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Fantastic Plastics October 2013

Mike Blake reviews the latest plastic figures for collectors

Replicants
Knights

As I said last time, Replicants released two new sets and a couple of ‘novelty’ figures at the Plastic Warrior show. We covered the splendid Culloden Scottish Highlanders and the Body Climbers last time, this time it is the turn of the knights.

Knight figures have always had a universal appeal and these will be no exception. There are four figures in this set, in excellent action poses which are certain to appeal to medieval period collectors and gamers. This is a period I confess I know very little about and so cannot comment on the accuracy of the clothing, weapons and armour, but knowing Peter Cole, the designer and sculptor, as I do I am confident they will be spot on.

Peter is well known for his desire (I nearly said obsession) with getting the period details right, but also for creating a real toy soldier, one that kids from 9 to 90 would want to pick up and play with. I reckon he has done just that here in spades.

I hesitate to try to describe them because I don’t know the technical terms. The first figure in the photos has a flat topped helm, shield slung on his back, and is turning and drawing his sword, a really nice compact but dynamic pose.

Next up is one taking an almighty swing with his sword right back over his head – if it connects with his opponent I can see his head coming off! This one’s shield is held to protect his body.

Number three has a helm like the first’s, but he is armed with a wicked looking mace, his last opponent’s broken sword at his feet, as he turns ready to take on the next man.

Finally comes an axeman, clad from head to toe in chainmail, striding forward to deliver another killing blow. The four of them make a nice little diorama when posed in pairs, making you wonder which one of the two will land the blow.

FP 14) The four figure set of Replicants’ Knights

Contact:
www.replastic.com
All sales information from:
Steve Weston Toy Soldiers
14 Limburg Road
Canvey Island
Essex
SS8 0QJ
Tel: 01268 680117
www.plasticsoldiers.co.uk

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Painted Metal Review

July 2013
Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by Mark Avery

Figarti
Soviet ISU-152

Clive Gande, the oner of Figarti’s UK distributor Grey Goose Collectibles, had this rather unusual tank model taking pride of place on his table at the June show. To be honest when it comes to tanks I’m so used to seeing the same ones (Tiger, Sherman, T34 etc.) done over and over again in slightly different guises, that I almost missed this much more unusual, and certainly more interesting, little model.

Nicknamed the ‘Zveroby’ or ‘Animal Killer’ by Soviet tank crews, the ISU-152 with its 95 lb. shell was one of the few Russian tanks capable of blowing apart Panthers, Tigers and Elefants, so no surprise it was popular with the soldiers of the Soviet army as it actually gave them a fighting chance as Hitler’s armour began to roll eastwards. The Figarti model is well detailed, as you would expect from a company that has built its reputation of machinery rather than figures in recent years. Although that said the tank comes with a well detailed Russian soldier in full winter gear (including skis), which personally I feel looks a little odd positioned beside the tank but could be a useful figure elsewhere in a wintery diorama setting.

Priced at £210/$249 its reasonable value for money, especially when you consider it’s a limited edition, and it would certainly add something a little different to a tank based scene. In fact having the ISU-152 combined with a destroyed Tiger could make a very interesting little vignette, especially if you mix in a few of the skiers and some Waffen SS in winter gear! Overall a well produced yet unusual piece of armour, and I’d personally like congratulate Figarti on starting to do the more unusual items from WWII for us.

Contact:
Figarti Miniatures
Building 1, No. 268
Gao Guang Lu
Shaghai 201702
China

Tel: +86 21 3981 3383
www.figarti.com

In the UK:

Grey Goose Collectables Ltd
Sparrow Wycke Farm
Maldon Road
Mundon
Essex
CM9 6PB

Tel: 01621 743815
www.grey-goose.co.uk

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Casting around

July 2013
Paul Stocker looks at the latest castings to arrive on the market

Morgan Miniatures
Mounted Conquistadors

The first time I met Gareth Morgan at a London show he was displaying the first of his Conquistadors on foot and he mentioned that he expected to have mounted versions available before too long. It’s taken rather longer than expected to add the cavalry, but he has at last been able to release four mounted figures depicting Hernán Cortés and his Spanish cavalry and they are very fine figures indeed.

