LOST LEGION MINIATURES

Britains Herald Knights and Siege Machines.

2011-10-08T00:34:00.001+01:00

Some of Britains early Herald figures were first produced by Zang products who owned the Herald name. And they were at the time one of the best examples of the newly emerging plastic toy soldiers. The Herald range were then part purchased by Britains in 1955, allowing their designer Roy Selwyn-Smith to work under the Britains name,and the whole Herald range would gain the greater advertising and marketing resources from its new associate owner. The Britains Herald Knights were made in Hong Kong and consisited of six foot figures and four mounted figures each with at least two colour schemes. The figures themselves were produced in PVC from 1968 to 1979, however the halberds were made from polyethylene and quite often broke easily and the paper decals from the shields were easily lost. Two different horses were made for this set having several colours of blankets and saddles. The plug on the saddle which held the mounted figure in place was another victim of play and many surviving riders are often glued to their steeds. As such a complete set with all intact weapons and paper decals should be a worthy addition to any toy soldier collection

The foot knights

Halberd visor shut, Standing shooting bow, Kneeling shooting bow, Advancing sword, Halberd visor open, Shield and mace. Sold individually as set (4415)

Note the different colour schemes on the tunics and plumes.

The mounted knights

With sword, With axe, With lance no plume on helmet, With lance plume on helmet. Sold as sets ( 4420, 4421,4422 )

Britains ancient siege engines

Consist of a catapult (4675) and ballista (4676) they were sculpted by Ron Cameron and released in 1967. Initially produced individually but sold alongside the Britains Swoppet and Herald knights, until these ranges were withdrawn around 1972 and 1976 respectively. They continued to be sold along side the new Deetail range of knights and turks / saracens which were introduced in 1973 more.

Both the models along with their 2 man crews (who seem more norman in appearance) were made in Hong Kong, the first incarnation saw the machines with a realistic wood grain texture. The catapult crew were numbered on the underside of the bases 1 red tunic firing, and 2 blue tunic carrying rock. The ballista crew were numbered 3 blue tunic firing and 4 red tunic holding bolt. However in 1973 the machines were produced in darker plastic and it has been noted that the catapult figures were re numbered as 2 red tunic firing, and 1 blue tunic carrying rock. It has also been noted that both sets were deleted in 1976, this may have been the case for individual sets (4675) and (4676), however I have seen the ballista advertised in Britains 1977, 1978 and 1979 catalogues as an inclusion into the Britains Deetail knights and turks battle set (7766).

Both the sets were re-introduced in 1986 along with the knights of the sword range, but the machines now sported a more smooth finish and issued in sets with silver or black (storm knights), the turks / Saracens having been removed from production in 1983. The ballista crew were in production until 1987, the catapult crew were removed somewhere around or after 1988. Some later crew members have been seen with black armour and in yellow tunics.

Please note although some bases are marked made in England it is believed that all were made in Hong Kong.

This Day In Military History

1813 Treaty of Reid: Bavaria abandons its French alliance and joins Austria and Prussia in the German national war against Napoleon

1918 Sgt Alvin York captures "the whole damned German Army"

1940 German troops enter Romania

1941 Germans capture Mariupol, Russia

1942 Guadalcanal: Battle on the Matanikau, Marines halt a Japanese assault

Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry.

2011-09-30T23:49:00.004+01:00

First produced in 1973 were six infantry figures britains designation (7352) though they can also be found in boxed sets US and Japanese infantry (7358) and Japanese infantry (7356). In 1974 a recoilless rifle team was added (7337), all the Japanese figures only received a short production span and although informed of deletion in 1979 I can find no mention of them in Britains catalogues after 1976. No vehicles were ever made to compliment these models, although I have seen their re-emergance in the super deetail range in an expanded set which included a Chi Ha tank produced by CTS.

This day in military history. 30th September

1691	The French capture Strasbourg

1777 Congress flees to York as the British advance in Pennsylvania
1944 Calais liberated by Allies

Undead skeleton warriors.

2011-07-05T21:14:00.001+01:00

The skeletons are taking shape, will be basing these on Greek hoplites. A unit with swords and a unit with spears. They are GW skeletons, just waiting / working on their shields the much revered hoplon or aspsis as is the correct Greek name. Have sculpted two of my own
(I gauge that they need to be about 18mm in diameter) one is shown below undercoated and roughly attached to show size comparison. With a mini this size I think its only right to show the workings of the hoplon shield. To this end the finished models will have the sleeve and rope handgrip (antilabe). In the meantime I have found a company that produce a range of 16 mm hoplons among other shields etc. They are on order and if they hit the mark they will certainly get a mention. I have already decided I want to change the minis and add greaves and a few hoplite helmets. As I see it the guys would have been in the ground long enough for any fabric to have gone but the armour would remain virtually intact. So some not all of the finished unit will contain this theme so as to add some variety to the unit.

