Unfashionably Shiny

Suren AWI Conversions

2011-06-26T22:43:00.007+01:00

More of John's Suren conversions - a couple of toffs, and the Kings American Dragoons. Horses are mostly Ebob with a few Foremost. Again painting is mainly oil washes on an acrylic base, and i particularly like the scarlet - it's so vibrant it almost glows.

My Hero! *

2011-06-25T23:04:00.009+01:00

(Or at least a miniature representation thereof)

John recently added some long overdue commanders and personalities to his small but perfectly formed British AWI force, and this is his Banastre Tarleton (complete with 17th LD aide). Suren figures on Foremost horses. All the large areas are oil washes on an acrylic base, detailing is mostly straight acrylics. Tarleton himself isn't the predictable Suren BL officer (N13) but instead a conversion of a Napoleonic figure (J26 Commandant of the Cameronians, Egypt c 1801 - which despite not being listed on the Tradition site is definitely available as Magnus remoulded it last year)...i mean, why go off the shelf when you can go bespoke...

* Not entirely true - young Tarleton was far too rash and tactically one dimensional for my liking, though i'd defend his reputation against rebel propagandists both then and now (yes, i'm looking at you Mel).

It Pays to Advertise...Again

2011-06-22T22:14:00.008+01:00

From issue 1 of Military Modelling (January 1971). No mention of 25mm, or indeed any scale of figures yet. Interestingly Suren is also advertising Hinchliffe products (as do Garrison in their ad. in the same issue).

This scan comes to us courtesy of the ever helpful Mr Siggins.

Bill Gaskin 3

2011-06-02T17:10:00.007+01:00

More ex Gaskin pieces now in the collection of Mr Siggins. This time we think the conversion and painting is the work of Bill himself. As far as i can see the basic figures are all Gilder sculpts apart from a lone Willie (the lt dragoon officer). Great stuff!

Even More Robinson Napoleonics

2011-05-30T21:11:00.006+01:00

More beautiful figures by Phil Robinson. Originally owned by Bill Gaskin and now in the collection of Mike Siggins (who supplied the photos).

The Frank Hinchliffe Story

2011-05-23T01:13:00.027+01:00

FH in 1976: 'Twelve more Napoleonic codes by midnight Gilder or the pooch gets it!'

The title of this post somewhat over-eggs the content i'm afraid. Some time ago it struck me that whilst articles and anecdotes from and about the likes of Gilder, Stadden, and Hezzlewood are not hard to find there is almost nothing out there regarding the man who employed them. So, purely to satisfy my own over active curiosity, i set out to do a little research on Frank Hinchliffe. What follows is just a rough overview, it's very much a work in progress (i have yet to follow up a number of leads), and is no doubt riddled with schoolboy errors, but it might be of some interest.....

As with most of us Frank Hinchliffe's interest in model making began during childhood - building model aircraft with his father during the pre-war years. After National Service in the Royal Engineers FH became interested in ship modelling, and rapidly became an acknowledged expert in the field - building models for himself, private clients and museums. His reputation grew such that he was entrusted with the restoration of precious Napoleonic bone PoW models.

Hinchliffe's expansion into military modelling came about via a visit to a client in the mid 1960s - an old interest in model soldiers was re ignited and FH realised the demand for high quality equipment models to accompany them. By 1967 Hinchliffe Models was offering a catalogue of 54mm equipment pieces in addition to bespoke modelling services (FH had put his engineering background to good use by designing and building his own molding and casting equipment). The range expanded rapidly to cover artillery and wagons in 54mm, 30mm and 20mm, and these were sold both direct and via stockists such as Rose Miniatures and Tradition. Sales were such that FH quit his job with ICI and committed himself completely to the model soldier business.

The introduction to the 1967 catalogue.

FH teamed up with Peter Gilder (recently departed from Alberken/Minifigs) to produce 25mm wargame figures (some say the original intention was for 20mm but PG got a bit carried away and went 'one louder'), and the rapidly expanding Hinchliffe Models moved into the familiar HQ (a converted Victorian era pub) on Station Street in Meltham, Huddersfield in 1971.

Hinchliffe continued to pursue his interest in larger scale models by commissioning pieces from Charles Stadden, Cliff Sanderson, Dave Jarvis, Ray Lamb (creator of the iconic Taisho model), Julian Bennassi, D(?) Roberts and Dave Sparrow to create a healthy inventory of 30, 54, 75, 90 and 150mm figures.

Other well known names that passed through Hincliffe during the 1970s include Trevor Dixon and Norman Swales.

The company grew apace through the 1970s, and was genuinely innovative:

In 1976 HM published The Hinchliffe Handbook - an illustrated catalogue of all their ranges, backed up by painting and modelling guides and historical articles (shades of later GW and WF publications perhaps?).

In 1976 HM introduced System 12 - a short-lived range of integrated 12mm figures, terrain and other playing aids (an idea ahead of its time perhaps and possibly HM's only real commercial failure during the boom years).

In 1978 HM began the importation of Heritage 15mm figures from the US (probably the most detailed/modern styled 15mm figures then available in the UK). A reciprocal arrangement allowed Heritage to cast and re brand Hinchliffe figures in the US.

In 1979 HM launched a range of blister packed models and game aids (such as the notorious plastic casualty caps) under the Calder Craft banner. The wargame figures and equipment were usually one piece versions of the standard range, and the larger scale kits included everything (apart from paints) required to finish the kit (groundwork, mahogany base, etc.). For the first time in the UK metal wargame figures could be found professionally displayed in racks in non-specialist (e.g. toy)shops. Again this idea was probably ahead of its time - i suspect the marketing elves at GW took note though.

The company also had commercial arrangements with both Humbrol and Osprey, organised and sponsored Northern Militaire, and was involved with the Callan movie and Battleground TV series during this period.

By 1976 the administration side of the business had got the better of Frank Hinchliffe as it consumed much of the time he had previously devoted to producing equipment masters (did Norman Swales take over equipment mastering?).

Exciting developments didn't end with the new decade as Steve Hezzlewood came on board albeit briefly before going it alone with Pax Britannica (incidentally - Hezzlewood's X Range AWI: the best wargame figures ever sculpted? Discuss...) but FH apparently yearned to return to commercial ship modelling. The departure of Peter Gilder (to run his Wargames Holiday Centre full time, and ultimately launch Connoisseur) may also have been another factor in the decision to sell Hinchliffe Models to Skytrex in 1984.

FH retained the old premises and the Caldercraft brand, and (with a small team that now included his son Peter) began to design and market high end ship model kits - as you might expect these were well received and commercially successful.

FH working on a new master for Calder Craft in 1987.

Not so well publicised was FH's continued involvement in the model soldier game - after selling HM Frank teamed up with Robert Fort to launch Bicorne Miniatures in 1985. This partnership ended after a couple of years and in late 1987 Doug Mason came on board. This combination too fizzled out after less than a year but its fruits can still be found in the early Napoleonic codes still sold by Bicorne (such as the British Rifles) - these are excellent 'Gilderesque' miniatures. Geoff Taylor then picked up the Bicorne sculpting baton.

Ultimately FH sold Bicorne (in 1990), then Caldercraft. He continued in the model boat trade under the Mountfleet banner until passing away in 2006.

Thanks to Johns Ray and Preece, Clive, and Harry Pearson for their input.

Feel free to comment - particularly if you can correct any errors or expand on anything above.

Ouch!

2011-04-28T15:09:00.005+01:00

A detachment of the 3rd Connecticut Regiment brandishing nickel plated cold steel.

I've no idea who came up with the idea (probably an obscure modeller many decades ago) but replacing swords and bayonets with pins is an act of genius.

You do need basic soldering skills (and i mean basic - if i can do it...), and the correct equipment (an adjustable temperature iron, low melt solder, and good quality steel pins) but the investment is worth it for the improvement in aesthetics and durability of your toys (not to mention the opportunity to grievously injure the resident club oaf as he attempts to abuse your miniature masterpieces). And of course a soldering iron opens up a whole host of other conversion and sculpting possibilities.

It Pays to Advertise

2011-03-24T22:20:00.006Z

Mil Mod was a fairly broad church in the 1970s and 80s - so there was usually something of interest each month - but even if there wasn't you could rely on the regular Hinchliffe ad. to fire the imagination (even though i could rarely afford the new products featured, and wouldn't have known what to do with most of them anyway).

This ad. from October '77 features one of Hinchliffe's best equipment sets - EG19 Landsknecht Baggage Wagon - you got everything (including the kitchen sink...and 'company shoe carrier'...?!) with this one. Renaissance wargamers were spoiled rotten by the Hinchliffe equipment range - i wish the AWI or SYW had received similar treatment.

This also reminds me that at its peak Hinchliffe Models was close to the complete toy soldier company - producing a vast range of products in everything from 12 to 150mm. I can't think of anyone (with the possible exception of Tradition - which may or may not be a coincidence given Frank Hinchliffe's early involvement with Tradition) who has come close to that level of coverage before or since.

All of which reminds me that that article on Frank Hinchliffe is woefully overdue.

Evolution

2011-02-26T23:42:00.008Z

Over the last year or so my old mate John's painting style has moved slowly away from the conventional layered acrylics to something more.....subtle and stylish (and dare i say shiny). Clearly some malevolent force is at work.....