The castings come with the horse (in one pose) assembled except for fixing the reins and the saddle in place. The riders are cast with separate heads, arms, scabbards and, in two cases, shields. The horse represents the type used as war horses in the medieval period and there is no disguising the fact that it is big but this just adds to the impact of the four figures. Cortés and another cavalryman carry swords, another carries a lance underarm and another is using a spear over arm.

The fit of all the parts is as good as ever and assembly is very straightforward and painting the figures should be a real pleasure.

The new castings measure 60mm approx and cost £30 each (the price for matt painted versions wasn’t confirmed when I received the castings but it is likely to be in the region of £90 – £100). UK recorded delivery P&P - £1.50 for the first figure, 60p for each subsequent figure; Europe - £2.50 for the first figure, £1.50 for each additional figure; Rest of the World - email for a quote to morganminiatures@hotmail.co.uk. Gareth accepts payment via Paypal for overseas customers.

Gareth apologises for the continuing absence of a new website but he has now set up a blog for the purpose of displaying his figures and inviting discussions about them. This can be found at: morganminiatures.blogspot.com.

Contact:
Gareth Morgan
60 Warnham Court Road
Carshalton Beeches
Surrey
SM5 3LZ
Email: morganminaitures@hotmail.co.uk

Pics and captions) Cortez and Spanish cavalry

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Fantastic Plastics

July 2013
Mike Blake reviews the latest plastic figures for collectors

Ivanhoe Figures

Marlburians

This time Len Cooksey really has come up with something special – plastic resin 1:32 scale figures for the Marlburian Period! John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC, 26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 ), was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs. Rising from a lowly page at the court of the House of Stuart, he served James, Duke of York, through the 1670s and early 1680s, earning military and political advancement through his courage and diplomatic skill. Churchill's role in defeating the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 helped secure James on the throne, yet just three years later he abandoned his Catholic patron for the Protestant Dutchman, William of Orange. Honoured for his services at William's coronation with the earldom of Marlborough, he served with further distinction in the early years of the Nine Years' War.

It was not until the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 that Marlborough reached the zenith of his powers and secured his fame and fortune. His leadership of the allied armies in the War of the Spanish Succession consolidated Britain's emergence as a front-rank power. Throughout ten consecutive campaigns Marlborough held together a discordant coalition through his sheer force of personality and raised the standing of British arms to a level not known since the Middle Ages.

The War of the Spanish Succession, 1701–1714, was fought between two European alliances. Several battles are considered ‘classics’, notably Blenheim (1704) and Ramillies (1706), which drove the French from Germany and the Netherlands, and Almansa (1707). Inconclusive fighting and skirmishing in Spain followed and then the action turned to France. After considerable manoeuvring with little in the way of results, the French were decisively defeated by Marlborough and Eugene at the Battle of Oudenarde (1708). This led to the Grand Alliance Pyrrhic victory at Malplaquet (1709) and a Two Crowns victory at the Battle of Villaviciosa (1710). Continued skirmishing, sieges, and battles, such as the decisive victory of Denain (1712), allowed the French to re-capture considerable ground. At the same time, a series of events led to the Allied cause faltering. The recall of the Duke of Marlborough for political reasons, combined with a new parliament pressing for peace, dramatically reduced the effectiveness of the British forces. The decade long war was concluded by the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714).

Sadly neglected by figure makers, the War is fertile ground for collectors and wargamers. The uniforms of the various armies were all virtually the same, differing only in colour and minor details but all conforming to the same basic pattern. This means that will a minimal number of figures all the armies can be covered. This is exactly what Ivanhoe have done with their new set of figures for the period.

With just two foot and one mounted body, and three heads (though it seems there are actually four) all the necessary types can be made. The infantry bodies are standing firing and standing at attention. The mounted body has a drawn sword and a carbine. The heads are tricorne, Grenadier mitre cap and Fusilier/Dragoon low fronted cap. By combining heads with bodies armies of foot, grenadiers, fusiliers, horse, horse grenadiers and dragoons can be made. For the latter the foot figures could be used for the dismounted versions, with the addition of a sheathed sword and sling, and boot tops.

