Another collecting year very nearly over and what better way to round it off than with a couple of posts highlighting some additions to my own collection
First up, a delightfully posed WW1 sniper by JJD to add to my, as yet still very small, collection of his figures. This particular figure will take his place in my WW1 diorama, just about to take refuge in a somewhat wet shell hole ready for his next shot
Going back a little further in time, an ensemble of half a dozen Austrian figures from the Seven Years War that I picked up at the 2015 Birmingham Toy Soldier Show in October. Thanks to Barry at Piers Christian who was selling them off at a significantly discounted price. I couldn't pass up the opportunity of giving my Prussians something to shoot at as they pressed their advantage at Leuthen
Finally, a figure I bought recently from Sierra Toy Soldiers in California, a retired hitler figure, and one of several I have now, from K&C. He is one of a number of retired figures I bought at the same time, about which more in the next post
A fairly eclectic mix this, of figures representing three very different periods of time
First up, in chronological order, are a couple of crusader figures from the K&C range. These figures are particularly 'big and chunky' and as such work very well alongside the First Legion crusaders, which are also bigger than many of their other sets of figures
Next up, the final nine SYW Prussian Grenadiers I need to complete my JJD Leuthen display. I've chosen to include them here because photographing them solely as part of the diorama means you don't get to see what they look like from the front!
And finally, a single addition to my Berlin '38 LAH collection in the form of this officer standing easy
Quite a few posts ago I made a passing reference to the fact that I hadn't written a latest additions post in a while and that I was going to be writing three in a row. Well, the third one never came, or at least not on time! Here it is, quite a lot later than originally scheduled. The subject matter of said post is the Battle of Leuthen diorama range produced by John Jenkins Designs
I've been debating whether to buy pieces from this range for some time. Up until the time when I finally decided to take the plunge and do so, I had just one piece from JJD, a WW1 German armoured car from his Knights of the Skies series. So pleased was I with this purchase I made an effort to look a little more closely at some of his other productions and I'm very glad I did
The images included here show the diorama pieces for the display together with some of the Prussian figures needed to occupy the impressions cast in to the base. As a consequence of my particular collecting whims I haven't [yet] bought any Austrians to man the walls of the besieged church and at the time of posting I have bought just one box of all of the Prussian sets. In order to complete the Prussian side of the diorama you need to buy a number of duplicates and I will say more about that later
For those who might not know, John's diorama series has been based on a painting showing one of the main episodes in the battle
The battle itself was fought during the Seven Years' War between the forces of Prussia, under Frederick the Great, and Austrian forces under the leadership of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and is counted amongst Frederick's greatest victories over a force many times greater than his own. The following images provide some basic factual details as well as a brief summary of the sequence of events leading to the Prussian victory
Frederick the Great
An interesting and far more detailed take on the battle can be found here
And so to the images of the display currently sitting on a shelf in the hobbies room, aka Dad's Den. I've taken the liberty of adding a few scenic items from John Gittin's range, partly to reflect the painting and partly to add a little bit more visual interest to the scene
The overall vista showing quite clearly I trust the winter birch, winter shrubs and 'plastic' snow that I've added. The snow has been added for the fairly obvious reason of wanting to disguise, nay hide, the gap between the bottom of the structural features and the diorama base that they are standing on
I'm sure you will all agree, John's take on the painting shown at the top of the post is first rate and his portrayal of the Prussian grenadiers absolutely first class. His figures are dynamic, well painted and extremely good value for money
As I said earlier, in order to complete the Prussian element of the diorama, should you be interested in doing so for yourself, you will need to purchase duplicates of certain sets. With John's kind help, here is a complete list of the sets you will need and a photo that will help with placing the figures correctly
LEUT-01 x 2
LEUT-02 x 2
LEUT-03 x 2
LEUT-04 x 1
LEUT-05 x 1
LEUT-06 x 3
LEUT-07 x 2
LEUT-08 x 1
LEUT-09 x 1
LEUT-11 x 1 NCO
LEUT-12 x 1 Officer
LEUT 10, 10A and 10B are the two wall sections and the entrance. The base is LEUT 100
One word of warning, John's website is currently showing low stock for a number of the above sets and LEUT 12 is SOLD OUT! You may still be able to get hold of it via your local dealer, and if you are in the UK then the sole dealer for John's fabulous figures is Grey Goose Collectables
I have just ordered the duplicate sets that I need and am very much looking forward to taking receipt of them next week
And finally, you might be interested in taking a look at this AV clip detailing the main events of the battle, courtesy of The Art of Battle
