Time travelling Marauder - look away now!

Sometimes life turns up some unexpected surprises - not always nice fluffy ones either - let alone eager to please nubiles!

I was recently browsing on Ian Hinds website, www.hindsfiguresltd.com for painted toys when I spotted these...

25mm Hinchcliffe French elite company hussars or chasseurs a cheval - not sure which.

Now, I painted these about 30 years ago, certainly in the early to mid 1980's. I made up the uniform details as you can see! It seems I had the wit to copy the trend of "arm bending" to try to get some variety within the unit. The green is the classic Brunswick Green by Humbrol, the Red and Blue are both Humbrol gloss as well. The basing is quite sophisticated for the time, dyed sawdust with bits of rock and cork stuck on as well. Note the autumnal lichen on the bugler's base The bases are thick wooden blocks hand sawed by me with a tiny rusted hack saw - I blistered badly! These days you just buy all this stuff ready made.

Ian Hinds lists them as Saxon which they are not, and average - which they are! He wants £20 for all eight. Not sure how I feel about that price tag!

I wander where these have been since I sold them about 20-25 years ago. I would have spent the money on original Warhammer models or possibly 15mm Napoleonics which came into my life around then. It seems that whoever owned them never re-based them or meddled with the fictitious paint job. Maybe they sat in a shoe box under a bed beside a stack of porno mags? Who knows?

I also came across this picture of me painting toys - it must be 30 years old as well. Certainly that haircut was never in fashion anywhere or anytime!

Young master JJ painting model soldiers instead of doing his homework. The poster top right is of Bristol punk band Vice Squad - still going - they played Bath recently and put a few new recordings out too.    

On the work bench are Essex Miniatures crossbowmen, a Citadel Troll and in my hand a Dixon Miniatures Coustillier. He was one of about 16 I painted - I was really proud of that unit, if you look carefully you'll see a streamer fluttering from his lance - wine bottle lead - wander what happened to the wine? Note also the Humbrol paint pots - acrylics didn't exist yet and oils were waaayyy too complicated for me (still are).


There you go, a short trip down "memory lane". If I find any more interesting bits & bobs I'll may just share them with you again.


Be good, JJ