TSaMF 231 2018-04-05

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n ISSUE 231 — 2018 www.toy-soldier.com
WARM WELCOME IN RUSSIA

KING & COUNTRY PORTRAYS PANZER ACES’ WINTRY MEETING
04
enter to win H Hobby How-To Hints Theme
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001_TS231_Cover.indd 1 1/22/18 11:38 AM

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002_TS231_WBritain Ad.indd 2 1/15/18 1:22 PM
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contents
52
Issue 231 — 2018 inside this edition

Toy Soldier & Model Figure is published eight
times per year by: 05 EDITOR’S MESSAGE/EDITOR’S CHOICE FIGURES
Ashdown Inc.
PO Box 219 06 OPENING VOLLEY
Kasson, MN 55944
Toll-Free: 1-866-606-6587 10 READERS: FIRE BACK!
UK OFFICE:
Ashdown Ltd.
PO Box 2258
Pulborough, West Sussex SPECIAL THEME: HOBBY HOW-TO HINTS
England, U.K. RH20 9BA
Tel: 01903 884988 14 WELLESLEY AT ASSAYE PROJECT
EDITOR:
Stuart A. Hessney 20 MAKING A MINIATURE MOUNTAIN
stuart@ashdown.co.uk
SALES & MARKETING: 24 JAPANESE CARRIER SETS SAIL
Sara Vix (U.S. office)
sara@ashdown.co.uk
Toll-Free: 1-866-606-6587 28 BLACK METAL: IJA KUROGANE
Maria Fitzgerald (U.K. office)
maria@ashdown.co.uk 32 STORYTELLING TERRAIN MODELING
Tel: + 44 (0)1903 884988
Mobile: + 44 (0)7730 622416 38 K&C COLLECTIBLES CONVERSIONS
DESIGN:
Lauren C. Nielsen 60 MIRRORING MILITARY MINIATURES
CONTRIBUTORS:
Gage Bell, Jim Clouse, Doug Dearth, James
Delson, Dean M. Dizikes, E. Patrick Gallagher,
64 WARGAMING ON A GRAND SCALE
James H. Hillestad, A.J. Mergenthaler, Darryn
Mitchell, Paul Newman, Curtis Sleight, Mike
Williams and Leo Winston 42-43 CENTERFOLD
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
U.S.: usoffice@ashdown.co.uk
U.K.: support@ashdown.co.uk
44 NEW METAL SHOWCASE
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
U.S.: $85.99
58 PLASTIC PARADE
U.K.: £48.99
Canada: $125.99 CAD 63 6 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE WAR OF 1812
Europe: €80.99
Rest of World: $98.99
(U.S. funds only) 72 BOOK REVIEWS
www.toy-soldier.com 76 JOHNSON’S ARTWORK TAKES WING
Postmaster: Send address corrections to Toy Soldier
& Model Figure, Ashdown Inc., PO Box 219. Kasson,
MN 55944. All rights reserved. Reproduction in 78 PRIZE EXERCISE
whole or part without the written permission of the
publisher is prohibited. All editorial contributions in
the form of articles, letters and photographs (b/w or 82 CALENDAR
colour print or transparencies) are welcomed by Toy
Soldier but cannot be returned unless accompanied
by a stamped addressed envelope. All material
submitted to the magazine is accepted on the basis
that copyright in the work will be vested in the
Publisher who assumes all rights world-wide, in all
forms and media.
In any event the publisher can accept no

responsibility for loss or damage to contributions.
49
4 TOY S O L D I E R & M O D E L F I G U R E
004-005_TS231_Contents.indd 4 1/16/18 9:15 AM

“The world’s No. 1 magazine for collectors of all stripes.”
54
from the editor

Welcome to techniques, shows how to turn simple details how there’s no smoke, but mir-
TS&MF, the ingredients into a model mountain to rors are used to conjure a little magic
world’s No. 1 elevate a diorama animated by military with toy soldiers in retired U.S. Army
magazine for miniatures. Col. Walter C. “Stan” Stanton’s display
collectors of all A completely different style of diorama inspired by British forces’ Sudan Cam-
stripes! is the subject of American E. Patrick Gal- paign.
This edition is extra special because lagher’s account of how he constructed James Delson, proprietor of the U.S.-
it’s filled with disparate feature articles a World War II Imperial Japanese Navy based Toy Soldier Company, delves into
sharing a hobby how-to hints theme. aircraft carrier as a platform for display- how he has fun staging massive battles
Combined together, they form an in- ing figures, Zero fighters and more made in “Wargaming on a Grand Scale.”
formative collection illustrating how the by King & Country Ltd. Elsewhere, yours truly recounts how
toy soldier and model figure hobby is “Black Metal: IJA Kurogane” is Scots- drawings by Thor Johnson, owner of
a broad church. Wide-ranging inter- man Mike Williams’ chronicle of how he The AeroArt St. Petersburg Collection
ests covered include plastic and metal built and painted plastic model kits to and Pan Am World Airways historian,
model figures, vehicles, conversions, create a WWII Japanese scout car com- came to grace the 2018 “China’s Wings”
diorama building, creatively displaying plemented by officers. calendar.
toy soldiers, and wargaming. American correspondent Curtis Sleight As usual, there’s lots more in store
The extravaganza is kicked off by creates atmospheric ruins of a medieval in this edition, so please start turning
TS&MF’s own “Kit Korner” columnist abbey to demonstrate how storytelling the pages, enjoy and, as always, happy
Paul Newman. He chimes in from Eng- terrain modeling can breathe life into collecting!
land by tracing how he built and painted model figures.
a model figure kit depicting British Maj. British hobbyist Darryn Mitchell maps
Gen. Arthur Wellesley at the 1803 Battle out how he enjoys collecting K&C figures
of Assaye in India. and vehicles, and adding his own stamp
The U.S. Toy Soldier Museum’s by doing conversions and repainting. Stuart A. Hessney, editor
James H. Hillestad, an expert on display U.S. correspondent Dean M. Dizikes
RECRUITING
CALL! editor’s choice figures
Uncle Stu wants YOU to contribute to The honors go to King & Country Ltd. for a new set portraying Canada’s
TS&MF! Share the story of a favorite Winnipeg Grenadiers in action during World War II’s Battle of Hong Kong
12 find. Tell fellow enthusiasts how you in 1941. The squad of detailed and dynamic figures is led by a portrayal of
got into the hobby, what themes and Tommy gun-toting Company Sgt. Maj. Robert R. Osborn, VC. Please read
makers you enjoy, and how you display my review elsewhere in this edition to learn how these figures were the
things in a “Collector’s Story.” Perhaps subject of a very special presentation marking the 76th anniversary of the
you have a cameo collection focusing battle.
on a particular personality, regiment or
country. Spotlight a shelf display or dio-
rama you’re proud of. If you’re a model
figure builder and painter, share how-to
tips. Write about a fascinating anecdote
from history, a single battle or an entire
war with a toy soldier spin. Perhaps
you find ways to express your sense of
humor through your hobby. The pos-
sibilities are endless! If you have an
article idea, get in touch with the editor
via e-mail at stuart@ashdown.co.uk.
004-005_TS231_Contents.indd 5 1/16/18 9:15 AM

OPENING VOLLEY
HOBBY RELATED NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
K&C COLLECTOR LOOKS BACK AND AHEAD TO 2018

By Stuart A. Hessney
Andy C. Neilson looks back on the aspects of major conflicts that still
past year and ahead to 2018 in the interest many collectors today,” Andy
Yuletide 2017 edition of the King & adds.
Country Collector magazine. In conjunction, the publication gives
In his “View From the Trenches,” a sneak peek at a WWII German Stur-
the company cofounder and creative mgeschutz III assault gun and crew-
director writes, “2017 has been a year men scheduled for release in January
of change for King & Country. Early 2018.
in the year we announced our hope Feature articles illustrated by K&C
to actually reduce some prices on collectibles spotlight an ancient Impe-
certain figures. And that, I’m happy rial Roman fort and the Hong Kong
to say, we have achieved to a degree. Regiment. WWII topics include prewar
Not as much as I want, but definitely a Nazi Germany, Dunkirk, Canadians
move in the right direction!” fighting in the Battle of Hong Kong,
Andy reveals that the toy soldier the “Rats of Tobruk,” “Searching for
company’s plans for 2018 include two Pvt. Ryan,” U.S. Marines at “Bloody
new ranges of figures and a number Tarawa,” American GIs in Europe and
of completely new military vehicles. Axis armor.
He hinted that one new series will be Fliers and brochures inserted with
inspired by World War II (“surprise, the K&C Collector mailing cover Brit-
surprise,” he muses) and the other ish and French Napoleonics sepa-
range will take inspiration from the rately, Christmastime releases, and
Forces of the British Empire march across the
postwar period. a review of items issued during the cover of the Yuletide 2017 edition of the King &
“Both intend to cover specific course of 2017. n Country Collector.
W. BRITAIN JOURNAL SPOTLIGHTS REDCOATS, CIVIL WAR

British Redcoats of the American Revo- ate 26th Carolina Regiment’s band in “Tips
lutionary War are the subject of the cover From the Bench.”
story in the winter 2017 edition of The Longtime contributor Colin Romanick
Standard, the quarterly journal of the W. shares a tour of the 424-acre Pamplin
Britain Collectors Club. Historical Park and its National Museum of
In an 18th-century related vein, another the Civil War Soldier, where he is employed
article examines the British “Brown Bess” in Petersburg, Va. It’s the largest privately-
musket. Part 2 of an article about World owned ACW historic site in the United
War II German military cold weather cloth- States.
ing is also featured. The Standard also spotlights old Brit-
American Civil War topics include a ains from the Charles Stewart Historic
diorama illustrating Pennsylvania’s Cash- Miniatures Collection at the Frazier History
town Inn before the pivotal battle in nearby Museum in Louisville, Ky. The toy soldier
Gettysburg and the North Carolina Junior gallery has been expanded and it reopened
Reserves. W. Britain General Manager and in December 2017. The Frazier is scheduled
Creative Director Kenneth A. Osen reworks to play host to a symposium celebrating W.
previously released figures of the Confeder- Britain’s 125th anniversary of toy soldier W. Britain figures illustrate British Redcoats
manufacturing Feb. 23, 2018. n of the ARW on The Standard’s latest cover.
06-08_TS231_OpeningVolley.indd 6 1/12/18 12:46 PM

OPENING VOLLEY
W. BRITAIN UNVEILS 16 FIGURES IN FINAL QUARTERLY CATALOG

New Zulu War soldiers
ments of the era and scenic accessories that are longtime enthusiasts understand
of the British 24th Foot
are featured on the are planned for release throughout 2018, this. But after 12 years of issuing quar-
cover of W. Britain’s he added. terly supplements, we have come to the
last quarterly catalog. Five World War II German Waffen-SS conclusion that this method of announcing
figures include a portrayal of field officer new items in development often confuses
W. Britain has Joachim Peiper. Six soldiers of the British and/or disappointments new retailers and
introduced 16 new 24th Foot reinforce the Anglo-Zulu War collectors.”
figures in the 2017 range. The “Jack Tars & Leathernecks” “Today, many companies only announce
Winter Catalog Collection gains U.S. Marines of 1898 and products shortly before they are delivered
and announced it WWII. to market, so the traditional expectations
will be the last of its kind due to lag times Ken made known that W. Britain will of product availability have changed,” he
between unveilings and actual availability continue to issue stock catalogs of prod- said. “We have decided in 2018 we will dis-
from Chinese production facilities. ucts currently available for shipment. continue publishing quarterly supplements
Four Old Guard Grenadiers figures for However, quarterly catalogs like this one for general public distribution, but will
re-creating Waterloo and other battles are being discontinued. continue to inform the club membership of
mark the launch of a new Napoleonic In the winter 2017 Standard, the quar- future releases.”
French Imperial Guard series. Nine more terly journal of the brand’s Collectors Club, Going forward the company plans to
for building a square are in the works, ac- Ken explained, “The quarterly catalog announce new products in The Standard,
cording to General Manager and Creative supplements have always been a preview via social media and e-mails, and on its
Director Kenneth A. Osen. Other regi- of what is in development and those of you Website. n
BRITISH TOY SOLDIER CO. HAS NEW U.S. DISTRIBUTOR

U.S. distribution of British Toy Soldier brand in conjunction with ongoing re- “As a small, U.K.-based producer,
Co. (BTSC) products has shifted from structuring. Patrick’s main concern was that our
Treefrog Treasures to The Good Soldier Patrick Adams, who founded BTSC collectors understand that some sets
LLC, parent company of W. Britain. in 2000, was very pleased to find a new might have a six-week delivery time,
Treefrog carried the handmade line North American outlet for his tradition- if not in stock here in our warehouse,”
for about four years. It was still selling al-style, 54-mm figures thanks to Ken- Ken related. “We feel that this is a fully
off remaining stock at the time of this neth A. Osen and company at The Good acceptable condition for these unique
writing after deciding to drop the glossy Soldier. Ken said some sets are already cottage industry figures, and we hope
in stock, more are coming soon and his collectors agree.” n
Website is scheduled to feature BTSC
products beginning Jan. 8, 2018.
Cartoon by Doug Dearth
BTSC figures from a 38-piece Royal Artillery

Band marched out by Patrick Adams at the
2017 Chicago Toy Soldier Show. They were
sculpted by David Scheinmann and painted by
Louise Handley.

OPENING VOLLEY
TREEFROG TREASURES MOVES TO MINNESOTA CITY

Having to move at all is not my idea of fun.
Having to move in the midst of a subzero
Minnesota winter sounds even less ap-
pealing. But the folks at Treefrog Treas-
ures packed up and relocated from Eyota
about 15 miles west to Rochester during
December 2017.
Treefrog was founded by the late Shan-
non Reuss and her husband, Pete. Eyota
became Treefrog’s home base when Pete
became pastor of the U.S. small town’s
Peace Lutheran Church in 2003.
“Even after my work shifted – I’m now
an assistant to the bishop with an office
in Rochester – it made sense to keep
things in Eyota since I still lived there,”
the owner related. “Julie (Abraham), Aron
(Robison) and Jeff (Boehmer) all have
commuted from Rochester.”
“Well, last summer I also moved to
Rochester,” Pete explained. “Having eve-
ryone have to drive to Eyota didn’t make a
lot of sense, so we brought things closer
to home.”
Pete mused how the peak of the
holiday season brought the Treefrog team Jeff Boehmer (left), Julie Abraham, Aron Robison and Fury the dog, “official office and warehouse
“much joy and frivolity” as they packed up greeter and guardian,” brave freezing temperatures to pose outside the new home of Treefrog
the warehouse and moved everything to Treasures in Rochester, Minn.
the new location at 2416 East River Road
NE in Rochester. By all accounts, the of acquiring ownership of Treefrog from later! An added bonus is we are just a few
move went smoothly like a military opera- Pete as reported in TS&MF issue 229. miles from USPS and UPS drop points to
tion and they hardly missed a beat by “We have been enjoying meeting our still get items out same day, if an order
keeping things well organized. Shipping new USPS, UPS and SpeeDee delivery is placed by 3 p.m. CST and pick up has
from their new city’s digs started Dec. 29, people,” Julie said. “Currently shipping already been made.” n
according to Julie, who is in the process pickup times are the same as in Eyota or
TOY SOLDIERS AND FAIRYTALES IN DIE ZINNLAUBE

Colorful and diverse subjects swirling explore antique mechanical toys made
around the world of toy soldiers are ex- by Britains and Heyde.
plored in Die Zinnlaube Vol. 7, 2017/18. Molds and manufacturers are sub-
The publication is produced by avid col- jects for Marco Pomsel and Dick Chris-
lectors in German, with much of the text tensen. American Indian totem poles
translated into French and English. made by Elastolin and others are visited
Dr. Erhard Schraudolph writes about by Rudiger Schmitt. Military bands
figures based on the Italo-Turkish War drummed up an article by Dr. Gunter
fought over Libya in 1911-12. He also Engelmann.
delves into children’s fairytales such as A photo gallery spotlighting the
Little Red Riding Hood. collection of Walther Badusche and
Gisbert Freber examines fantasy fig- colored cardboard cutouts for assem-
ures inspired by novelist Lewis Carroll’s bling a European hotel are among other
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” He features of this 104-page edition. A copy
also interviews Die Zinnlaube’s editor, costs 10 euros, plus postage.
Dr. Ignacio Czeguhn, and teams up with
Norman Joplin and Marcus Grien to Right: Colorful toy figures abound in the latest
edition of Die Zinnlaube.

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2937 Rosa Del Villa Dr Gulf Breeze, FL 32563
TEDDY BEAR TIMES
9
008_TS231_Rodneys.indd 9 1/15/18 1:36 PM

FIRE BACK!
SOUND OFF ABOUT THE HOBBY OR MAGAZINE
READER HIGHLY RECOMMENDS ARW MUSEUM

STA
Dear Editor: LETT R
ER
Thank you for another great issue. I that you must visit at least twice to get
especially enjoyed TS&MF issue 229’s the full experience. The museum has
article by Thomas Allan about his highly two sit-down theaters along with four
detailed dioramas donated for exhibit smaller 4-minute venues with battles
at the newly opened Museum of the and figures speaking to each other. Of
American Revolution in Philadelphia, course, being in a city where lots of his-
Pa. tory happened made it even better.
My wife, Linda, and I recently visited We strongly recommend it to all. If
the museum. Wow, was it interesting you are near or in the city of Brotherly
and comprehensive! I learned things Love, do not miss this museum!
that I never heard of before.
We were there at least three hours Don Wilkens
Linda and Don Wilkens at the Museum of the
and did not see everything. It is a place Gladwyne, Pa., USA
American Revolution in Philadelphia.
LONDON GUN SALUTES RANGE UP TO 62 ROUNDS

Dear Editor:
The TS&MF issue 230 The Editor Responds: The interesting article
article about gun salutes in question, penned by The Toy Soldier Mu-
missed out on the fact that seum’s James H. Hillestad, was titled “Ori-
a gun salute in London can gins of the 21-Gun Salute,” and was focused
consist of 62 rounds. accordingly rather than having “missed
In the British capital, out.” But many thanks for expanding on the
salutes are fired from the topic with your big bang insights into more
Tower of London, and also explosive London traditions!
either Hyde Park or Green
Park, depending on the
CONTACT US
occasion. Seeing the King’s
We welcome readers’ Fire Back!
Troop, Royal Hose Artillery,
coming into action at the feedback via e-mail at stuart@
gallop in a Central Lon- The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, rides past Bucking- ashdown.co.uk. In addition, let-
ham Palace after firing a ceremonial salute in neighboring ters can be mailed to Fire Back!,
don park really makes the Green Park. (Photo by Stuart A. Hessney)
heart beat faster with their TS&MF, Ashdown Ltd., PO Box 2258,
World War I 13-pounders 10 minutes. This honour falls to the Pulborough, West Sussex, England,
and wearing Crimean War uniforms! Honourable Artillery Company, founded U.K. RH20 9BA. Letters can also be
The usual salute is 21 rounds fired at in 1537, which claims to be the oldest mailed to to Fire Back!, TS&MF, Ash-
10-second intervals. But in Hyde Park surviving regiment in the British Army. down Inc., PO Box 219, Kasson, MN,
an extra 20 are fired because it is a It is still a very active unit in today’s USA 55944. All correspondence must
Royal Park. armed forces. The Tower salutes take
include your full name, address and
In the City of London, an extra 20 are place on the wharf between the Tower
daytime telephone number in case
fired because the location, the Tower and the Thames.
verification is needed. Letters may be
of London, is a Royal Palace. A further
21 are fired (this is as a result of be- Claude R. Hart edited for length or clarity. Anony-
ing in the City), meaning a total of 62 Shrewsbury, Shropshire mous letters will not be considered
rounds with a total firing time of around England, U.K. for publication.
10_TS231_FireBack.indd 10 1/16/18 9:16 AM

TEDDY BEAR TIMES
11
011_TS231_TrainsGalore.indd 11 1/15/18 1:41 PM

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Available around the world from these specialty

shops and on the Newstrade in the UK.
USA: The History Store
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Toy Troops
Sierra Toy Soldier Co. 7561 Center Ave. #17,
15466 Los Gatos Blvd #108 Huntington Beach, CA
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AUSTRALIA:
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Michigan Toy Soldier Co. CANADA:

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012_TS231_AdPage.indd 12 1/16/18 11:02 AM

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1/30th
scale
Available direct from us and from all good quality toy soldier stockists throughout the world.
ANCIENT BRITON BYZANTINE EMPEROR

WAR CHARIOT HERACLIUS
THE CORONATION NEW SPARTAN

OF NAPOLEON HOPLITE
Thomas Gunn Miniatures • 21 Deverill Road • Sutton Veny • Warminster • BA12 7BZ • UK
www.tomgunn.co.uk • email: welcome@tomgunn.co.uk • phone: 0044 01985 840539
013_TS231_AdPage.indd 13 1/16/18 11:00 AM