Please note that Len has been good enough to send me the prototypes to photograph, as he sold out of all his castings at the last London Show! The actual production figures are much better than these of course, so please bear that in mind when looking at the photos as they really are splendid little fellows. The bad news is that Les has developed an allergy to resin, and has had to stay off casting for a while. Hopefully by the time this review appears he will have recovered – we would all wish him a speedy recovery I am sure.

Contact:
Ivanhoe Figures
6 Manor House Road
Rotherham
South Yorkshire
S61 1NT

Tel: 0709 558649

www.spanglefish.com/ivanhoefigures

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New Releases Part 1

Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by George Phillips

Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by George Phillips

Figarti Miniatures
Various new releases

Since Figarti Miniatures burst onto the manufacturing scene in 2003, the scale, quality and ambition of the company’s output have been simply staggering. Although the set is now retired, I remember my jaw hitting the floor when I saw the company’s highly detailed 1:30 B17 Flying Fortress at one of the London Shows. Figarti has been pulling out the stops every year since, and a number of new releases hit the market recently. The pieces for this review were kindly provided by Grey Goose Collectables.

Hats off to the Wang family and designer Shi Hong for tackling unconventional toy soldier subject matter in the form of a V1 Buzz Bomb and accompanying equipment and personnel. The basic weapon on a small section of launch rail retails at £125 but this is part of a modular set that enables you to add more sections of launch rail, along with a launch crew, refuelling technicians and transportation cart and crew. The quality and historical accuracy of these pieces are to the high standards we expect of Figarti and with the right combination of modules and some additional scenic pieces, an impressive launch site diorama can be constructed.

For collectors interested in WWII character figures and their aircraft, Figarti has produced a model of the extraordinary Henry ‘Hammerin' Hank’ Elrod – a US Marine Corps aviator who was killed during the heroic defence of Wake Island – along with his Grumman Wildcat fighter bomber.

Elrod flew the highly compact Wildcat in the defence of Wake Island, downing two Japanese aircraft and sinking a destroyer before taking part in the ground defence of the island. The Figarti rendering of the aircraft is nicely detailed and bears the battle scars of Elrod’s ferocious sorties against the invading Japanese forces. The figure itself shows Elrod in the latter stages of the defence of the island in which he was using a captured Nanbu machine gun to lay down heavy fire on enemy positions, before being mortally wounded as he sought to protect a group of his men ferrying ammunition to forward positions.

Elrod won the US Medal of Honour posthumously for his valiant actions, and the new Figarti set pays a suitable tribute to the man. The Elrod’s Wildcat set costs £250.

The remaining Figarti sets feature US Marine defenders pitched against ferocious Wake Island attackers. Die Yankee Dog features a three-piece Japanese assault team, with one figure charging with the imperial Japanese flag wrapped around his bayoneted Arisaka rifle. The second figure is taking aim authentically from a kneeling position and the third is advancing with his rifle held at the waist. All three figures are well-rendered and businesslike, and at £70, provide excellent options to beef up your attacking Japanese army.

Eat This is a mini hand-to-hand combat diorama in which a Japanese infantryman is defending himself against a US Marine knife attack with a shotei uchi palm strike to the jaw. A realistic little piece – with an authentic karate technique! – retailing at £70.

The third item is another Marine-on-Imperial infantryman two-man set, a little misleadingly entitled Chop to Face. In this set, a Wake Island defender has side-stepped a Japanese bayonet thrust to deliver a hefty belt with the stock of his Springfield rifle. Again, the posing and action is realistic but I found the paint job on the example I saw a fraction under par. This set retails at £70.

The final review item is another two-man, hand-to-hand combat set entitled Desperate Fight in which an unarmed US Marine is struggling to wrest control of a Japanese infantryman’s rifle. Also priced at £70, it can be combined with the sets above to produce a truly gritty looking close-range encounter.

