Plastic Warrior show 2023

 Yesterday I had a jolly day out at the PW show in Twickenham, West London.  It seemed well attended and some brisk trading was observed.  I sold a bit and bought a bit less - the difference being more than enough to cover my petrol costs.  It was nice to see so many old and newer friends - to name but a few, Jack, Paul, Brian, Anthony, Mike L, Mike C, Graham, Steve, Diego…..well you get the idea.

Here are most of my purchases.  The Basevich WW1 German cavalry were  - for plastic figures - fantastically expensive (£25 for a box of four mounted figures) but are very lovely. 

Replicants always has a new set or two for the show. This year it was two sets of medieval peasants - always useful!  

I was rather taken with this unsmiling Del Prado Red Army officer. 

Great War British officer by Tradition. 

Probably my favourite figure of the show - Great War British sentry.  Skewered on his bayonet is a chemically treated gas indicator.  Though it looks to me like cheese on toast!  

Petrograd Nights - the toys

Following a torrent* of requests for more information on the toys used in the Petrograd Nights game, here it is. 

First up - the Tsarists. I used my Charbens recast Russian guards. Their eccentric poses are always a joy to behold!

Two regiments of sailors were potentially available - all Armies in Plastic WW1 Russians. 

The Mensheviks. Marx(?) ACW figures painted for the mid-19th century Italian wars. No wonder they look confused. 

The Bolsheviks (boo, hiss). More ACW types fresh previously used in Italy, with a Replicants officer. 

The conservatives were clearly a wealthy faction as they had the only metal toys in the game. I picked these guys up already painted on eBay last year - I think they may have originally been Boers. Their previous outing was the rather less classy business of fighting for the Commune in 1871 Paris last year. 

The Liberals. More AIP WW1 Russians, this time in dark green.  They don’t look all that liberal to me. 

The last photos are all of the Social Democrats. These were all from my Spanish Civil War militia box and were a real mixed bag, from several manufacturers. This pair are AIP WW1 figures. That on the left is a German with a head swap. 

Replicants ACW and Marx WW2 Japanese. 

And finally - none other then the legend that is known to my regular players as ‘Sophia Loren’.  As seen last year in 1871 Paris and 1936 Madrid. She’s a scratchbuild (not by me) largely made of filler. 

  * at least two

SCW Carlist Militia

 

I bodged these figures a while back and recently painted them to represent Carlist militia.  The main part of the transformation was adding big floppy berets from Miliput.  The same material also provided satchels and blanket rolls.  The original figures are a combination of Airfix DAK & Mountain Troops and Replicants/Marksmen ACW types. 

Much of the webbing was carved from the WW2 figures and the heads trimmed down to secure the berets.  As usual they were finished off with a coat of Ronseal Light Oak Satin varnish.  

As usual, they are a long way from both Spain and perfection but I think they give the right impression.

Plastic Warrior show 2019 - purchases

 In my previous post I mentioned some purchases. There follows my full confession....
Above - the loot arrayed for your inspection.
The two kits - 1/35 Tamiya 20mm FLAK and 1/72 Waco glider were a tenner the pair. A good start!
The recent Fort Fisher game highlighted my dearth of ACW senior Yankee officers, so I was pleased to secure the quartet of Starlux’s finest - two mounted and two on foot.
A sextet of old Crescent Zulus was an unexpected - and frankly unlooked for find - but I couldn’t resist them.
Three old hollow cast Vickers gunners may be converted.  Into what I know not.
Some scruffy medievals and the pair of Charbens Russian mortars were cheap and useful.
The Edwardian medical teams are a mix of hollow and solid casts, nicely repainted.
The Barzso box contains only half a set (8 figures) of medieval figures but they were (by my standards) a sensible buy.
Italeri figures are getting pretty rare so I bought the set of Mamelukes with no plan in mind.
The box at the front contains some Marx Alamo figures. These are versatile and could end up anywhere. Even the Alamo...
To the right of that box is a set of Engineer Basevich Soviet women soldiers. Plenty of work for them in WW2 and later.
The Replicants figure is a bloke playing an electric guitar. He is apparently based on one of the firm’s founders.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.
The white plastic things are vacformed emplacements. You can never have too many.
Finally, the sandbagged horror with a roof was a gift from Brian. It could be just the thing for my Japs at Nomonhan.

1/32 SCW Nationalist Regulares

Continuing with my Nationalist forces are those stalwarts of the Spanish Army of Africa, Moroccan Regulares. As with the other figures, these have been bodged from other nationalities and eras. In fact there’s not a Moroccan or indeed a Spaniard among them!

The chap with the flag began life as a HAT ACW Zouave. His rifle was carved away and a blanket roll added, then his hands were drilled to accommodate a brass rod flagpole.

From left to right (which could be, in itself, a summary of the conflict) : the officer is from the Armies in Plastic 1916 Germans set with a ‘paint conversion’.  The machine gunner is an old hollowcast with a head from a WW2 US figure - the latter from one of the cheap Chinese sets mentioned in previous posts. The rank and file were my starting point and are in fact Replicants ACW zouaves, with their muskets shortened and waistcoats trimmed to look less flamboyant. 

The Moroccans share a box with the Foreign Legion. More on them soon.