SPECIAL THEME: HOBBY HOW-TO HINTS
Wellesley at Assaye Project

`Kit Korner’ columnist Paul Newman kicks off a special hobby tips-themed
edition of TS&MF by building and painting a model figure kit portraying British
Maj. Gen. Arthur Wellesley at a milestone battle fought in India in 1803
TEXT AND PHOTOS: PAUL NEWMAN
B
efore being granted a dukedom, separate piece to allow the face to be he points with his telescope. This de-
defeating Napoleon at Waterloo painted first. sign lends itself to adding at least one
and serving as British prime This figure was beautifully sculpted of the other figures from this series.
minister, Arthur Wellesley honed by the talented and prolific Alan Ball. The pose of the arm is right too, in
his military leadership skills in India. It retails for £34 from Hawk proprietor my opinion, not pointing straight out
This important phase of his life has John Fitzgerald. with his arm, but with a slight bend in
inspired Hawk Miniatures to produce a the arm.
75-mm kit portraying the “Iron Duke” KIT DETAILS
at the decisive Battle of Assaye Sept. This kit features perhaps the best set HISTORICAL CONTEXT
23, 1803. It was Wellesley’s first major of instructions for any current figure. The model depicts Wellesley as he
victory as the general in charge and There are full-color photographs of would have been dressed during the
one of the bloodiest battles he took all views of the model, plus a page of Second Anglo-Maratha War at the time
part in. text with historical information and a of the Battle of Assaye.
The model figure depicts Maj. Gen. rundown of what parts make up the Wellesley commanded 6,500 Brit-
Wellesley holding out his telescope, kit. The latter list is
giving orders or comments about the useful for checking
enemy’s dispositions, and looking off whether they all ar-
to the distance. I would like to be- rived safely!
lieve that I can pin down the moment The kit comes in a
because the figure is on foot. The only cardboard box show-
time the general was dismounted was ing another color
when he and a few of his subordinates picture of the front of
went up on a small hill overlooking the the figure. The parts
terrain. are kept safe in a
From that vantage point, the gen- Bubble wrap plastic
eral spotted a way to ford the Kaitna wallet to prevent
River, which allowed his outnumbered damage in transit.
troops to outflank enemy forces on The components
the opposite bank. Indeed, this model are the main figure,
comes as part of an Assaye series of both arms, a sword
figures allowing the modeler to build in its scabbard, the
up that very scene. hat and a base. The
This resin kit is made in a large hat has an early type
scale that allows for all the details of of puggaree scarf or
the uniform to be painted, so I would cloth sun shade that
recommend it to anyone who wants hangs down behind
to have a go at making and painting a the head.
model figure. The model goes
The only tricky part of the painting together with the
might be the face, which is well and head looking turned
truly hidden by the brim of his floppy to the general’s left, The resin model figure kit’s components are shown straight out of
the Hawk Miniatures box. In a thoughtful touch, the hat is supplied
hat. Fortunately, U.K.-based Hawk possibly talking to separately to make it easier to paint the face’s detailed likeness of
recognized this by making the hat as a someone nearby as Arthur Wellesley.
14-19_TS231_Wellesley.indd 14 1/15/18 9:14 AM

There was little excess resin on the moldings and the joints were
smooth, making it easy to assemble the figure and get it primed Since the entire figure was going to be painted in acrylics, all the
for painting. basic undercoating colors were done at the same time.
ish and Madras Presidency Indian of the Peshwa Baji Rao, Daulat Rao A second force under Col. James
troops and Mysore irregular cavalry Sindhia, Jeswant Rao Holkar, the Stevenson crossed the border from
with around 20 guns. His force was Bhonslar Raja of Berar and the Gaik- Hyderabad, with its role being to pro-
in pursuit of a Maratha Confederacy war of Baroda. tect Hyderabad from attack. Wellesley
army estimated to be at least 40,000 In 1802, war broke out within the pursued the retreating Maratha army
strong with more than 100 guns. The Confederacy, with Jeswant Rao Holkar to the northeast, acting in concert with
Maratha army was composed of a wide and the Bhonslar Raja of Berar defeat- but separate from Stevenson’s force.
variety of fighting men, ranging from ing the Peshwa Baji Rao and Daulat After Wellesley reached Naulniah,
disciplined, European-style infantry Rao Sindhia, driving the Peshwa from information came in that the Maratha
commanded by mercenary officers to his territory to seek refuge with the army was just six miles distant and
hordes of free-moving light horsemen East India Company. about to move off. When he got into
armed with swords and shields. Wellesley’s elder brother, Lord a position to observe the enemy, he
The reason for the pursuit was Mornington, was the British governor- found that far from withdrawing, the
that in 1800 the East India Company general. He decided to invade the Maratha force was arrayed behind
(the British governing agency in India Confederacy from Mysore in the south the steep-banked Kaitna River ready
at the time) occupied three areas of and from Oudh in the north. His pre- for battle. They had 30,000 horse-
the subcontinent: the port of Bombay text was to reinstate the Peshwa in his men massed on their right and 12,000
(Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and Ben- capital, Poona, close to the British city infantry on their left, with 16 battalions
gal based in Calcutta (Kolkata). In the of Bombay. trained and led by French officers in
Deccan plateau, the British controlled The incursion from Mysore was lines and interspersed by 100 guns.
the principalities of Hyderabad (in commanded by Wellesley. In March Without hesitation, Wellesley re-
India, not Pakistan) and Mysore. 1803, he crossed into the Confederacy solved to attack despite being heav-
Separating the three British presi- from Mysore and marched on Poona, ily outnumbered. He was quoted as
dencies was the Maratha Confederacy, where he reinstalled the Peshwa while saying, “If I do not give battle to the
which combined the five principalities the Maratha army fell back. enemy, there will be nothing left for

The face was painted first to capture Wellesley’s character as true as Wellesley had brown eyes, but a touch of blue was added to the
possible in miniature, starting with a dark flesh as the base because pupils to emphasize India’s bright sunlight.
the historical setting is meant to be a hot place!
me but to hang myself from my tent northeast were

pole.” harried for a dis-
It was at this point that Wellesley tance by the 19th
moved with his cavalry brigade up the Light Dragoons
river until he identified a point beyond and the Madras
the left flank of the Maratha position cavalry. Eventually,
where villages on each bank indicated Stevenson’s Hy-
a passable ford. derabad force took
As the main body of his army came up the pursuit.
up, Wellesley directed his infantry to Maratha casual-
cross the ford and attack accompa- ties at Assaye were
nied by four 12-pounder guns -- all estimated at 5,000
the time under a heavy fire from killed, wounded
enemy artillery. Wellesley’s infantry or captured. The
formed up in two lines on the far Anglo-Indian force
bank, with the British regiments on suffered 22 officers
the outside flanks and the Madras and 386 men killed
Native Infantry in the center. and 57 officers and
The cavalry regiments formed the 1,526 men wound-
reserve, with the Mysore horsemen ed. One-third of
remaining on the near bank of the Wellesley’s force
Kaitna to prevent any attack from the became casualties A scarlet and crimson finish was applied to the general’s jacket and
rear. in the battle. sash.
Once Wellesley’s intentions were
recognized, the Maratha command- KIT CONSTRUCTION & PREP I gave the resin figure a cleaning in
ers moved their army and established There were no large resin blocks on soapy washing-up liquid and dried it
a new line across the isthmus formed the moldings -- in fact hardly any at with a soft cloth. This was to get rid of
by the Kaitna and the nearby Juah all -- which made for a very pleas- any oil left from the mold and to pro-
River. Their left flank now rested on ant change. Only a bit of tidying up of duce a matt finish on the model for the
the village of Assaye, where their small blocks with a scalpel and file primer to adhere to.
gunfire was particularly heavy against was necessary. A fine excess of resin I then primed the figure in a white
the 74th Highlanders, who advanced on the scabbard meant a careful bit of because it was going to be painted
behind a screen of skirmishers cutting. mainly red and white. Once the figure
from the 2nd and 8th Madras Native As mentioned before, the face was primed, I went over it checking for
Infantry. needed to be painted without the hat mold lines or hidden defects – there
In spite of heavy losses to the 74th, brim interfering, so it was left for weren’t any!
Wellesley’s attack succeeded, caused later. I used Super Glue for the main
the Maratha army to break up and joints. Their surfaces were even, so PAINTING THE PERSONALITY
abandon 98 guns on the battlefield. it wasn’t necessary to use two-part As the whole figure would be painted
Enemy survivors retreating to the epoxy glue as is often the case. using acrylics, I undercoated the face

The hat was painted in an

off-white and ochre mix,
with the puggaree in white.
The telescope container and strap were painted in a

dark brown and then with a few washes of mid-brown
and light brown.
The figure is shown after

attaching the hat and
painting the lace with a
subdued gold to depict the
commander on campaign
rather than in a bright,
parade-ready uniform.
The scabbard was painted in tones of silver and black.

and the basic colors of the rest of the

model at the same time.
The face was painted first to capture
Wellesley’s character as true as pos-
sible in miniature. This was done in
acrylics, with a dark flesh as the base
as he is meant to be in a hot place! I
built up to the highlights, then applied
shadows and low lights using washes
of brown and crimson mixed with the
base color. Although Wellesley had
brown eyes, I added a touch of blue to
the pupils to emphasize India’s bright
Groundwork created on the wooden base
sunlight. included shrubs made from from dried
After the face was dry, I went on flowers.
to painting the rest of the figure with
acrylics. I always have a rest after FINISHING TOUCHES
finishing the face! I had bought a base of the correct
The jacket was painted in scarlet, size for the model at a show. I put
with fairly strong contrasts between pins in the figure’s feet before adding
the highlights and shadows, to em- “dry dirt” from a mix of plaster and
phasize the sunny clime. The sash was real sand, with more sand and small
painted in a crimson, with shadows in gravel sprinkled over the wet mixture
a blue/crimson mix. and gently pushed into the surface.
The trousers were painted in a mix I made a few low-lying shrubs out
of off-whites, with very few highlights of dried flowers. They were painted
of a pure white, at the top of the legs, and stuck to the base to add some
the sword strap and the knees. color. A mix of matt and gloss colors such as brown,
The hat was painted in an off-white The groundwork was painted in black and gray gave the boots a worn look.
and ochre mix, with the puggaree in a light sand color. I went over the
white. boots with the sand pigment as well.
The telescope container and strap Finally, I added a nameplate from
were painted in a dark brown and then Name It! as usual.
with a few washes of mid-brown and Thanks to Hawk Miniatures for
light brown. The scabbard was painted the sample kit. This model figure’s
in gloss black, finishing with a dark simple pose really gives one a sense
steel gray highlighted with a lighter of what was going through the gen-
silver to finish. eral’s mind and decisions that had
The lace on the collar and cuffs was to be made that day. n
painted in a brown mixed with yellow
and ochre. Then it was highlighted in a
few places with a light yellow and a fi-
nal pass with diluted gold. This worked
well on this figure, especially as I
did not want it to represent a bright,
parade-ready uniform.
The turn-backs on the boots were
painted in a mid-brown. Then the rest
of the boots were painted in a matt
black, with some gloss black washed
over them to fill the creases. Next
I applied grays to build up the con-
trast and bring out their worn look.
After the figure was fixed to the base,
further washes and dry-buffing of the
ground color was added to enhance
the worn look.
The general uses his telescope to point out a
Close-up view of the figure’s face and hat. river ford to his staff.

The model figure depicts Wellesley

Back view of the completed personality
about to achieve his first major bat-
figure.
tlefield victory.
A nameplate completes the base and the model

figure project depicting Maj. Gen. Arthur Wellesley at
the Battle of Assaye in 1803.
ABOUT THE WRITER

Paul Newman is a keen mod-
eler whose main interest is the
Napoleonic Wars, particularly
British cavalry. He is a longtime mem-
ber of the British Model Soldier Soci-
ety and serves as its treasurer while
his wife, Julie, is its secretary. Paul’s
memberships have also included
Planetfigure and The Basement. In
addition, the Newmans operate Name
It! providing engraved nameplates to
model figure enthusiasts. They can be
found manning their stand at many
major European shows.
Right: Side view of details achieved on the finished

figure.

The mountain battery’s guns go into action.
Making a Miniature Mountain

The Toy Soldier Museum’s James H. Hillestad, an expert on display tech-
niques, shows how to turn simple ingredients into a model mountain to ele-
vate a diorama
TEXT AND PHOTOS: JAMES H. HILLESTAD
S
ome years ago HM of Great
Britain produced a marvelous
range of sets for the North-West
Frontier of India. Included was a
British mountain artillery gun bat-
tery on the march and in action. It lent
itself to a dramatic diorama, but that
required a “significant” mountain.
The challenge was to create a peak
that had volume, but was light in
weight and realistic.
Serendipity! While shopping at a
garden store, I spied the perfect solu-
tion -- a molded polystyrene waterfall.
The water channel was too deep.
But with a spray can of lightweight in-
sulation foam, the difference was cor-
rected. The “mountain” still weighed
less than 5 pounds.
“C’mon you stubborn beast!” Coaxing a stubborn mule up the mountain.
20-22_TS231_Mountain.indd 20 1/15/18 9:15 AM

The “mountain” is discovered at a garden store. Foam fills the deep water channel.
At a glance, it might appear as though these two

soldiers are engineering construction of the moun-
A plaster coating is applied and stone outcroppings are molded. tain, but actually they are plotting a target.
The stone and rock castings are glued onto the shell and plaster fills The mountain is painted and toned with color washes.
the gaps.
20-22_TS231_Mountain.indd 21 1/15/18 9:15 AM

P R O U D LY P R E S E N T S
T h e 2 018 T e x as Toy Soldie r S h ow
SA N A N TO NI O T E X A S
023_TS231_KCHK.indd 23 1/15/18 1:48 PM

Model boat hobby items used to detail the aircraft carrier included
waterproof doors, portholes, vents, railings and firehoses. A Lionel
The island’s superstructure was made from foam board. train light tower was converted into a communications mast.
Japanese Carrier Sets Sail

Pat Gallagher recounts construction of a WWII Imperial Japanese Navy
aircraft carrier to display King & Country collectibles
TEXT: E. PATRICK GALLAGHER PHOTOS: STEPHEN KMETZ AND E. PATRICK GALLAGHER
S
hortly after checking in at the Hyatt U.S. Navy Corsairs. He approached aircraft, we decided that I would build
Regency hotel in Schaumburg, Ill., me to build a “mixed-use” carrier that that Navy’s version of a carrier island
for the annual Chicago Toy Soldier he could display either group of these first.
Show, my first stop is always room great WWII planes on.
4301 to see what new offerings and de- I toyed with making a two-sided RESEARCH & PLANNING
tailed dioramas King & Country Ltd. has flight deck the collector could flip over, Besides conducting research online, I
on exhibit. Displays created by brothers depending on which opposing side he read the great Osprey Publishing book
Andy and Gordon Neilson in conjunction wanted to highlight. Ultimately, it was “Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Car-
with the K&C Workshop always make it decided to build just one flight deck with riers 1921-45,” authored by Mark Stille
feel like Christmas morning for many a removable insignia and both Japanese and illustrated by Tony Bryan.
collector like myself. and American island variants for the Next I made mockups of the eight
The 2016 show did not disappoint warship’s bridge and air traffic control planes and the island using foam board
because among other things K&C operations which could be switched out. to scale. I decided that the miniature
unveiled a spectacular World War II I spent several hours on the Internet flight deck would need to be 7 feet long
Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier researching carriers. I was struck by by 30 inches wide.
to showcase its latest 1:30-scale Zero the stark differences in how both sides I mulled several ways and materials
fighters, Val dive bombers, pilots and chose to construct their operations to make the deck. But a trip to my local
flight deck crewmen. islands. Narrow flight decks and ship Home Depot store provided inspiration
control philosophies dictated how Japa- when I found a hollow-core door with
MIXED-USE CARRIER nese carriers had much smaller islands the exact dimensions that was light yet
An avid K&C collector and client of mine compared to the large superstructures rigid enough to hold the weight of the
had just purchased a dozen planes, of their American counterparts. planes and crew.
including both Japanese aircraft and Since my client had eight Japanese
24-27_TS231_Japanese.indd 24 1/15/18 9:16 AM

Various tools and materials used to construct the island’s super-

structure.
The superstructure is assembled and ready for painting. I always

keep a figure handy to check the visual scale.
Details are added to the superstructure before assembly. Colored
tabs were used to protect the black interior shown in the port-
holes during painting.
The island and base are shown ready for painting. Gray auto primer was used to paint the superstructure.

FLIGHT DECK WORK

My next challenge was figuring out
how to build the flight deck surface.
During WWII it would have been made
of wooden planks laid over a steel deck
for both types of carriers. A trip to the
local hobby store solved the problem.
I discovered Midwest Products makes
all types of wooden modeling sup-
plies, including basswood 3-by-24-inch
grooved flooring perfect for the deck.
Sculpey was used to model sisal bags that The aftermath of putting too much water-
I ordered directly from the manufac-
the Japanese hung around lightly armored based glue on scale decking, resulting in
turer. major warping and a complete do-over of
areas of a carrier island as protection from
Fortunately, I miscalculated and shrapnel early in the war. the flight deck.
ordered double what I needed. What
happened is that I used too much white anchor the corners to each other us- building supply shops on the Internet to
glue to attach the planks to the door ing white glue. The island’s third (top) find accessories that would bring details
used as a base, so I awoke the next day deck was built the same way. A plastic of this carrier to life. Harbor Models had
to a warped flight deck! I had to redo auto cleaner wipes can cut to size and everything I needed from portholes to
the whole thing. painted gray made a perfect smoke- waterproof doors, firehoses and deck
I added two 12-inch squares of stack. railings all to scale.
simulated threaded metal plate perfect I used plastic rods to construct the
for flight elevator doors. I spray painted FINISHING TOUCHES outside piping, which was an unusual
the Japanese Rising Sun symbol on an As I try and make my dioramas as real- part of the Japanese structural design.
18-inch-square styrene sheet. istic as possible, I scoured model ship Holding the rod over a candle flame sof-
An L-shaped metal facing was
glued around the flight deck’s edges to
protect it. Then using tape as a guide,
I painted three sets of landing stripes
down the center.
NERVE CENTER
My next challenge was the superstruc-
ture island. I built a couple of design
options out of stiff paper to get the
dimensions to scale. I chose a final
design that combined many of the
details found in ship illustrations I had Elmer’s Glue was used to attach the sisal
reviewed. bags to the superstructure.
I decided the island would measure
15 inches long by 8 inches wide by 20 The sisal bags were cast from a molding
inches high with three decks. To keep product and liquid plastic found in most art
gluing to a minimum, I cut the lower supply stores.
two decks and then the top deck out of
a single sheet of 40-inch-square black
foam board of a type found in many art
supply stores. Foam board is my usual
go-to material for structures because it
is both rigid for strength yet easy to cut
and work with.
Carefully scribing a 1/16-inch
double channel in the foam board
every inch allowed me to get a rounded
effect for the front of the structure. I
further added to the rigid strength by
cutting out foam insulation board to
the dimensions of the interior and by Tape guides were used to paint landing
using basswood strips to secure and stripes on the flight deck. The elevator The island superstructure and radio mast
doors were made from Plasticard. are finished.

Test-fitting the island and radio mast on the deck finishes the Japa-
nese aircraft carrier in my garage “dry dock.”
Caption
K&C Japanese aircraft and figures from my client’s collection are

Mechanics make preflight checks. displayed on the WWII aircraft carrier diorama.
tens the plastic and allows one to care- onel train light tower into a radio mast diorama building a lot easier and more
fully bend it as needed. I spray-painted topped with a paper Japanese flag to manageable than some hobbyists might
the whole structure with gray auto complete the ship. expect.
primer -- an ideal color for the island After I delivered the carrier and other Don’t be afraid to make mistakes!
-- after carefully covering the portholes dioramas my client had commissioned, At the end of this project, my studio
with paper “dots” so the black back- it was again like Christmas morning as looked like the aftermath of the Battle of
ground inside would be protected. I got to spend several days with him and Midway. Japanese carrier flotsam and
Sculpey clay was used to model his lovely (and patient) wife setting up jetsam was strewn everywhere from
white, rolled-up sisal bags that the each display with his incredible col- my having to replace the flight deck and
Japanese hung around lightly armored lection of planes, vehicles and figures. making multiple tries to get the island
vulnerable areas of a carrier island as He also took me to meet several other just right.
shrapnel protection early in the war. hobbyists to view their amazing collec- It is part of the fun of this hobby.
I sculpted bags in several sizes, then tions and dioramas. It was as close to Building dioramas that tell three-di-
cast them using smooth-on molding toy soldier heaven as I expect to get in mensional stories showcase a collection
material and liquid plastic found in this lifetime. much more effectively than items sitting
hobby shops. The bags were wrapped in on a shelf. I encourage readers to give it
brown string and glued in place. MISTAKES HAPPEN a try, even if it’s on a small scale. n
Using plastic sprue material and Research and planning can provide
brass wiring, I converted an old Li- a wealth of tips and tricks to make
ABOUT THE WRITER

E. Patrick Gallagher is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer and GE executive who lives in Eden Prairie,
Minn. He has been collecting toy soldiers, building and painting model figures, and constructing dioramas
for most of his life. Pat has won both “best of show” and “people’s choice” awards at several modeling
shows. He cites Gordon C. Neilson of King & Country Ltd. as his artistic inspiration. Pat now spends his retirement
building dioramas for fellow collectors. He maintains an online gallery illustrating examples of his work.