Review by George Phillips

Contact:
Figarti Miniatures
Building 1, No. 268
Gao Guang Lu
Shaghai 201702
China

Tel: +86 21 3981 3383
www.figarti.com

In the UK:

Grey Goose Collectables Ltd
Sparrow Wycke Farm
Maldon Road
Mundon
Essex
CM9 6PB

Tel: 01621 743815
www.grey-goose.co.uk

MG_3072) V1 Flying Bomb
MG_3074) Captain Elrod’s Wildcat
MG_3081) Die Yankee Dog
MG_3082) Chop to Face
MG_3083) Eat This
MG_3084) Desperate Fight

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Fantastic Plastics

Mike Blake reviews the latest plastic figures for collectors

Futura
Samurai & Gladiators

At the recent London Toy Soldier show I spotted these figures on a stand manned by Peter Evans. Chatting to him revealed that they were some figures which were given away with rice cakes in Japan. A friend of his had been able to get hold of a number of them and they were now selling them.

The fascinating thing about the Samurai is that they are from the period of the Tom Cruise film ‘The Last Samurai’. They are simply painted, 1:32 scale mounted and foot figures and include two of Tom Cruise! They are full of action, and come unassembled with a couple of pieces which snap together.

They are available in limited numbers but are very nice collectors’ items and a must for anyone interested in the military history of Japan and the Boshin War in particular. There also some Roman Gladiators, in action poses.

The figures sell for £6 mounted and £4.50 foot.

Contact:
Peter Evans
Email: pevans113@btinternet.com

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Casting around

Paul Stocker looks at the latest castings to arrive on the market

Sarum Soldiers
19th Century Furniture

Patrick Willis has embarked upon a very interesting project aimed at providing an extensive range of 19th century furniture suitable for a wide variety of interior settings. The period to be covered is roughly from the end of the Regency period up to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and beyond. Some readers may remember a range of furniture produced by Phoenix for the 18th century many years ago. If there is a positive response from customers, the range will eventually make it possible to create realistic interiors for anything from a large country house (Downton Abbey anyone?) to an urban or suburban villa, or from a regimental mess to a Southern plantation or Wild West ranch.

Seven of the first twelve releases are shown here and all are available either as castings or painted gloss. Not shown are a billiard table, a fireplace, a pair of armchairs, a chesterfield sofa, and a set of accessories such as those shown on the sideboard. Pictures of all the items should be on Patrick’s website by the time you read this.

Prices obviously vary according to size. For example, castings for the occasional table cost £4.95 (£8.95 painted gloss), castings for the tallboy bookcase cost £7.95 (£14.95 painted gloss). Post and packing: UK 10%, EU 15%, Overseas 20%. There is a minimum value of £10 for orders.

I must apologise abjectly to Patrick and readers for quoting old contact details for Sarum Soldiers when I featured Patrick’s ‘Officer’s Mess’ castings in issue 48. The correct details are below.

Contact:
Sarum Soldiers
Martin House
Swallowcliffe
Salisbury
SP3 5PF

Tel: 1747871343
www.sarumsoldiers.net

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New Releases Part 2

March 2013
Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by Andy Whittaker

W. Britain
Napoleonic and Museum Collections

By the time you’re reading this the new W. Britain catalogue should be available (contact your nearest stockist to get hold of a copy), however I was lucky enough to get a preview of some of the figures featured prior to its release.

The matt Napoleonic range has been a stalwart of the W. Britain catalogues since the late 1990s, it’s funny as I still think of this as a fairly new range but I guess with 15 years under its belt it’s not that new anymore! The latest additions to the range are five British 92nd Gordon Highlanders, as WB rightly states in the catalogue, they’ve had figures of the Scots Greys available for a little while and considering the story of how the 92nd joined the Greys at the battle of Waterloo it seems only right these are added to the range.

Well sculpted and painted the figures will, I’m sure, be welcomed by all regular WB collectors when they hit the shops in late March (expect for the Ensign who’s not out until June).

Another range which has garnered praise over recent years is the Museum Collection. It’s an unusual range as rather than focusing on a specific period it focuses on soldiers throughout history and is actually a range primarily of ‘one off’ figures. However it works well as a range which can be collected as a whole, or it enables collectors to just pick that one figure they like and it to their period diorama.

The new figures which will be out around the time you’re reading this are the three US Marines (1833, 1859 and WWII) whilst, what I know will be the most popular of the bunch, the Black Watch Highlander Ensign will be out in late April. Again all figures are really well detailed and I’m sure will prove very popular.

Sadly no prices were available at the time of writing but I suspect they will cost around the same prices as other figures within the relevant ranges.