Another piece to my Britains Deetail collection. The Afrika Korps despatch rider, recently bought him off Ebay but failed to notice that the rear saddle is broken missing. He could do with a bit of a wash and some tlc, but still a good piece in this condition for the bargain price i paid.

This day in military history

46 - Caesar returns to Rome following victory in the African War.

1940 - World War II, Britain and the Vichy government in France broke diplomatic relations.

1814 - Battle of Chippewa: "By God, these are regulars!"
1863 - Battle of Gettysburg. Day 5 Lee retreats.
1943 - The battle of Kursk began when German tanks attacked the Soviets. It was the largest tank battle in history.

My Warhammer Tanks

2011-06-23T01:26:00.016+01:00

Have got the majority of the transports (AFV's) completed for my Black Templar collection. I present HIMT (His Imperial Majesty's Tank) Dauntless, Extremis, Oblivion and Tempest.

Dauntless's penant is that of Captain Mcclaren of the Renaisance armed merchant vessel Dauntless. A red templar cross with the skull and cross bones. I thought it would be a good idea to tie in with a bit of history given the name, and templar connection.

The shopping basket for next week includes a selection of skeleton warriors from both GW and the new mantic miniatures range. I plan on doing a few with a greek shield etc as in the Jason and the Argonauts scene "Rise up slain children of the Hydra". Having got two 40k collections now Templars and Orks, i thought i would start a fantasy miniature range. My other hand is slipping toward a 25mm/28mm Greek or Macedonian Army and there massive columns of phalanx.

In Military History.

June 22nd 334 A.D Alexander the Great defeated Darius, King of the Persians, at the Granicus River, near the mouth of the Sea of Marmara in present-day Turkey

June 22nd 1941 Germany Launches Operation Barbarossa. Over 3 million German troops invade Russia in three parallel offensives.

June 22nd 1945 The Australian occupation of Brunei was aimed at permitting the establishment of an advanced fleet base to protect Brunei's oil and rubber resources, and Japanese resistance on Tarakan ends.

June 23rd 1933 USS Macon is commissioned, the last Navy rigid airship.

Eye candy for tread heads and rivet counters.

2011-06-14T21:50:00.009+01:00

Been away for a while but got a transfer at work so i am now free to spend more time with the wife and kid, and my hobby. Working on a lot of 40k armour at the moment just adding the finishing touches to some, will post as soon as complete. Have also uploaded a video on how i make my barbed wire. In the mean time............
Heres a collection of photos from a visit to the Bovington tank museum in Dorset.
http://s1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd432/lostlegionminiatures/BOVINGTON/?albumview=slideshow

This day in military history saw:

1645: Troops under English King Charles I and Prince Rupert were decisively beaten at Naseby, Northamptonshire, by Parliamentarian troops commanded by Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax.
1777: Continental Congress adopts Stars & Stripes replacing Grand Union flag
1800: Battle of Marengo (NW Italy) was narrowly won by Napoleon Bonaparte over Austrian forces.
1940: German troops entered the city of Paris, France, beginning a five year occupation.
1950: Korean War: The Battle of Taejon (July 14–21, 1950), an early battle between United States and North Korean forces, begins.

UPDATE

2011-02-14T23:47:00.014Z

Finally finished the converted sentinel walker for the Orks. And have got the 2nd and 3rd Ork Ard Boys mortar teams completed. Tried to inject a bit of humour into the walker model, the guy has got his one hand raised over his eyes as if to realising he can't operate more than one button at once. Need to start looking for a club to join now, gonna take along the lad and see what we can do with the horde of Orks i have growing.

Finished so far:- 30 sluggas (3 with heavy weapons), 20 Shootas (2 with heavy weapons), 10 more on WIP, 30 ard boys (all heavy weapons of course), 10 stick bombers, 10 tank bustas, 4 mega armoured orks, 1 warlord, 1 ork truk, 3 mortar crews.

Most of the extra armour is scratchbuilt, as are the mortars. My favourite so far has to be the guy with the telescope. Reminiscent of the airfix 1/72 Napoleonic Royal Horse Artillery pose.
Also got hold of some more of the Britains Deetail. German despatch rider and a full set of Afrika Korps.

One final thought before i sign off, i was looking very closely at a picture i have on one of the walls in my front room. Depicting squares at Quatre Bras http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butler_Lady_Quatre_Bras_1815.jpg, look very close at the guy in the middle of the front rank (kneeling). Is it just me or does he bear a resemblance to Jeremy Clarkson. And on that bombshell good night.