Starting assembly with the all-important

body and chassis with a wealth of finely
detailed features to attach. There was no
distortion nor deformation in this vital
foundation to the entire build.
Black Metal: IJA Kurogane

Mike Williams builds and paints model kits to create a World War II scout
car with officers
TEXT AND PHOTOS: MIKE WILLIAMS
I
f a hobbyist perceives a weak point on the limited supplies of unpolluted
in an otherwise extremely nice water to be found in that region.
military miniature, he or she can Another important positive feature
either simply accept the original was its independent front suspension
presentation or undertake correcting using coil springs. The Kurogane’s
it. This was the case with my mod- fuel economy was also impressive.
eling Pit-Road’s 1:35-scale Type 95 Its short wheelbase and large diam-
Kurogane (Kuro = black/gane = metal) eter wheels performed well in rough
reconnaissance vehicle of the Imperial terrain, with a large approach and
Japanese Army (IJA). Pit-Road’s overall presentation of the departure angle.
This type of diminutive scout car Kurogane can be regarded as pleasing in The Kurogane delivered good over-
all vital respects, from overall accuracy to
was designed by Rikuo in 1935-36 to nice box-top artwork, clear instructions
all performance in operation, making it
meet a specific IJA requirement for and well-molded plastic components. suitable for any scouting duty as World
a four-wheel drive, all-terrain utility War II unfolded.
vehicle. Practical experience gained in ible versions. The Kurogane was con- In all, 4,775 examples of various
the Manchurian region of Northeast- structed from sheet steel stampings types were produced. They included
ern China had revealed the need for with steel tube bumpers. two or three-seaters, hard and soft
such a small, fast and versatile vehicle Although it was regarded as light tops, four doors, a pickup, and an
to fill a number of roles. and rather underpowered, it proved to “over-snow” version built by Nippon
be an excellent vehicle for operations Nainenki Seiko (Nihon Nainenki Co.),
SEVERAL VARIANTS in the field in China. It coped well with with Kurogane being its brand name.
The relatively small military car was the local extremes of temperature and Given this vehicle’s extensive
built in closed cab, truck and convert- its air-cooled engine was not reliant
28-31_TS231_WWII BlackMetal.indd 28 1/15/18 9:18 AM

Tamiya’s IJA officers set was the ideal com-

panion to Pit-Road’s light utility car.
My usual initial check of the instructions and components trees confirmed the overall qual-
ity of the 1:35-scale IJA model kit.
employment, its faithful modeling for
inclusion in my 1:35-scale IJA col-
lection was warranted. This primary
objective was easily achieved using
the injection-molded plastic kit pro-
duced by the renowned Japanese firm
Pit-Road.
MIDGET VEHICLE KIT

I believe that Pit-Road’s current kit
called the “IJA Type 95 4x4 Midget
Motor Vehicle Kurogane” (ref. G38)
dates from 2008. It was re-released
in 2009 (ref. G12), then 2013 (“Girls
and Panzers” -- PD10), with the G12
presentation also being supported by
an etched fret (with the suffix “E”).
This etched fret was sold as a sepa-
rate “detail-up” set (ref. PE3506) in
The kit’s components come together during assembly, including the front double-wishbone 2012, but I was unable to obtain this
and coil spring suspension and the rear wishbone suspension for good cross-country now rare item.
mobility. It should be noted that Pit-Road
also released a Type 95 pickup truck
version (ref. G26) in 2012, but it had
not been reissued at the time of this
writing, so I cannot comment on it.
Thankfully, however, I obtained an
example of the original convertible
scout car from Hobby Link Japan for
2,400 yen (£18 U.K.). That might seem
pricey for such an evidently small
military vehicle, but I had to have this
intriguing light scout car for my col-
lection.
In my initial checking of the con-
tents and studying the instructions,
the immediate perception was that
this particular model from Pit-Road
is not as finely detailed and sharply
crafted as say its 1:35-scale “IJN Vick-
ers Crossley Armored Car Model 25”
(ref. M25) or the “IJA Type 97 Rikuo
Motorcycle and Sidecar Combina-
tion” (ref. G37), which I had worked on
previously. The deficiency of interior
Though it would be hidden once the vehicle’s body panels were installed, the kit features a
nicely rendered 1,399-cc “V” twin-cylinder, four-stroke, overhead valve, air-cooled petrol
detailing was quite obvious since I
engine. It produced 33 bhp at 3,400 rpm, 75 km/h and a range of 450 km. preferred to have the top down. But

The bulky and wide balloon-type tires look oversized, but they helped The Kurogane was unarmed for routine liaison and HQ duties,
the light scout car tread rugged terrain. but mounting it with a Type 96 .50-caliber light machine gun
provided offensive and defensive firepower.
overall Pit-Road’s rendition does

successfully capture the principal
features and lines of the subject.
I considered this particular scale
utility car to be a fundamentally ac-
curate rendition. A comparison of the
model’s dimensions to the real thing
confirmed it, with its actual overall
(over bumpers) length of 3.55 meters
and width of 1.55 meters accurately
measuring out at 10.25 cm by 4.5 cm,
respectively, on my model.
One area of this kit that I looked
forward to was its pair of supporting
figures: a seated driver and passen-
ger. Each is comprised of a core eight
parts and dressed in Type 98 tunics
and semi-breeches with puttees, with The final acrylic paint scheme re-created the basic IJA “Kokoboshoku” style. I used Tamiya
an optional Type 92 steel helmet or acrylic dark yellow, with the only contrasts being black paint for the rubber tires, flat
field cap. But no personal armament brown on the seats and gunmetal for the machine gun.
or equipment is provided -- not even a
canteen.
However, upon fully appraising
these figures, I had the overwhelm-
ing impression that these pieces were
distinctly undersized and of a very
slight build in 1:35 scale. Even allow-
ing for the average height of an IJA
soldier of 1.6 meters and weight of 54
kg, they seemed stunted. As a result,
I decided to replace them with more
suitable figures.
TAMIYA OFFICER SET

My decision to enlist other 1:35-scale
figures proved to be an extremely
positive development. It provided suit-
able IJA personnel while emphasizing
a crucial aspect of the Type 95 Kuro-
gane’s role as a staff car for officers. In an ideal marriage of model kits, the Tamiya officers set provided great figures and a
I obtained Tamiya’s “Military Minia- wealth of accessories to complement the Pit-Road Kurogane.

Early version of the IJA’s Type 95 Kurogane light utility

The diminutive stature of the seated figures provided in the Pit-Road vehicle vehicle captured by the Soviet Red Army during its over-
kit contrasts with the standing officers by Tamiya. whelming Manchurian offensive of August 1945.
Late version of the Kurogane in American hands. Note

how the straight trace of the upper body and doors is
markedly different from the undulating lines of the
The Pit-Road kit features fine detailing of the Kurogane’s interior. early type as modeled by Pit-Road.
ture Series” kit No. 341 — “Japanese This kit is enhanced by the inclusion and it is an ideal companion to my
Army Officer Set.” Released in 2014, of two chairs, swords, a map pouch, Kurogane. n
it supplied four well-sculpted figures binoculars, field telephones with
and a veritable wealth of accessories cases, cable reels, a pair of radios with REFERENCES
with which to furnish both my Kuro- hand-cranked generators, and eight • “Japanese Army Handbook 1939-
gane and future IJA-themed projects. wooden ammunition boxes. 1945,” George Forty, Sutton Publishing
Tamiya’s set presents IJA officers It was interesting to see how Tamiya Ltd., Gloucestershire, England, U.K.,
at what can be perceived as a strategy labels every item with an IJA “Type” 1999.
meeting. Two senior officers are seat- reference and brief description so a
ed at two rustic tables, with standing modeler can appreciate the inclusion • “The Japanese Army 1931-1945,
infantry and armor officers in attend- of every piece. Parts 1 and 2,” Philip Jowett, Osprey
ance. All are captured in multipart, All in all, this set is well-crafted and Publishing Ltd, Oxford, England, U.K.,
convincing and individualized poses. comprehensive. I now deem it essen- 2002.
The figures are modeled in sharply tial for any 1:35-scale IJA collection,
executed Type 98 field dress uniforms,
as worn from 1938 onward throughout
the Second Sino-Japanese War and ABOUT THE WRITER
Pacific War. Each piece is very well Mike Williams has been researching military, aviation and naval sub-
jects for many years. If he encounters an evocative image or account of
equipped for their specific branch,
an intriguing subject, his efforts to faithfully model it add a very enjoy-
with minute collar badge decals de- able level to his extremely rewarding hobby. Married with a growing family of
noting ranks ranging from general to grandchildren, he finds such research and modeling to be a great relaxation.
second lieutenant.

The pre-painted abbey floor is positioned on a black walnut base. The pre-painted side and rear walls are installed.
Storytelling Terrain Modeling

Curtis Sleight creates the ruins of a medieval abbey to demonstrate how an
atmospheric setting can complement model figures to illustrate a scenario
TEXT AND PHOTOS: CURTIS SLEIGHT
A
successfully designed model drea Miniatures depicting medieval looked? This vignette will offer sug-
figure vignette will tell a story figures. I modeled the resin “Court- gestive insights.
about its characters and the en- yard” kit by Seil to represent an
vironment in which they interact. abandoned abbey. THE BASE
Terrain modeling entails the creation The vignette rests on a base of attrac-
of this type of atmospheric setting. TIME AND PLACE tive black walnut. Its dimensions are
An environment could be natural When designing a vignette, it’s vital to 5 by 4 1/4 by 7/8 inches.
terrain and/or man-made features. establish the time, place and sto- The wood was left unfinished to
It suffices to say that a quality model ryline. reflect the natural rustic appearance
figure deserves to share a vignette I took inspiration from England’s of the vignette. Self-sticking felt pads
with terrain modeling of equal qual- First Barons’ War of 1215-1217, when were placed beneath each corner of
ity. The ultimate goal of a modeler is several major landowners took up the base.
the creation of realism. arms against King John (the treacher-
While I am by no means an expert ous Prince John of Robin Hood fame) BUILDING FAÇADE
on the subject, this “how-to” type because he had agreed to the Magna The building façade consists of seven
of article will explore some of the Carta, then refused to abide by it. parts. Little cleanup was required to
methodology of terrain modeling. In my scenario, I’ve imagined that prepare the pieces for painting.
I took photographs of a vignette two knights from the retinue of a re- I desired a natural stone look, so
under construction to demonstrate bellious baron have sheltered for the several Vallejo acrylic paints were
the process of converting an empty night in a place known locally as the used to achieve this effect. Shades
surface into an attractive and plau- Abbey Ruins. They are conversing in of dark, medium and light gray were
sible environment. relaxed postures. A mastiff, fully alert, blended with stone gray to eliminate
For components, I recruited intensively surveys the terrain. unrealistic uniformity. First, two coats
54-mm, white-metal kits by An- How might this scenario have of dark gray were applied, followed by
32-37_TS231_Storytelling.indd 32 1/15/18 9:19 AM

selectively dry-brushing on the lighter

shades.
The dry-brushing technique re-
quired a dry, flat-shaped brush with
stiff bristles. The bristles were lightly
dipped into paint – most of which was
then brushed off on a rag. Then the
paint residue was lightly brushed on
the abbey walls and floor.
My objective was to creatively
blend the various shades of gray with-
out leaving demarcation lines. Read-
ers might notice that the uppermost
stones of the walls show a slightly
lighter hue of gray creating the illu-
sion of exposure to greater sunlight.
The dry-brushing process is basi-
cally one of trial and error. Practice
and patience will eventually bring an
acceptable degree of realism.
ABBEY INTERIOR
The abbey’s interior was modeled
to resemble the untidiness of a train
wreck. Much of the roof has collapsed
and portions of the walls have crum-
bled.
Basswood, found in craft shops,
represents a fallen beam and rafters.
The basswood was snapped rather
than cleanly cut. Then it was scribed
with a hobby knife and a dental pick to
represent split and decaying wood.
A liquid product known as Age-It
from Micro Mark was brushed on
the raw basswood to further suggest
the illusion of aged timber. The more
layers of Age-It applied, the older the
wood looks.
Modeling a sapling, weeds, dead leaves and stone rubble created the illusion of a long
neglected building. Chunks of stone rubble litter the
abbey floor. The rubble was made
from Magic Sculpt, a two-part putty of
resin and hardener offered by Micro
Mark. The timbers and rubble were
positioned, then secured with white
glue.
Dead leaves from Woodland
Scenics appear to have blown onto
the abbey floor and collected against
the rear wall. The dead leaves were
laid on drops of Scenic Cement from
Woodland Scenics. It can be sprayed
on, brushed on or deposited with an
eye dropper. Scenic Cement dries to a
matt finish.
Once the walls and floor were
Two of the model figures are positioned A building façade from Seil and model painted, the latter was fixed to the
with a large growth of vines adding texture figures from Andrea were purchased in kit
walnut base with Loctite Epoxy – a
and color to the abbey walls. form.

Etched-brass leaves become realistic in appearance. The abbey walls were carefully dry-brushed to give the appearance
of natural stone.
strong binding, two-part formula on the walls with drops of cyanoacr- But I believe that the realistic effect
consisting of a resin and hardener. ylate glue known as Super Glue. achieved was well worth the labor.
The remaining sections of the abbey Next, parsley leaves obtained The second most noticeable plant
were then assembled onto the floor from a supermarket were sprayed on the vignette is a young tree. Its ar-
except for the left side wall, which with Scenic Cement, then painted mature was created using small plant
had to wait for the interior modeling dark green. Individual parsley leaves roots liberated from my backyard.
to be completed. were glued to the vine stems with Once rinsed and dried, the smaller
drops of Super Glue, providing a solid roots (branches) were fixed to the
MODELING FOLIAGE background base to anchor multiple largest root (trunk) with a drop of Su-
Natural foliage has reclaimed the layers of miniature vine leaves from per Glue on one side and Zip-Kicker
terrain along the rear wall of the Woodland Scenics. (an accelerant) on the other.
abbey. Using tweezers and Super Glue, The tree’s joints were camou-
To eliminate a flat, tabletop ap- the commercially made vine leaves flaged with a coating of White Putty
pearance, layers of Magic Sculpt were attached at 45-degree angles to from Squadron Products. This is the
were applied and shaped to create each parsley leaf at the rate of about same material used to fill joints when
contours in the terrain. Once dried, three or four vine leaves per parsley assembling model figures. Once the
the putty was painted with a blend leaf. The 100-plus vine leaves were putty dries, it can be sanded or filed
of Andrea’s burnt umber and burnt lightly painted in varying shades of to achieve better integration with the
sienna paints. Vallejo’s green and Andrea’s English roots. The roots were painted with
Eventually, six species of plant khaki. These color variations created Andrea’s wood colored paint followed
life were integrated on the base. By an illusion of realism by differentiat- by a light wash of black India ink.
far, the most dominant plant is a ing between healthy and unhealthy The sapling’s leaves were made
luscious growth of vines stemming leaves as well as contrasting leaves by Scale Link Ltd. The etched-brass
from the ground and up the walls. in full sunlight from leaves in shade. leaves come attached to a fret in
The first step was to creatively Strategically placed, the vine groups of two and three. It is most
apply a tangled mass of vine stems leaves blended well over the parsley convenient to paint the leaves while
made by Noch. The stems were leaves. Out of necessity, this process they are still on the fret with a primer
carefully secured to selected spots was somewhat long and tedious. coat followed by light green and then

The smallest leaves on an oregano plant were perfect for creat-

ing a 54-mm scale bush. Basswood from a craft shop was put through an artificial aging pro-
cess to represent fallen timbers.
Above: Etched-brass leaves enhance the vignette’s foliage.
Below: Basswood was used to make artificially aged timbers lit-

tering the abbey floor. Above: The three model figures are positioned as
being on points of a triangle. The seated knight
becomes the focal point of the vignette.
TOP TIP
REMOVING GLUE SHINE
The wonder of Super Glue is
its quick setting time (five to 10
seconds) to adhere items difficult
to physically hold together until
bonded. However, the flip side
of Super Glue is that it will leave
a trace of detectable unnatural
shine. Fortunately, a light ap-
plication of Testors Dull Coat will
remove the shine.
—Curtis Sleight

highlighted with a dry-brush of An-

drea’s olive green.
The finished leaves were removed
from the fret, then attached to the
branches with Super Glue and Zip-
Kicker. The leaves were carefully bent
in random directions to produce a
non-uniformity effect. The base of the
sapling was then glued with Loctite
Epoxy into a hole made in the Magic
Sculpt base before it had hardened.
To add depth and texture to the
overall foliage, ivy produced by The
Army Painter was placed so as to
creep up the central column of the
abbey. The ivy was affixed with tiny
drops of Super Glue. Ivy like this can
be easily trimmed with scissors to the
desired length and width.
A low bush was modeled at the
base of the sapling. The branch stems
of this plant are largely unobserved,
nestled in weeds from Woodland
Scenics. The bush’s leaves came from
fresh oregano from a supermarket
prepared just like the parsley was and
attached with Super Glue.
Finally, Woodland Scenics field
grass and weeds were added to the
terrain base as fillers to connect the
aforementioned plants. The grass
was attached with white glue onto
index cards cut to fingernail size. The
grass was then worked into a natural
spread as nature intended it to be,
then dry-brushed with various shades
of Vallejo’s green, brown and yellow.
The sapling and bush add evocative foliage to the environment.
Commercially made vine stems, basswood, field grass, vine

leaves, weeds, ivy, roots, dead leaves and etched-brass leaves Examples of hobby products employed to help create terrain mod-
(from left). eling illusions.

Tools of the modeler’s trade include scis-

Front view of the sors, files, dental picks, tweezers and a
finished vignette. hobby knife.
About a dozen field grass clusters

were created and sorted out. Those
which fitted best were used on the
vignette. This phase was almost like
adding pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.
FINAL TOUCHES
The three Andrea model figures were
inserted into predrilled holes on the
abbey floor. Then the left wall was
secured in place with Loctite Epoxy.
An occasional small weed was
inserted into the crack created where
the abbey wall meets the floor.
The last task for this project was to
contact a local trophy shop to order
a name plate. I thought the wording
“Abbey Ruins” in Old English script
would capture the theme of this vi-
gnette nicely. n
ABOUT THE WRITER

Back view of the Curtis Sleight was born and
completed vignette. raised in the historic Hud-
son River Valley of New York
state. He has been an avid
military history buff and toy soldier
collector for many years. Prior to
entering a 35-year career in public
education, Curt was commissioned
in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps.
The Vietnam War veteran taught at
the Army Intelligence School and
later was the curriculum coordina-
tor for the school’s Department of
Combat Intelligence. Curt and his
wife Nan, retired to Florida, where
he is a member of the South Florida
Toy Soldier Club. They have three
children and six grandchildren.