Exhibit one: (we've seen these chaps before) Connoisseur conversions. The horse flesh has had an oil wash but everything else is layered acrylics - though without that refuge of the dilettante, cad and bounder: the black undercoat. Win a free night with John's collection of Doug Mason Napoleonics if you can spot what's changed since we last met these chaps.

Exhibit Two: Mounted Bicorne general with two Connoisseur conversions. The horse flesh and uniform coats are oil washes over acrylic base coats, the rest of the figures are layered acrylics as previously.

Exhibit Three: Minden SYW Prussian Jager (paint) converted to AWI Hessians. Almost exclusively oil washed apart from the flesh, scarlet and fiddly details. Splendid!

Got a Time Machine?

2011-02-20T21:42:00.005Z

From Mil Mod March 1981.

More Saxons

2011-02-18T12:08:00.005Z

More Connoisseur Saxons painted by Doug Mason for the WHC. Lovely units, but perhaps a tad pedestrian by Mason's very high standards (you couldn't say that about his Saxon Cuirassier and Guard though - see Chris Cornwell's blog for some great pictures of those fine chaps).

Saxons by Doug Mason

2011-02-08T15:42:00.008Z

Last year Mike Ingham sent me a number of shots of Napoleonic units from the WHC collection, of which the above Doug Mason painted Elite Miniatures Saxon Guard unit is one of the most striking. Mason is of course capable of very intricate and detailed work, but he's also capable of producing figures that look superb in units if not necessarily stellar as individuals. My units tend to look like groups of individuals so it's an ability that i'm certainly envious of. I suspect it comes down to having a clear vision of the end result before you begin - planning where each figure will be placed within the unit, knowing which details to paint and which to leave out, etc.

At it's peak the WHC collection must have boasted literally thousands of Mason painted (and sculpted - of which more anon) figures - most of which were commissioned in the post-Gilder era by Mike Ingham and Gerry Elliott. The numbers will be reduced now as Mike sold a fair number last year (some of which will feature here soon...ish), indeed as Mike was willing to part with the Saxons i don't know whether you'll find the above unit at the new WHC.

Although no longer getting the media coverage he used to Doug Mason apparently still paints for various wargaming glitterati - including the hobby's own Damien Day - 'Eclaireur'.

Mike Ingham

2011-02-07T13:00:00.006Z

I've just heard via TMP that Mike Ingham passed away last Friday - a very sad event, but expected i guess given his illness. I only met Mike once last year when i found him to be a real pleasure - still full of enthusiasm for the hobby (particularly the 'proper figures and painting' that the WHC collection epitomised) and patient enough to let me poke around the shelves at the WHC and answer my many tedious questions despite his ill health. In passing Mike mentioned that in over 20 years of hosting games he had only ever asked someone to leave on one occassion - which tells us a lot about the good humour of both the Grand Manner community and Mike.

No doubt others, more qualified than i, will pay appropriate tribute to Mike in the coming days.

Having bought out his business partner Mike disposed of a good chunk of the WHC collection last year, but the majority was kept together and the WHC, now in new hands, should have a bright future ahead. You'll find the new website here.

Battleground: Gettysburg

2010-12-28T21:58:00.014Z

A few random images from the Gettysburg episode of Battleground (admittedly these are of poor quality but as there's so little out there on Battleground i thought they were worth posting, and they do give a sense of how visually impressive the game was).

Apparently Peter Gilder managed to sell the Gettysburg terrain featured three times - first of all the original commission for the Callan movie, then, after it's return by the film company, to Edward Woodward (the owner when Battleground was filmed), and finally (again, after its return gratis by Woodward) to a wargamer in the USA.

Baa Humbug

2010-12-23T11:10:00.003Z

What could be more seasonal than a few sheep?

Shaun and friends by Hovels, shepherd by Hinchliffe. Incidentally, from the mid 70s Hovelmeister Dennis Coleman was one of Gilder's team of crack figure painters (so there is a shiny connection here - this posting is no mere piece of fluff...or should that be wool...).

En Avant!

2010-11-01T22:30:00.004Z

Mike's Elite Miniatures French officer points the way towards much shinyness over the coming months.

When i posted some of Mike Siggins' work previously i managed to overlook this splendidly painted figure from Elite's 1806-14 range (i reckon Mike has absolutely hit the sweet spot with this chap - great work). I've always been in two minds about Elite - they produce some of the very best figures i've ever seen, and yet too many of their offerings seem rather awkwardly posed and anatomically challenged.....they do look good en masse though (and yes, i know many would say the same about some of Gilder's creations).

The Gilder connection is probably well known - Peter Morbey painted for Gilder and sculpted a few figures for the Connoisseur range, and there's an obvious Gilder influence in Morbey's work. To my eyes there's also a Suren influence - particularly in the recent 'Collectors Series'. All of which contributes to making Elite one of the shiniest of current manufacturers (even if there is a scandalous lack of gloss finish in the galleries on their website!).

More of Young's Surens

2010-10-31T12:10:00.006Z

A couple of 17th C. types this time. The ECW officer is definitely a Suren, presumably the Cardinal is C 16 Cardinal Richelieu...?

It's a shame that Gilder's Hinchliffe ECW are some of his smallest 25mm offerings (at least of those still readily available) otherwise i'd have added Suren's ECW personalities to the collection long ago (then again, if over-sized commanders were good enough for Callan....).

The Brigadier's Willies

2010-10-31T11:46:00.005Z

A few 30mm 18th c. subjects from the legendary Peter Young's collection. I think the majority of these are Suren conversions (though not being an expert in vintage 30mm figures i stand to be corrected) and, as the Brigadier apparently knew and wargamed with Ted Suren, then perhaps they are the work of the master himself...?

I've had these pictures for years, they are not mine, and i can't remember where i nicked them from (though i think i might have taken them from the site of the auction house that was selling them at the time).

More Robinson Napoleonics

2010-08-14T14:29:00.005+01:00

Another splendid Napoleonic command group by the obscenely talented Phil Robinson. This time i think the figures are Suren on Hinchliffe horses. Phil painted these chaps back in the 1980s, and they currently reside in the collection of Roy Lowson.

Words of Wisdom 3

2010-07-20T21:55:00.005+01:00

Today's lesson comes from John G Garratt ('Model Soldiers for the Connoisseur', Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972, p50):

'There is no logical reason, except possibly as a technical exercise of dubious merits, why eyes should be painted in detail at all.'

I'm with Garratt on this one, unless you want an army of Wilko Johnsons chopping out riffs across your wargames table then enough with the staring eyes - less is more, merely suggesting eyes is much more effective for 30mm and under i reckon.

That said, think what you could do with an army of Wilkos...

Garratt On Gilder

2010-07-14T20:35:00.006+01:00

From John G Garratt's 'Model Soldiers for the Connoisseur' (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972), p228:

"Peter Gilder, by contrast [to Charles Grant] believes that beautifully painted models need an appropriate setting. He is especially skilful in making naturalistic terrains and employs many types of house of the period approriate to the campaign in progress. His collection, comprising over three thousand Stadden, Gammage and Hinton models, all of the Napoleonic period , is delightfully painted and serves not only its primary purpose but at the same time is a delight to the eye."

Interestingly there's no mention of Gilders first wargaming love, the ACW. As you are probably aware Mike Ingham has a lot of the figures Garrat mentions currently for sale - details from Clive.

If you are a model soldier fan then i highly recommend Garratt's book. I suppose it's largely a 'state of the hobby' circa 1972. As you would expect it's profusely illustrated, but the real value for me is the many biographies it contains of makers (including the odd barbed critique of their work) and collectors. The international array includes Hinton, Higgins, Suren, Stadden, Grant, Gilder, Sweet, Morschauser, Eriksson, and many more. Interestingly Gilder is only mentioned as a collector - which suggests Garrat's information to be a few years out of date by the time of publication, either that, or Gilder's sculpting is overlooked as 20/25mm was not Garratt's primary interest.

Griffith At Gettysburg

2010-07-04T19:37:00.008+01:00

The late Dr Paddy Griffith is one of the key individuals behind my enduring (but largely unfulfilled) interest in the ACW. His books are fascinating but, long before i had read any of them, he took part in the first ACW game i witnessed (albeit via the TV screen) - the game played during the Gettysburg episode of Battleground. I remember the game looked spectacular and it was the terrain in particular that really struck me as something to aspire to. And wargaming was now on TV, presented by a famous actor, so it was clearly a serious adult pastime worthy of the many hours i was destined to devote to it in the coming decades....oh yes....

Despite playing with 'his toys, his terrain, and with his rules' Peter Gilder was given a sound thrashing by the other PG as they played out a highly condensed Gettysburg scenario. After winning a largely irrelevant cavalry melee on his left flank Gilder made his main thrust in the centre - Griffith's front line was brushed aside as Gilder's Rebs won the heights but his elation was to be short lived as he was then confronted by Griffith's reserve (the Iron Brigade armed with breechloaders) and hit by enfilading artillery. A couple of moves later Gilder's centre was in tatters with his infantry brigades either dead or fleeing and the game was up.

Incidentally, the terrain was the same board used in the Callan movie, although by the time Battleground was recorded Edward Woodward had purchased it from Gilder.

The 'high point of the Confederacy' - Gilder's Rebs crest Cemetery Ridge but are shot to pieces by Griffith's reserve infantry and supporting artillery.

