WW2 Airsofting: A La Francaise

Please excuse my, probably incorrect, use of French in the title but there is a reason for it

One of my interests is WW2 airsofting and I am a member of a forum dedicated to the promotion of this particular sub-genre of the airsofting hobby, WW2 Airsoft Community Forum

Whilst browsing through some of the latest threads the other day I came across one posted by a chap going by the name of Yohan, a Frenchman living near Paris, who posted some pictures and videos of himself and some of the folks he plays with, enjoying a game of WW2 airsoft, and rather good I thought they were, too

So much so, I decided to share some of them with you, with Yohan's kind permission of course. So, enjoy!

I love these black and white effect shots.Very atmospheric. Takes you right back. Well, almost!

A very 'together' looking unit, this! A big thumbs up to you

As I've already said on the forum, it would be great to hook up with you guys for a game sometime, either on your soil or ours. Hopefully, that will come to pass. Bonsoir mes amis

The London Toy Soldier Show

Yes, it's June, and later this month The London Toy Soldier Show will be returning to its regular London venue for the second spectacular of the year

According to an article in the most recent edition of Toy Soldier Collector magazine, the March show was very well attended and business was brisk, in spite of the disruption caused in the city by political protests and the ensuing chaos on the transportation network

There were 832 visitors through the doors in March, including 75 'early birds' willing to pay a premium to bag a bargain or two, fractionally up on numbers for the equivalent show last year

Trader numbers also remained strong with around 90 dealers and manufacturers attending from all over the world, displaying their wares on some 240 plus tables, and Mike Neville, the show organiser and main sponsor, is certainly very upbeat about the prospects of an equally successful event this month

Inevitably, these events are made by the die hard collectors and enthusiasts who make the effort to attend so let's hope plenty of you decide to brave the journey down there and make it yet another LTSS to remember

Further details about the show are available on the London Toy Soldier Show website, or you can join in with the conversation, debates and general banter on the relevant Treefrog Forum threads

Happy hunting!

Operation Anthropoid

Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the targeted killing of one of the Nazi regime's most infamous leaders, Reinhard Heydrich. He was chief of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA), Protector of Bohemia and Moravia and one of the leading architects of the Final Solution

Some time ago, I confess I don't remember when exactly, K+C released a strictly limited set of figures depicting his assassination. I recently decided to display this set on a specially commissioned terrain base, and asked David Marshall over at TM Terrain to do the job for me

Well, yesterday I took a trip over to Loughborough and collected the finished terrain base. If you have looked at the blog recently you may have seen photos sent to me by Dave showing the finished piece. I have every faith in Dave's ability to pack things safely and securely, but I didn't fancy taking the risk of it getting damaged in any way in the post, so I decided to collect it in person

So, here it is, the finished piece in all its glory, complete with the K+C figure set, placed in position. The car isn't the right colour, and is undamaged, and I'm not sure how historically accurate Heydrich's uniform is either but, historical inaccuracies and uncertainties notwithstanding, it makes for quite a dramatic piece and I'm sure you'll agree that Dave's work sets it off very nicely indeed

 

The trees, shrubs and park fencing are all supplied by John Gittins, the lamp posts, tram lines and cobbled street sections are by Mini-Art, whilst the pavement section has been scratch built. The whole thing has been given a firm foundation by being based on MDF, and Dave has created a slight slope to the road, just like the real life one

The commissioned piece was based on one of the photographs taken of the site where the assassination was carried out, often referred to as Anthropoid Corner

The hairpin turn where the assassination attempt took place

Two pictures showing the damage done to the car Heydrich was travelling in, photographed where it came to rest just after the bend in the road

I don't intend to go on for too long about the historical details of the event in this post. If you've been inspired to find out more, then there is plenty of information available on Wikipedia and on the HRP website

Suffice to say, the two courageous men responsible for Heydrich's eventual death are remembered, and commemorated, as heroes in the Czech Republic, as are the unfortunate inhabitants of Lidice, the tiny village that bore the brunt of Nazi reprisals after Heydrich's death later in 1942