K&C Collectibles Conversions

Darryn Mitchell maps out how he enjoys collecting King & Country Ltd.
products, and adding his own stamp by doing conversions and repainting
TEXT: DARRYN MITCHELL PHOTOS: DAVE COULSON AND KING & COUNTRY LTD.
I
have collected military figures the most interesting periods of the chief and Heinrich Himmler’s deputy,
since I was a child. war. The accompanying photographs in a gray overcoat. However, I wanted it
I began painting with Airfix show some original K&C items before to be more in keeping with the overall
plastic figures that I was given I was let loose on them and how they range and decided to repaint the figure
from my grandfather. Soon after I look after conversions and repainting. dressed in black. After several coats
started building plastic model kits in I hope they are of interest to TS&MF of different shades of black paint, I got
1:35 scale. Later I got into converting readers. the look I wanted. I decided to leave
1/6th-scale figures from Dragon Mod- the shirt brown to mirror the Himmler
els Ltd. and building dioramas. MAN IN BLACK figure (ref. LAH21) from the same K&C
I stumbled onto King and Coun- Among my projects has been the series.
try Ltd. figures and vehicles in 2000. Reinhard Heydrich figure (ref. LAH35) I wanted to have this period’s cor-
Even though the matt painting is of a from the “Berlin ’38” range, which de- rect rank (“obergruppenfuhrer”) on
high standard, I have always looked picts black uniformed soldiers of the Heydrich’s collar tabs. Sadly there was
at these K&C items and thought, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LAH) not much detail on the original K&C
“Wouldn’t that be good like this or being reviewed by Nazi personality version. I painted one by hand and
painted a different color? Or, I could figures. thought it worked well. But I used my
add this to that piece.’” I can see why the manufacturer own transfers for the model pictured
However, it was a few years before produced a figure of Heydrich, the SD with this article.
I got round to converting
any of these items after
a friend asked me to re-
paint some K&C stuff he
had. Basically, I enjoy fid-
dling with military figures
and vehicles -- “changing
the guard” by transform-
ing their appearance. The
enjoyment I get from this
has generated interest
from fellow collectors
looking to add bespoke
items to their collections
no one else will have.
For the purposes of
this article, I am confining
the focus to World War II
German item conversions
I have done rather than
trying to cover an eclectic
mix of pieces that I have
completed. So, with the
exception of one “Ber-
lin ’38” series piece, all
these 1:30-scale pieces Darryn Mitchell’s repainted Side view of Heydrich showing the
cover the Blitzkrieg years, K&C’s original figure of Rein- Reinhard Heydrich striding in SS collar tabs and blood red swas-
which I think is one of hard Heydrich (ref. LAH35). his new black uniform. tika added.
38-41_TS231_K&C.indd 38 1/22/18 1:57 PM

Only their mother could tell them apart:

Darryn Mitchell’s repainted prime mover
driver (left) with an original version.
I hand-painted all the white piping

The factory version of the Sd.Kfz.7 prime mover (ref. WSS52). and the eagle on the uniform and hat.
I also painted the blood red armband
and added a handcrafted swastika.
PRIME MOVER
A different project involved K&C’s
Sd.Kfz.7 prime mover (ref. WSS52).
I had a bit of difficulty with the bars
around the stowage kit to the rear
of the halftrack (in contrast lots of
K&C vehicle pieces come apart quite
simply such as road wheels or stow-
age kit while figures’ arms and gear
can be removed with ease). However,
after a bit of fiddling they came away,
allowing them to be fully painted.
They were reglued after the paint had
dried.
I also removed the molded ropes at
Darryn Mitchell repainted the prime mover in gray and added the SS Division Totenkopf the rear of the vehicle with a Dremel
marker to the front fender. tool and replaced them with real rope.
Side view of the repainted German halftrack with weathering, a handmade air recognition flag, extra kit bags and a weapon for the driver.
38-41_TS231_K&C.indd 39 1/22/18 1:57 PM

In addition, I added some extra kit

bags, etc., and a “Schmeisser” MP
38 submachine gun at the side of the
driver. The seats were painted in Ger-
man red brown, which was more in
keeping with the early war period.
I replaced the windscreen with a
new piece of acetate. Then I repainted
the whole vehicle in German gray and
gave it a few coats of Sin Industries
filters. Next the vehicle was lightly
weathered to give it a worn look.
Final touches included a handmade
The factory version of K&C’s Afrika Korps howitzer set (ref. AK27).
swastika flag placed on one of the
rear seats for aerial recognition and
SS Division Totenkopf markings.
K&C’s original driver looked a bit
orange in the face, so I toned down
the flesh coloring. I also repainted the
soldier’s trousers and blouse German
gray and green. I removed the goggles
from the hat with a small metal file.
DESERT REDESIGN
Changing K&C’s Afrika Korps F18,
105-mm howitzer (ref. AK27) from
desert camouflage to gray was quite The Afrika Korps howitzer set after its transformation from desert camouflage to field gray.
straightforward.
tractor usually used to tow things was finished by putting a Death’s Head
Removing the road wheels made
such as ammo wagons or aircraft. divisional marker on the front panel.
painting the artillery piece much eas-
The original product was a Luft- The original figure was a Luftwaffe
ier. Such items can easily be removed
waffe model painted in camouflage. crewman which needed to be repainted
and replaced without any damage. I
I repainted the vehicle in gray fol- in traditional army attire. The uniform
added a small amount of weathering
lowed with a wash of Sin filters. Then was changed to German gray with a
and wear from combat use to finish
I weathered the vehicle using a dry dark green collar. The decals for the
the job.
brush method to give more definition collar and helmet were made by my
Painting the accompanying gun
and highlights on the gray. The color I own hand. In addition, I painted the
crew was quite enjoyable as K&C had
use most often for this is “Iraqi sand.” white piping around the collar.
designed two of the men in shirt-
I added early war “Balkenkreuz,”
sleeves. This allowed a little variation
the straight-armed version of the Iron PANZER’S NEW DUTY
in the use of different shades of gray
Cross, to each side and the rear of the The final example illustrated involved
rather than having five standard gray
vehicle. A new registration marker repainting the Afrika Korps Panzer II
tunics for all crew members. I painted
was also added to the rear. The model (ref. AK30).
both the loader and officer in me-
dium German camouflage gray. The
remaining crew members had field
blouses on, so they were painted in
standard early war colors.
Rank and insignia were painted to
identify these men as artillery troops
with red shoulder tabs. The insignia I
chose made them members of Artil-
lery Regiment 3 of the SS Division
Totenkopf.
TRANSPORTER TRANSFORMS
The penultimate conversion involved
K&C’s Sd.Kfz.252 transporter (ref.
WSS101), a relatively small halftrack
Close-up showing the restyled gun crew after they turned their backs on desert warfare.
38-41_TS231_K&C.indd 40 1/22/18 1:57 PM

K&C’s original Luftwaffe Sd.Kfz.252 transporter (ref. WSS101). After Sd.Kfz.252 transporter conversion work by Darryn Mitch-
ell, this soldier must be thinking, “I am sure I was Luftwaffe, not
bloody SS.”
The original desert version of the Panzer II set (ref. AK30) from the The Totenkopf Panzer II with added kit, new markings and a
Afrika Korps series by K&C. repainted SS commander.
I removed the adhesive swastika scarf. Rank insignia and uniform de- version. I completely remodeled a
from the rear of the tank because I tails completed the figure. Normandy series Panther (ref. WSS72)
thought it looked a little unrealistic by removing the tank’s spare wheels,
and too flat. Then I repainted the whole COMPUTER CRAFTS stowage kit, and tracks on the gla-
vehicle German gray. Rank insignia and divisional markings cis plate, then adding new Zimmerit
Where the flag had been, extra were created by computer and made and repainting the crew. I have also
rucksacks, tent bags and boxes were to the required size. repainted the entire WSS range into
added. Two of the four petrol cans I use both wet and dry transfers. I winter troops for a fellow collector.
were removed from the rear fenders often mix the two because it is easier In addition, I repair broken pieces.
too. to use wet decals on the collars worn For example, I have restored a U.S.
I repainted the tank commander in a by figures. This is the hardest part of Army M24 Chaffee tank (ref. BBA18)
panzer black uniform. I also repainted these conversions. It causes consid- in winter camouflage from the Battle
the leather goggles a darker brown. erable headaches trying to get them of the Bulge range whose damaged
Then I changed the blue color K&C right. But it is worth it because there tracks and wheels were thought to be
does its glass visors in to matt black, are no decals that I am aware of on the beyond repair. n
with gloss varnish added for realism. market for 1:30-scale models. Paint-
The tank commander originally had ing by hand, though always preferable,
a red polka dot scarf. I repainted it takes a lot of time. ABOUT THE WRITER
white after drawing inspiration from Other K&C items I’ve converted Toy soldier and model figure
hobbyist Darryn Mitchell
an old photo of an arrogant looking have included a King Tiger tank (ref.
writes from the United Kingdom.
panzer officer wearing a white silk BBG16) turned into a white-washed
38-41_TS231_K&C.indd 41 1/22/18 1:57 PM

ISSUE 231 PULL-OUT
CENTERFOLD POSTER
Photo Courtesy of Andy C. Neilson of King & Country Ltd.
42-43_TS231_Centerfold.indd 42 1/10/18 9:07 AM

“RUSSIAN WINTER CONGRATULATIONS: When Wittmann Met Peiper December 1943” is the title of this atmospheric and wintry World War II diorama designed
by King & Country Ltd. and handmade by U.K.-based David Marshall of TMterrain. It stars recent K&C releases, including figures of Nazi Germany’s Waffen-SS
panzer aces Jochen (aka Joachim) Peiper and Michael Wittmann. The senior officer somewhat casually salutes Wittmann and his crew lined up for inspection
by their detailed Tiger I tank painted in winter camouflage. The snowy Eastern Front scene is enhanced by varied Soviet civilians produced by K&C. The setting
is completed by two examples of the toy soldier company’s new Russian peasant house. They show how the model wooden building has two completely different
sides, so a pair can be displayed with one reversed to create visual variety in a village on the Russian steppes. This winter-themed diorama is now in the private
collection of one of the brand’s top collectors in Asia, according to K&C’s Andy C. Neilson. —Stuart A. Hessney.
42-43_TS231_Centerfold.indd 43 1/10/18 9:07 AM

METAL REVIEWS
NEW METAL REVIEWS
PRODUCTS MARCH INTO THE MARKETPLACE With Stuart A. Hessney
HONG KONG IN WAR AND PEACE

BY KING & COUNTRY LTD.
Reviewed by Stuart A. Hessney
Hong Kong in war and peace are the Grenadiers held defensive positions are authentically modeled in Brodie-
themes of new releases from King & in the center of the island on Mount style steel helmets and tropical cam-
Country Ltd. They are highlighted by Butler. paign kit.
Canadian soldiers based on World War The Canadians became surrounded A figure of Osborn holding a Tommy
II’s Battle of Hong Kong fought over by Japanese troops tossing grenades gun in one hand and a grenade in
the toy soldier company’s hometown into their position. More than a few the other leads a squad of three men
in December 1941. Those figures were times, the grenades were picked up and armed with .303 Lee Enfield rifles in a
the focus of a very special presentation lobbed back at the enemy by Company dynamic set titled “Taking the Fight to
marking the 76th anniversary of the Sgt. Maj. John R. Osborn. Born in Eng- the Enemy” (ref. FoB154) priced at $179
battle. land, he had served in the Royal Naval U.S. Detailed figures of a kneeling firing
Volunteer Reserve during World War I rifleman and an advancing Bren gunner
WINNIPEG GRENADIERS before settling in Winnipeg. make up a supporting “Bren Gun Team”
Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Realizing one grenade had landed (ref. FoB155) that costs $89.
British Crown Colony of Hong Kong the where he could not reach it and toss it These 1:30-scale, matt-finished fig-
very same morning a surprise attack back in time, Osborn shouted a warning ures and the heroic story behind them
was launched against the U.S. Navy to his men, then threw his body over it should held great appeal for collectors,
base at Pearl Harbor and other mili- to smother the explosion. The 42-year- including my Canadian friends who are
tary installations in Hawaii. The Axis old was killed instantly, but his ultimate always eager to acquire collectibles
power also struck in Malaya, Singapore sacrifice saved the lives of many of his inspired by their homeland’s illustrious
and the Philippines. For what little it comrades. military history.
was worth officially, the attacks were Osborn was posthumously awarded
violations of international law because the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest CONSULAR PRESENTATION
Japan had not declared war against the award for military valor. In a poignant moment Thursday, Dec.
British Empire and the United States. K&C has issued two sets totaling six 14, 2017, Andy was at the Canadian
Hong Kong’s British, Indian and Chi- Canadian infantrymen combating the Consulate in Hong Kong to present the
nese defenders were bolstered by two Japanese conquest of Hong Kong. They first two sets of Winnipeg Grenadiers
battalions of Canadians:
The Winnipeg Grenadiers
and The Royal Rifles of
Canada.
K&C’s Andy C. Neilson
related, “There are many
tales of bravery and gal-
lantry among the be-
leaguered and besieged
defenders of the small
British colony, but one in
particular is remembered
in this initial release.”
The timeframe is Dec.
19, the second day of
fighting after Japanese
troops landed on Hong
Kong Island proper.
Soldiers from Company Tommy gun-toting Company Sgt. Maj. Robert R. Osborn, VC, leads a squad of Canadian Winnipeg Grenadiers in a
A of Manitoba’s Winnipeg Battle of Hong Kong set titled “Taking the Fight to the Enemy” (ref. FoB154).
44-45_TS231_NewMetals.indd 44 1/11/18 12:19 PM

NEW METAL REVIEWS
Additions to the “Streets of Old Hong Kong

“The Watcher” (ref. HK270) Winnipeg Grenadiers “Bren Gun Team” (ref. FoB155). series include the “Standing Coolie With
from old Hong Kong. Water Basket” (ref. HK268).
to Jeff Nankivell, consul general of ed, “Every year at this time we honor signed diorama depicting CSM Osborn
Canada in Hong Kong and Macao. the memory of the men who gave their and his men defending their position on
“It was important that Canada’s lives defending Hong Kong in 1941. This Mount Butler.
principal representative in Hong Kong is one of the most important bonds that
should receive King & Country’s tribute bring Hong Kong and Canada together.” OLD HONG KONG
in miniature to the soldiers who fought The figures have been placed in a K&C’s “Streets of Old Hong Kong”
and died trying to defend Hong Kong,” consulate display area devoted to the re-creates the colony circa 1897 with
Andy said. battle. In 2018, K&C plans to present Chinese civilians, scenic building
Consul General Nankivell comment- the consul general with a specially de- facades and more. The perennial range
originated in traditional gloss painting
and eventually evolved into the connois-
seur-quality matt finishes. As usual, the
Second version of K&C’s latest additions to the series are avail-
Chinese “Flower Stall Set”
able in either paint style to satisfy loyal
(ref. HK279).
collectors’ personal preferences.
A trio of new releases includes a
female “Standing Coolie With Water
Basket” (ref. HK268).
“In those far off days, there was lit-
tle or no indoor water supply, so most
people had to go to a nearby fountain
or well to collect fresh water using a
wooden bucket like the one shown,”
Andy explained.
She costs $49 as does “The Watcher”
(ref. HK270), a portrayal of a gentleman
standing with his arms folded observing
others hard at work.
“The Flower Stall Set” (ref. HK279),
which costs $89, is a new version of
an “old favorite,” according to Andy. A
female vendor is depicted watering her
glorious display of colorful blooms.
These Hong Kong civilians from the
Victorian Age are eye-catching addi-
tions to a long-running, colorful and
intriguing range. n

NEW METAL REVIEWS
K&C has deployed an LVT(A)-1

“Alligator” (ref. USMC023) with a
turret-mounted, 37-mm main gun
for its “Bloody Tarawa” series.
WWII FROM THE BLUE PACIFIC TO THE STREETS OF NAZI GERMANY

BY KING & COUNTRY LTD.
An Alligator, bazooka and grena- designed to ferry cargo for ship-to- manning .30-caliber machine guns.
diers are among recent additions to shore operations. But “amtraks” This 1:30-scale Gator would be a quite
the World War II range created by King evolved into armored carriers for as- a beast on any collector’s miniature
& Country Ltd. sault troops and fire support vehicles. beach.
K&C’s gray model made of poly- Matt-painted Marines include a
MARINES HAVE LANDED stone and metal ranks as its third sniper seated on ammunition crates
An LVT(A)-1 “Alligator” (ref. USMC023) variant unleashed through the years. while taking careful aim with an M1
priced at $299 U.S. highlights rein- But this is the very first one based on Garand rifle (ref. USMC026), a kneel-
forcements for a budding series of the LVT(A)-1, a relatively heavy gun- ing Browning Automatic Rifle gun-
American Marines. They are perfect for armed “amtank” developed to provide ner (USMC028) and a Leatherneck
re-creating 1943’s amphibious assault fire support to foot soldiers. They were under fire and running for cover (ref.
on Japanese-held Tarawa during the a godsend for Marines pitted against USMC029). These sweaty and dirty
Allied island-hopping campaign across well-prepared foes in sophisticated Leathernecks retail for $39 apiece.
the Pacific Ocean. defensive structures like the pillboxes
Amphibious warfare Landing and firing pits on the small island of LATE-WAR OPPONENTS
Tracked Vehicles (LVT) were originally Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. K&C has added American and German
K&C’s Alligator packs a big bite infantry to its late-war arsenal of mili-
thanks to its turret-mounted, 37-mm tary miniatures based on the European
main gun from an M3 light tank. The Theater of Operations (ETO).
amtank also has a pair of Marines The U.S. Army “fighting GIs” in-
clude riflemen either kneeling (ref.
DD309) or standing (ref. DD310) firing,
a very cool kneeling bazooka man
(ref. DD312), and a guy armed with
a Tommy gun emphatically shout-
ing while kneeling (ref. DD314). Each
of these generic pieces without unit
insignia costs $39.
Five figures depict late-war, “street
fighting” panzer grenadiers from Nazi
U.S. Army “Kneeling
Germany. These gray-clad models
Bazooka Guy” reflect how the “look” of the German
(ref. DD312). soldier changed as the war dragged
on and the tide turned against the Axis
Powers.
U.S. Army “Shouting Tommy Gunner
“Due to clothing and material short-
Kneeling” (ref. DD314).
46-48,49_TS231_NewMetals.indd 46 1/11/18 2:13 PM

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“Marine Sniper”
U.S. Marine
(ref. USMC026).
“Kneeling BAR
Gunner” (ref.
USMC028).
“Running Marine” “Standing Firing

(ref. USMC029). Panzer Grenadier”
(ref. WH080).
U.S. Army “Stand-

ing Rifleman”
(ref. DD310).
“Kneeling Panzer
Grenadier With
Schmeisser”
(ref. WH079).
“Fighting GIs” of
the ETO include a
“Kneeling Rifle-
man” (ref. DD309).
German “Sniper
Team” (ref. WH082).
“Street-fighting Germans include the “Kneeling

Panzerschrek Grenadier” (ref. WH075).

NEW METAL REVIEWS
K&C has produced a

reversible “Russian
Farmhouse” (ref.
SP097) for Eastern
Front dioramas.
Brownshirts of Nazi
leader Adolf Hitler’s pre-
war SA include a saluting
figure of thug “Horst Wes-
sel” (ref. SA001).
ages, the German army began to copy man aims a Gewehr 43 semiautomatic PREWAR
some of the ideas from their enemies,” rifle, which owed some design features BROWNSHIRTS
K&C’s Andy C. Neilson pointed out. to the Soviet Tokarev SVT-40. It fired Prewar releases
“These panzer grenadiers are ample the same 7.92-mm round as the K98 include four figures
proof of that.” and had a 10-round box magazine, ac- depicting “Brown-
“Gone are the high, traditional jack- cording to Andy. shirts” or “Storm
boots, replaced by short ankle boots More of these Germans are in the Troopers” of Nazi
and web-style gaiters copied from the works. leader Adolf Hitler’s
British,” he explained. “The uniform prewar “Sturma-
jacket also became shorter and waist- RUSSIAN FARMHOUSE bteilung” (SA). The
length, again an influence borrowed K&C’s German forces, Soviet Red thugs include a
from British battledress.” Army troops and peasants can now be saluting figure of
These military fashion changes complemented by the “Russian Farm- “Horst Wessel” (ref. SA001), a petty
are reflected in K&C kneeling panzer house” (ref. SP097). It re-creates a criminal who was lionized as a martyr
grenadiers either holding a Panzer- typical wooden structure. in Germany after being killed by two
schrek antitank weapon (ref. WH075) However, K&C has thoughtfully de- left wing assassins in 1930.
or a Schmeisser MP 40 machine pistol signed this house with two completely Marching SA figures depict a
(ref. WH079). Another German stands different sides. As a result, collectors standard-bearer (ref. SA002), a march-
firing a Mauser K98 rifle (ref. WH080). could buy two of them and place one ing man looking straight ahead (ref.
They sell for $49 apiece. reversed to populate a little settlement SA003) and a member glancing to
Please expect to pay $80 for pair of on the Russian steppes. his left (ref. SA004). Sold singly, their
panzer grenadiers making up a sniper This farmhouse measures 26 by 15 prices range from $45 to $59. n
team (ref. WH082). A spotter peers by 18 cm. It retails for $229.
through binoculars while the trigger-

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“German Heer
Infantry Officer “Russian T-70 Light Tank”
on Field Phone” (ref. RUSSTAL051).
(ref. NOR072).
First Legion’s exclu-

sive “German Panther
Ausf. G -- SS Leibstandarte
Adof Hitler” (ref. BB008) is
shown with two Waffen-SS crew-
men (ref. NOR071) sold separately.
WORLD WAR II GERMAN AND SOVIET FORCES

BY FIRST LEGION LTD.
“German Heer Infantry MG42 Gunner” (ref.
Reviewed by Stuart A. Hessney NOR073).
Two types of tanks spearhead World a Normandy campaign Panther would New German Heer infantry of the
War II items being issued by First Le- have been because it was discontinued Battle of Normandy include an officer
gion Ltd. by the time of Nazi Germany’s Ardennes using a field phone, an MG42 gunner
The wintry Battle of the Bulge is the Offensive. Design features specific to and two soldiers with K98 rifles ei-
backdrop for a highly detailed “German the Battle of the Bulge include a crew ther standing firing or tossing a potato
Panther Ausf. G -- SS Leibstandarte compartment heater, the rain guard masher. Their prices range from $69.95
Adof Hitler” (ref. BB008) available over the driver’s periscope, a debris to $89.95.
exclusively directly from the manufac- guard over the gun mantlet and flame- First Legion has also built a $199.95
turer for $359.95 U.S. This medium suppressing rear mufflers. Production “Russian T-70 Light Tank” (ref.
tank’s main gun barrel can be raised of this special model is limited to 150. RUSSTAL051) for its Eastern Front
and lowered, the turret rotates, and The Panther can be manned by two Battle of Stalingrad series. First rolled
hatches open and close. The 60-mm figures supplied in a new “German out in 1942, this tank type was used for
model is matt-painted in an authentic Waffen-SS Tank Crew for Tiger Tank” reconnaissance and infantry support by
camouflage scheme with nice touches set (ref. NOR071). Despite the Norman- the Soviet Red Army.
of weathering. dy-related product code, this duo would On other fronts, the maker has re-
First Legion’s Matthew Pavone point- be appropriate for any late-war SS leased four Vikings with spears, an ax or
ed out this “mixed media composition” tank crew, according to Matt. They cost sword for forming a shield wall priced at
model is not coated with Zimmerit like $109.95. $74.95 apiece. n
46-48,49_TS231_NewMetals.indd 49 1/12/18 9:10 AM

