The famous Minifigs logo
No Weekly Sitrep just yet - mainly because I wanted to include the arrival of the remaining crates of unpainted 25/28mm figures from Bill as well as a couple of other news items. The Sitrep will be my post for tomorrow.
In the meantime though, my continual soul-searching continues in respect of how on earth I am going to translate my idea for the Balkans in the late 17th/early 18th century into a gaming reality. If you recall I have most of the figures I need courtesy of Eric's collection and Bill's generosity but I am having some doubts about my original plan for the armies. Virtually all of the figures are either Dixon, Foundry, Essex, Front Rank or Hinchliffe. Of these the only types I have any direct experience of painting are the Hinchliffe range and even that was a long time ago.
I make no secret of the fact that I am at best a reluctant painter of figures. Spencer Smiths or Minifigs I have no problems with; even the occasional foray into Hinchliffe I have even enjoyed, back in the days of flat colours, gloss varnish and unflocked bases.
As I went through the eleven crates of figures I was struck by the amount of Minifigs Eric used and I previously mentioned that these figures, although admirable to look at, do not really sit well alongside the more modern ranges. Personally I have no problem using them but I can understand why some gamers may well do.
The issue I will have with this lot will be the disposal of the same as I am thinking that whilst all the modern ranges will be snapped up the Minifigs collection may well take a lot longer.
The breadth of the Minifigs portion of the unpainted lead mountain is extensive and includes figures from the ECW up to the Seven Years War. There are some older 'telegraph pole' figures alongside the newer ranges which are now being produced by Caliver Books.
I must confess that seeing the range and coverage of the Minifigs figures in Eric's collection has given me much food for thought and if I am honest it has, in the space of a week, given cause for me to reassess my plans
I have a couple of ideas to run by Bill in connection with this part of the collection and so I will discuss the same with him this evening and the outcome will feature in the Sitrep tomorrow.
*"A week is a long time in politics"...Harold Wilson, former Labour Prime Minister and pipe smoker.
2 comments:
I get the impression David that you are a bit overwhelmed by the inherited lead mountain. Wargamers who started in the 1960's and 1970's will understand where Eric was coming from as regards his immense collection of unpainted figures. It was a grand obsession which if we had the disposable income would simply buy to fulfill the desire. The problem is the fact that the figures will be viewed by the gaming majority as 'old school' and in the main wont be of use to them. Its just the way things are sadly where new ie Perry, Warlord, Front Rank etc are viewed as desirable whilst older figures are exactly that. Dont be disheartened, Im certain that there are still wargamers of a certain age who want these older figures to perhaps fill out their collections.
Hi Robbie,
Overwhelmed is a good way to describe this but I think my issue has been more about the best way to offload the figures. I agree completely with what you have said and am confident that I can find eventually sufficient gamers that will be happy to take on the Minifigs element. It will certainly be easier to dispose of the other, more modern ranges though.
I would happily use Minifigs for my own games as I primarily game solitaire anyway so the choice of figures I use is of less importance. If they are all Minfigs that is not a problem.
I have a cunning plan anyway which i shall post about tomorrow.
All the best,
DC
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