I bought this month's copy of WARGAMES ILLUSTRATED on Monday so that I had something to read whilst waiting for my hospital appointment ... and I really ought not to have done!
Besides a free copy of a simple set of Napoleonic wargame rules by Jervis Johnson, Alan Perry, and Michael Perry entitled 'Valour & Fortitude', ...
... there was an article written by Mark Copplestone about his latest range of 30mm imagi-nation interbellum figures.
Now, I am currently looking at downsizing my figure collection, and have promised my wife that I will not buy any more until I have got rid of some of the ones I already own. I need to downsize because we are looking to move to a bungalow somewhere as neither of us is getting any younger, and since my colostomy and my worsening arthritis, I am finding it increasingly difficult to climb stairs ... and our current house has lots of them! The problem is that Mark's new figures are so tempting, and I really, really want to buy some!
He describes them as being 'pseudo-nostalgic', and the poses and the lack of minute detail means that they are very reminiscent of earlier ranges of figures that I cut my wargaming teeth on. They are also generic enough to represent pretty well any interbellum imagi-nation I could want to portray ... and there is a promise of more to come!
I can easily rationalise a purchase of these figures as allowing me to take my existing Belle Époque project thirty or so years forward ... but in a different scale. And hereby lies the madness that could easily come upon me. Can I justify ANOTHER collection? NO! Do I want to buy these figures? YES!
I am not asking for suggestions as to what to do ... but if over the next few months you see the occasional post about some 30mm imagi-nation figures I've been working on, you'll know that I have given in to temptation.
Yes they are very nice, but I must behave! I do try and keep to as few scales as possible so as to maximize the use of any terrain and not end up with several sizes of essentially the same thing. I've also thought that in a bid to downsize, I should practice a "2 out, 1 in" policy but more often than not, it's more of a "2 in and then 1 more in"! Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteDonjondo,
DeleteYour thinking about trying to keep to the minimum the number of scales you use so that your terrain etc., gets maximum usage makes lots of sense, and is not that removed from my own. These figures are very tempting … but for the moment, I am resisting the urge to make a purchase.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteWhy not? Go-on treat yourself Bob- you deserve it...and those Copplestone figures are so appealing to you. Yes- I was wondering about your House and all the stairs and your yearning for switching to a single story Bungalow- somewhere near the coast. We are not moving here- in fact we have had a new roof added to the entire house - it is all brand new now and was well worth the outlay. I'm presently enjoying my 15mm Sci-Fi Laserburn Project...it has turned the clock back for me to around 1983- a time I enjoyed very much with the Table Top 15s. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI’m resisting the temptation for the moment, although I might rethink matters once I’ve got my Belle Époque project finished.
Bungalows are much more uncommon nowadays as they take up a lot of land. Many have been converted into chalet bungalows … which have stairs!
We had a new roof on our house about ten years ago, and it has prolonged the life of our house by at least another fifty years. (It is already nearly ninety!)
Good luck with your Laserburn project. I saw the figures on your blog, and although I’m not into sci-fi, I could see why the project would be attractive.
All the best,
Bob
Yes they are tempting and quite a few people seem to have fallen for them judging by blogs.
ReplyDeleteI have resisted, not because I don't want them, but because I could do the same with what I have by way of already purchased 1/72 plastics, with the added virtue that tanks, soft vehicles, armoured cars and aircraft are readily available in the same scale. I had already toyed with pseudo-interbellum armies with clones of Austro-German (Revell WW1 Germans), Czechs (Revell WW1 French with helmet shaped to a bowl), Italians (WW1) in two variants - Adrian helmet and another some are wearing, French / Yugoslav (Airfix WW1 French) etc.
When I costed it out, I couldn't justify it. I use Mark's articles as "inspiration" - you can find more on the North Star site, there's a link to their magazine.
Neil
Neil Paterson (Neil),
DeleteI know what you mean. 30mm would be a new scale for me, and I could do something similar in 20mm or 15mm … which would be both cheaper and take up less space.
The article was inspiring, and will be added to my collection of magazine clippings.
All the best,
Bob
I caved in straight away - https://tonystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-battle-for-passo-montanha-part-2.html
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteI was really impressed by your collection, and especially the trees etc., which are very much in the st,ye adopted by Morschauser.
All the best,
Bob
I agree Bob, they are lovely figures and it's very difficult to resist getting "a few" just to see how they paint up....
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteOscar Wilde’s words about temptation keep going through my mind. The figures are very, very tempting … and I am finding it difficult not to buy a few …
All the best,
Bob
They are very nice, seriously tempted myself.
ReplyDeleteRadblight,
DeleteI totally agree!
All the best,
Bob
I was very tempted but have too many unfinished projects already. If Mark ever expands the few 1848 figures he has done as sample into a full range then I will probably take the plunge!
ReplyDeleteMike Lewis,
DeleteIf he had produced a late nineteenth century range, I would have been very tempted to replace my Belle Époque collection with them.
All the best,
Bob
Tempted... tempted... No... Enough to do already...
ReplyDeleteRob Young,
DeleteExactly. We will stay strong …
All the best,
Bob
I am in the same situation of "not taking on any more new figure ranges or more scales" ... and I am so far resisting the MLS 30mm Figures.
ReplyDeleteHowever assembling an interbellum ImagiNation or "PSA militia" skirmish force of these charming Tintinesque figures would be an excellent way to celebrate your most recent good news ...
Mark, Man of TIN,
DeleteIt is so tempting … and drawing on the Spanish Civil War and the Chaco War/Gran Chapo War for inspiration, I could easily put together several small armies …
All the best,
Bob
To play the Devils advocate, none of us is getting any younger, so why deny yourself a a few more figures.....
ReplyDeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteI must admit that I could easily afford them, but I already have plenty of unpainted figures that I should use first …
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteI'm saying nuh-THING!
I'm thinking nuh-THING!
I wanna be accused of nuh-THING...
I'm not over-fond of temptation myself, but I don't want to be the one who leads you down the road to MaDnEsS...
Danm...
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI’m still resisting … just!
All the best,
Bob
I think that what you need to remember is that it is a logical impossibility to have too much of something that you don't need in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSimon
Simon,
DeleteThat’s a great way to rationalise buying some of these figures!
It’s given me something to ponder on.
All the best,
Bob
Good luck with downsizing on the house and figure collection strategies! We moved from 3 storey townhouse to a bungalow. We downsized on stairs and floor levels, but otherwise not in terms of toys or books. I best say no more as I will be a bad association with bad ideas....
ReplyDeleteI saw the figures you noted and yes they lovely but very big and I felt I could find what I needed in 10mm, 15mm, 20mm ... so decided to focus on 20mm as easier to paint (well easier to see to paint if I use magnifying glass with its stand when painting)!! Carl "up north"
Carl,
DeleteOurs is a normal, suburban semi-detached house that has - over the forty year we have lived here - been extended from a standard three bedroom house into a five bedroom house with a large conservatory. The stairs to the first floor aren't too bad, but those to the top floor - which is where I have my toy/wargame room and home office - are very steep. The only problem is finding a bungalow that has the same floor area.
That is one reason for downsizing; the other is that as I get older I see little point in hanging on to collections that I am not using ... and there are several that could easily be reduced in size and still remain viable.
This is one reason why I am resisting the move to buy some of Mark Copplestone's figures. I have suitable 20mm figures that I could easily repurpose to fulfil any interbellum projects that I would want to pursue, so why buy more?
All the best,
Bob