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“Legio XXX Legionary

“Legio XXX Centurion” Attacking With Gladius” “Legio XXX Ready in Bearskin
(ref. ROM185). (ref. ROM187). Cloak” (ref. ROM193).
“Legio XXX Cornicen”
(ref. ROM195).
IMPERIAL ROMAN LEGIO XXX ULPIA VICTRIX
BY FIRST LEGION LTD.
Warfare against dogged Dacians that across the Danube, killed the governor, SINGING THE BLUES
led to the Roman Empire reaching its annihilated a legion and pillaged the Matthew Pavone of First Legion noted
pinnacle have inspired First Legion province. The following year Emperor these figures mark the brand’s first
Ltd. to produce distinctive legion- Domitian countered by sending an foray into modeling legionnaires in
naires in cold weather gear with blue army led by Cornelius Fuscus, prefect the heavier armor of the Dacian Wars
shields. of the Praetorian Guard, on the offen- as well as cold weather gear such as
The maker has added a whopping sive. But the commander was killed cloaks, including some made from
20 figures matt-painted in the con- and his army destroyed in an ambush. bearskins.
noisseur style to its “Glory of Rome” The Roman defeat in the Battle of What really sets these soldiers apart
series. They depict Legio XXX Ulpia Tapae in A.D. 88 led to a truce. How- in a crowd is their aqua blue rectangu-
Victrix. It was raised by Trajan, one of ever, hostilities resumed after Trajan, lar shields rather than the red shields
the greatest emperors in Roman an- a brilliant politician and military com- usually associated with ancient Rome’s
nals, to fight in two Dacian Wars. mander, took power. legions. They are emblazoned with a
Ulpia was the famed Trajan’s family The emperor’s forces defeated fish because Legio XXX’s symbols were
name. The unit’s Latin name trans- Dacian King Decebalus in the Second associated with Neptune, the Roman
lates in English to “Trajan’s Victorious Battle of Tapae in A.D. 101. With Ro- god of the sea and earthquakes.
30th Legion.” man forces advancing on his capital First Legion’s earth-shaking, 60-
Sarmizegetusa Regia, Decebalus mm figures are highly detailed and
IMPLACABLE FOE sought terms and averted total defeat. stand on terrain covered bases. Com-
The Kingdom of Dacia was located But peacetime simply gave the mand group poses include a centurion,
north of Macedon and Greece and to Dacian ruler a breather to rebuild aquilifer, cornicen, signifer, optio and
the east of the Danube River in a re- his power so he could attack Roman vexillifer. Legionnaires forming a bat-
gion roughly equivalent to modern-day garrisons in A.D. 105. Trajan forcefully tle line or launching an assault wield
Romania. It had been on Rome’s radar responded by marching into Dacia, either the deadly gladius short sword
even before an army commanded by besieging Sarmizegetusa and razing or the pilum.
Republican Consul Gaius Antonius the fortress city. These stunning figures are sold
Hybrida was slaughtered by Dacian Once Dacia was conquered, Trajan singly at prices ranging from $69.95 to
warriors in the Battle of Histria some- turned his attention eastward to invad- $89.95 U.S. What eye-catching rein-
time around 62 to 61 B.C. ing the Parthian Empire. His cam- forcements to ancient battlefield dio-
The constant threat posed to Ro- paigns expanded the Roman Empire to ramas they would make. Their shields
man Moesia was punctuated in A.D. its greatest extent. alone would leave barbarians singing
85, when implacable Dacians swarmed the blues! n

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“Legio XXX
Aquilifer”
(ref. ROM186).
“Legio XXX Legionary Throwing

Pilum” (ref. ROM189).
“Legio XXX Optio”

(ref. ROM198).
“Legio XXX Fight-

ing With Gladius”
(ref. ROM194).
“Legio XXX Signifer” “Legio XXX Legionary

(ref. ROM196). Standing With Two
Pila” (ref. ROM200).
“Legio XXX Le-

gionary Thrust-
ing Gladius”
(ref. ROM190).
“Legio XXX Legionary “Legio XXX Vexillifer”

Ready With Gladius” (ref. ROM197).
(ref. ROM201).

NEW METAL REVIEWS
A kneeling Greek hoplite hold-

ing a Pegasus shield and point-
ing his spear forward joins the A Greek spearman on the march raises his The maker has issued new versions of Imperial Roman le-
first rank of a shield wall (ref. shield over his head to provide some shade gionnaires holding swords in either their right or left hands
SPA026C). from the sun (ref. SPA031). to create both flanks of a defensive formation.
ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN FIGHTING MEN

BY THOMAS GUNN MINIATURES
Thomas Gunn Miniatures (TGM) is ROM-REP001) wears a white tunic, They include a charging horseman
marching out more Greek hoplites and mail cuirass and a Montefortino-style about to throw his spear (ref. ROM056).
delving into both infantry of the Roman bronze helmet with cheek guards and A companion on a chestnut mount is
Republic and Imperial cavalry. either a red or green plume. He is about to throw his pilum to his right
posed standing holding a pilum with (ref. ROM073). The third cavalryman
GREEK WARRIORS his oval shield resting on the ground in rides a rearing horse (ref. ROM078).
A kneeling Greek pointing his spear front of him. These cavalrymen are available with
forward would be perfect for the first The Republican is available with either a Praetorian Guard shield with
rank of a shield wall (ref. SPA026). shield designs of either the 10th a scorpion on a red background or a
As usual, this maker’s ancients are Legion or a leaping wolf. Production is green shield representing the Ala II
offered with multiple variants of the being limited to 100 of each type with Flavia auxiliary cavalry regiment. Each
circular bronze shield. For example, either priced at approximately £39/$49. horseman costs £80/$120 with 100 of
this figure is available with either each variant being made.
Spartan Lambda, centaur or Pegasus IMPERIAL CAVALRY
emblazons. A trio of Imperial Roman cavalrymen IMPERIAL INFANTRY
A Greek spearman on the march has been trotted out now, with three Imperial legionnaires include a new
raises his shield over his head to more types expected to follow soon. version of a previous release which
provide some shade from the blazing Rather nicely done horses enhance was posed holding a shield overhead
hot sun (ref. SPA031). His shield vari- these varied poses. with both hands. The latest depicts a
ants are either the Spartan Lambda, a
red horse on a white background or a
lion’s head.
Either of these limited edition
Greeks retails for £45 U.K./$55 U.S.
ROMAN REPUBLIC
U.K.-based proprietor Simon Thomas
Gunn has unveiled his first Republican
Roman soldier of the types who would
have fought in wars such as Julius
Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. It was
during this phase of Rome’s history
that its sway expanded from the Italian
city’s immediate environs to most of
the Mediterranean world.
Grouping of the Roman Republic legionnaire (ref. ROM-REP001) sold singly showing the 10th
TGM’s Republican legionnaire (ref. Legion or leaping wolf shield variants and either green or red plumes on the helmet.

NEW METAL REVIEWS
Back view of an Imperial Roman trooper on a

chestnut horse with a green shield represent-
ing the Ala II Flavia auxiliary cavalry regiment
TGM has trotted out three types of Imperial Roman cavalrymen sold singly. (ref. ROM073B).
man holding his gladius in his right in the right hand and the sword in the On a related note, the maker has
hand while his left hand holds his left (ref. ROM70). Either of these other unveiled a new line of unpainted and
“classic” red rectangular shield over- ranks costs about £39/$49. unassembled figures starting with his
head to form a testudo (ref. ROM69). Made in China, all of these 60-mm Roman elephant (ref. ROM048B) listed
To form the opposite side of a ancients come detailed in the con- at $250. n
defensive formation, that same pose noisseur style with matt painting and
has been flipped with the red shield shading.
WORLD WAR II AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY AND MORE

BY THOMAS GUNN MINIATURES
Thomas Gunn Miniatures (TGM) has Australian gunners are featured in heavy machine
taken a shot at World War II artillery by a separate set with an officer holding gun with two
producing a 6-pounder antitank gun. binoculars, a loader, two Owen machine prone crewmen
The British-made weapon’s full guns and other accessory pieces (ref. (ref. RS051). A
name is the ordnance quick-firing RS058). It costs £59/$80. spare rifle and two
6-pounder 7-cwt gun. The 60-mm New Aussies also include a kneel- ammo clips are
model (ref. ACC PACK020) comes with ing Owen machine gunner (ref. RS050) included in this
two ammo boxes and three shell acces- and an infantryman charging with £59/$80 group-
sories. The barrel can be elevated or his bayonet fixed (ref. RS055). Either ing. n
lowered. Also the gun’s wheels turn for matt-finished, 60-mm collectible costs
towing behind the maker’s previously £31/$42.
released Bantam Jeep. Please expect For some Japanese opposition, TGM Right: Australian
charging with bayonet
to pay £69 U.K./$89 U.S. for this set. is issuing a Type 92 “Woodpecker” fixed.
The 6-pounder antitank gun is shown with two Austral- TGM’s Japanese Type 92 “Woodpecker”
ian artillerymen and an Owen gunner sold separately. heavy machine gun and crew.

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“Zulu Attacking 24th Foot From

High Position” (ref. 20192).
ANGLO-ZULU WAR OF 1879 “Getting a Little Close!” (ref. 20190) depicts a

BY W. BRITAIN British officer standing his ground.
An action-packed, close-quarters brother of King Cetshwayo. Expecting to overwhelming the tiny garrison.
combat set has hurdled into W. little resistance and plentiful plun- However, in what seemed like a mir-
Britain’s perennially popular series der, they disobeyed the King’s orders acle in the wake of the catastrophe
inspired by the Anglo-Zulu War of by crossing the Buffalo River into Na- at Isandlwana, the valiant Zulus were
1879. tal to attack Rorke’s Drift, a mission repulsed by the equally determined
“Zulu Attacking 24th Foot From station turned into a supply depot for defenders. Eleven were awarded
High Position” is the wordy but the British invasion of Zululand led Victoria Crosses for valor.
descriptive title of this new set (ref. by Lord Chelmsford. W. Britain encapsulates the feroc-
20192). It should be a must-have for Royal Engineer Lt. John Chard, ity of this action with an athletic Zulu
collectors mustering dioramas based the senior officer on hand, had been armed with a spear leaping onto an
on either the Battles of Isandlwana overseeing repairs to a ferry. Lt. infantryman. Uniformed in scarlet
or Rorke’s Drift. Gonville Bromhead, the only other with green facings, the soldier raises
The African kingdom’s army of officer with combatant status, led a his Martini-Henry rifle to block the
about 20,000 men attacked and over- company of the 2nd Battalion, 24th attacker. This exciting set costs
whelmed the main British column’s (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. £81.99 U.K./$80 U.S.
encampment at Isandlwana the They opted to make a stand. After It can be complemented by “Get-
morning of Jan. 22. Approximately their African auxiliaries deserted, ting a Little a Close!” (ref. 20190),
1,300 British troops and their allies only about 150 colonial and British a £42.99/$42 figure which depicts
were slaughtered. troops were left to mount a defense a 24th Foot officer firing his pistol
The Zulu reserve at Isandlwana against all odds. with his right hand while holding his
included about 3,500 relatively Zulu assaults began late afternoon sword scabbard with his left hand.
mature warriors of the uThulwana, Jan. 22 and continued overnight into He has one foot planted on a mealie
iNdlondlo, iNdluyengwe and uDloko Jan. 23, when they withdrew due bag of the type used to fortify Rorke’s
Regiments. They were under the to the approach of a British relief Drift. n
command of Prince Dabulamanzi, a column. The warriors came close

NEW METAL REVIEWS
“Baron von Steuben, 1776”

“U.S. Artilleryman, 1813-14”
(ref. 10066).
(ref. 10071).
“John F. Kenney, U.S. Navy, 1945”
(ref. 10068).
MUSEUM COLLECTION U.S. HISTORY FIGURES “U.S. Infantryman, 1813-14”

BY W. BRITAIN (10072).
A World War II U.S. Navy figure of John seaman for three miles to an island. He OTHER RELEASES
F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United did it again to a second island where the Baron von Steuben, a Prussian officer
States, highlights reinforcements for W. crew was rescued Aug. 8. credited with drilling the Continental
Britain’s “Museum Collection.” JFK and his executive officer, Ensign Army in the basics of discipline and tac-
Born to a wealthy family in Mas- Leonard Thom, were awarded the Navy tics, is the subject of an American Revo-
sachusetts, JFK was graduated from and Marine Corps Medal for valor and lutionary War personality figure (ref.
Harvard University in 1940. The fol- the Purple Heart. These events were 10066). Acting as inspector general, he
lowing year he joined the U.S. Naval the basis for the 1963 movie “PT 109,” also instituted long-lasting standards
Reserve despite suffering chronic back starring Cliff Robertson as JFK. for encampment sanitation and layouts.
problems. The impression made by that war W. Britain’s detailed model holding a
Kennedy commanded a series of film is why I would picture JFK in a riding crop and clad in a greatcoat looks
PT boats in the Pacific Theater. Most tropical khaki work uniform. But W. ready to weather the winter of 1777-78
famously, the lieutenant helmed PT- Britain General Manager and Creative at Valley Forge, Pa.
109 in the Solomon Islands. During a Director Kenneth A. Osen and his team The War of 1812 and W. Britain’s
night patrol Aug. 1-2, 1943, PT-109 was have gone in another direction by mod- own headquarters proximity to the
rammed and cut in half by the Imperial eling their 58-mm, matt-painted JFK Fort Meigs Historic Site along the
Japanese Navy destroyer Amagiri. (ref. 10068) in a gray uniform style worn Maumee River in Northwestern Ohio
Two crewmen were killed outright. from 1943 to 1949. have inspired an authentic U.S. artil-
Kennedy gathered 10 survivors, includ- Postwar Kennedy served in the U.S. leryman (ref. 10071) and infantryman
ing some with injuries, around the House of Representatives, then the (ref. 10072). The fort withstood being
floating wreckage in the darkness. They Senate. The Democrat edged Republi- besieged by a British army, supported
voted to fight rather than surrender. can Richard Nixon in the 1960 presiden- by Tecumseh’s Confederacy, in 1813.
JFK reinjured his back in the colli- tial election. JFK served as president The JFK figure retails for £36.99
sion. But he persevered by clenching from 1961 until being assassinated in U.K./$36 U.S. and the rest for
a life jacket strap between his teeth 1963. £39.99/$38. n
and swam while towing a badly burned

Join Now!
And Become a Member of the W.Britain Collectors’ Club
50066C
German
50063C 12th Regiment
British Grenadier
44th Regiment At the Ready 50067C
Light Company 50064C 1914 British Standing
Standing British Matte
Resting, 1916-18
Defending 24th Foot Matte
Matte Standing
Looking to
The Right
Matte
50062C
Federal 114th Pennsylvania
Zouave Running
Matte
50065C 50068C
British 23rd German
50069C Royal Welch Fallschirmjäger
British 6 Regiment of
th
Fusilier OR 1831 with G-43, Winter
Foot NCO 1794 Gloss
Gloss 1944-45
Matte
Exclusive Figures Available to Club Members Only

The William Britain Collectors’ Club Membership Details
• Four copies of the exclusive Club magazine, The

Standard (RRP £5/$7 each, total value of £20/$28).
Joining now gets you all back issues for 2016.
• FOUR copies of all large format catalogs and leaflets
which are usually only given to the trade (RRP
£10/$16).
• Exclusive special edition Club figures (only available
for purchase by Club members) as part of your
membership. For additional exclusive Club figures visit:
wbritain.com/collectors-club/wbcc-exclusive-products.
• A FREE Club figure, choose from the above pieces
(RRP £26/$32).
Membership Prices
£35 UK £40 Europe
$55 US £45/$68 ROW
Please visit our Club webpage at:

56 www.wbritaincollectorsclub.com
TOY S O L D I E R & M O D E L F I G U R E
056_TS231_WBritain v2.indd 56 1/16/18 10:52 AM

MATTE FINISH METAL FIGURES FOR $20-$24!
Our first run of the new releases sold out in record time.
The ability to do new increased run sizes has allowed us
to make the figures that much more affordable.
All Flag figures are now only $24.00

and Foot figures $20.00!
Prices and quality that allow you to affordably build
vignettes and dioramas. These figures fit in great with
those of other manufacturers and can be used to flesh
out existing scenes and build new ones!
NEW – Medical Series-American Civil War
MED50001 MED50002 MED50004 MED50005 - Union or MED50006 MED50011 - Confederate Hospital Accessory
Confederate Amputee Seated Confederate Surgeon Confederate on Crutches with Confederate Soldier with Arm in Confederate Hospital Steward Set #1 - Hospital Flag, Bucket of Limbs,
Water Bucket, Crutch, Table, Medicine
on Chair - 1 Piece Set 1 Piece Set Bandaged Foot - 1 Piece Set Sling and Bandaged Head with Bowl -1 Piece Set Chest, Instrument Case, Bottle Chest
$20 – Spring 2018 $20 – Spring 2018 $20 – Spring 2018 1 Piece Set - $20 – Spring 2018 $20 – Spring 2018 8 pieces - $20 – Spring 2018
Leaders and Personalities of WWII
WW10001 WW10011 - German WW10010 WW10012 WW10007 WW10009 - US Army Brigadier

LTJG John F. Kennedy, Jr., Generalleutnant Eugen Meindl, USMC Lt. Col Lewis “Chesty” German General Heinz German Captain Otto Skorzeny, General James Gavin, 82nd
USN, 1943 II Fallschirm-Korps, Normandy, Puller, 1944 Guderian, 1937 Jagdverbande 52, 1943 Airborne, Normandy, 1944
$20 – February 2018 1944 -$20 – February 2018 $20 – Summer 2018 $20 – Summer 2018 $20 – Back In Stock $20 – Back In Stock
Flags of the Confederacy Infantry of the Confederacy
ACW18614 ACW18615 ACW18605 ACW18606 - Confederate Color ACW18611 ACW18603

Confederate Color Bearer with Confederate Color Bearer with Confederate Color Bearer with Bearer with Army of Northern Confederate Infantry Confederate Infantry
South Carolina State Flag Alabama State Flag Texas State Flag - $24 Virginia Flag - Third Bunting Charging #5 Charging #1
$24 –February 2018 $24 – February 2018 Back In Stock (AND CORRECT!) Issue - $24 –Back In Stock $20 – February 2018 $20 – Back In Stock
All figure s are 1/ 30t h s cale ( ab ou t 2. 25 in ch es / 5 8 mm ta l l ), h a n d - p o u r e d i n me ta l a n d h a n d - p a i n te d w i th a ma tte f i ni sh t o g i ve t he m t he r e a l i st i c l ook a nd
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057_TS231_HistoryWorks.indd 23 1/11/18
1/15/18 10:01 PM
1:53 PM
PLASTIC PARADE
NEWS, VIEWS AND REVIEWS FOR COLLECTORS With Jim Clouse
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: UNION PERSONALITY FIGURES

BY CHINTOYS
Reviewed by Jim Clouse
Chintoys is a company I know very lit- leading his brigade against Rebel terscotch does show off the figures’
tle about. Reportedly, it is actually the forces during the Battle of Fair Oaks/ details well.
distributor for a Russian maker left un- Seven Pines in June 1862, an action for The eight figures included in the set
named for some mysterious reasons. which he was awarded the Medal of are:
Still, Chintoys has burst onto the Honor.
plastic toy soldier scene with some As a corps commander, Howard suf- • President Abraham Lincoln.
interesting and very detailed 1:32-scale fered embarrassing defeats at Chan- • Ulysses Simpson Grant.
figure sets, including American Civil cellorsville and Gettysburg in May and • John Fulton Reynolds.
War personality figures. It is arguably July 1863. However, he bounced back • Joshua Chamberlain.
one of the most collected periods of from the setbacks to become a suc- • Oliver Otis Howard.
history. cessful corps and army commander in • William Tecumseh Sherman.
the Western Theater. • Winfield Scott Hancock.
GENERAL STAFF When I can find the time, I intend to • George Armstrong Custer.
In America, it was the first war that make a point of reading more about
was extensively photographed. As this hero of the U.S. Army. The size of these figures falls some-
a result, compared to previous con- where in the middle of the 54-mm to
flicts there isn’t as much conjecture BUTTERSCOTCH YANKEES 60-mm spectrum. For the most part,
about how the participants looked and The figures come still attached to the figures are good likenesses of the
dressed or how battle lines and fortifi- sprues (or runners). There are two persons they represent. However, the
cations were laid out. We can see all of sprues with four figures on each. The military men’s weapons seem to be a
this and much more in photos taken as sculpting is very crisp and detailed. bit on the large or bulky side.
the ACW was happening. The figures are molded in a but- We plastic toy soldier collectors
Two of the many new releases from terscotch color. It seems like an old have limited options for recruiting
Chintoys are Union and Confederate choice of color, as I would have ex- character figures for our tabletop
“General Staff” sets. Unfortunately, I pected a shade of blue. But the but- battles, so the Chintoys Union and
only have the Union set to cover in this
installment of “Plastic Parade.”
The set consists of eight personal-
ity figures, some of whom are widely
known and one that I’d never heard of
before, not being a student of the War
Between the States. Who is that guy I’d
never heard of? He’s Gen. Oliver Otis
Howard.
WHO WAS HOWARD?