Not only did Griffith take part in one episode but he was also a Historical Consultant (along with Dr David Chandler and Charles Wesencraft) to the series. At this point in his career Griffith was Senior Lecturer at Sandhurst, where he also ran the wargame group.

Thanks to some very generous individuals i am slowly pulling together more information and images, so i hope to post more on Battleground in due course.

Inspiration

2010-06-23T22:02:00.009+01:00

In recent years i've become addicted to tinkering - every new unit has to include a few conversions. Inspiration often comes from illustrations, and the Company of Military Historians 'The Era of the American Revolution' title is a source i keep returning to.

You may remember i featured the Culpeper Minutemen some time ago, i'd thought i'd put them to bed as a small 18 figure battalion but hadn't reckoned on the generosity of 'Mr MWAN' himself - Hal Thinglum. Last year Hal sent me a box of Hinchliffe figures that contained a number of riflemen and i recently used those to boost the Culpeper battalion up to it's 1775 paper strength. More rank and file meant more command figures so i took the opportunity to create my own miniature version of the officer illustrated in the COMH book. I took a Hinchliffe militia casting, replaced the head and left arm, converted the voluminous waistcoat into a hunting shirt and added a few other details such as an officers sash and fringing to the legs. A lick of Humbrol Midnight Blue and i'm quite pleased with the result.

The new drummer boy is also a conversion - the Foremost British Napoleonic drummer getting the Miliput hunting shirt treatment.

Recently i was able to pop down to the WHC and Mike Ingham was good enough to let me poke around the shelves for a couple of hours. Having had a good gander at literally hundreds of Doug Mason creations (not to mention those fantastic and ingenious Gilder buildings and terrain features) i am now armed with a stock of great conversion ideas to pillage for my AWI armies.

More Gilder Era Figures From The WHC

2010-06-04T11:34:00.004+01:00

Again these British rifles come to us courtesy of Mike Ingham. Somewhat dusty apparently they've been languishing in a cupboard for years. The officer and kneeling figures are current Hinchliffe, the standing firing chap is more of a mystery - Clive reckons he's a 'first edition' Hinchliffe, and he's probably right (similar style to his more modern colleagues, just smaller and thinner ....that's the figure, not Clive).

Incidentally i think the first time i heard of the WHC was via a small piece in a Sunday supplement (probably the Sunday Times) c. 1980 - i remember that article being illustrated with a rather atmospheric shot of a British rifleman. It's a shame i no longer have that cutting.

Cossacks!

2010-06-02T14:05:00.007+01:00

More vintage Hinchliffe from the WHC courtesy of Mike Ingham. Here i think we have early Hinchliffe cossacks (i've not seen this figure before, and it's not in the current catalogue) on current range ancient Hun ponies. Mike inherited these from Peter Gilder in 1988 and they are still in regular use at the WHC (which could make them veterans of over 35 years service).

Incidentally Clive has posted images of Garrison and Hinton Hunt figures from the WHC collection at The Hinton Hunter and The Old Metal Detector recently.

More vintage WHC Napoleonics soon.

Vintage Hinchliffe From The WHC

2010-06-01T19:55:00.010+01:00

Mike Ingham (owner of the Wargames Holiday Centre) was kind enough to send me these images recently. They form part of a substantial collection of vintage, original 'Gilder era', figures that Mike had unearthed.

These particular chaps are 'first edition' Hinchliffe British Napoleonic heavy dragoons - the trooper was remodelled (and significantly enlarged) in the late 1970s but the officer and trumpeter remain in the Hinchliffe catalogue to this very day.

More vintage Hinchliffe from the WHC in due course.

Hussars!

2010-05-14T15:05:00.006+01:00

If you are familiar with the Connoisseur Napoleonic range then you'll know that some troop types are lacking some rather basic variants - for example, in the case of French Hussars there is a trooper and trumpeter, but no officer casting. I suspect Peter Gilder simply ran out of time to add all of the figures he would have liked, but every cloud has a silver lining and this one encourages you to be creative.

John created this Grand Manner unit some time ago, it's been notoriously camera shy which is why i've had to make do with the rather dodgy pictures above (note to self: a glass topped table is not a good venue for toy soldier photography). An impressive result when you consider that only two basic castings were used (the aforementioned trooper and trumpeter) - a great example of what can be achieved with a little greenstuff and imagination.

More From Siggins

2010-04-22T23:39:00.007+01:00

More splendid Connoisseur personalities from the brush of Mike Siggins. Mike uses oils for horses and acrylics (mostly Vallejo) for everything else. Lovely stuff!

Whilst we're on the subject of acrylics there are some very useful painting guides available online that i should have mentioned a long time ago - the Rapid Fire site contains three articles (Painting Plastic Figures I, II and III) that take you through their 'Wash and Line' method that is near as damnit to my own (you may be forgiven for thinking i nicked it from them ...ahem...). Highly recommended, as they say.

More 'Orses

2010-04-05T13:11:00.005+01:00

I've never been happy with my horses - the finished article always seems a bit dull in comparison to the rest of my toys. So i decided to be a bit bolder with the latest batch, and the dun and grey above are two of the results. All i've done is increased the contrast between the shadows and highlights and i think it's worked. Using lighter colours than the usual Vandyke Brown, black, etc. helped a lot - and is probably the no-brainer answer!

As usual i've used a white undercoat, applied a colour wash ( Burnt Umber oil, and Humbrol Gloss 5 respectively) which is then wiped off, the deepest shadows are painted in with a darker shade of the wash. Lower legs, mane, tail and muzzle are then painted in and highlighted with a dry brush (or a wipe-off as in the dun).

Featherstone Snaps The Stars

2010-03-31T12:11:00.007+01:00

I'm posting this today (rather than tomorrow) just in case you think it's a Photoshopped wind-up....

Another gem from uber-blogger Clive - Don Featherstone caught Frank Hinchliffe and Peter Gilder (together with Tradition's Peter Beaton and Osprey's MD Tony Bovill) at the launch party for Osprey's 50th title in September 1975. In front of them Hinchliffe British and French Napoleonics face off on one of PG's terrain modules.

As Clive suggested this could be a still from The Sweeney (or perhaps back stage during the shooting of the Beastie Boys Sabotage video).....dig the threads Pete!

Words of Wisdom 2

2010-03-30T00:18:00.006+01:00

Mr Preece's recent dilema put me in mind of these sage words from George Gush ('A Guide to Wargaming' by Gush and Finch):

Be warned: once one embarks on super-detail and elaborate painting techniques, some strange psychological force makes it almost impossible to return to simpler standards, so one is condemned to lengthy sessions of painting for ever!

(To be fair to JP one of the things i admire about him is his apparent ability to switch between painting styles and levels of detail as appropriate for the particular project - not something i seem able to do other than using a shiny finish for vintage figures and matt for modern ones. And then there's the fact that he has 10,000 painted figures....).

Great Gilder Set Pieces 5

2010-03-25T22:48:00.009Z

Peter Gilder's version of the premature demolition of the bridge over the Elster on the 18th October 1813. You'll find this on the cover of 'The Campaign of Leipzig 1813' - the second, and last, title in the short-lived Osprey Wargames series.

The Wargames series was similar to the current Osprey Campaigns series - you got an overview of the campaign and combatants, and a section on wargaming (which was always frustratingly short). Neither fish nor foul i suppose Osprey were trying to please both wargamers and history buffs in a single short volume; i much preferred the more wargamer focused approach of the similar Knights and Bellona series. Four years later Gilder's 'Let's Fight Leipzig' series in Miniature Wargames perhaps completed the picture begun by this Osprey title.

Of course where the Osprey series did score highly was the illustrations, and not just the half dozen Gilder set pieces in each volume, but also the numerous line drawings and sketches of relevant equipment and locations - in general they were well chosen and useful.

As for the toys - the majority of the figures in the foreground are obviously standard Hinchliffe 25s, but the figures in the background are intriguing - they must be 15mm, or perhaps System 12? Can anyone identify them?

A Brief Charles Stadden Interlude

2010-03-14T13:37:00.011Z

They are not shiny, they're not even wargame figures, but they are by Charles Stadden - so well worthy of inclusion.

These images are just 3 pages from the slim 'Model Soldiers' volume published by Tradition (strictly speaking Belmont-Maintland Publishers Ltd) in 1967. Text by JBR Nicholson and photography by the doyen of model soldier snappers - Philip O Stearns.

All the figures illustrated are 54mm, and would probably be considered a touch naive by the standards of today's top modellers, but they retain a real charm that certainly appeals to me. More from this book anon.

Words of Wisdom 1

2010-03-08T12:51:00.006Z

This tickled me - from AIRFIX magazine guide 19 'Model Soldiers', Martin Windrow (or was it Gerry Embleton) spoke thus:

Like a gun, a modelling knife is neutral; whether it works for good or ill depends entirely on the moron holding it.

That Classic Mil Mod Cover

2010-02-17T11:08:00.019Z

I remember being transfixed by this Hezzlewood and Ray created FIW set piece pretty much from the moment i collected the magazine from the local newsagent. Neither Suren nor Stadden figures were on my radar at the time so seeing such finely sculpted figures for the SYW was a revelation (Spencer Smith's these were not, and, although i liked Gilder's SYW cavalry, the infantry he did for Hinchliffe were a bit too chunky for my liking).