DINKY ADDITIONS

2011-01-26T21:50:00.004Z

Two new additions to my cabinet, first another kubelwagen and pak gun. These were spotted at an antiques fair on a drive back from my brother in law. Me and the wife saw a sign post at the side of the road and thought yeah... why not....... So while she was looking at sparkly things i went on the hunt for toy soldiers.

The second is the beast of the bunch a huge dinky 88mm Flak gun.

The German forces employed the 88 extensively in World War II, not only in its original role as an anti-aircraft gun, where it performed well, but also as a superb anti-tank gun. Its success was due to its versatility: Its standard anti-aircraft platform allowed gunners to depress the muzzle below horizontal, unlike most other anti-aircraft guns. During the initial stages of the war, as it was becoming increasingly clear that existing anti-tank weapons were unable to pierce the armour of heavier enemy tanks, gunners increasingly put the weapon to use against enemy tanks, a situation that was aided by the prevalence of the 88 among German forces. Thousands of 88mm guns would be produced throughout the war in various models and mounts, serving in more numerous capacity as either an anti-tank or anti-aircraft gun than its equivalents.

The 88 was powerful enough to penetrate over 150 mm of armour at ranges of 2 km or more, making it an unparalleled anti-tank weapon during the early war, and still formidable against all but the heaviest tanks at the end of the war. It was arguably most effective in the flat and open terrains of the North African and the Eastern Front.

I now need to find a sufficient vehicle to tow this monster, any suggestions?

I know that SdKfz half tracks were usually used to transport these and their crews. But the Dinky halftracks i am aware of already have the 88's built in as a tank destroyer variant.

Airfix Panzer Grenadiers

2010-10-24T17:07:00.010+01:00

I enjoy researching the history of military units and I try to show this in the details on my historical miniatures. Many rank and file troops seem to lose their uniformity when in the field, owing to many factors such as weather, supply and demand, logistics as well as attrition.

By 1944 German units were making widespread use of camouflage, mainly those units with elite status. These three Panzer Grenadier soldiers show a variety of uniform options employed by the troops; the two rifle men are both wearing one of the many leaf patterns on their jackets. The one kneeling is wearing the pea pattern on his trousers.

The machine gunner is wearing a standard German field grey jacket, the shoulder strap border is red signifying an artillery unit, his rank is lance corporal and the band on his right arm, shows that he has single handedly destroyed a tank. The trousers show an Italian camouflage pattern. During 1944 -1945 Germany’s own supplies were running short, and many units adopted surplus Italian military clothing.

By the end of 1944 and through 1945 Germany was on the retreat, with Allied troops advancing after the successful Normandy and Italian invasions, together with the defeat on the Eastern front by Russian forces. German industry was suffering and not producing enough to meet demand. Uniforms were one of the main resources to falter accounting for the lack of a consistent appearance of the German troops.

NEW FIGURES

2010-10-12T20:50:00.013+01:00

Have completed my set of Britains Deetail British infantry figures, although i do need a replacement for the grenade thrower as the tip of his weapon is damaged. This is an all too often occurrence with these. And good versions are getting harder to locate. Also got the assault craft in near mint condition together with the German infantry Kubelwagen (quite a find in such good condition).

An Icon Of German WWII Military.

Volkswagen produced the kubelwagen or (bucket seat) car. It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, and used wideley by the german military during WWII. Volkswagen were approached at the start of the war in 1939 for the basis of a light weight military vehicle. Production of the first kubelwagen shortly followed, basing the original prototype on the VW beetle chasis known as the type 62. However this was found to be inappropriate, further improvements continued throughout 1939 leading to an improved type 82 model being developed in 1940. In all approximateley 55,000 were produced between 1940-1945, and served as one of the most popular vehicles of the Wehrmacht, seeing action in the European, Russian and North Afica theatres of WWII.

Wheelbase 240 cm (94 in)
Length 374 cm (147 in)
Width 160 cm (63 in)
Height 165 cm (65 in) (top up), 111 cm (44 in) collapsible
Power 23.5-25 HP

Have got three airfix germans that were just lying around, so i decided to paint them up in camouflage. Just needed an excuse to buy some flames of war vallejo paints. I have added a set of the german infantry paints to my box, and i must say i am very pleased with the way they work. They dry very quickly and seem to go on for ever, even though i only use a small amount on the brush.

P.S The mortar pit is finally finished, Ihave used it as a back drop in the kubelwagen photo.