My online research revealed that How-
ard was born in Maine in 1830 and died
in Vermont in 1909. He was a career
U.S. Army officer who served as a gen-
eral in the Union Army of the Potomac.
Howard lost his right arm while The figures come attached to sprues.
58-59_TS231_PlasticParade.indd 58 1/16/18 4:35 PM

PLASTIC PARADE
Confederate staff sets are excellent of-

ferings. These personality figures are
available from many dealers and cost
around $30 U.S. per set.
I plan to cover some of Chintoys’
Napoleonic “General Staff” sets in
“Plastic Parade” in the future. n
GET IN TOUCH
Figures by Chintoys
Michigan Toy Soldiers
Phone: +1 (248) 586-1022
Web: www.michtoy.com
Figures portraying Union commanders John Fulton Reynolds, George Armstrong Custer,
Joshua Chamberlain and Oliver Otis Howard (from left).
The set includes figures of Abraham Lincoln, Winfield Scott Hancock, Ulysses Size comparison between figures by Louis Marx and Co.,
Simpson Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman (from left). Chintoys, and Paragon Scenics & Miniatures (from left).
Comparison of
Abraham Lincoln
figures by Chintoys
and Marx (from left).
The Chintoys
depiction of Gen. Grant
is compared with a Marx
version (from left).
ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jim Clouse is first and foremost a collector of plastic toy soldiers, with his main interest being vintage Marx and Barzso
Playsets items. He is the building and terrain sculptor for Barzso. TS&MF readers might also know Jim from the Bat-
tleBoards he makes for displaying toy soldiers and playsets. In addition, Jim is the webmaster for several toy soldier
hobby-related Websites.
58-59_TS231_PlasticParade.indd 59 1/16/18 4:35 PM

Mirroring Military Miniatures

Dean M. Dizikes details how there’s no smoke, but mirrors are used to con-
jure a little magic with miniatures in Col. Walter Stanton’s diorama inspired
by British forces’ Sudan Campaign
TEXT AND PHOTOS: DEAN M. DIZIKES.
I
wish all of my fellow collectors
could visit Kiawah Island, S.C.,
USA. There, among a collection of
more than 8,000 toy soldiers from
every corner of the globe, is one of the
most gripping, imaginative dioramas
extant.
It is the work of retired U.S. Army
Col. Walter “Stan” Stanton. I profiled
him in a “Collector’s Story” published
in TS&MF issue 102. But I think this
particularly impressive diorama mer-
its closer examination.
The year is 1898 and the setting
is the major port of Southampton,
England, where a troopship is docked.
Soldiers, horses and equipment are
being loaded aboard before embarking
for the Sudan in Africa.
These British soldiers are part of
Southampton port diorama depicting British troops embarking for the River War in the
the army being dispatched under the
Sudan in 1898. (Photo by Col. Walter Stanton)
command of Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchen-
er to avenge the death of Gen. Charles are variously engaged in loading hors- back of the display as well as mir-
“Chinese” Gordon at Khartoum 11 es and equipment or simply watching rors placed at each end with one at a
years earlier at the hands of the Mahdi the scene below on the pier. 90-degree angle and the other at 45
and his Islamic followers. This Sudan On the pier is a naval landing party degrees.
Campaign, memorably chronicled in is pulling a gun which will soon be One mirror reflects five letters
Winston Churchill’s book “The River hoisted aboard. One particularly ar- painted on the ship’s stern spelling out
War,” would culminate in a major Brit- resting touch is a horse which is being “Havot.” This word is mirrored in a way
ish victory in the Battle of Omdurman lifted aboard using special slings and that makes it appear to the viewer as
Sept. 2, 1898, and the final defeat of harnesses. “Havottovah,” the name of the vessel!
Mahdist forces the following year. Think about it. What other name could
DETAILED ILLUSION contain a combination of letters that
SOLDIERS BID FAREWELL All of this would be remarkable in wouldn’t look reversed when mir-
Stan’s diorama is replete with eye- itself, but now comes the most stun- rored?
catching details and vignettes. ning feature. If that wasn’t enough to awe the
There are soldiers dressed in khaki When a viewer looks closely, one viewer, there is another feature. The
and wearing Wolseley helmets in the discovers that the ship is, in fact, only hold into which the horses are be-
process of boarding the vessel. There half a ship. It has been placed against ing loaded by the cranes and slings is
are civilians in various poses among mirrors to create the illusion of a fully completely finished. Inside are horses,
the troops. Some soldiers are hugging three-dimensional vessel. hay, feed buckets and grooms hard at
their families. In one case, a soldier The crewmen have been carefully work.
kneels to kiss his child. positioned so that each of them is, in This incredible attention to detail is
There is a large crew aboard the essence, reproduced and doubled by reminiscent of a story told about Sir
beautifully detailed ship. The seamen a mirror which runs along the entire David Lean, the great British direc-
60-62_TS231_Mirroring.indd 60 1/15/18 9:23 AM

Embarkation activities include sailors getting things

shipshape, soldiers coming aboard and a horse being
hoisted onto the vessel.
“No matter how often I

Col. Walter Stanton adjusts figures in the diorama. A naval landing party pulling
a gun is mirrored on the pier below the stern of the ship at right.
look at Stan’s diorama, I
am always struck by the
effortless composition and
the remarkable feeling that
one is seeing a snapshot of
an actual historic event.”
Sailors on the stern of the ship make ready to sail or simply relax
and watch the beehive of activity on the pier, including soldiers bid-
ding fond farewells to their families.
Mirrors give the ship diorama an expansive sensibility, but in reality

Close-up of the side and top deck of the ship. The mirror runs just it fills just one of four shelves within a cabinet. (Photo by Col. Walter
behind the lifeboat and the funnel. Stanton)

tor, from when he was making the

epic film “Doctor Zhivago,” which was
released in 1965. Lean insisted that in
a famous scene depicting Cossacks
riding down a crowd in a street that its
shop windows had to actually contain
the proper goods.
SHIPBUILDING & DOCK

Now for some more details about the
components of this wonderful scene,
beginning with the Havottovah herself. A view into the completely detailed hold
The ship was entirely scratch-built, Sailors hoist a horse aboard the ship. packed with a precious cargo of horses. The
mirror runs from left to right in the middle.
with the hull crafted by Steve Snyder.
Steve and Stan are fellow char-
ter members of the South Carolina
Military Miniature Society. Incidentally
Steve painted the background for the
club’s diorama depicting “The Charge
of the Light Brigade” during the
Crimean War (see issue 129). Steve,
by the way, specializes in collecting
Rose Miniatures. He possesses a col-
lection approaching 80 percent of all
the Rose castings ever produced by
that great manufacturer.
The previously mentioned strik-
ing element depicting a horse being
hoisted aboard in an elaborate sling
was created by another talented SC-
MMS member, Dave Gatti.
The superstructure of the ship is a
combination of wood and plastic parts,
many from Plastruct. The portholes
are large grommets. The davits, cowl-
ings, railings, ladders and pipes are a Some soldiers scale the ship’s gangplank to embark for the Sudan while others kneel on
combination of plastic and basswood. the dock for a blessing by a priest.
Of particular note are the lifeboats, various “connoisseur” figures. They ever, something was definitely missing
which are toy boats covered with include a nun by Belgo and a seated when one saw 150 battle-ready Spar-
paper toweling and glue and mounted sailor peeling potatoes made by tans from the rear!
in chocks. Hecker and Goros. Nonetheless, the Havottovah dio-
The pier at which the Havottovah is One particularly striking vignette rama really works. The entire scene
tied up was built by gluing individual portrays a priest blessing a group of comprises 58 sailors, 30 soldiers
strips of basswood to a thin plywood six soldiers. and 14 civilians. Or is it 29 sailors, 15
base, then staining them. soldiers and seven civilians? Whatever
SNAPSHOT OF HISTORY their real numbers are, these little
CONVERTING FIGURES No matter how often I look at Stan’s metal men and women take on a life
Because Stan wanted to portray diorama, I am always struck by the of their own reflected in the hands of a
soldiers in poses that were not readily effortless composition and the re- master. n
available, many of them were original- markable feeling that one is seeing a
ly civilian figures. They were modified snapshot of an actual historic event. ABOUT THE WRITER
by adding leggings and equipment, I would caution anyone inspired Dean M. Dizikes is a retired
then substituting heads and helmets. to try using mirrors as a backdrop U.S. diplomat who casts and
The figures are a dizzying combi- to plan carefully. When creating my paints figures in South Carolina.
nation of Britains, Rose and Phoenix own diorama of the 300 Spartans at He was born in Utah and spent
items converted beyond easy recogni- Thermopylae (see issue 85), I thought
his youth in California. His wife is
an artist and he has two beautiful,
tion to create unique poses. I would stop at 150 figures and use a married daughters.
Sprinkled throughout the scene are mirror to simulate the full 300. How-

6 1. WAR OF FAULTY
COMMUNICATIONS.
things...
You Might Not Know
About the War of 1812
The War of 1812 between Great Britain
and the United States began June 18,
1812, and ended Dec. 24, 1814, with the
Treaty of Ghent. However, the last major
battle was fought at New Orleans, La.,
TEXT: STUART A. HESSNEY
the British warship HMS Shannon shortly after

sailing from Boston, Mass., in 1813.
5. CANADIAN HEROINE
Laura Secord, who was born in 1774 and died
in 1868, became a Canadian heroine of mytho-
logical proportions due to her role in the 1813
Canada and losing the war. But Canadians
take great pride in the War of 1812’s out-
come, viewing it as setting the country on
the “slow path toward nationhood.”
Jan. 8, 1815, after the peace agreement Battle of Beaver Dams fought after U.S. forces
had been signed. For this and other un- invaded the Niagara Peninsula. She walked
fortunate circumstances, the conflict has about 20 miles out of American-occupied ter-
sarcastically been called the War of Faulty ritory to warn of an impending attack. Secord’s
Communications. information helped British forces and their
Mohawk Indian allies repel the invaders. Her
2. U.S. SAILORS MORE PREPARED story has been the subject of books, poetry
THAN SOLDIERS. and plays. Monuments have been raised and
In general, U.S. soldiers weren’t as expe- schools named in her honor. She has also
rienced nor as well trained as sailors. A been memorialized by a coin and
number of U.S. Navy seamen had fought postage stamp. She
against the Barbary pirates in North had no connection to
Africa. Others had gained experience from it, but many Canadians
being impressed and forced to serve on associate her with the
British Royal Navy warships. Laura Secord Choco-
lates company, which
3. NAPOLEON TRICKED PRESIDENT was named on the
MADISON. 100th anniversary of
French Emperor Napoleon I hoped his her fabled walk.
British foes would be diverted by a war
with the United States. This is why he 6. O CANADA!
tricked President James Madison into Because the War of
believing that France would cease inter- 1812 happened while
fering with U.S. merchant shipping. Actu- the epic Napoleonic
ally, Napoleon had no intention of lifting Wars were still being
French blockades. Nevertheless Madison fought, it is a little
believed him, so the president informed remembered sideshow
the British that the USA would trade with in Great Britain. It also
France, but not Britain, fanning the flames seems to be forgotten
of tensions that led to war. at worst or misunder-
stood at best in the
4. DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP! USA, where a hollow
The well-known saying “Don’t give up victory in the Battle of Recent additions to W.
New Orleans seems Britain’s matt-painted War of 1812 British 8th Foot ensign with the
the ship!” were the dying words of Capt. “Museum Collection” regimental colour made in traditional gloss
James Lawrence of the frigate USS to have overshadowed include the “U.S. Artil- by W. Britain exclusively for Canadian dealer
Chesapeake as it was being captured by failing to conquer leryman, 1813-14.” Scott J. Dummitt Presents.
63_TS231_6Things.indd 63 1/8/18 1:25 PM

Wargaming on a Grand Scale

The Toy Soldier Company’s James Delson outlines how to enjoy the plea-
sures of staging massive battles in miniature
TEXT AND PHOTOS: JAMES DELSON
P
laying toy soldier wargames on a always maneuver a few figures in a base for the Barbary Pirates, who are
grand scale is one of the col- big space, but packing in too many the foes in a multigame campaign.
lecting hobby’s great pleasures. models on a table, floor or lawn
Every step in the gaming process without room to maneuver should be RECRUITING THE ARMIES
has its own rewards, ranging from the avoided. The opposing armies are a defensive
creation of opposing armies to setting Next, you should employ a map, or force of 2,000 Barbary Pirates, North
them up in realistic environments series of maps, to allow movement of African mercenaries and European
across an expanse of floor, table or the armies before they reach the point freebooters pitted against an assault
lawn, and then maneuvering a wide of contact (see Footnote 1). My friends force of 6,000 British, American and
array of troops through the final goal and I generally draw our own maps of Bombay Marines, Highland infantry
of fighting out the ensuing battles. the battle locale because most of our regiments, British infantry regiments,
Although most gamers use one fig- games are not re-creations of history, and a mixed lot of 1,000 characters
ure to represent 30 or more soldiers, but fictionalized clashes. In any case, who have seen long service in “Har-
I have always preferred a 1-to-1 ratio. once you have your maps, the initial old’s Rangers.”
Since I was unable to find a suitable game creation stage is complete. I already had numerous painted
set of rules which fitted my require- For this article, I am using a game bodies of troops to use for the British
ments, I wrote my own, “Harold’s played in the past as an example. It and their allies, as well as the North
Rangers.” These rules cover eras involves an 1805 assault on a fortified African mercenaries and freebooters.
from the ancient world through the North African city which serves as a As a result, my aim in this game was to
mid-19th century, offering players
the feel and excitement of all types
of gaming, from small skirmishes to
grand-scale battles.
My friends and I have played count-
less wargames, using as few as 30
and as many as 15,000 figures at a
time in battles which span recorded
history. This article will attempt
to explain how a large-scale war-
game is created and played out with
1:32-scale figures, covering every
step in the process.
CREATING A BATTLE
The first step in any game is to
choose the battle you’re going to cre-
ate or re-create.
While it’s fun deciding on the pe-
riod in which you’re going to play, and
which troops to use, a more practical
choice is selecting the scale of the
battle. The scale issue encompasses
knowing you have the space to set up
and maneuver the units involved. To Barbary Pirates include top row: figures by Barzso; middle row, from left: Hing Fat pirate,
Armies in Plastic Arab, Barzso pirate and HäT Industrie Zouave, AIP Indian infantry; bottom
a great degree, the available playing row, from left: Barzso Robin Hood Merry Man, AIP Egyptian infantry, AIP Indian infantry,
space dictates game size. You can Jecsan Hun and HäT Zouave.
64-70_TS231_Wargaming.indd 64 1/18/18 4:55 PM

“Harold’s Rangers” characters from left include create and paint most of the Barbary
top row: Cyrano de Bergerac, Harold Godwinson, Pirates. The challenge was to amass
Richard Sharpe and Sgt. Harper; bottom row: 600 painted figures that would look
James Brooke, Zorro, Suzie the Samurai, Richard like they belonged together.
Francis Burton and Horatio Hornblower.
I chose Barbary Pirates made by
Ron Barzso of Barzso Playsets as
the primary costume source for the
1:32-scale force I was assembling. He
has only made one set of 13 figures
in seven poses, however, so the first
step was to choose similar sets which
could be altered by creative painting to
mix with the Barszo pirates to create
a cohesive group. I was looking for
baggy trousers, headgear which might
be appropriate and weapons of the
period.
I began with Italeri’s Mamelukes
and added HäT Industrie Zouaves;
Jecsan and Reamsa Moors; Jecsan
Huns; pirates by Hing Fat, Ideal, Marx,
Barzso and Charbens; Barzso’s own
Barbary Pirates in French war surplus uniforms include two HäT Napoleonic French line infantry command figures, two Barzso Barbary
Pirates and two Italeri 1805 French infantry figures.
Map of the pirate city. Wargames fought over a single tabletop don’t re- Six British Rifles figures on a 4-inch-square movement board.
quire a map, but a map is essential for a large-scale campaign.

Three versions of two British Rifles on 3-inch

squares.
wall. This wall featured projecting tow-

ers to provide flanking fire against lad-
der parties, ground-level hidden doors
to allow sorties by the defenders, a
strongly-defended gateway and dozens
of rooms, stairways, cul-de-sacs and
British Rifles form a 12-inch square with nine 4-inch boards, each filled with six defendable fallback positions built
men for a total of 54. A regiment totals 260 troops. within the massive structure to allow
all sorts of different smaller skirmish-
FOOTNOTE 1 Robin Hood’s Merry Men; and, just es when and if the assault force gained
because they looked so appropriate the top of the walls.
FINDING MAPS for the period, a contingent of Italeri’s As an escalade attack is such a
I’ve had success finding maps 1805 French infantry (imagining that challenge, I opted for giving the gam-
using the Google search engine when Napoleon’s army was evacu- ers controlling the allies a fair amount
on my computer. As an exam- ated from Egypt, their stores, includ- of intelligence in helping to plan their
ple, type in a reference, such as ing thousands of uniforms from the assault. I drew a map of the entire city.
“Gettysburg battlefield maps,” many casualties suffered throughout In a preparatory game this map
and hit the enter key. You will the campaign, were on sale in souks acted as a game board on which we
be presented with a wide ar- across the length to North Africa. played out an exploratory adventure.
ray of U.S. maps which can be The participants moved markers
downloaded and printed. CITY BUILDING & INTEL within the city to gather information on
You can then use cardboard I have long been fascinated by the the city’s gates, defenses, marketplac-
markers representing ele- concept of the escalade, a sudden es, palaces, harbor approaches, dens
ments of your army to move assault on a walled town or citadel of vice and corruption, and other sites.
cross-country to the battle site. accomplished with the use of scaling The allied team used the information
By choosing maps in different ladders. The Duke of Wellington (then to establish a plan of attack, and ar-
scales, you can have the game Arthur Wellesley) used this method ranged some “inside help” by suc-
progress across an entire coun- in India in his attack on Ahmednug- cessfully rolling dice to enlist several
try or county into a town and gur in 1803 and in his Peninsular War of their “Harold’s Rangers” characters
right up to a specific battle site. assault on Badajoz in 1812. For our as mercenaries in the service of the
For example, start with the game, I posited an escalade attack by pirates to help guard the walls which
state map of Pennsylvania, then the Anglo-American force against the were going to be attacked.
go to a map of Adams County, city.
then to a general map of the With this scenario in mind, I built LAYING OUT ARMIES
Gettysburg area, then, if this the set for the game. Using dozens of Once the gaming table was set up and
is your goal, to a map of Little sets from the Playmobil castle system, the map moves were completed, the
Round Top and its environs. I spent 30 hours building a 20-foot process of putting out the opposing
This is a free service. wide, 2-foot high and 2-foot deep city armies began.
Below: Composite photo showing the eight-regiment Allied attack force starting to cross the bluff under cover of darkness. It’s divisison-
sized and laid out in columns of companies, approximately 200 men wide and 40 men deep.