I guess this cover was arranged to coincide with the launch of Hezzlewood's Pax Britannica range (ads for which appeared in early editions of Miniature Wargames, which places them in 1983 or '84), and the majority of the figures featured appear to be standard PB castings. Apparently John Ray painted the British, and Hezzlewood the French (and rumour has it he didn't bother painting the legs of the chaps defending the stockade). The buildings look suspiciously like the creations of the late Ian Weekley of Battlements fame.

Nearly 30 years on this remains an inspirational image and one of my all time classics.

Hezzlewood Writes..

2010-02-15T15:06:00.007Z

Not content with merely being possibly the finest sculptor to ever grace our little hobby the late Steve Hezzlewood was also capable of writing engaging and informative articles. The article featured here comes from the Battle for wargamers 'Wargames Manual' of 1983 and is an account of a FIW skirmish game with John Ray. The article is illustrated with some of Hezzlewood's early designs - instantly recognisable to fans of his Pax Britannica and Hinchliffe figures no doubt.

As far as i know Hezzlewood had only two other articles published in the mainstream wargames press - 'Table-top Movement' and 'The Melee in Wargames' both of which appeared in Issue 6 of Miniature Wargames (which should still be available as a hard copy or PDF from the publishers, so i won't be posting those articles).

That same year the Hezzlewood and Ray partnership was also responsible for one of the great Mil Mod covers - of which more anon.

Clash of the Titans

2010-02-13T23:49:00.003Z

Two of the big cheeses of the '70s scene lock horns - John Braithwaite (of Garrison Miniatures fame) takes on Peter Gilder during the filming of the Waterloo episode of Battleground.

This image was taken from the Battle for wargamers 'Wargames Manual' of 1983.

Fauntleroy and Friends

2010-01-22T00:29:00.013Z

More Hinchliffe AWI figures - a troop of the 1st Continental Light Dragoons c.1781. The officer is a conversion of the bugler figure, and as usual i've replaced the sword blades with pins, but otherwise they are standard castings.

The standard (i.e. Gilder designed) AWI range cavalry are all one piece castings. Given the choice (as some Hinchliffe cavalry were available as either one piece or separate castings) i'd always go for one piece castings - what you lose in flexibility, you gain in convenience and durability. I usually found that my favourite horses and riders never quite fitted together properly anyway - resulting in tedious work with file and Miliput, or unsightly gaps between saddle and horse. And don't get me started on getting the reins to line up with the rider's hands. The usual criticism of the one piece cavalry is that the horses are too small - there's some merit in that point although i think we tend to forget that armies on campaign would usually be grateful of any old nag they could get their hands on.

Until being mortally wounded at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse the small 1st CLD detachment serving in the Carolinas was commanded by a certain Captain Griffin Fauntleroy - a quite splendid name that just cries out to be recreated in miniature.

Only one more troop of cavalry to go and i'll have finally finished Wm Washington's adhoc Legion that i started a mere 5 years ago....

Peter Gilder's 'Painting Wargame Figures & Armies'

2010-01-15T11:44:00.009Z

The most comprehensive 'how to' PG wrote was this databooklet included in the December 1981 issue of Mil Mod. Despite being nearly 30 years old (yikes!) there are many wise words within.

I have a PDF version (courtesy of Mel Spence) - you'll have to email me if you want that.

Great Gilder Set Pieces 4

2010-01-14T01:25:00.008Z

Another Gilder Mil Mod cover shot (and another image that you'll also find in Curt Johnson's book). Peter Gilder appears to have got far more coverage in Mil Mod than in Battle - even when Battle was a separate title dedicated to wargaming ....odd....?

This image is a good example of why Johnson's book was so frustrating for us mere mortals - the majority of the figures pictured were never made commercially available. As many of these 'specials' were superior to the Hinchliffe range it was frustrating indeed. The main line unit pictured here (4th Foot) and the opposing rebel riflemen are good examples of this. Actually the 4th could be replicated without the need for God-like talent - take a Hinchliffe Grenadier, scrape off the shoulder wings and remove the head and sword, replacing the former with a line infantry head. I could never face doing that 30 to 40 times (probably just as well for what's left of my sanity).

Foremost ECW

2009-12-23T18:33:00.008Z

The Foremost range was originally advertised as a separate venture by Peter Gilder, though it was always exclusively available from Hinchliffe Models. When Frank Hinchliffe sold out to Skytrex the Foremost range went too, so whatever the commercial arrangement was with Peter Gilder it must have ended there.

PG did some of his best work for the Foremost range - the British Napoleonics come immediately to mind, as do the horses. That said, i prefer the earlier Hinchliffe ECW to their Foremost peers - the 'Prince Rupert's Charge' cavalry were a late addition to the Foremost range and are a tad chunky for my liking. Nevertheless they retain all the elan of classic Gilder cavalry.

These particular examples were painted as Ireton's Horse by John Tilson, and a splendid job he did too. If you've been paying attention then you'll remember that John took part in the Edgehill episode of Battleground. Something that was not noted in the Battle article i posted earlier was that John used his own Parliamentarian army during the game - sadly this army was stolen a short time later.

Win absolutely nothing if you can identify the classic tome that Ireton's are deployed upon.

Edward Woodward

2009-11-16T12:48:00.003Z

Has died aged 79.

A great shame, but then we all have to go eventually. Woodward was in two of my favourite films - Callan (of course) and The Wicker Man (cheesy, but entertaining, and filmed nearby). I blame the Callan movie for my interest in the ACW. Rumour has it that Woodward owned Peter Gilder's Gettysburg terrain (or at least the version featured in the movie above) for a while - i've no idea whether that is actually true though.

BBC obituary here.

Warrior Miniatures AWI Range

2009-11-13T10:13:00.007Z

Over the years i've owned examples of most 'vintage' AWI ranges but these chaps have always eluded me, indeed i've never even seen a listing of the range. This is a review from Battle November 1976. It looks like they might have been compatible with Hinchliffe, Tradition, Garrison, etc. (being slim with decent anatomy), and the choice of subjects was interesting (officers with spontoons no less, and a fifer), so i'd still like to get my hands on some.

Unfortunately the current Warrior AWI range are relatively recent designs in the modern style.

Brewer Besieged

2009-11-05T14:06:00.012Z

Some great modelling work by Bill Brewer. I think the town buildings are particularly attractive, and despite being constructed over 30 years ago (where, in general, there wasn't the abundance of materials, parts and tools we have now) i reckon they knock the socks off much of what is available today.

Again the majority of figures featured are the wonderfully characterful Hinchliffe Landsknechts.

I've always been fascinated by sieges (i'm not really sure why....certainly from a wargaming perspective they are a great excuse to build stuff, and then knock it down with lots of artillery) so this article was always going to fire my imagination. Maybe an AWI or ECW siege could be on the cards soon.

Bill Brewer

2009-11-04T10:55:00.011Z

Bill Brewer was another master modeller and painter who is sadly no longer with us. Founder member of the South London Warlords, proprietor of the Rye Stamp and Hobby Shop, and paintbrush for hire, the quality of Bill's painting and scratch building was inspirational.

As far as i know Bill's work first gained (inter)national exposure through the pages of Battle - from which the above scans were taken. All 3 images are of the same Renaissance game staged during a club meeting in 1977. The first 2 illustrated an article on the Warlords ('With the Warlords', June 1977).

The majority of the figures in use are, of course, Hinchliffe.

Duncan MacFarlane seems to have been a fan as Bill's work featured frequently in the pages of Miniature Wargaming and Wargames Illustrated.

The Talented Mr Swales

2009-11-02T16:03:00.009Z

Whilst i'm on the subject of the Hinchliffe Handbook i thought i'd post a couple of pages of Norman Swales illustrations (of which the Handbook must contain a few hundred). Swales' illustrations could also be found in various other Hinchliffe publications, Quarrie's Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature, and Humbrol Authenticards (and no doubt elsewhere too). A fine illustrator and sculptor/designer...don't you just hate multi-talented people....8-)

Whilst Swales' illustrations were a pleasure to look at, and useful as an approximation of the subject figure, i must admit i would have preferred Hinchliffe to have used photographs of the actual models more often (which is one area where Minifigs scored top marks).

I wonder - did PG sculpt based on Swales' illustrations, or did Swales' drawings come afterwards? I have always assumed the latter....?

Pete's Elastic Ruler

2009-11-02T08:27:00.003Z

I came across this in the Hinchliffe Handbook and it made me chuckle. Did no one tell Mr Gilder that his figures were supposed to be 25mm to the top of the head, or did he use an elastic ruler to measure them? Hinchliffe 25s varied from about 22mm up to 30mm - this inconsistency could be frustrating (why did i always end up with midget officers leading my Napoleonic battalions?)......... but you couldn't knock their style.

An Old Chestnut

2009-10-22T21:30:00.008+01:00

OK, i know it's a dun, but painting horses is one of those issues that seems to have troubled wargamers since prehistoric times. I'm currently contemplating painting some cavalry next so i had a look through the vintage ranks - looking for inspiration and tips from the 'great masters'. I came across this Hinchliffe ECW officer by Phil Robinson and, although in general i find his horses a bit garish, i do like the effect he's achieved here. The horse has been washed in a tan colour, most of which has been wiped off, and then shadows have been applied in a mid grey. Details have been lined in brown ink (since unfortunately aged to black) in the usual Robinson style.