Mortar pit

2010-10-06T22:20:00.003+01:00

Hi all,

I have been spending the last couple of days scratchbuilding a mortar pit to go with the minis i have painted. As you can see i have an ork army i am working on at the moment along with other units, 3 two man mortar teams are complete (will add the pics ASAP). The tutorial videos have been uploaded to my youtube channel. All day tomorrow of work so i guess i will finish this project tomorrow with the painting.

Being colour blind really doesn't help when trying to choose browns and greens, so i had the help of my colour charts and my twelve year old son.

Spent what seemed like ages trying to colour match shades of brown and sand colours for the paint job, eventually settled with some that i was happy with. Then with final colurs in hand on a sheet of paper i went down my local DIY store and had all the colours mixed in emulsion test pots, 250ml pots for under 3 pounds each. I find that using emulsion on terrain pieces is more cost effective.

Have also been busy sourcing more Britains Deetail figures, a full set of british infantry and a german Kubelwagen are on the way as i type.

Please have a look at the mortar pit videos as i need some constructive feedback.

I Want one !!!!

2010-09-16T19:17:00.007+01:00

The Open University course is almost complete, so i can concentrate on my painting and blogging once more.

Must have been looking the other way when this was released though. Not sure if i should invest in a copy of this game untill i see or hear somemore feedback. The game is called dust tactics and from what i can gather it plays similar to AT-43.

What caught my eye is those mechs, especially the German with the two PAK guns now that would make a nice addition to my 40k models. I believe the mechs are slightly larger than a warhammer imperial guard sentinel.

Is there anyone out there that has any or seen any of these figures for comparisons in size to other ranges.

AIRFIX RE RELEASES

2010-05-20T19:47:00.002+01:00

Gonna throw this one out there and see if any of you have any views. My boyhood memories centre around these airfix and matchbox figures. Both 1/32 and 1/72 are now being re run from their original moulds. Now as far as i am aware each individual figure had a unique number imprinted into it. As such even though some figures poses are repeated, the Bases have different profiles dependant on their position in the mould when cast. So for some of you lucky people out there a full set means just that a full numerically running production set.

Would it be considered rude to collect these or concentrate on originals only. Don't forget they are run from the same moulds, using a newer plastic that is easier to paint. But there you are, once painted they will look exactly the same. The die hard collector will have the full set complete with original box and possibly in mint condition. But where's the fun in that, they are after all dare i say it... toy soldiers, and as such were meant to be taken out the box.

In my opinion once removed from the box and having thrown it away, why would you want to buy these pieced together units at too high a price on auction sites. Unless of course they are indeed a full complete numerical production set. If on the other hand you intend to paint and display with the rest of your collection, surely a small quantity of each individual pose would be more beneficial and space saving.

The newer re-runs consist of approx. 14 figures and sell for around about £6.00 which tie in with the later production runs of the 1980's, which later on came in bags not boxes. The earlier figures which i mostly remember came in boxes of approx. 29.

So to cap it all off i would much prefer financially, to get a set of originals second hand of 29 etc for roughly the same price as a newer set of re runs with less qty.

THIS WEEKS PROJECT

2010-05-01T13:37:00.003+01:00

Have been toying with the idea for sometime of turning a games workshop imperial guard sentinel into some type of Ork converted walker. I bought this miniature over a year ago off Ebay, because i had the idea way back then. When i received the item i couldn't quite bring myself to spoil it. But needs must and so i took my trusty hobby knife to it and broke it down into workable parts.

Now the first thing that i realise is one of scale. In the 40k games universe the Orks are quite brutish and large in size. Much larger than the average human, so the top of the walkers roof must go. I did want to keep this if possible and pose an Ork figure in there in a type of pose similar to the walkers in Avatar, but the ergonomics just wouldn't be right. Also even if i managed to cram the figure in, the question of how he would of climbed into the cockpit in the first place would be raised.

I like to ask myself these questions during a scratch build or conversion, as it helps create a more realistic miniature. So basically the walker would of been incapacitated boarded and captured. The ever so resourceful Orks would of then just ripped the top off and adapted the machine to their own use.

So many warhammer players paint their vehicles in singular matt colours, and then highlight every edge which just makes the model look to cartoony. I prefer the natural look similar to what you would find on real armour. Even modern day frontline main battle tanks have chipping and weather marks, and their crew carry out remedial field repairs. The way dust settles and dirt or mud are thrown upwards and towards the rear of the tracks, all this needs to be noticed and represented.

So over the next few days this miniature will start to take on its new look and join the ranks of troops i have slowly growing.

A long time away.

2010-04-26T22:34:00.010+01:00

Well at long last......................................... I thought i better get on with the blogging. Has it really been that long. I think it must be the great British winter that made me huddle up in front of the fire and never venture toward my work table. Nah but seriously i have been busy with work and back on the Open University degree.

