complete disappearance of Westerns.