A funny thing is how my photography just doesn't do the Robinson figures justice - this isn't just down to my ineptitude as usually my own figures actually come out looking better then they really are....very odd...

Where i think i go wrong with horses is in not being bold enough - they benefit from a bit of drama in just the same way as human figures. With that in mind we'll see how i do with the next batch i smear paint onto (ETA Christmas - judging by my current workload).

All Roads Lead To....

2009-10-19T00:22:00.005+01:00

Donald Featherstone (at least as far as post-war UK wargaming is concerned).

I was one of probably many who were drawn into the hobby during the 1970s and 80s by pictures of Peter Gilder's wargames, and, as PG himself told us, he was introduced to wargaming by Featherstone - so in the end we are all children of The Don, so to speak....

The above scan comes from Wargamers Newsletter 146 May 1974 and i suspect the two photos will be known to you already having been published in various books and magazines over the years. They were taken during one of Don Featherstone's visits to Peter Gilder in Norfolk sometime in the mid 1960s. The game depicted is ACW - and this is before Airfix released their ACW range, so most of the 20mm figures will be conversions.

Again this comes to us via Clive - who has contributed so much content recently that i may have to start paying him a salary... BTW, i welcome any and all relevant content (pictures, scans, anecdotes..whatever) as inevitably your stuff will be far more interesting than my stuff. I can be contacted via the email address in my Blogger Profile.

You Can't Get The Staff

2009-10-06T23:20:00.007+01:00

Well, you can, but with the Hinchliffe range you have to be prepared to do a bit of hacking in order to add a bit of variety.

Inspired by the recent Bill Gaskin postings i knocked these out recently - they may not be to the same standard but i'm fairly pleased with them. They are all Hinchliffe figures (apart from the grey which is a Steve Hezzlewood designed RSM piece) converted to some degree (e.g. the bloke on the grey started life as Thomas Picton...talk about coming down in the world...).

Gilder on Diversity

2009-09-29T15:43:00.003+01:00

Here we have an extract from a letter sent by Peter Gilder to Wargamers Newsletter printed in issue 91 (October 1969 i believe). The background is the spat that rumbled on for some time between the London and Southampton 'sets' of wargamers (Featherstone vs Tunstill, seconds out...), but the real reason i post this is the insight it gives us into PG's hobby philosophy - his rejection of standardisation is music to the ears of this dyed in the wool individualist....

Thanks to Clive for supplying this scan.

Great Gilder Set Pieces 2

2009-09-18T10:56:00.005+01:00

If you own a copy of Curt Johnson's 'Battles of the American Revolution' (and if not, why not?) then you'll already be familiar with this image - Gilder's the death of Rall at Trenton. I'm sure Rob will be delighted to see Garrison Prussians to the fore (lovely figures that i still prefer to the Hinchliffe Hessians or SYW Prussians). The rebels are a mixture of standard Hinchliffe figures and Peter Gilder 'specials' that have never been commercially available (well, not yet anyway....).

I scanned this image from the cover of Battle magazine from August 1976 (i wasn't going to risk breaking the spine of my copy of Johnson - it's a holy relic).

Great Gilder Set Pieces 1

2009-09-15T17:42:00.004+01:00

I was drawn into wargaming by the toys, rather than, for example, a great desire to replay the antics of Napoleon, Wellington, or any of the great generals (though i have managed to mimic the win/loss ratio of George Washington rather well). As a young (and inept) military modeller i was captivated by the photos of the Peter Gilder collection that were published in Military Modelling magazine from time to time, and when i discovered that a cousin had been collecting 25mm Napoleonics i was sold.

This is one of my favourite shots - Napoleon and entourage from June 1975. Unlike some classic Gilder shots i don't think this one has been widely used elsewhere - i can't remember seeing it in any other magazines or books.

Rematch

2009-09-12T00:39:00.006+01:00

August 1972 and Charles Grant takes a look at the next batch of Hinchliffe Napoleonics.

Again this comes to us courtesy of Clive.

Grant vs Gilder

2009-09-08T21:37:00.009+01:00

Whilst it might sound like an intriguing episode of Celebrity (Wargamers) Death Match sadly this post is merely an article from the February 1972 edition of Military Modelling. In it Charles Grant takes a look at some of Peter Gilder's earliest work for Hinchliffe Models - 25mm Napoleonics.

This is another article sent to me by Clive- thanks Clive.

Bill Gaskin 2

2009-09-05T21:44:00.011+01:00

More Gaskin collection pieces courtesy of Mike Siggins. The quality of these pretty much speaks for itself, so i'll shut up....

August 2010 Edit: When he originally sent me these images Mike did suggest the figures may have been by Phil Robinson, and Phil himself has just confirmed this. Phil also tells me that the majority of his command figures were Suren (though often converted) remounted on Gilder horses.

Bill Gaskin

2009-09-04T17:02:00.007+01:00

If you've been a regular reader of Wargames Illustrated, or attended Partisan, then Bill Gaskin will need no introduction from me. His AWI, ACW and vast Napoleonic collections have been the subject of much drooling over the last couple of decades.

His current collection, whilst superb, sadly lacks shinyness but these early pieces (now in the collection of Mike Siggins) score top marks for composition, painting, and...gloss finish!

Apart from a single Steve Hezzlewood designed Hinchliffe X Range horse i think all of the above are basically Connoisseur figures.

More to come from Gaskin and Siggins.

Siggins Again Again

2009-08-29T20:12:00.008+01:00

This time some of the good guys; two anonymous English gents, and the Old Guard equivalent (in that everyone has some) of the British army - the Scots Greys (or North British Dragoons if you want to annoy a Scotsman). Not that you really needed me to tell you that....

Is it just me or is the bloke in the second pic puckering up (perhaps he brought his mistress on campaign, or maybe he's ex public school)...?

The Napoleonic splurge is set to continue for a while with more great stuff from Mike and a couple of other fine gentlemen.

Siggins Again

2009-08-28T16:27:00.005+01:00

More splendid Connoisseur personalities from Mike. Other than being Austrian (presumably) i have no idea who these chaps are - win absolutely nothing if you can enlighten me.

Siggins Goes Shiny

2009-08-27T14:11:00.008+01:00

Regular readers of Mike Siggins' columns in WI and Battlegames will be aware that he's a long time fan of the great Mr Gilder, and if you've browsed his website you'll be aware that Mike is a very accomplished painter. So it should come as no surprise that he's a dab hand at the shiny style.

Mike was good enough to send me some images of the Connoisseur Napoleonics he has been working on recently. Obviously i'm impressed. To my eyes Mike has that artistic flare that can turn a pedestrian piece into a work of art with a few swirls of the brush - something that all the great painters i have admired over the last 30 years have had. I am even more impressed that Mike has achieved all this with acrylics (though the horses were painted with oils).

Napoleonics are of course the archetypal 'Grand Manner' wargame period, and Connoisseur the ultimate range (for me at least), so i'm glad to be able to feature some at last. More Napoleonics from Mike (and a couple of other talented painters) soon.

Frank and Norman....

2009-08-20T14:13:00.013+01:00

...both designed rather splendid equipment pieces and set a standard that few have lived up to since. Frank Hinchliffe began his commercial model making career designing 54mm artillery pieces in the late 1960s. Of course he went on to expand into other scales, hire Peter Gilder (and others) to design wargaming figures in 15-30mm, and work with sculptors such as Charles Stadden, Julian Benassi, Dave Jarvis, etc. to create an extensive range of model soldiers in 54-90mm - all of which made Hinchliffe Models one of the dominant companies in wargaming and military modelling through the 1970s and 80s.

I have fond memories of receiving Hinchliffe equipment sets in those little blue boxes - complete with extras such as lengths of chain, harness and stirrups for horses, etc. Hinchliffe definitely 'went the extra mile' - not cheap at the time, but worth every penny.

Norman Swales first broke cover (to my knowledge at least) as an illustrator for Hinchliffe in the mid 1970s. By the early 80s he was designing equipment for the original Wargames Foundry. Foundry presentation was a bit rough and ready (remember when they gave you a nail for an axle?) but the design of the pieces was first class.

The first picture above is a Hinchliffe ammunition wagon - 30+ years old, and still a fine model. The second picture is 1980s vintage Wargames Foundry model. Both are accompanied by converted Hinchliffe horses and attendants.

I've always been keen to add the 'tail' to my wargame armies - not just as table dressing but because i feel it's important to incorporate some aspect of logistics into wargames. In our current AWI games this is reflected in restricted ammunition supply - hence the two pieces pictured.

I'm sure you'll agree that that's quite enough of my old tat for a while. Next up i'll be focusing on a couple of guest contributors.

Garrison ECW

2009-08-17T23:03:00.005+01:00

More Phil Robinson creations. These Garrison figures form the pike element of two of the regiments in my ECW collection - the musketeers for which are Hinchliffe, and i think the second photo shows that the two ranges work quite well together (the officer and drummer being Hinchliffe). This particular figure (EW11) is not currently available from Garrison but Rob Young tells me it will be within a couple of months.

I have a couple of Hinchliffe pike blocks sans musketeers and i'm planning to make good on that deficiency via the Garrison range. I could also do with another unit of ECW dragoons... and more Garrison SYW Prussians to serve as Hessians in my AWI armies, and ...