Also have had a lot of visits to the hospital with my father who has been diagnosed with parkinsons, and then more recently had his knee broke/shattered, resulting in him having it pinned and plated. But he's a tough old Korean War veteran and if the combined North Korean and Chinese armies couldn't stop him, i don't think a Renault Megane would.

My orks have aquired a new war truk, and it only took a couple of days work to complete. Really enjoyed this model and have had lots of ideas for a further scratch build conversion. A trailer with an adaptable weapons platform.

As always comments and constructive criticsm are welcomed.

BRITAINS DEETAIL PAK 40

2009-11-24T19:15:00.004Z

The PaK 40 became possibly the most recognised anti tank gun of the second world war. Brought into service around 1941 after operation Barbarossa saw the German army pitted against the heavier tanks of the Soviets such as the T.34 and KV.1. Produced by Rheinmetall and Krupp steel, historic records claim a production numbering over 24,000 when taken into consideration that some of these were mounted on tracked vehicles as dedicated tank destroyers.

This 750mm artillery piece came into being as an up scaled version of the earlier PaK 38 with its 500 mm caliber. During its service in WWII a majority of the allied tanks were knocked out or imobilised by German PaK guns. Lethal at 1,500 feet It was capable of firing a 15lb AP round penetrating 106mm armour or 115mm armour with a tungsten cored round with greater velocity. A side hit being more common, but more often than not as equally effective when engaging from a frontal arc.

Generally manned by a five man crew including a commander, loader, firer, and two round handlers. Its maximum engagement range was 1,800 metres (5,906 ft), with an extended range of 7,678 metres (25,190 ft) when used as indirect fire with high explosive shells.

Here we see a PaK 40 with its aforementioned five man crew, complete with kill stripes along its barrel. This was a practice which most german armoured units copied, by painting the barrels of their armour with stripes each time they knocked out an enemy tank. The unit marking on the guard is that of the 10th Panzer division, which saw action in Poland as part of army group north, and later as part of army group centre during operation Barbarossa. The division was a vital part of the Battle of France in 1940 where it was decisive in the capture of Calais. And the battle of Kasserine Pass in 1943 whilst under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. A true Wehrmacht unit with a notable number of its officers participating in the July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

This piece was produced without any crew but the mortar crew figures were usually used on single bases as seen here together with a second officer and two other personell.

DATA
Length: 3.45 metres (11.3 ft)
Width: 2 metres (6.6 ft)
Height: 1.25 metres (4.1 ft)
Weight (combat ready): 1,425 kilograms (3,142 lb)
Traverse: 65°
Elevation: -5° to + 22°
Rate of fire: 14 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity:
933 metres per second (3,061 ft/s) (Tungsten cored round)
792 metres per second (2,598 ft/s) (Standard armour piercing)
548 metres per second (1,798 ft/s) (HE)

BRITAINS SARACEN KINIGHTS

2009-11-19T23:00:00.009Z

That's it i finally got the figure i was looking for.

These are all made in England models. The bases state 1971, but in general this is the year that copyright was applied for for the trade mark metal base aswell as the Deetail range. The Britains Deetail Saracens saw a production run from about 1973 to 1998. Consisting of six mounted figures and six foot or infantry, as with all the Deetail range production was finally moved to china. After about 1985 the figures saw a change from navy blue to black. These figures bring back so many memories of battles i used to re-enact after watching such films as El Cid.

I believe of the above figures A, C and F were deleted from 1991 onwards perhaps this is why it has taken longer to complete this set. I still need to find a perfect figure to replace mounted fig F, if you look closely he is missing a point from the crest of his helmet.

FOR THE BRAVE. LEST WE FORGET.

2009-11-08T22:12:00.002Z

They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Thank you to all the brave that have lost their lives for our country, and to those still serving. Thank you everyone.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS FIGURE

2009-11-06T00:07:00.002Z

OK PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS (ROFL)

Just for fun i put this poster together.

The made in England version of this figure was originally made in Navy Blue. It was thought that the latest issue, pictured here was deleted in 1991.

Currently tracking these down on Ebay. Need him to complete my Saracens

Anyone out there got one or know of whereabouts ?

HISTORY PROJECT UPDATE

2009-11-04T23:29:00.005Z

Well me and the lad have had a lot of fun gluing our fingers together and the castle is looking almost complete.

I have had to tone the amount of detail and time spent on accuracy down considerably. After all it is his project. Which means the battlements are just strips of narrow cardboard stuck on with PVA, and lots of dried glue here and there.

He likes the concentric layout now, though he is still working on a cutaway section for the keep (which can be seen in the background of the inner courtyard. Just some finer detailing now left for him to do, like drawing on the arrow slits some door ways and windows in the wall sections, a little bit of dry brushing and some foilage.