A memorial to the two assassins

A memorial to the murdered children of Lidice

I'm going to leave you with a few pictures of the completed diorama which now rests on the top shelf of the IKEA display cabinet reserved for it

Thanks Dave for all your hard work. I hope you like the finished results as much as I do

Thomas Gunn Miniatures

To date, I haven't splashed out on so much as a single figure from this manufacturer, but the more I see of them the more tempted I am, and what I'm tempted by are two things primarily

Firstly, there's the price which, when coupled with the very reasonable quality of the painting, makes them good value for money when compared with other makers. Secondly is the fact that they regularly choose to depict subjects which other mainstream makers ignore

Both of these considerations are amply illustrated by their latest batch of releases, a winter clad FJ medic tending a fallen comrade, and six beautifully executed Waffen SS cavalrymen

The cavalrymen, including two officers, come in six different poses and will be available in spring as well as winter camouflage and clothing

A few words from Tom, one of the company's founders

Dear Gunn Club, good day from a hot and humid Hong Kong!

Please find attached details of our latest releases:

SS007 A: SS Trooper on horse with rifle in winter combat gear limited to 200 pieces

SS007B: As above but in Spring 1945 colour scheme and limited to 100 pieces.

SS008A: SS Officer dismounted with horse in winter colour scheme limited to 200 pieces

SS008B: As above but once again in Spring 1945 colour scheme and limited to 100 pieces

SS009A: SS Officer reading orders, wearing winter colour scheme and limited to 210 pieces

SS009B: As above but in Spring 1945 colour scheme and limited to 110 peieces

SS010A: SS trooper patting horse in winter colour scheme, limited to 210 pieces

SS010B: As above in Spring 1945 colours limited to 110 pieces.

FJ007C: Winter medic set with dead FJ limited to 100 pieces.

The cavalry will retail at $69 or £55 in the European VAT zone and the new FJ set will retail at $57/£45 approx. The cavalry have been particularly popular already on pre-orders so please do not delay in ordering to avoid disappointment. All the above will be ready for dispatch next week as we have been notified they have already landed at Southampton docks. 2 more cavalry figures will follow next month and in July we will see the release of the Krupp truck along with a new SS artillery piece.

Once again I thank you for your support and watch out for some very exciting releases over the following months.

Kind Regards Tom

A few more pictures, showing some of the cavalry figures in more detail

Four of the six winter clad riders.....

My personal favourite. I particularly like the way the legs of the horse have been rendered

.....and more of the same, this time in spring/summer camouflage

Together they make for a very relaxed and informal looking group of riders and horses, expertly sculpted and nicely painted and, at £55 each, very keenly priced 

I've yet to make inquiries myself, but I fear I may have missed the boat as far as acquiring some of these is concerned. They are being produced in very limited numbers which, for some collectors, is yet one more reason to add to the list that make TG miniatures potentially so appealing. The company has operated this policy from the outset and I can understand the reasoning behind it. On the upside, it means that all their figures retain a certain 'scarcity' value, but on the downside it makes many of their figures virtually impossible to get hold of unless you can buy them as soon as they are released 

Oh well. Such is life. If you want some, I wish you every success. Happy hunting  

 

Rampaging Romans

Is it just me, or has anyone else got the impression that there seems to be a fair bit of interest in the Romans and their barbarian adversaries lately?

King and Country produced a number of Roman and Barbarian figures a few years ago, now retired, and Conte Collectibles and East of India are still producing varied ranges of similar models, however, more recently a couple of other big names have chosen to follow their lead

First Legion have recently embarked on a series, already referred to in a previous post, depicting the Roman Legio Minervia and their well documented clash with the Early Germanic tribes, and it was news of that series that initially caught my attention and got me thinking

Since then I've noticed that The Collectors Showcase are due to release a similar range of figures, pitching the mighty Romans against the Britons, and set around the time of Boudica's famous revolt. There's no mention of it at the moment on the company's website, but here's a brief look at some of the initial releases, set to be out some time in July or August, together with some information from Brian

ROME 43 A.D. NEW RELEASES!