Soldiers from the South Essex Regiment use ladders to scale the
The Allies are just crossing over the ridge and coming into sight walls. Attacking on their left is the Scots Guards.
of the pirates on the walls, which are 8 feet away from the camera
position.
The first step was to be sure that For groups of nine foot soldiers, I use 4 used to “make change” when remov-
the overwhelming number of the by 4-inch squares (gluing three rows of ing casualties and to fight out little
8,000 figures to be used in the game three). Trained infantry are in ordered skirmishes in the confines of a house,
were based. This is an essential step rows. Mobs and untrained groups are on a castle wall, or wherever boards
in grand-scale wargaming. Imagine more haphazardly placed. are out of place.
having to set up 8,000 figures one at a To facilitate movement of larger
time, then having to move each one as bodies of troops, I place the battens BEGINNING THE GAME
the game turns progress. It would take and/or Masonite squares on larger 12 Finally, the set was built, the armies
days for each turn. But using move- by 12-inch Masonite squares. These were based and the players had
ment boards -- almost every figure can then be grouped on 24 by 24-inch formed a plan of attack. It was time to
used in our games is based -- vastly squares, the largest size of board that play.
cuts down setup and movement time. can be easily moved. A 12-inch square Most of the allied units began the
The first method is glueless, and is of 12 battens holds 144 troops, a 12- game on the playing table while only
best-suited for regular infantry units. I inch square of 16 3 by 3-inch Masonite one regiment of the pirate forces was
have a lumberyard cut 12-inch lengths squares holds 64, and a 12-inch placed on the wall. We used cardboard
of wooden battens. These are about square of nine 4 by 4-inch squares markers on the map to show the loca-
1/8-inch thick and 1-inch wide. Then holds 81. The most a 24 by 24-inch tion of the other units at the start of
I screw the “eyes” from hook and eye square can hold is 576 figures, which is the game.
sets into the ends and middle of each the strength of a fairly large regiment Since the attackers had decided on
stick. I can place 12 figures on each on campaign. a surprise assault just before dawn,
stick, holding them in place by running Brigades are formed by combin- they had the advantage of knowing
a 12-inch dowel through the eyes. ing several regiments, and divisions that the defending army was scat-
The second method uses glue and by combining several brigades. Now tered around the city, in barracks and
is more appropriate for skirmishers, we’re looking at grand-scale wargam- on guard duty. The pirates had only
irregulars, troops in column and coming (see Footnote 2). one full regiment assigned to duty at
mand units. I glue pairs of skirmish- I always have available numerous the wall, and only 20 percent of them
ers on 3 by 3-inch squares of 1/8-inch figures from each unit I paint which were actually on guard while the rest
thick Masonite. Regular infantry on the are not based. For while one can were asleep in guard rooms within the
march are placed in groups of four on always take glued figures off their wall’s built-in quarters.
3 by 3-inch squares (two rows of two). movement boards, loose figures are The attackers, however, were

A South Essex private climbs past some

North African mercenaries as he scales the
wall.
Despite furious fire from the walls’ defenders, the South Essex Regiment perseveres. The FOOTNOTE 2
95th Rifles provide suppressive fire.
BASING ARMIES
concentrated beyond sight and sound the exploration of the town, time For basing armies, I purchase
of the defenders. The city was over- passed in hours and days. But as the boards at any lumberyard.
looked by a sandy bluff, behind which soon as the attack commenced, we A lumberyard will supply the
the allies had formed into their attack spoke in terms of phases. In “Harold’s Masonite in 8 by 4-foot sheets,
columns. Rangers,” the smallest measurement then cut the sheets to size for
of time is a phase, which equals five a fee.
ATTACK BEGINS: TURN 1 seconds of real time. One sheet cut into 3 by
First, a word about time scales. As the attackers approached the 3-inch squares yields 512
In a wargame, time can pass very wall, they moved in columns at the squares. One sheet cut into 4
quickly, such as when an army is on quick march carrying ladders. They by 4-inch squares yields 288
the march cross-country. But when were moving in semi-darkness, as squares. One sheet yields 32
troops come into contact, time slows. the attack was going in at 5 a.m., and 12 by 12-inch squares. For the
Thus, while we were talking through they were traveling across broken larger 24 by 24-inch pieces,
which are used to transport
hundreds of figures, I use
either ¼-inch Masonite or
plywood.
I glue the figures to the
boards with a small dot of hot
glue, which allows them to
remain in place indefinitely or
permits easy removal with a
penknife by prying them up.
The lumberyard will also
cut 12-inch lengths of wooden
battens. These are about 1/8-
inch thick and 1-inch wide. If
the lumberyard doesn’t supply
the “eyes” from hook and eye
sets, you can purchase them at
a hardware store. I use an awl
The second wave’s left wing comes up to support the first assault regiments. Included here
to punch a small indentation in
are elements of the Bombay Marines, 24th Foot, Coldstream Guards and three more compa- the batten to create a starting
nies of the 95th Rifles. hole for the insertion of the eye.

The Forlorn Hope storms the breach, with a squad of Harold’s

An explosive charge shears off a section of wall, opening a breach. Rangers leading a company of the 78th Highlanders.
firing. This was a difficult shot, as SECOND WAVE: TURN 60

the attackers were moving and the Twenty-five minutes of game time had
predawn light cut down the chance passed. The troops of the first wave
of a hit. Nevertheless, as the attack- who had crossed the open ground,
ers presented such a big target, they thrown ladders against the wall and
started taking casualties. climbed into action were taking heavy
As the attack columns got closer, casualties.
they came within musket range. Then a second wave of allied troops
Although muskets are notoriously crossed the bluff as dawn began to
inaccurate, when fired en masse they break and moved at the charge to
did take their toll. Thus, when the col- reinvigorate the attack.
Rangers and Highlanders widen the breach.
umns reached the environs of the wall At the same time, the first of
ground. Using the “Harold’s Rang- they were somewhat thinned. the scattered elements of the town
ers” movement tables, this meant the defenders’ reinforcements began to
attack columns were lurching along LADDERS GO UP: TURN 33 arrive at the wall.
at 4 inches per phase (1 inch equals 1 As the attackers reached the wall,
yard in game scale). As their starting they threw up their ladders and began KABOOM!: TURN 108
position was 120 inches away from the to climb (see Footnote 3). The defend- While the assault continued, a section
wall, it would take 32 phases (32 turns ing regiment, all of whom had now of wall was blown up by attackers
equals 12.5 minutes of game time) to reached their posts, poured fire into who set kegs of gunpowder against a
reach the point at which they could them from front and flank positions. weak spot in the outer wall.
raise their ladders and begin climb- The darkness helped keep the This was when their friends inside
ing. casualties down. But with all those acted as well, lighting the fuse on a
During the first few phases of bullets, arrow flights and grenades similar charge inside a lower store-
this 12.5 minutes of game time, the coming in from all sides, the wounded room which they had placed on the
lookouts on the walls saw the at- count continued to rise. This was day before the attack.
tacking columns. They sounded the despite the fact that a huge proportion The result: a breach!
alarm, waking the rest of the regiment of the attacking force, awaiting their
stationed to guard the wall. The sleep- turn at the ladders, were putting down FIRST IN BREACH: TURN 120
ing troops awoke, armed themselves suppressive fire at every window, ar- A picked group of attackers had been
and rushed to their assigned posts. row slit and crenulated wall section. standing by for just this moment.
Further alarms were raised through- While this was happening, troops Forming a Forlorn Hope, they rushed
out the city, where regiments began to from around the city were rushing to into the breach to gain a toehold in
mobilize to reinforce the defenders. reinforce the wall. These troops were the defenses.
The attacking columns came into not yet on the table – the moves were Following troops stood by to cross
range of the bow-armed defenders being made with cardboard markers through the breach to attack the
as soon as they crested the rise of on the map – but there was a lot of defenders from their flanks and clear
the bluff behind which they had been tension as to whether they would ar- them from the walls
sheltering. These defenders began rive in time.

FOOTNOTE 3
LADDER TIPS
As the walls used in this
game are so tall, I had to
make my own ladders.
I fabricated several
dozen ladders using 12-
inch wooden skewers for
rails and kitchen matches
for rungs. I had to glue two
finished ladders together
end-to-end to make them
Close-up of Harold Godwinson in the breach. After breaking into the city, the Rangers and
tall enough to reach the
Highlanders begin clearing the walls of defenders top of the wall.
TURNING FLANKS: TURN 150 and fanning out.
Fresh allied troops, flooding into the
breach, adding their weight to the
force clearing the walls.
The weary troops of the first wave,
who had been fighting their way up
the ladders, were reinvigorated and
renewed their assault.
RALLY FOILED: TURN 175

Although larger numbers of pirates
and mercenaries were arriving and
forming up to counterattack, it was
too late to rally and retake the walls.
Allied troops who had gained the
wall poured fire into the defenders’
reinforcements at close range while
they attempted to form for the attack.
SECOND LINE: TURN 215

All was not lost, however. The pirates
had prepared a second defensive line.
The Allies now had to reform to as-
sault this position. The Allied second wave moves in to finish off the pirates.
HAND TO HAND: TURN 235

Thinned but determined regiments of ABOUT THE WRITER
British, American, Indian and Scottish American James Delson is a lifelong collector and wargamer. He is
soldiers stormed the second line. The a former screenwriter and journalist, computer gaming critic, and
pirates, who were more accustomed sculptor. Jamie owns The Toy Soldier Company, which has been selling
to brief sea fights than sustained land plastic and metal soldiers and accessories through its catalogs and Web-
battles, fled into the night while the site since 1984.
city fell to the victors.
CONCLUSION
This was just one example of our GET IN TOUCH
large-scale gaming experiences. The Toy Soldier Company
We’ve played many games. To read Toll-Free Tel: 1-888-825-8697 (U.S. Only)
about “Harold’s Rangers” games Tel: (201) 792-6665
and see photos, please visit The Toy Fax: (201) 792-2626
Website: www.toysoldierco.com
Soldier Company online. n

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071_TS231_AdPage.indd 71 1/16/18 10:48 AM

BOOK REVIEWS READ ALL ABOUT IT...
HANNIBAL’S ROAD
One-eyed resounding victories in major battles at vastly outnumbered. Despite such adver-
Carthagin- the Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. sity, he managed to sustain his polyglot
ian Han- He won over a number of Rome’s Italian army and campaigned across Southern
nibal Barca allies, but never mustered a march on the Italy for another decade, thereby tying
is regarded capital city itself. down enemy forces and keeping Rome on
as one of Eventually, a Roman counter-invasion the defensive.
the greatest of North Africa compelled Hannibal to A few black-and-white photographs
generals in return to Carthage. The Roman general of landmarks and maps illustrate this
military his- Scipio Africanus used some of Hannibal’s 262-page, hardcover book’s well written
tory. After the own tactics to decisively defeat him in the narrative analyzing the often overlooked
Second Punic Battle of Zama, which marked the end of longest phase of the war. Roberts’ ac-
War began the war in 202 B.C. count underscores and how Hannibal
in 218 B.C., Mike Roberts’ new book, “Hannibal’s proved to be a resourceful and remark-
he accom- Road: The Second Punic War in Italy 213- able strategic and tactical genius. n
plished the amazing feat of marching an 203 B.C.” is an intriguing study focusing
army with elephants from Iberia across on how the Carthaginian commander
the Pyrenees and Alps to invade Italy and defied all odds and occupied the Romans’ ABOUT THE BOOK
nearly bring the Roman Republic to its backyard for so long. Author: Mike Roberts
knees. The author details how the overall war Published by: Pen & Sword Military
Hannibal’s aptitude for exploiting the was clearly tilting in Rome’s favor by 213 ISBN: 978-1-47385-595-3
strengths and weaknesses of both his B.C. At his stage, Hannibal was receiv- Price: £25 U.K./$39.95 U.S.
own army and his foes’ forces led to ing meager support from home and was
SHREWSBURY 1403: STRUGGLE FOR A FRAGILE CROWN

Reviewed by Gage Bell
Dickon King Henry IV and his son, Prince the stage for King Henry V’s astound-
Whitewood Henry, against rebels led by their ing victory at Agincourt and the strife of
succinctly erstwhile ally Henry Percy, commonly the Wars of the Roses.
chroni- known as Hotspur. Color plates created by Graham
cles the The opposing English armies were Turner, maps, artwork and photo-
campaign well-matched and fought with similar graphs illustrate this 96-page paper-
surround- tactics and equipment. The clash was back’s account of the medieval maneu-
ing one of marked by an archery duel in which vering and mayhem. n
English his- the arrows “fell like leaves in autumn.”
tory’s most The outcome was ultimately de-
important cided in fierce close-quarters combat ABOUT THE BOOK
battles in in which the King’s men prevailed. His Author: Dickon Whitewood
“Shrews- victory was celebrated by playwright Illustrator: Graham Turner
bury 1403: Struggle for a Fragile William Shakespeare in “Henry IV, Part Published by: Osprey Publishing,
Crown.” 1.” Campaign 316
The battle was fought July 21, 1403, The monarch secured his blood- ISBN: 978-1-4728-2680-0
a few miles north of its namesake line’s right to the throne and the Lan- Price: £14.99 U.K./$24 U.S.
town in the West Midlands. It pitted castrian grip on the kingdom. This set
72-73_TS231_BookReviews.indd 72 1/8/18 11:22 AM

BOOK REVIEWS
INDESTRUCTIBLE as an aircraft mechanic while learning commander of the Allied air forces in
to fly on his own time. the Southwest Pacific that Gunn re-
Reviewed by A.J. Mergenthaler
Gunn re-enlisted in 1923 and be- ceived official support for his technical
The came a naval aviator. He became a innovations.
preface member of the Flying Chiefs, a squad- Gunn had started by converting
of “Inde- ron comprised almost entirely of Havoc A-20s of the 3rd Bombardment
structible: enlisted men. Group into strafing aircraft by install-
One Man’s Gunn and his wife, Polly, had four ing .50-caliber machine guns in their
Rescue children. After 21 years of service in the noses. He also modified bomb racks to
Mission Navy, he retired in 1939. accommodate fragmentation bombs.
That Gunn then started Hawaiian Air Gunn did similar work on B-25
Changed Lines and Philippine Air Lines. Flying medium bombers, turning them into
the Course out of Manila, he made island hops lethal firing platforms. His low-level
of WWII” across the Pacific. attack innovations were combined with
begins Following the Japanese attack on skip bombing to play a pivotal role in
with, “The Pearl Harbor in 1941, Gunn reactivated the destruction of Japanese air, ground
sharks fed, his military career. He was made a and naval forces in the Bismarck Sea
and men captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces. and elsewhere.
screamed.” Gunn flew officers and important The eventual release of Gunn’s
That passage refers to the after- personnel from the Philippines to family from captivity in 1945 and his
math of U.S. and Australian air forces’ Australia. Meanwhile, Japanese forces fascinating life make this book a real
destruction of a Japanese troop convoy invaded Luzon and occupied Manila. page turner. After retiring as a colonel,
escorted by destroyers en route to Gunn’s family and other foreign nation- he rebuilt Philippine Air Lines.
Papua, New Guinea, during the Battle als were imprisoned in the capital city’s Gunn was awarded the Distin-
of the Bismarck Sea March 3, 1943. infamous Santo Tomas Internment guished Flying Cross twice. He was
Its significance as a turning point in Camp. also awarded the Silver Star, Legion of
the Pacific War that contributed to Thus began “PI” Gunn’s never- Merit, Air Medal, WWII Victory Medal
the eventual defeat of Imperial Japan ending attempts to rescue them. Along and nine Purple Hearts. n
is only a small part of author John R. the way he became a living legend due
Bruning’s extremely engrossing story to his many incredible experiences and
of a very unique and heroic individual: combat aircraft innovations. ABOUT THE BOOK
Paul I. “Pappy” Gunn. Gunn made unauthorized mechani- Author: John R. Bruning
Born in 1899 in Arkansas, he came cal modifications that he sometimes Published by: Hachette Books
from a hardscrabble background. Gunn partially financed himself. It was not ISBN: 978-0-316-33940-7
enlisted in the Navy in 1919. He served until Gen. George C. Kenney became Price: $28 U.S./$36.50 Canada
NASHVILLE 1864
Reviewed by Leo Winston
Mark Lardas Gen. John Bell Hood hoped to seize That quotation echoes how this
maps out one the initiative by attacking the supply reader appreciates the author’s profiles
of the Ameri- lines of Union Gen. William Tecum- of the opposing commanders.
can Civil War’s seh Sherman. Then the Confederate Artwork by Adam Hook, period pho-
key campaigns commander intended to forge north to tographs and drawings, maps and “3-D
in “Nashville retake Nashville, the capital of Tennes- birds-eye-views” illustrate how this
1864: From the see. campaign held the outcome of the war
Tennessee to Lardas concisely covers how this in the balance for 11 weeks. n
the Cumber- three-month campaign confounded the
land.” expectations of the opposing armies.
ABOUT THE BOOK
His account For example, the Confederates antici- Author: Mark Lardas
begins with Union troops driving a stake pated confronting Sherman’s Army of Illustrator: Adam Hook
into the heart of the Confederacy in Tennessee. Instead, the Rebels faced Published by: Osprey Publishing,
September 1864. Southern forces were the Army of the Cumberland, led by Campaign 314
forced to abandon Atlanta and were George R. Thomas, “a phlegmatic gen- ISBN: 978-1-4728-1982-6
on the brink of being driven out of the eral temperamentally different to both Price: £14.99 U.K./$24 U.S.
crucial state of Tennessee. the mercurial Hood and Sherman.”
72-73_TS231_BookReviews.indd 73 1/8/18 11:22 AM

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FEATURE
Johnson’s Artwork Takes Wing

AeroArt owner Thor Johnson illustrates the ‘China’s Wings’ calendar
TEXT: STUART A. HESSNEY PHOTOS: AEROART AND STUART A. HESSNEY
B
efore Thor John-
son became
renowned in the
toy soldier and
model figure hobby
for his St. Petersburg
Collection of exquisite,
Russian-made figures,
the talented artist was
an airline executive. Thor John-
Now his artistry, son shows off
Saracens from
business career and
The AeroArt St.
expertise as a historian Petersburg Col-
have been combined in lection.
a colorful 2018 calendar
titled “China’s Wings” and published
by the Pan Am Historical Foundation.
Thor drew wonderful pictures and wrote
detailed captions highlighting the China
National Aviation Corp. (CNAC), “the
most momentous airline partnership in A CNAC Douglas C-47 flies over the
Pan Am’s history.” Himalayan “Hump” between India
and China during WWII in calendar
Thor too modestly commented, “It’s artwork by Thor Johnson.
not great art, but was fun to do!”
Chinese Generalissimo Chiang The CNAC/Pan Am arrangement tions in 1991, he continued his aviation
Kai-shek formed CNAC in 1928 as a suffered a major setback when Japan career by serving as a vice president of
partnership between his government invaded China in 1937. But even after DynAir Technologies, BWI International
and Curtiss-Wright Corp., according to losing its hub as Shanghai fell to the and KIWI International.
calendar introductory notes penned by Japanese, the Chinese/American part- Thor and his wife, Nikki, reside in Vir-
Gregory Crouch, author of the 2012 book nership played an important role in the ginia, where he helms AeroArt Interna-
“China’s Wings.” At the time, China was survival of China’s Nationalist govern- tional. He orchestrates production of the
embroiled in chaos as warring factions ment. St. Petersburg Collection of world-class,
fought to establish a national govern- The Japanese resorted to hunting air- connoisseur-quality figures. He has also
ment while faced with the looming liners. In 1938, they shot down a CNAC penned books about military miniatures
specter of conquest by expansion-mind- DC-2 flying from Hong Kong. It was and the Crusades, created aviation-
ed Imperial Japan. history’s first civilian airliner downed by themed art projects, and owns the Pan
The fledgling Chinese airline caught hostile action. CNAC turned to nighttime Am film library. His expansive knowl-
the attention of U.S.-based Pan Am’s and foul weather operations to carry on edge of aviation history has been tapped
intrepid President Juan Trippe, who har- in a combat zone during the ensuing for print and television interviews.
bored the visionary goal of becoming the World War II years. The 90th anniversary of Pan Am’s
first airline to span the Pacific Ocean. To CNAC aircraft of varied types and first passenger flight is being celebrated
circumvent China’s refusal to grant land- makes are captured in Thor’s colorful in 2018. Also being marked is the 50th
ing rights to any foreign-flagged airline, artwork. After serving in the U.S. Air anniversary of the very first Boeing 747
Pan Am acquired Curtiss-Wright’s 45 Force, he embarked on a 28-year career Jumbo Jet coming off the assembly line
percent share of CNAC in 1933. CNAC with Pan Am World Airways, the iconic for delivery to Pan Am.
collected traffic in Shanghai, then fed airline which pioneered transoceanic This picturesque calendar is available
passengers to Pan Am flying boats in the travel and innovated adoption of jet via new and renewed memberships in
British Crown Colony of Hong Kong to aircraft. Thor rose to vice president while the foundation, formed in 1992 to pre-
traverse their transoceanic route to San serving in domestic and overseas as- serve the Pan Am legacy. n
Francisco, Calif. signments. After Pan Am ceased opera-
76_TS231_Thor.indd 76 1/9/18 3:28 PM

