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Tuesday 25 October 2016

Toy Soldier Collector October/November 2016 Issue 72

Although I do manage to fight the occasional wargame with my collection of 54mm figures, I am not what one could really describe as being a collector. That said, I sometimes have a look through the magazines that are aimed at collectors to see if there is anything that might be of interest. I saw this issue of TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR on sale in a local branch of WHSmith, skimmed through it, saw several items of interest, and bought a copy.


Besides a very interesting article about the toy soldiers manufactured by Britains during the interwar period, the article that did catch my eye was one by Mike Blake entitled PLAYING WITH TOY SOLDIERS. This is the first in a series of articles that are going to be published about 54mm wargaming, and this article covers the history of the hobby.


It begins with Robert Louis Stevenson and the wargames he fought and wrote about, and then moves on to H G Wells and LITTLE WARS. It briefly covers Donald Featherstone, the WARGAMER'S NEWSLETTER, and the first National Wargames Championship before looking in more detail at the work done by the late Steve Curtis, Ian Colwill, and the author of the article that led to the writing of the famous WESTERN GUNFIGHT RULES. The final part of this article describes the work done by the Skirmish Wargames Group, whose games can be seen at many shows across the UK. Photographs of some of the Group's games are used to illustrate the article.

The article ends with a promise that the next issue will 'look at the basic concepts of wargames rules, how it is possible to simulate warfare on the table top, and some specific challenges and delights of gaming in the large scale.'

I look forward to reading it.

10 comments:

  1. They only magazine I now regularly get , a great read . Tony

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Good Soldier Svjek (Tony),

      Having read this issue, I can see why.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Hello Bob,
    Some would say you haven't lived until you've gamed Hook's Farm using 54mm toy soldiers and 4.7" naval guns...
    Regards, Stuart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stuart Asquith (Stuart),

      I must agree with you 100%! I've done so once ... and it was a wonderful experience.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. I often see this magazine in Smiths but I've never picked it up...I'll have to look out for it now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alastair,

      It's certainly worth looking at on a regular basis as it often has items of interest to anyone who wargames with larger (i.e. 40mm to 60mm) figures.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. I think it is the better of the two magazines - the other one Toy Soldier and Model Figurine is very USA based.

    I do advertise in both...

    Mind you, the last TS & MF had an article showing one man's collection with galleries of Toy Soldiers, uniforms, etc and I was able to point out to my wife that I was quite restrained by comparison!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike Lewis,

      I have looked at both magazines in the past and must agree with you that this one is much more orientated towards the British toy soldier market.

      I won't comment about the size of figure collections. Some years ago I had to list mine for an insurance schedule ... and I was surprised just how many painted figures and vehicles I had in my various collections. Furthermore, I know that it has grown since then!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. Bob,

    This is a Top Magazine and I certainly miss it not being on our Local News Agency stands. Usually -glorious photos of 54mm Toy Soldiers and very tempting as well. However, featuring what are mostly metal figures already pre-painted comes at a high price- way out of my league when it comes to Hobby Pocket Money...however it is good to dream. Regards. KEV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kev,

      It is certainly a magazine that I will consider buying again, and I do find many of the figures inspiring ... even if they are far too expensive for my wallet!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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