Minifigs ECW

2009-08-15T15:42:00.006+01:00

No, really, this time they really are (at least 3 of the crew anyway). After my identification faux pas in the last post i thought i'd post a few genuine Minifigs ECW. As before these were painted by Phil Robinson and feature in Asquith's Naseby Osprey.

With all that red hair i wonder whether they are Scots or Irish.....

'70s Baggage

2009-08-10T18:07:00.013+01:00

Nope...i'm not referring to your collection of Hawkwind LPs, i mean this collection of Hinchliffe ECW wagons and limbers painted sometime in the mid 1970s by Phil Robinson (he of the big hair, and even more impressive SYW and WW2 collections that featured in early editions of Miniature Wargames).

Robinson's painting style back then could perhaps be described as 'basecoat, highlight and line'. Lining in was done in brown ink drawn on with a mapping pen (i've read of pens being used to line in before but this is the first time i've actually come across someone who's used the technique successfully) - sadly the last 30 years have not been kind to these chaps and the brown ink has turned black, making the overall effect somewhat less pleasing than originally intended.

Much of my ECW collection was painted by PR, so there's more to come. As with the other ECW pieces i've posted these chaps can be found pictured in all their fresh-faced original splendour in Asquith's Naseby Osprey title.

Now then chaps - spot the Minifig.......?

Fun with Humbrol

2009-07-02T21:52:00.016+01:00

Since starting this blog i've had a few requests to outline what passes for my painting technique. An illustrated step by step would probably be the most effective approach but, with no painting time on the horizon, that will have to wait (if indeed there is really a demand for it). So for now i'll present a few notes on the painting of the unit featured in my last post - Lamb's New York Artillery.

Equipment
As i've mentioned previously my main weapons of choice are Humbrol enamels. Most of you will no doubt have abandoned enamels years ago and switched to acrylics, but, being a semi-professional masochist, i have stuck with them through the various reformulations they've gone through over the last 20 years or so (each of which seems to have resulted in a worse product than before). Back in the day Humbrol's matt enamels were the dog's doo-dahs in terms of consistent coverage and finish. Sadly their latest incarnation is but a pale shadow - some matt enamels have a very grainy consistency, and many do not cover well in one coat. The gloss colours also cover poorly but this works to my advantage as this means they 'wash' well. They have a much finer, smoother finish than most matt colours (finer pigments perhaps?) - none of that grainyness - and so come in very handy for fine detail work. The Humbrol satin colours are in many ways the best of both worlds - they cover reasonably well and have a fine finish - so come in very handy.

I also use artists oils for horses and occasionally leather and woodwork. Remember to mix in a generous blob of Liquin (or an appropriate enamel colour) to your oils or you'll be cashing in your pension before they've set properly.

Finally, i use a few acrylics - Humbrol matt white (34) as an undercoat, and Coat d'Arms 'matt' (really satin if you ask me) white (101) as a final undercoat, and to finish all white areas. An ancient pot of GW 'Brazen Brass' takes care of any brass, bronze or gold items.

As for brushes i use Windsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky sable almost exclusively. I doubt it matters which brushes you use as long as they hold a decent point, but if you are using sable make sure to arm yourself with a good brush cleaner - i swear by Chroma 'Incredible Brush Cleaner'.

Figure preparation
One of the disadvantages of my method is that it highlights (literally) any imperfections in the figure - any mould lines or flash that you neglect to remove will scream out at you from the finished figure. Preparing badly cast figures can be a soul destroying task - but no pain, no gain... (in an ideal world my collection would be exclusively Suren 30s but i just can't face spending years of my life cleaning and reparing the usually poor castings, never mind the cost...).

Undercoating
The undercoat is important. The figure needs to start life with a good strong, even coat of white. As ever multiple thin coats are preferable to one thick - i usually go for a couple of coats of Humbrol finished off with one of Coat d'Arms. A matt white spray may well be a quicker and better alternative at this stage.

Plastering on the pigment
I'll deal with each colour roughly in the order that it is applied:

White
I reinforce white areas with one (or more as appropriate) thin coats of Coat d'Arms matt white(101). I find it relatively easy to avoid overpainting crossbelts, etc. when painting the rest of the figure (and, thanks to Coat d'Arms plasticy satin finish, it's usually easy to remove any mistakes with a damp - with white spirit - brush) but it might be more sensible to leave white areas til last.

Flesh
I start with a wash (roughly 50/50) of matt khaki(26). Cover with matt flesh(61) leaving an outline of the khaki base coat, and khaki in the eye sockets, down and under the nose, round the mouth and ears, between the fingers, etc. With a mix (50/50) of flesh and white i paint in the highlights (typically nose, chin, bottom of ears, top of chin, fingers and knuckles, etc.) and whilst this is still wet work some white into the very tip of the nose, chin, and maybe the knuckles and anywhere else that looks right. The cheeks should really be painted with a flesh/crimson mix - though you risk a very toy soldier look if you over-do it.

Blue
I paint the coats with a thinned matt dark oxford blue(104). Whilst this is still wet i remove most of it (leaving a blue stained undercoat) from the prominent raised areas and anywhere i think requires a highlight - i do this with a brush, or even my little finger on prominent areas such as down the arms. Once this first blue has set i wash the entire blue area with a thinned (50/50) gloss french blue(14). This wash will remain workable for a few minutes allowing me to reinforce it or remove it as i see fit to create a pleasing contrast.

Buff
I paint all buff areas with a thinned (50/50) gloss tan(9) - i don't go overboard with the amount of mix i use on the brush, i use just enough to cover the area in question - don't drown the figure. Whilst this is wet i remove most of the paint from all accessible areas (as i did with blue above, only more so) - the aim being to leave a stain in shadow areas, with highlights being almost white.

Red
The officer's sash and water canteens are painted with a thinned gloss crimson(20). I use a fine brush to remove a little of the paint from any area that would benefit from a highlight.

Grey
I paint all grey areas with a thinned gloss grey(5). Again i use a brush to remove most of the paint from any area that would benefit from a highlight - leaving highlights almost white.

Black
I paint all black areas with a strong coat of matt black(33) (this may need two coats depending on how the particular tin of paint is behaving - matt black can be particularly grainy, and lack covering power). As i'm just looking to block in all the black areas an acrylic matt black may be a better option (the only real advantage the enamel has is that it's easy to remove any mistakes with a wet brush). Once this has set highlight with a drybrush of matt light grey(64).

Brown
I paint hair and leather areas with a thinned mix of gloss brown(10) and matt red-brown(100). Again whilst still wet i remove some paint from raised areas to create highlights. The bucket handles are painted in matt red-brown, with highlights dealt with as above.

By the time i've finished all the basic colours i usually look at the figures with some concern - they just don't look very good. Luckily the next step makes all the difference...

Lining In
Outlining clothing and equipment (and painting in the most prominent folds in clothing, etc.) seems to really bring the figure to life. I never use straight black as i feel it is too harsh and seems to deaden the adjacent colours, instead i use a dark version of the dominant colour. For example: where white crossbelts cross the blue coat i outline them in a very dark mix of gloss black(21) and matt oxford blue(104), where these same belts cross the buff waistcoat they are outlined in a mix of gloss brown(10) and matt scarlet(60). The majority of the uniform is buff - and these items are outlined and detailed in the previously mentioned mix of brown and scarlet.

There's no way round it - lining and detailing takes a fine brush and a steady hand, but the advantage of enamels is that any mistakes can quickly be rectified using a clean damp brush. I always paint with two brushes handy - one with which the paint is applied, and another clean one with which the paint can be removed.

You can save a lot of time at this stage by prioritising - only outline the most prominent areas. Consider how the figures will be arrayed once based, and what will be visible once they are on the table, and act accordingly. However, if you are like me and probably borderline obsessive/compulsive then you will feel compelled to outline everything whether it be visible or not - in which case you are doomed...

Finishing Off
After lining in all that is really left is to correct any glaring mistakes. I then set the figures aside for a day or two and varnish with a high gloss poly varnish (my weapon of choice used to be International Japlac High Gloss Enamel however i've been unable to find any lately so it may well be out of production). I avoid Humbrol Gloss Cote -expensive and not tough enough.

The figures are then based, the bases textured with a (dry and lumpy) sand/PVA mix, painted with matt grass green (80) and then drybrushed with matt pale yellow(81).

Incidentally the guns are painted in a similar fashion with gloss grey (5) carriages, black (33) ironwork, tan (9) leatherwork, and 'Brazen Brass' barrels washed in a very thin mix of gloss cote and gloss black.

Potential Improvements

Flesh
This is one area where for some reason i didn't follow a Gilder style method. To be frank i wish i had as i think it would be both quicker and more pleasing to the eye. A quick Gilder-esque method for flesh would be a wash with gloss tan, whilst this is still wet remove some paint from nose and chin to create highlights and work a little bit of crimson into the cheeks and lower lip. Leave this to dry and then line the eye sockets, sides of the nose, between the lips and fingers with a mix of gloss brown and matt scarlet.

Blue
Painting a solid coat of dark blue (104) then drybrushing with a suitable highlight would probably be more sensible - the trick of course is to find a suitably vibrant mid blue for the highlight. I couldn't find one in my armoury at the time so went with the rather odd process i described above.

Well, that's all (!) there is to it. I hope this is useful to someone as it's taken me bloody ages to type out - i could have been painting instead!

