Workers and Peasants

 The most expensive plastics from Paris are these Starlux farm figures. Such things are always useful and are very flexible as to period and geography.  Aside from touching up some bits of paintwork all I’ve done is base them. 

Some more Starlux

Among my loot from Paris was this quartet of Starlux figures. Representing 1960s the French army, these will find their way into various Little Cold Wars units. The three helmeted chaps are - from left - an officer, an NCO type and a flamethrower. In the green beret is a lady soldier - a pleasing rarity. 
 

Eurofigurines Show, March 2023

 Last Sunday saw my third visit to this nice toy soldier show. There was a great variety of stuff for sale - a fair bit of it from manufacturers rarely seen here in the UK. 

Here are most of my purchases. A mix of plastic and metal figures from at least five manufacturers. 

Starlux and similar. Including two female soldiers. 

Starlux farmers - always useful in games and very flexible in terms of period. 

More of the delightful hard plastic Mokarex WW1 French   . The ‘Crapouillot’ trench mortar is rarely found intact. 

Aluminium (Quiralu?) pioneer, cooks and officers. 

Aluminium sailors. 

Shopping from the Paris show

 I mentioned earlier that there had been some retail incidents last weekend - here are some of the highlights. 

I’ll start with my final purchase of the day - a shoe box full of 100+ mostly medieval figures.  Makers are mainly Starlux with a few Clairet, Mokarex and a couple of Elastolin. The (Mokarex) chap above is one of my favourites - clearly a well-balanced individual. 

There are at least three of this fine Starlux pose. 

More aggressive poses. 

On the right, a dismounted knight by Starlux, while the Mokarex figure at left is none other than Ivanhoe. 

As you’d hope from a French maker, the Starlux Gauls are a delight. I wasn’t looking for any but I can’t bear to part with them!  

Of course, where you have Gauls you need some Romans to fight them. The small batch of Starlux was accompanied by the imposing Elastolin eagle bearer. 

The Gauls again. 

More Romans. 

Civilian figures are always handy. This pair from Mokarex - Thiers and Offenbach - have already been nicely painted. The cheapest figures of the day, they owe me only €1 for the two!

I also scored a box of more Mokarex civilian figures - mostly 20th Century celebrities. Here are Maurice Chevalier and Charles Trenet. The box contained many duplicates (triplicates indeed) and will be shared with a couple of friends. 

Victor Hugo and Gambetta (yes I know they’re 19th Century!)

Finally a change from plastic to lead. EDIT 04/04/22. These last chaps are actually French-made aluminium figures by Quiralu.  Which explains why they don’t  ‘sound’ like lead 🤭

This trio of Great War French are in desperate need of a repaint but they’re lovely old figures for a reasonable €5 each. 

So I make that about 160 figures, of which I’ll be keeping around 100 and passing on the rest.  A very successful show!

Broken Bersaglieri

 Following the Isonzo game, John mentioned he had a few broken figures which looked like my Starlux Bersaglieri. Some weeks later I dropped off some bits I had for John and he presented me with a bag of bits which included the disheveled trio above. Happily they only needed sticking back together and were then based and varnished to match my existing figures. John’s figures are in the front rank. A welcome addition but I’m still not convinced that running while playing tuba(?) is a good idea….

I Shot the Sheriff

Well strictly speaking it was Tom.  And he shot the Deputy.*

Wednesday saw the debut of my Western gunfight game, accompanied by some of the collection of wooden buildings I bought a few months ago.  These are, I believe, mostly Starlux and my purchase included a couple of dozen Starlux plastic Wild West figures.

The quiet town of Gow's Creek (see previous post).

While Sheriff Armatys dallies upstairs with Big Lil some ruffians enter town.  As the chap in blue is flung out of the bar for trying to cadge free drinks a trio of desperadoes march in.  These are none other then the dreaded 'Big Hat Gang' led by 'Argumentative' Elsmore.  They demand the good liquor and get it.  Meanwhile the local Preacher looks in in disgust.

Our man in blue - as it turns out, a member of Tom's 'Bare Head Gang' stomps off the the other bar to try his luck again.
The Preacher calls in at the Sheriff's office to enquire about becoming a Deputy.

Another man in blue - also of the Bare Head Gang - quenches his thirst more responsibly at the well.  The Preacher is sworn as a Deputy but his request to be issued a Gatling gun falls on stony ground.

The Big Hat Gang are still whooping it up in the hotel when shooting, sorry I mean shootin', begins.

 Tom's man in the bar shoots the bartender from across the bar top.  And misses.  Twice.
His colleague by the well guns down the Deputy who has emerged from the bank.
A more accurate shot is fired by the leader of the Bare Head Gang who, from behind the stables (top left) guns down the Sheriff who falls - in a pleasingly cinematic manner - over the balcony.
Next Deputy Preacher assails the blue shooter by battering him with rocks - the only weapons he has been able to secure!
The respactable lady in green runs screaming towards the Sheriff's Office - thus ruining the Deputy's field of fire.

The finale.
The Big Hat Gang rush out of the hotel, gather up the dead Sheriff and use the corpse to batter their way into the Sheriff's office.  There they secure the dead man's keys and release a jailed accomplice.

The end!


*No?  Oh come on:  

Starlux metal figures

During the arms race which preceded 2015's Waterloo game I was trying to address my shortage of French cavalry when I noticed some of these figures on eBay.  Now Starlux is more familiar as a maker of plastic figures so I was surprised to find that this lot are metal and came fully painted. As you can see from the photos - taken while I was adding mdf bases for extra stability - I acquired quite a few.  But then for £3-4 each for mounted figures (and rather less for foot figures) it would have been rude not to. I really ought to take some better photos of them. 

Les Matelots

My star purchase at the recent Birmingham Toy Soldier Show was this batch of Starlux French sailors.  You might remember I picked up a quartet of similar figures last year so I was delighted to find these.

As well as the more usual musicians there are officers,  deck guards, signallers and this chap carrying a large shell.

The several musicians have considerable panache!