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 Interestingly Gilder is only mentioned as a collector - which suggests Garrat's information to be a few years out of date by the time of publication, either that, or Gilder's sculpting is overlooked as 20/25mm was not Garratt's primary interest.
5 comments:
Nobody did it quite like Gilder!
Agreed!
Later on, of course, he also played a lot of Ancients - certainly in competitions such as the Nationals. Usually Sassanids I believe, though one year he turned up with a Welsh army.
Rob,
Quite right. From what i hear Gilder was quite the competitive type (though not in an unpleasant way). His Sassanids soldier on (through many a WAB competition in recent years) under the command of Duncan MacFarlane. Cheers.
Oh yes, very competitive - he always needed to be the best/big man. Umpired a game he was in once. He was a strange character - would do anything for you BUT .... I once told him that if he made the arms on his figures shorter he would be the best designer in the country. He never spoke to me again...... Also quite a few stories going the rounds that things by him were actually by others. The stories came to me from the others concerned.
Rob
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