Review by Andy Whittaker

Contact:
W. Britain/First Gear Inc.
PO Box 52
Peosta
Iowa 52068
USA
Tel: +1 563 690 1259
www.wbritain.com

In the UK:

W. Britain Ltd. C/C Bachmann Europe Plc
Unit 18 Moat Way
Barwell
Leicestershire
LE9 8EY
Tel: 01455 841756
www.bachmann.co.uk

36095) British 92nd (Gordon) Highlander make ready no.1
36100) British 92nd (Gordon) Highlander Ensign with King’s Colour advancing no.1
36101) British 92nd (Gordon) Highlander charging no.1
36102) British 92nd (Gordon) Highlander standing firing no.1
36103) British 92nd (Gordon) Highlander Officer urging men forward no.1

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Casting around

March 2013
Paul Stocker looks at the latest castings to arrive on the market

All the King’s Men
ACW – Union and Confederate Infantry

I have been looking forward to featuring Ken Cliffe’s exciting new ACW range since I was given a preview last year and now at last the first figures, the infantry, are available. They have quite interesting origins because most of them were first manufactured in plastic in the USA by Classic Toy Soldiers. Ken obtained a license to make the figures in metal to appeal to his wargaming and collecting customers but several entirely original ATKM figures have been added as well along with some of the separate heads that are available for figures across the range.

The two basic infantry sets have troops firing and advancing/charging. All the bodies come headless and the separate heads have pegs to fit into sockets on the bodies. Some of the arms come separate with similar plugs and sockets. There are over a dozen different heads available and they are supplied randomly with the figure sets to provide as much variety as possible. The infantry sets are intended to serve for either Union or Confederacy. There was plenty of similarity between the uniforms of each side during the war and the gradual drift away from regulation dress as the war progressed blurred uniform distinctions even more.

The Firing Line set contains twelve other ranks in eight different poses, an officer and a colour bearer for $40. The Advancing set contains twelve other ranks in five different poses, an officer and colour bearer, also for $40. The officers and color bearers for the two sets are different and Ken is offering a range of flags to use, complete with separate finials and cords. The figure sets are unpainted but Ken offers a painting service, contact him for prices.

For orders up to $50, shipping costs are approximately $7 or less per set, assuming a Continental US customer (rates drop per set according to the size of the order). Contact Ken about costs to destinations outside of the USA.

Ken will be following up his infantry releases with cavalry and artillery and mounted generals and spare officers and I will be featuring these as they are released. There are more original castings amongst the cavalry and I have seen a preview of them and they look splendid. Horses are made by Toy Soldiers of San Diego and, like earlier cavalry releases, these will be in plastic to keep the mounted figures light.

Contact:
All the King's Men Toy Soldiers LLC
2456 Hewatt Rd
Snellville, GA 30039
USA
Tel: +1 770 978 1645
www.allthekingsmentoysoldiers.com

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Fantastic Plastics

March 2013
Mike Blake reviews the latest plastic figures for collectors

Russian Made
Russian Revolution Figures

These are some Russian made, and rather limited edition, figures which really are rather splendid even if you are not into the period. They really are excellent figures, they look much better than any pictures can show, with some really striking characters amongst them. They are identified as Set #1 Red Army, Set #1a Red Army, Set #2 White Guard and Set #3 Counter-Revolution. It is actually a fascinating period of history, and there is a lot of scope in it for some interesting skirmishes.

The figures themselves would also make some useful additions to Russian Boxer Uprising and Russo-Japanese War collections. They are not cheap at £25 a set for 10 figures, but there will only ever be 1,000 sets of each, hence the price. They come in a mix of buff and dark green plastic, and are nicely detailed castings of a most unusual subject.

Contact:
Steve Weston Toy Soldiers
14 Limburg Road
Canvey Island
Essex
SS8 0QJ
Tel: 01268 680117
www.plasticsoldiers.co.uk

FP 15) Russian Revolution Figures Set #1 Red Army
FP 16) Russian Revolution Figures Set #1a Red Army
FP 17) Russian Revolution Figures Set #2 White Guard
FP 18) Russian Revolution Figures Set #3 Counter-Revolution