Got some more Britains Knights on Ebay for anyone who may be interested item number 360204929768 more to follow.

Happy modelling : )

NEW TROOPS

2009-11-03T00:11:00.002Z

Got home from work this evening to find two packets of britains knights, recently won on an auction.
Have now got complete series 1 and 3, but still got a couple from series 2 to get and 1 mounted knight that is evading me to complete the range.

Lots of vintage Airfix and Esci to paint, my kids history castle project has gotta be finished by Thursday. Paperwork and end of month reports for work, bedroom to finish painting. Christmas shopping............

And the list goes on.

INCIDENT WITH VARNISH

2009-10-27T23:30:00.009Z

Spent a few hours today putting the final touches to the two warhammer 40k Black Templar dreadnoughts

A few custom pipes were fitted and some slight conversion work. Scratches and chips to the armour and then dusted the recesses with pastel powder. On top of this i sprayed a matt varnish to seal all the good work.

Shock / horror as i watched all the black armour turning a very dull grey. Had to spend some more time repainting the panels and applying weathering marks. The finished pair look like this.

Question is what caused this reaction to the models?

I think perhaps the varnish reacted with the pastel powder.

Has anyone had any similar problems or could you share any knowledge?

The bottom two pics show my first attempt at simulating marble. The veins were done with the help of a feather, kindly donated from one of our pet birds. (Thank you Boomer).

My Paint Comparison Chart

2009-10-25T01:16:00.006+01:00

Been compiling a paint comparison chart. It compares the Citadel Games Workshop range with their equivalent Revell, Humbrol and Tamiya counter parts aswell as Valejo. It is still a work in practice but very helpful none the same. My main reason for doing it is my colour blindness. Trying to find greens and browns that match is sometimes difficult for me so now i can go straight for the names ao numbers aswell. You are most welcome to use this and if possible fill in any of the missing paints. All i ask is a mention and a link back to http://www.lostlegionminiatures.co.uk/

HISTORY PROJECT

2009-10-20T23:46:00.005+01:00

My kid came from school the other day and said "Dad guess what?.... i've been given the best history project ever".

He's got to build a model of a medieval castle..............

He was thinking along the lines of a wall a gatehouse with portcullis and 4 turrets.

I'm thinking outer wall and inner wall with Crenelations, machicolations, arrow loops, batters and battlements, bailey/ basilica, glacis, a gatehouse with 2 port cullis and murder holes, drawbridge to barbican, moat of course, a keep and as many turrets as i can fix in giving arcs of fire along all the walls.

Something along the lines of Beaumaris castle in Anglesey.

A+ i think.

They certainly don't build them like they used to.

Britains Deetail German Infantry

2009-10-18T23:52:00.013+01:00

Britains Deetail German Infantry 1971-1989

Two series of standard german infantry Wehrmacht were produced by Britains.
The first series was released in 1971 seeing them standing on yellow/brown bases, 1974 onwards saw them fixed to the familiar green base. With the addition of 6 new figures in 1977 (second series) the total poses numbered 12. Both series remained in production until 1989
A mortar and crew were produced in 1973 and deleted in late 1980’s

The second series were issued to replace the Britains Japanese infantry figures, which themselves had been deleted in 1976.

Of all the poses the most rare and sought after seem to be the kneeling radio operator, flamethrower and the mortar crew. All the range were originally produced with the wermacht insignia stickers on their helmets.

Series 1 first issued 1971 and 1974
Kneeling with MG34, charging with fixed bayonet, standing throwing grenade, standing firing rifle, advancing firing MP40, carrying an MG34 machine gun and ammo box.
Series 2 1977 - 1989
Officer, radio operator, kneeling firing rifle, marching with rifle at slope, flamethrower, carrying mg34 across body.
Note for all Britains Deetail.
Some ranges were only produced in England, others in both England and China. But around 1992 the entire production of the "deetail" range was moved from England to China.

BRITAINS DETAIL KNIGHTS

2009-10-07T00:18:00.006+01:00

Have started to upload pics of my collection of Britains deetail knights to my website galleries. I have fond memories of these from when i was a child and am trying to complete the full sets of collections.

DEETAIL METAL BASE FIGURES CIRCA 1971-1998

The first series Deetail foot knights were first made in 1973. In about 1991 three of the original six figures were removed from production and the remainder were merged with a new set of series 2 figures (after these themselves having another 3 figures deleted from their original line up), culminating in a Deetail set of six poses running from about 1991 to the end in 1998.
Production of the Deetail range was moved from England to China starting in about 1987. By 1992 all Deetail figures being produced were being made in China. Also six foot figures with plastic bases were being produced from 1968 to 1976 only in Hong Kong. Each figure having at least two different colour schemes.