TCS is proud to present the Claudian invasion of Britain! Once again the Roman Legions descend upon the barbarian, witness this last attempt to subdue the Celtic horde! From war elephants to catapults, from Celtic chariots to scorpions there has never been a Roman release quite like this. With our now infamous sculpting and connoisseur paint you’ll get more of the action you’re looking for

TCS takes sculpting to a new level with these little beasts. Each piece moves like the wind. Every paint stroke convinces one that the pieces are alive. Our new Roman release is due out in 45 days with many other goodies: Slated for the July catalogue we know you're gonna love ‘em. We’ve started the series at the eye of the storm and will work out from there

Pricing: no change.

Don’t miss a beat. Make sure you're getting your mini-mag in the mail. Register at : www.thecollectorsshowcase.com

Tally Hooo!!!
Best regards,
Brian

Renowned for the movement that they depict in their figures, these beauties are no less dynamic

If you like the look of these, then you're not alone. I for one think that TCS are a company that has grown in stature lately, and if you take a look at the Treefrog Treasures toy soldier forum you can spend a good few minutes reading the many excited, and tremendously congratulatory, comments posted about these figures. If they look as good in the flesh as they do in the photos, they're certain to fly off the shelves

Latest Additions: A Current Project

Those of you who take a look at the blog on a fairly regular basis will have come across a number of references in previous posts to the work of David Marshall, one half of the partnership that is otherwise known as TM Terrain

Dave is currently working on a small project for me, in point of fact it's pretty much completed, and I thought I'd like to share with you the pictures he recently emailed to me. I'm not going to tell you what it's all about just now. I have a funny feeling I may have mentioned it already in a previous post but, even if I haven't, I'm going to leave you in the dark for the time being

When finished, the terrain you see in the pictures below, along with a number of toy soldier figures, will be placed inside a custom made display case and placed on a table or desk top

Could be any street corner in Europe, at any point time in the not too distant past. Or could it?

Well, I can tell you it is most definitely intended to represent a very particular street corner, at a very particular point in time. Those of you who are aware of my main collecting interest, and/or have more than a passing acquaintance with the history of the Second world War, might be able to recognise the real world inspiration behind this commission. If you're still none the wiser, all will be revealed in due course

To see more of Dave's work, pop along to the TMT website, or visit their blog, or take a look at the latest edition of TSC

Monster Mortar

If you haven't seen the latest edition of Toy Soldier Collector, then you won't be aware of the pun adorning the front cover, alongside the very impressive photo of one of Figarti's latest offerings

I reported on this piece very briefly some time ago as part of a post on the company's new Reichsbahn series, depicting elements of the huge railway network responsible for moving men and materiel throughout the Reich during the years of the Nazi regime

Figarti have been around in earnest since the early noughties and have managed to carve out a reputation for producing finely detailed, often very intricate, models many of which depict slightly more unusual subjects, and some of which are quite large. Nothing, however, quite as large as this

Actually, that's not quite true, because they also make this

Figarti's version of the Leopold railway gun

Now that really is a BIG GUN!

Anyway, you get the picture. This model is very large, so you will need a fair amount of space to display it in. You will also need a fair bit of folding money, something in the region of £330, but you get a whole lotta bang for your buck with this model [ouch!]

The real thing, the Karl-Gerat [Karl Morser] was an impressive piece of German artillery and although I haven't been blessed with the opportunity to see it in the flesh just yet, if the photos in TSC and elsewhere are anything to go by then the model is going to be just as spectacular
 

As you can see from the above photo the model is intricately detailed and comes with rails running around the outside, tools to mount on the front, a number of moving parts and three crew figures

 
Figarti will also be producing a set of two additional crew figures, the rail transporter for the mortar, and the shell loader, all pictured below

The shell loader, based on a Panzer IV chassis, comes with shells and two crew figures and will be priced at around £195

I never realised that investing in the railways could be quite such an exciting prospect