I've always been fascinated with techniques for modelling and painting so i am eager to hear any observations, suggestions or questions ......

Lamb's to the Slaughter...

2009-06-25T11:15:00.007+01:00

...or maybe they'll do the slaughtering - i suspect it'll depend on my notoriously fickle dice.

Another part of the New York contingent is Lamb's artillery company. Resplendent in blue faced buff they make a refreshing change to the blue and red combo of most other AWI artillery units.

I like artillery - both from a gaming and an aesthetic point of view. Each artillery base is a little diorama in it's own right (or can be if you put a little bit of thought into animating and composing the crew). That said, i've been lazy again and the crew here are standard Hinchliffe castings with just a couple of minor tweeks. The guns are hybrids - Foundry carriages with Hinchliffe barrels.

My AWI rebels probably have more than enough artillery already but i am tempted to do some more.

Gilder at Waterloo....Again..

2009-06-09T11:55:00.009+01:00

Unlike everyone's favourite Corsican midget Peter Gilder had many Waterloos - indeed with at least 3 written up for magazines, 1 televised, and no doubt numerous refights at the WHC, PGs Waterloos must have been as frequent as Abba encores....

I am left with the impression that he won them all too.

If you have been left frustrated by the sudden end to PG's series from Miniature Warfare then this article from September 1975's Mil Mod might help complete the picture to some extent as it's an account of a different refight staged by PG and friends 5 years later. Guess who won...

Gilder at Waterloo

2009-06-07T16:54:00.004+01:00

If you haven't already done so then i urge you to visit Clive's Vintage Wargaming blog where you'll find a series of articles by Peter Gilder detailing the preparation for his refight of Waterloo in 1970 - fantastic stuff! Clive's blogs are a real goldmine of information for wargamers and figure collectors alike, and he deserves great credit for the effort he's put into them. Thanks Clive!

Peter Gilder: The Early Years

2009-06-06T00:08:00.005+01:00

Here we have Donald Featherstone passing on some of PG's ideas for concealment and surprise to readers of Wargamers Newsletter. This article dates back to Issue 18 - which must be mid '60s (at the latest?) - and is the earliest piece by, or about, Peter Gilder that i have come across to date.

As you might expect PG's ideas are simple but effective. I particularly like his 'unit counters' concept - reminds me of Koenig Krieg (which remain my favoured SYW 'big battle' rules).

This article comes to us via Harry Pearson and Clive - thanks guys.

Noo Yoik, Noo Yoik

2009-05-29T14:44:00.009+01:00

This is my version of the 3rd New York Regiment c. 1778, 30 figures strong, all Hinchliffe castings designed, of course, by Peter Gilder. Alexander Hamilton (a slight modification of the Suren George Washington on a Gilder Foremost horse) provides moral support.

This unit is a fairly new addition to my collection and has only fought once.. i say 'fought', actually they didn't fire a shot, nor suffer a casualty - they just stood and watched as [enter Mel Gibson mode] the vile oppressors were soundly thrashed by the defenders of liberty [exit Mel Gibson mode] ......

As you can see my first efforts at photographing a decent sized unit have not been entirely successful - no doubt there are settings i could use to improve the focus, etc. but me and digital devices (including our camera) just don't get on, give me analogue anytime...

The Hinchliffe Philosophy....

2009-05-22T14:10:00.004+01:00

Well.....perhaps not, but i do think this piece (the Introduction to The Hinchliffe Guide to Wargaming) sheds some light on Frank Hinchliffe's attitude and approach to our hobby. More on Frank Hinchliffe in due course.

Peter Gilder Bibliography

2009-05-13T17:46:00.007+01:00

This is my current list of articles and publications authored by, or largely focusing on, Peter Gilder. It's something of a work in progress, and i am sure i am missing things (such as the review of the holiday centre in Mil Mod c. 1980..?). Please comment if you can add anything to the list.

Wargamers Newsletter:
Issue 18 'What is Gilder up to These Days' (letter extracts edited by Don Featherstone)
Issue 91 'Counsels of War' (letter extract edited by Don Featherstone)

Miniature Warfare
April-July 1970 'In The Grand Manner' (preparations for a Waterloo refight)

Hinchliffe Models Publications:
1972 Catalogue 'Painting Guide'
1976 Hinchliffe Handbook 'Bases for Wargame Figures'
1977 'Hinchliffe Guide to Wargaming'

Military Modelling:
September 1975 'The Battle of Waterloo' a battle report by PG, David Golden & Duncan MacFarlane
December 1981 databooklet No. 6 'Painting Wargame Figures and Armies'

Battle (and Battle for Wargamers):
March 1978 'Personalities on Parade' (an interview with Don Featherstone)
June 1978 'Battleground' (a preview of the TV series by Terry Wise)

Miniature Wargames:
Number 1 'A Holiday at the Wargames Centre' by Mike Hodson-Smith
Number 4 'Let's Fight Leipzig: Part 1'
Number 5 'Let's Fight Leipzig: Part 2'
Number 6 'The Sudan'

Wargames World:
Issues 1-5 'A Sudan Campaign'
Issue 3 'In the Grand Manner' (artillery in wargames)

Wargames Illustrated:
Number 40, January 1991 Obituary/Editorial by Duncan MacFarlane

Osprey Publications:
'The Campaign of Naseby 1645' by Stuart Asquith & Peter Gilder, Osprey Wargames 1, 1979
'The Campaign of Leipzig 1813' by Jeff Parker & Peter Gilder, Osprey Wargames 2, 1979

Miscellaneous:
'The Wargame' edited by Peter Young, Cassell & Company, 1972 ('All terrain made and supplied by Peter Gilder of Hinchliffe Models')
'Battles of the American Revolution' by Curt Johnson, Sampson Low, 1975 (illustrated with photographs of PGs AWI collection)

Howzat!

2009-05-06T13:06:00.003+01:00

Recently i came across a '70s vintage Hinchliffe 25mm British Napoleonic 5.5" howitzer, it's a relatively small piece so i thought it would pass for an American King howitzer (the howitzer equivalent of a grasshopper). In the end it turned out to be too big - but i won't tell anyone if you won't...

Hinchliffe equipment pieces (in all their various scales) have always been of the highest quality and (casting issues aside) remain unsurpassed even today. Even those obtuse characters who didn't like Gilder's sculpting would often equip their armies with Hinchliffe guns and wagons. The man behind the majority of these pieces was, of course, Frank Hinchliffe himself. Although a very talented scale modeller, hobby innovator, and the man behind one of the most influential companies in wargaming and military modelling FH seems to have largely avoided the limelight and received little recognition for his role in developing our hobby. With this in mind i've embarked on a little research, and with the very generous help of various wargaming luminaries i hope to present a small article on Frank Hinchliffe soon.

Incidentally, the gun crew are conversions of Hinchliffe ACW artillerymen.

The Crusade Against Black Undercoat...

2009-05-03T10:44:00.004+01:00

....will be led by this rather splendid Essex Bishop. I've never really been keen on Essex figures (not even back when they were fashionable) - they are decent, solid wargaming miniatures but they lack the drama and realistic human proportions that i find most appealing. That said, the (unknown) artist that created this vignette has done such a good job that i am willing to overlook the huge heads. I like it so much i found myself browsing the Essex Crusades range the other day...oh dear....must focus....focus.....[sadly i think for me Focus will never be more than a dodgy Dutch prog band].

BTW, is it just me, or does the standard bearer scream 'Monty Python'....?

Gilder Goodies Up For Grabs

2009-04-16T13:41:00.004+01:00

I have a few ex Gilder collection pieces going spare - i could eBay them, but would rather offer them to fellow enthusiasts first. They are all from eras i don't currently collect, but if i stare at them any longer i'm sure i'll be tempted to start new armies - so please save me from myself!

Turkish Renaissance: 4 Spahi cavalry, and a heavy gun
Swiss/Landsknecht Renaissance: baggage wagon and outrider
Imperial Rome: Unit of 6 Roman light cavalry, 2 celtic, 2 Goth and 2 Hunnic light cavalry

That's the lot, and, as you can see, just bits and bobs so not worth a great deal. If you are interested then i am open to trades, or even vulgar old cash. Please email me at the address in my profile.

Gilder Speaks!

2009-03-27T13:26:00.007Z

An interview with Peter Gilder conducted by Don Featherstone from the March 1978 issue of Battle for Wargamers. I hope you'll agree that it's an interesting read.

Kirkwood's Delawares

2009-03-24T12:14:00.003Z

One of the favourite units in my AWI collection - my version of Kirkwood's famous Delaware light infantry company c.1781 was the first unit i completed for my new AWI collection, always fights well (as befits its' elite status) and looks rather attractive too in the classic Continental combo of blue faced red.

Standard Hinchliffe castings in my favourite marching pose.

More Gilder ECW

2009-03-12T10:21:00.005Z

This dragoon officer is a Peter Gilder conversion. It's skilfully done - the harness and reins, musket sling and powder flask have been particularly finely modelled in wire and lead sheet. The musket sling even sports a hook for attaching the musket. Arguably the modelling was more skilfully carried out than the painting (which is a wee bit sloppy).

These figures also feature in Asquith's 'The Campaign of Naseby 1645' title for the Osprey Wargames series - you'll find them lurking behind Sulby Hedges in plate F. They were a bit shinier 30 years ago, but then weren't we all...