2009-08-15T20:53:00.006+01:00

Visited Warhammer world with my son for some inspiration, check out the photos.

Fantastic experience i highly recommend a visit to Bugman's bar a try the "Fat bloke burger" if you dare.

Started a new black Templar sword squad, this will be a 5 man close assault team. Gonna try out a different approach to painting these, will post the details when completed, if i am happy with the results.

Deff koptas

2009-08-12T20:23:00.007+01:00

As usual i didn't want to use the models as they came straight from the AOBR box, so i got to work converting them.

As you can see above the red section is added for an extra weapons pylon. Together with the extended tail the overall model would not be mechanicaly viable, so i extended the rotor blades. This now means i must source or scratch build the 3rd kopta a new rotor blade.

Not happy with the mini gun / gattling gun on this kopta, and as such i will rebuild the front weapon. The additional converted pilot parts are also ready for priming.

Comments would be gratefully welcomed.

NEW RECRUITS

2009-08-10T21:26:00.006+01:00

Completed another sqaud of boys, these are stikk bombers. I know the new rules don't class them as a unit but i thought they could double as trukk boys.

ORK TRUK

2009-07-16T12:44:00.005+01:00

I have started my first ork vehicle conversion / scratch build. Using an imperial guard tank hull.
Its main weapon is a large calibre gun for knocking out armour. A super structure has been added, and scratch built rails for carrying two shootas.

The photos show how i received the hull, and how with a little scrap plastic and craft pva glue, extra armour with rivets and weld joints are added. The usual ork glyphs and paraphanalia give a looted feel.

2009-07-15T22:31:00.005+01:00

As promised. The finished Ard Boys. I have based these figures on a S.W.A.T tactical team, they carry breaching tools aswell as grappling hooks and even a ladder. Aegis lines in the new planet strike rules will be no obstacle for these guys.

Click on the link below to see the Ard Boyz, or select from the video bar on the right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qulL_FEEcXM

Apologies

2009-07-15T22:27:00.003+01:00

Sorry i haven't been updating the blog for a while. My father has been ill and i been visiting everyday. But have finally got the Ard Boys fully prepared, aswell as some more projects on the go.
Including converted deff koptas and some structures.

PASS THIS ON

2009-04-09T09:18:00.003+01:00

Sorry i haven't been updating the blog recently. But i have the photos ready for uploading.

However i recently received an email from a friend, an ex serviceman himself with this story attached. Please pass it on and don't forget to wear red.

Last week I was in West London attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Briton who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said 'hi,' the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now.

As the mum was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a Kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'

The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum. I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an Englishman.

RED FRIDAYS

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Englishmen and women who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many English people, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Britain supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Briton who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Great Britain on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, It will not be long before Britain is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...'We need your support and your prayers'....

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON. IF YOU COULD NOT CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON. IT IS YOUR CHOICE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! ---

Lest we Forget.

NOTE TO SELF: I really must tidy this up

2009-03-10T20:32:00.006Z

Been a busy week end and the old workbench is needing a spring clean.

If you look carefully you can see just a few of the projects i have on the go. Including Black Templar Dread noughts. ( when those icons arrive ), if they take any longer i may aswell build them out of milliput.

Progress so far

2009-03-10T20:03:00.006Z

Here they are !

The first squad of the Ard boys is complete. Have added extra scratch built armour to the torsos and some of the shoulders. Similar to segmented armour. Decided to increase the squad size to twenty including two heavy weapons and a nob. Below is how they are looking using more green stuff on this batch, and a lot of limb swaps and pinning on joints to break the squad up. I have given all the boys Iron gobs and extra plate armour in places, so as to afford them some uniformity on the battlefield.

Don't forget to visit my website http:/www.lostlegionminiatures.co.uk and subscribe to my youtube channel.

2009-03-05T00:34:00.002Z

Well the second rhino is now complete all but for a few icons and decals. And the ard boys are finished. But haven't had time to take any photos as, in the middle of redoing the shelves and workspace in my home office / work room. Overalled my price list too and this is now up on the website. Once completed i will put up the pics and a few of my newly revamped display shelves.

Ard Boyz S.W.ORK (Special Weapons Ork)

2009-03-02T09:28:00.009Z

Got the Ard boyz primary colours on and done some work on their poses and shields, they will be based on a S.W.A.T team breaching squad. The boss is a full scratcth build using pieces from the fantasy orks sprue. I have pinned the joints, aswell as some of the other boys and weapons. Some of the figures are now off balance and i have rectified this by adding a weight glued under their bases.