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21-Gun Salute Chicago Show Coverage Ancient Warriors Adobe Walls Battles RAF Aerodrome Diorama Strike up the Band Prague Toy Museum
Space Port Playset by Cohn A Christmas Village Napoleon’s Old Guard Custer’s Last Stand Japanese Samurai Warriors Canadian Artillery Soldiers of the WWI AEF
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WORLD’S No.1 MAGAZINE FOR COLLECTORS OF ALL STRIPES! WORLD’S No.1 MAGAZINE FOR COLLECTORS OF ALL STRIPES! WORLD’S No.1 MAGAZINE FOR COLLECTORS OF ALL STRIPES!
THE WORLD’S NO. 1 MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE FOR
FOR COLLECTORS
COLLECTORS OF ALL STRIPES
STRIPES
SOLDIER
THE WORLD’S NO. 1 MAGAZINE
THE MAGAZINEFOR
FORCOLLECTORS
COLLECTORS OF ALL
ALL STRIPES
STRIPES
SOLDIER
TOY
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n SPECIAL EDITION NO. 1 2017 n FEB/MAR 2017 ISSUE 221 www.toy-soldier.com
www.toy-soldier.com ISSUE 222 www.toy-soldier.com NAPOLEON’S RETREAT FROM RUSSIA BY FIRST LEGION W. TROO
ISSUE 223
K&C REMEMBERS THE INSPIRATIONS BEHIND ANZAC DAY BRITA PS
DISTINCTLY BRITISH ISSUE ANCIENT HAPPY CAMPERS

IN
SANTA CLAUS & SCROOGE FREN W IN
BY CH EN
COMING TO TOWN FROM K&C FIR
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BEST OF BRITISH MILITARY HISTORY & CEREMONIAL PAGEANTRY LEGI ER
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Little Dickens Christmas
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win � Drums Along the Mohawk $10.95 / £4.95

$10.95 / £4.95
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22
enter to win H British Army on Parade enter to win H Mark Antony & Cleopatra $8.50/£4.95 07 IN THIS ISSUE: 05
� Chicago Show Photo Tableau

02 • The Soldier and the Flag • Plastic Armies on the Campaign Trail • The Morning After at Isandlwana
• Bloody Somme Centenary • ACW Engines of War • WWI Lone Pine Aussies & Turks
H Coronation Pageantry H Victorian Nile Wars 9 771359 742057 >
U.S. CAVALRY • 17th Lancers in Zululand • The Man on Horseback • Aztec & Mayan Mystery
• Pappy Boyington’s Black Sheep Squadron • Churchill in WWI’s Trenches • Custer’s Last Stand
• Florida Show • Waterloo British and Brunswick Infantry • Three Musketeers • Confederate Foot Soldiers
SPECIAL WWI SET KING & COUNTRY FROM KINGS X � Wooden Toy Soldiers • Custer’s Last Stand • Plastic Viet Cong • WWII Axis & Allies • Patton Bust Project • Roman Legionnaires • Ancient Troy’s Mighty Walls • Top Tips for Displaying Model Figures
FROM TRADITION H Changing the Guard CHRISTMAS SETS H Viking & Saxon Warriors • A Picture (Frame) Is Worth 1,000 Words • Roman Legionnaires • Woodland Indians
9 771359 742057 > 9 771359 742057 >
9 771359 742033 >
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ISSUE 223 ISSUE 222 ISSUE 221 ISSUE 218 ISSUE 216 ISSUE 215 ISSUE 213
British Army on Parade Roman Army Camp Dickens Christmas Custer’s Last Stand The Soldier & the Flag Kings African Rifles Christmas Collectibles
Coronation Pageantry Antony & Cleopatra Chicago Show Report Roman Légionnaires Isandlwana Painting Faces WWII’s Battle of the Bulge
Changing the Guard Victorian Nile Wars Wooden Toy Soldiers Woodland Indians Retreat from Russia San Jacinto Project ARW British Artillery
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PRIZE EXERCISE ENTER THE TS&MF COMPETITION
WIN SANTA CLAUS ON A MOTORBIKE BY K&C

This time TS&MF’s readers have a messenger bag slung over his shoul- are motorcycle enthusiasts in hope of
chance to win Santa Claus coming to der. He also wears an American-style hooking them on our hobby!
town on a motorcycle with a sidecar M1 helmet with boughs of holiday This matt-painted, 1:30-scale Santa
loaded with holiday joy for good girls holly stuck in the camouflage netting. set retails for $149 U.S. But thanks to
and boys thanks to King & Country Santa’s bag overflows with practical the generous holiday spirit of the great
Ltd. gifts like a colorful and warm woolen folks at K&C, TS&MF’s readers can
The Hong Kong-based manufac- scarf as well as fun toys for tots such have a chance to win one simply by
turer has been producing special sets as a basketball, dollhouse, stuffed sending in the correct answer to the
for the Christmas season since 2002. animals and wrapped presents. He following question:
For 2017, cofounder and Creative also has a wooden case of soda bot-
Director Andy C. Neilson and his team tles to give frontline troops a taste of Which actor portrays Kris Kringle
conceived both “Santa on Motorbike” home. in the 1947 version of the Christmas
(ref. XM017-02), which is being offered These 2017 releases are wonderful movie “Miracle on 34th Street?”
as the TS&MF competition prize; as additions to K&C’s Christmas series.
well as a festive Christmas tree (ref. The same maker also delves into holi- A. John Payne
XM017-01) lit with candles and deco- day season-related themes with its
rated with ornaments with gifts piled “Life of Jesus” and “World of Dickens” B. William Frawley
beneath. ranges.
Kris Kringle looks like a World War The biker Santa would be striking C. Edmund Gwenn
II American GI version of the jolly old addition to any hobbyist’s collection. It
elf straddling a combination mod- would also be a perfect gift for col- D. Gene Lockhart
eled in an olive drab paint scheme. lectors to present to any friends who
Its designation on the front fender is
“MP2017,” which indicates the year of
K&C’s “Santa on Motorbike” (ref.
this set’s release and how Santa might XM017-2) looks a bit like a WWII GI
have parked his reindeer-drawn sleigh with a gift-laden sidecar.
before borrowing this motorized ride
from the U.S. Army Military Police.
St. Nick waves a greeting with a
big cheery smile peeking through his
snow-white beard. Though he is mod-
eled in a traditional red suit with bells
on, Father Christmas is outfitted like
a military dispatch rider with a leather
HOW TO WIN!
All entries must be submitted in writ-
ing with your complete contact details,
including an e-mail address if avail-
able. Entries can mailed to Issue 231
Prize Exercise, TS&MF, Ashdown Ltd.,
PO Box 2258, Pulborough, West Sus-
sex, England, U.K. RH20 9BA. Entries
can also be sent to Issue 231 Prize
Exercise, TS&MF, Ashdown Inc., PO
Box 219, Kasson, MN, USA 55944. All
entries must be received by March 31,
2018.
78-79_TS231_PrizeExercise .indd 78 1/10/18 9:09 AM

PRIZE EXERCISE
PREVIOUS WINNER ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to the lucky
winner of the issue 228 “Prize
Exercise” featuring five figures
from W. Britain’s “Museum Col-
lection” inspired by the Texas
Revolution’s fabled Battle of the
Alamo.
Texians seeking independ-
ence from Mexico captured
San Antonio de Bexar in 1835.
They fortified the former Alamo
Catholic mission in the center
of the town.
However, most of the re-
bels’ settlements were located
far to the east. Consequently,
Gen. Sam Houston concluded
that holding San Antonio was “Museum Collection”
“Santa Anna, “Mexican Infantry “James Bowie at W. Britain’s new figures include “David
unnecessary, not to mention 1836” (ref. 10056) by No. 1, 1836” the Alamo 1836” portrait of “William Crockett at the Alamo,
impossible. W. Britain. (ref. 10064). (ref. 10065). B. Travis, 1836” 1836” (ref. 10063).
He sent Jim Bowie to (ref. 10057).
destroy the Alamo, then return with
all of its men and artillery. But Bowie nessee frontiersman and former U.S. around £33.99 U.K./$36 U.S. But
decided to ignore Houston’s orders congressman David Crockett. thanks to the generosity of W. Brit-
after seeing the old Spanish mission’s Mexican President and Gen. Anto- ain General Manager and Creative
defenses and becoming convinced of nio Lopez de Santa Anna arrived with Director Kenneth A. Osen, TS&MF
the need to defend the town. his army and laid siege. He ordered reader William Wyatt of London, Ont.,
The small garrison could have an assault that overwhelmed and Canada, won all five by knowing John
escaped being besieged, but the wiped out the approximately 200 de- Wayne was the actor who portrayed
men were opted to hold their ground. fenders in less than two hours March Davy Crockett in the 1960 movie “The
According to legend, only one man de- 6, 1836. About 600 Mexican soldiers Alamo.”
clined when their commander, Lt. Col. were killed in the clash. Kudos to the issue 228 “Prize
William Travis, used his sword to draw W. Britain is retelling the stirring Exercise” winner, and many thanks to
a line in the sand, then asked all of the story of the Alamo with highly detailed all of the other readers who entered.
defenders who were willing to fight to 58-mm figures graced by painstak- Please keep on trying because you’ve
the death to cross it. Bowie was even ing matt painting and shading. They got to be in it to win it!
said to have been carried across the portray Santa Anna, a Mexican infan-
line in his sickbed. The most famous tryman, Travis, Crockett and Bowie.
of the doomed defenders was Ten- These figures retail singly for
NEXT TIME WIN...

Next time in TS&MF issue 232,
readers will have a chance to
win a Confederate artillery set
titled “We Hit Em Boys!” from
W. Britain’s expansive Ameri-
can Civil War lineup courtesy of
General Manager and Creative
Director Kenneth A. Osen.
78-79_TS231_PrizeExercise .indd 79 1/10/18 9:09 AM

Toy Soldier & Model Figure is now
available on the iTunes Newsstand for
your iPad and iPhone.
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081_TS231_AdPage.indd 81 1/16/18 10:57 AM

CALENDAR FEBRUARY to APRIL 2018
FEBRUARY Salle Omnisports, Clarens, Switzerland. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. British Model Soldier Society (Ealing Branch), Northfields
Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Community Centre, 71a Northcroft Road, Ealing, England.
Sat., Feb. 3, North Surrey Military Modelling Group Annual Meets on the second Friday every month. Information:
Features vendors, figure and scale model painting demon-
Open Day and Competition, Banstead Community Hall, Bruce Harron, tel: 07847 855 850.
strations, and an international competition. Website: www.
Park Road, Banstead, Surrey, England, U.K. SM7 3AJ. 10
mtxms.ch.
a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature club stands, traders
and competitions for military and non-military modelers. British Model Soldier Society (Essex Branch), Two Brew-
Website: www.nsmmg.org.uk. Thurs. to Sun., March 15-18, Cold Wars, Lancaster Host ers, Springfield Road, Chelmsford, England. Meets at 8
Resort & Conference Center, 2300 Lincoln Highway East p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month. Informa-
(Route 30), Lancaster, Pa., USA. Registration begins 7-9 tion: Les Bickmore, tel: 01621 744234.
Fri. to Sun., Feb. 16-18, Atlanta Military Figure Society’s
p.m. Thursday; exhibitors’ area open from noon to 6 p.m.
41st Annual Show, Atlanta Marriott Century Center,
Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sun- British Model Soldier Society (Northants Branch),
2000 Century Blvd., Atlanta, Ga., USA. The vendor hall
day. Weekend and daily admission fees vary for members Wellingborough Bowls Club, Hatton Park Road, Welling-
opens to the public at 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday
of the sponsoring Historical Miniatures Gaming Society borough, Northants, England. Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the
and Sunday. Admission $15 for preregistered exhibitors
and non-members. Convention theme: “Holy Wars and first Tuesday of every month. Information: Terry O’Neill,
with unlimited entries, $5 per day for non-exhibitors and
Those That Fight Them.” Website: www.hmgs.site-ym. tel: 01933 681536.
children under age 12 free. Features seminars, an exhibi-
com.
tion, competition and awards. Theme: “Pirates.” Contact:
e-mail: atlantafigures@atlantafigures.org; Website: www. British Model Soldier Society (Northern Branch) and the
atlantafigures.org. Sun., March 25, FigureWorld West in conjunction with Manchester Association of Military Modelling Societies
the Stoke on Trent Model Club, Sir Stanley Matthews meet jointly from 1 to 5 p.m. on the third Saturday of every
Academy, Ormston, Beaconsfield Drive, Blurton, Stoke on month at the Sale Moor Methodist Church Hall, North-
Fri., Feb. 23, W. Britain 125th Anniversary Symposium,
Trent, England, U.K. ST3 3JD. enden Road, Sale Moor, England. Adults £1 (children free).
Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main St., Louisville, Ky.,
USA. Doors open at 7 p.m. Speakers at 7:30 p.m., includ- Information: Tom Cunningham, tel: 01614 992803.
ing W. Britain General Manager and Creative Director APRIL
Kenneth A. Osen; Chicago Toy Soldier Show organizer Sun., April 8, 3rd Annual Midwest Toy Soldier Show, Irish Model Soldier Society, Garda Club, Harrington
Roger Garfield; and donor Charles Stewart, whose Courtyard by Marriott Conference Center, 150 Fairington Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Meets on the first Thursday
collection of figures by Britains and other makers is the Ave., Lafayette, Ind., USA. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $5; of every month. Information: Tony Foley, tel: 00 353 1
cornerstone of the museum’s 20,000 figures on per- children under age 12 free. Hotel room trading April 6 and 4932248.
manent public display. A $35 ticket covers catered food, 7. Presented by the Midwest Toy Soldier Group. Contact:
Kentucky bourbon and a special event figure by W. Britain Steve Connell, tel: (734) 455-0724; Rick Keller, tel: (765) Letchworth Scale Model Club, host of the British Model
depicting a U.S. infantryman in honor of Kentucky’s role in 430-6289; or Rod Chapman, tel: (740) 924-2531; Website: Soldier Society North Herts Branch. Meets on the third
the War of 1812. Contact: W. Britain, tel: (419) 865-5077 or www.mwtoysoldier.com. Wednesday of every month from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the
Website: wbritain.com; or the Frazier, tel: (502) 753-5663 Four Emblems Club, 2 Station Road, Letchworth Garden
or Website: www.fraziermuseum.org. The symposium Sun., April 15, North East Toy Soldier Society’s 59th Bian- City, Hertfordshire, England, U.K. All welcome. Guests
was scheduled to coincide with the Show of Shows nual Toy Soldier Show, Crowne Plaza, 15 Middlesex Canal must pay a £1 club guest membership fee to comply with
historic arms and militaria event staged by the Ohio Valley Park, Woburn, Mass., USA. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $6; the social club venue’s bylaws. Information: Rod Johnson,
Military Society Feb. 22-25 at the Kentucky Expo Center in children under age 15 free. Contact: show Chairman Mat- club secretary and BMSS area representative, tel: 01438
Louisville. thew Murphy of Hobby Bunker, tel: (781) 321-8855; e-mail: 814225; Website: www.letchworthsmc.yolasite.com.
matt@hobbybunker.com; Website: www.hobbybunker.
Sat., Feb. 24, On Track Military Model Show, Leas Cliff com/events. Ontario Model Soldier Society. Usually meets monthly
Hall, Folkestone, Kent, England, U.K. CT20 2DZ. 10 a.m. to (except July and August) at Branch 210 of the Royal
5 p.m. Features clubs, exhibitors, vendors and demonstra- Sat., April 28, British Model Soldier Society Annual Show, Canadian Legion, 110 Jutland Road, Toronto, Ont., Canada.
tions. Admission £5 for adults and children under age 16 Church Hall, St. Saviour’s, St. George’s Square, Lupus Doors open at 11 a.m. and the formal meeting begins
free. Contact: Website: www.ontrackshow.co.uk. Street, Pimlico, London, England, U.K. SW1V 3QW. 10:30 at 1 p.m. Next meetings Feb. 11, March 11 and April 8.
a.m. to 4 p.m. (members admitted at 10 a.m.). Admission Website: www.omss.ca.
Sat., Feb. 24, Heart of the South Toy Soldier, Military & £3; BMSS members £2; and children free. Besides open
Miniature Figure Show & Sale, Annandale VFD Commu- competitions, the event will feature trade stands, displays, South Carolina Military Miniature Society. Meetings are
nity Center, 7128 Columbia Pike, Annandale, Va., USA. 9 demonstrations, and a paint-and-take stand. Contact: held at members’ homes in two U.S. cities: the second
a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $5; children under age 10 free. BMSS Treasurer Paul Newman, tel: +44 (0) 1895 832757; Thursday night of every month in Columbia and on Sunday
Contact: Ed Gries of Relic Golden Amusements, tel: (201) e-mail: bmss.annualshow@gmail.com; Website: www. afternoons every six weeks in Charleston. Contact: Geoff
257-2687 or (201) 342-6475. bmssonline.com. Walker, tel: (803) 356-2674 or e-mail: pwalker1@sc.rr.com.
MARCH Society Meetings Southern California Toy Soldier Collectors Society. Meets
Sun., March 4, 29th Annual West Coaster Toy Soldier & Bognor Regis Modelling & Wargaming Society, Com- on the last Saturday of every other month at members’
Miniature Figure Show, Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove, munity Hall, West Meads, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, homes. New members are welcome. Contact: Mike Taran-
12021 Harbor Boulevard, Garden Grove, Calif., USA. 9 England, U.K. Usually meets from 7:30 to 10 p.m. every tino, tel: (909) 861-4252 or e-mail: matara42@adelphia.net.
a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $6; children under age 12 free; Monday. Contact the joint secretaries: Stephen Pidwell,
discounts for senior citizens, students (ages 13-22) and tel: 01243 855449; or Dilip Sethi, tel: 01403 780637; e-mail: Sydney Model Soldier Society. New members needed and
veterans; free for active duty military personnel, uni- bognormmws@gmail.com. welcome! Meets every second Wednesday in every second
formed public servants, and veterans. Hotel room trading month at Earlwood-Bardwell Park Bowling Club. Send
starts as early as the Thursday before the show. Contact: British Model Soldier Society (National), Pimlico Room, all inquiries concerning membership and meetings to the
Woody Lambirth, tel: (760) 758-5481 or (619) 889-7669; St. Saviour’s, St. George’s Square, Lupus Street, Pimlico, secretary: Tom Thorpe, 29 Chaleyer St., Willoughby 2068,
e-mail: theoldtoysoldierhome@att.net; Website: www. London, England, U.K. SW1V 3QW. Usually meets on the Sydney, NSW, Australia; tel: (612) 94172162.
thewestcoaster.com. third Friday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. Upcoming
meeting themes and dates: Annual General meeting Feb. Event organizers are invited to submit information for
Sun., March 4, New Jersey Toy Soldier, Military and 17, “Conversions Night’’ March 16 and annual show April inclusion in the Toy Soldier Calendar.
Miniature Show and Sale, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 50 Kenny 28 (more information is listed elsewhere in this calendar).
Place, Saddle Brook, N.J., USA. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admis- Information: Arthur Smith, tel: 020 8856 0064; Website:
sion $6; children under age 10 free. Contact: Ed Gries of www.bmssonline.com. ATTENTION CLUB REPS!
Relic Golden Amusements, tel: (201) 257-2687 or (201) Club representatives are urged to check their calendar
342-6475. British Model Soldier Society (Bristol Area Branch). listings and, if necessary, update them by contacting Editor
Information: Bob Orr, e-mail: boborr@talktalk.net. Stuart A. Hessney via e-mail at stuart@ashdown.co.uk.
Listings not updated fairly recently are subject to possible
Sat. and Sun., March 10-11, Montreux Miniatures Show, deletion.
82_TS231_Calendar.indd 82 1/8/18 11:31 AM

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WORLD’S No.1 MAGAZINE FOR COLLECTORS OF ALL STRIPES!

WARM WELCOME IN RUSSIA

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Call and mention this ad to

For more information Visit or Call:

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Issue 231 — 2018 inside this edition

In any event the publisher can accept no

004-005_TS231_Contents.indd 4 1/16/18 9:15 AM

from the editor

004-005_TS231_Contents.indd 5 1/16/18 9:15 AM

K&C COLLECTOR LOOKS BACK AND AHEAD TO 2018

W. BRITAIN JOURNAL SPOTLIGHTS REDCOATS, CIVIL WAR

06-08_TS231_OpeningVolley.indd 6 1/12/18 12:46 PM

W. BRITAIN UNVEILS 16 FIGURES IN FINAL QUARTERLY CATALOG

BRITISH TOY SOLDIER CO. HAS NEW U.S. DISTRIBUTOR

Cartoon by Doug Dearth

BTSC figures from a 38-piece Royal Artillery

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TREEFROG TREASURES MOVES TO MINNESOTA CITY

TOY SOLDIERS AND FAIRYTALES IN DIE ZINNLAUBE

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DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL OUR FREE MOBILE APP

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For all of the latest follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

In Store Viewings and Sales by Appointment Only.

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READER HIGHLY RECOMMENDS ARW MUSEUM

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Michigan Toy Soldier Co. CANADA:

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Until our new location is completely set up for display,

ANCIENT BRITON BYZANTINE EMPEROR

THE CORONATION NEW SPARTAN

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Wellesley at Assaye Project

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me but to hang myself from my tent northeast were

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The hat was painted in an

The telescope container and strap were painted in a

The figure is shown after

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and the basic colors of the rest of the

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The model figure depicts Wellesley

A nameplate completes the base and the model

ABOUT THE WRITER

Right: Side view of details achieved on the finished

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The mountain battery’s guns go into action.

Making a Miniature Mountain

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At a glance, it might appear as though these two

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