One of the things i've always liked about Hinchliffe is the conversion potential (i'm sure they were deliberately designed to allow the customer to animate and convert them easily - hence the long arms!). Now that Hinchliffe use a rock hard allow (pewter?), much of that potential has gone - which is a real shame.

PG on TV

2009-03-07T23:47:00.010Z

With Callan, Model World, and Battleground on TV, and shops in many large towns and cities, wargaming seemed to be almost socially acceptable in the late 70s. ....perish the thought!

Here we have the article on Battleground penned by Terry Wise (surely one of the hobby's original grumpy old men) and published in Battle magazine in June 1978. The article tells you pretty much all i know about the series. It's interesting that one episode saw a Gilder/Braithwaite rematch at Waterloo - Gilder as Napoleon took on Braithwaite's Wellington during a large multi-player Waterloo refight in 1975 that was written up for Mil Mod. That game was an overwhelming win for the Frogs - i wonder who won the televised version? As Gilder supplied most of the figures for the series i guess that my ex-Gilder ECW figures are also ex-TV stars.

I have a very vague memory of catching one episode on TV at the time, and obtaining a copy of the series remains an unfulfilled hobby Holy Grail (can you have multiple Holy Grails...?). If anyone has a spare Holy Handgrenade i'd like one of those too please.

I have very definite memories of the episode of Model World that covered wargaming (after all it featured an AWI game) - win my eternal gratitude if you can find me a copy of that.

More Gilder stuff to come over the next week or so....

A Minor Irritation

2009-03-04T15:50:00.003Z

That's riflemen for you - annoying, but ultimately not battle winners. These chaps are mix of bog standard Hinchliffe AWI castings and conversions of ACW and Napoleonic figures - the 'Golden Anorak' award is up for grabs to anyone who can identify the donor castings.

If you are thinking that there's nothing very Grand in the Manner of these tiddly little units then you'd be right, but small units are easy to photograph. When i'm able to clear some space i'll do some shots of the larger AWI and ECW units.

Coming soon....i've dug out further Gilder articles (an interview, and a piece on Battleground) and a rather splendid Gilder ECW 'special'. Any preference...?

Mighty Grasshopper

2009-02-25T18:02:00.000Z

If you are willing to spend the time required to clean and repair the castings (literally hours for 2 guns in my case) then the Hinchliffe AWI 3pdr Grasshopper can be made into a nice little model, though personally i'd recommend steering clear until the moulds are remade (which is on the cards apparently). The crew comprises 2 Hinchliffes, and an old Dixon figure that has been subjected to the indignity of a head swap.

Readers of a nervous disposition please take note that no Dixon 'pumpkin heads' will feature in this blog.

New Willies!

2009-02-25T13:30:00.000Z

I've just received an email from Tradition announcing further reworked/converted and remastered Suren 30mm 18th century figures - a few French and the first of the Prussians. The 'Gentlemen' set above is my favourite. Whether David Wilson has been able to match Suren's standards i can't say as i haven't seen any of the reworked figures in the flesh, but if i had the time and money (the new sets work out at about £1.50 per figure) for a SYW project i suspect i'd choose the Willie range.

Full details here:

http://www.traditionoflondon.com/index.asp?page=http%3A//www.traditionoflondon.com/Products/List.asp%3FID%3D370%26Typ%3DLucotte

Paint Along with Peter (1)

2009-02-22T23:53:00.000Z

As promised we have the first of the Peter Gilder penned painting guides - this one from the 1972 Hinchliffe catalogue. This comes to us courtesy of Clive (the 'Old Metal Detector' himself) as i am far too young to posses a catalogue from 1972.

The booklet on 'Painting Wargame Figures and Armies' that PG wrote for Mil Mod in 1981 will follow when i figure out how to host PDFs on the blog.

Plastering with Peter

2009-02-19T16:23:00.001Z

Above is an excerpt from The Hinchliffe Guide to Wargaming published in 1977. The experienced wargamer or modeller won't find anything new in this short guide but the novice dc found it very handy way back when.

With so many off the shelf structures available i wonder how many people scratch build these days..? By nature i'm a scratch builder but i have to admit that all of the buildings for my current projects are resin or plastic kits. That said, i hope to have a go at replicating Gilder's Chew House (as seen in Curt Johnson's 'Battles of the American Revolution') at some point soon...ish.

Gardening with Gilder

2009-02-17T15:05:00.000Z

One of the intentions i have for the blog is to host various painting and modelling articles by Peter Gilder. Matt's comment on my previous post has nudged me to look out a short article on basing from the 1976 Hinchliffe Handbook. It's essentially the method i still use although i have substituted coir broom bristles for sisal string.

I have a couple of different Gilder painting guides and hints on model making to post in due course.

Just a Minute!

2009-02-15T22:07:00.001Z

The Culpeper Minutemen are one of my favourite AWI units, i'm not sure why - perhaps it's the green hunting shirts, their name, or their uncompromising slogan, but regardless they have featured in all of my AWI collections over the years.

The current incarnation features 18 standard Hinchliffe castings. I was tired of painting riflemen at the time, and luckily could find no record of them putting more than 200 men in the field, so i felt i could stop at 18 figures (my main interest is replaying historic actions so i rarely paint more figures for a unit than i need to replay the particular battle that i am interested in). Ideally i like to animate or convert a few figures in a unit to add a little interest to each one - i find firing poses hard to alter so i copped out this time and only tweaked one of the officers.

Incidentally, a cunning substitution of the command stand turns them into the 1st Continental Rifles c.1776.

Return of The KLF

2009-02-11T23:59:00.000Z

No, not that KLF - this is the King's Lifeguard of Foot. Here we see the Lifeguard preparing to repel a Puritan assault on their display cabinet, whilst Gerrard's (another Gilder unit) lurk in the background. The unit comprises 40 largely standard Hinchliffe castings (the only customisation being the addition of plumes to some hats and helmets) painted by the unknown artist - though the style suggests to me it was PG himself.

One thing that really impressed me about these figures is the quality of the hand painted flags - the brushwork is superb. Whilst the style and quality of figure painting varies the flags are universally excellent.

The Gilder ECW are in serious need of dusting off, sorting out, and some restoration (ouch! sorry..). So until i get my act together the blog will concentrate on the AWI for a while.

Another George

2009-02-09T11:37:00.001Z

And whilst we're talking George Washington here's one of my early conversion attempts - George Washington and friend in 'Trenton' mode. Both figures are conversions of Hinchliffe Napoleonics - win a free night with me if you can guess which...

Ted Suren

2009-02-09T11:10:00.000Z

Whilst i'm in the mood to shower praise on talented sculptors it would be remiss of me not to mention the late Ted Suren. Suren's 30mm creations ooze character, and have a lean and hungry look that feels entirely appropriate. His 30mm AWI cavalry, once remounted on Gilder horses, fit remarkably well with Hinchliffe 25s (though his 30mm infantry are just a tad too big for me). Above we have Suren's George Washington and Baylors Dragoons officer mouted on Connoisseur medium horses.

Surens are currently available from Spencer Smith and Tradition. Beware though - some of the moulds are in bad shape, so be prepared to do a fair bit of clean-up. The end result is worth it i think. The good news is that Tradition are in the process of remastering and extending the Suren range.

The Genius of Hezzlewood

2009-02-04T12:19:00.001Z

Genius is not a word i use lightly (and does seem rather silly when talking about toy soldiers), however, i believe it is merited when discussing the work of the late Steve Hezzlewood. Hezzlewood's work for Hinchliffe and then his own Pax Britannica and Echelon Design ranges is at the very top of the tree. He's right up there with Charles Stadden when it comes to replicating the human form in a practical wargaming miniature, and capturing the essence of the 18th century soldier. If you can see past the rather clumsy painting above i hope you'll appreciate what i mean.

Hezzlewood's work is still available from Ian Hinds at Hinchliffe (X range AWI, and ACW..i think?), and from DPC in the States. Even with the tumbling exchange rate Hezzlewood's SYW figures from DPC remain one of the the bargains of the hobby.

At the moment i have scandalously few Hezzlewoods in my collection. Washington's Lifeguard (Hinchliffe X Range figures) is in the painting queue and so should (baby and work allowing) appear in the coming weeks.

Gilder's ECW

2009-02-03T12:16:00.000Z

One of the stand-out units of Peter Gilder's old ECW collection was the King's Lifeguard of Foot. I remember it featuring in various issues of Mil Mod and Miniature Wargames, and you'll also find it in Stuart Asquith's Naseby book. It's a 40 figure strong regiment, of which here we have the command stand. More Hinchliffe (and Minifigs!) from Gilder's collection in due course...

AWI 'In the Grand Manner'

2009-02-03T10:47:00.002Z

My most enduring wargaming love is the AWI - i've been interested in the period for over 25 years. My original armies were Hinchliffe, Minifigs and Tradition 25s that i foolishly sold many years ago. My current collection was sparked off by a chance purchase of various ex-Gilder/John Ray collection units a few years ago. I've been adding to those slowly over the last 3 years. As things stand the armies are a mixture of Hinchliffe (scuplted by Peter Gilder and Steve Hezzlewood), RSM (Hezzlewood), Willie (Ted Suren) and John Ray miniatures. More of these anon. Meanwhile, by way of a taster, here's a rebel command stand (i like command groups) - standard Hinchliffe figures, painted by me.