The shoota boys below will have their guns addapted to look more menacing, probably extended barrels ( silencers) or grenade lobber. Gonna aim for about a 12 man squad. Full size pics are available in my website gallery und W.I.P work in progress http://www.lostlegionminiatures.co.uk/. Will post updates when completed.

First Completed Rhino

2009-02-24T16:24:00.006Z

Here is the first completed and re-worked Rhino, I am happy with the finished model, Although i will replace the Templar icons on the top and sides (i ran out) the new ones are on order. I applied the mud effect using some earth coloured paint mixed with a small amount of sand, a final weathering around the track guards with some crushed pastel and some I.F.F markings. More photos are available in the gallery of my website http://www.lostlegionminiatures.co.uk/

Busy week so far

2009-02-18T01:08:00.015Z

Half term and got the week off with the kid, so lots of time to do some painting. Or so i thought, spent most of the day editing video and these photos, aswell as updating the blog and you tube channel.

Great! so got the warboss bodyguard painted up to basic level. A Ghazghkull Thraka model makes my warboss and he has 4 mega armoured nobs in all in his retinue. Gonna work on the highlights etc. and do a few small conversions (cables feeding into skull etc). Can't wait to see these guys with the Ard boys.
Managed to do a better pic of the templars squad, just gotta get the barrels drilled, silly me ( realised i never did them ). And finished the 1 rhino i, am now happy with the results (photos to follow). Look closely and inside the rhino you can see a miniaturised poster of Jolene Blalock ( T'Pol from Enterprise ). Well all troops havetheir sweethearts.

Useful information

2009-02-13T23:21:00.002Z

Here is a modeling site that i have recently found on the internet. I'm sure they won't mind me giving them a plug. Martlesham models have a great list of paint cross reference lists.

http://www.martlesham-models.com/article/62/games-workshop-paint-conversion-charts.html

LOOTED LANDRAIDER

2009-02-10T08:14:00.000Z

This is how it looks at the moment, pretty much as i bought it. It was an already started project when i bought it, blocked up wepaons impact point, pieces of expomet sheet and orky glyphs.

Will add updates to this project so keep an eye on it.

Spent a few moments yesterday on the shields for my Ard Boys, yep you heard right (riot shields). Gonna base my Ard boys on a type of special weapons unit, capable of taking on armoured vehicles and bunkers etc. Will put a few pics and tutorial up soon. Keep an eye on the updates link in the side column.

WARBOSS IRON ARSE'S WAAAGH

2009-02-08T21:01:00.000Z

I have started my warhammer 40k collection and so far have chosen to collect ork deathskulls, and black templars. The bulk of my standard ork boys are now painted and my next project is gonna be my elite troops (Ard Boyz) and (Kans). The Black Templars have taken a back seat at the moment as i have got carried away with the orks. So far i have managed to complete 1 squad of templars and a few transports, but i am not happy with the finished results so i will put finishing touches to them at some point.

Sooooo.

Projects for the workbench at the moment are.

1. ork ard boyz

2. ork looted vehicle (converted land raider)
3. ork looted vehicle (converted tank destroyer)
4 . killa kan squadron (some conversion)

5. BT rhino transport 1, rhino transport 2, rhino transport 3, and rhino damocles command vehicle
6 Three more squads of black templars including ( 1 close combat squad converted, and 1 assault squad)
7 Black Templar land raider crusader

8 A wole bunch of other orks (stikk bombers, storm boys and looters/burners) just arrived fresh from ebay.

So got my hands full at the moment with family and work commitments, stay tuned cus i need the support. I will try and update this blog at least weekly. Looking forward to all your comments.

HELLO

2009-02-08T14:28:00.000Z

Hi and welcome to my blog.

As a young boy many a battle was fought on my bedroom carpet by legions of Airfix and Matchbox 1:72 and 1:32 scale toy soldiers. I must of had literally thousands of them, all different armies but my favourites were and still remain Napoleonic. My father used to regulary bring me home a new box most Fridays after work.
Thirty something years later and this big kid now continues to collect miniatures. The main reason is to replace the lost hordes which i was forced to pass on to younger nephews by my older sisters as i was growing up. I suppose the memories that i have of those Sunday afternoon skirmishes play a big part.
The usual path taken by many collectors and hobbyists was followed through school. An introduction to D & D and the citadel miniatures range, and this inevitably led to Hero quest and finally Warhammer and Warhammer 40k.
And now here i am putting my collection on the internet for display to like minded enthusiasts. Please feel free to sign my guestbook and leave any constructive criticsm. The internet is also my main tool for sourcing the lost legions of toy soldiers from my youth.