My last visit to Alfred and some figures from his collection

 Usually when I visit Alfred, my pedometer tells me, I don't have moved much:-) No wonder, I usually sit and copy uniformplates from his archive into mine and vize-versa. 

This time, I had some steps more, as I explored the collection and found some interesting new stuff, which gave me new ideas.

First of all 20mm flats and half round (like Esci plastics) metals from the period of 1880 to 1930. 

I think they are useful for the backround in dioramas and the half round figures can mixed with plastics. This figures are more difficult to get, I hope for Kulmbach in August. Many exotic units are available from this ranges. See here for example Turks and Greeks around 1897

Chinese 1880-1900

Beluchis or something like this

The next was a small shelf with armies of India in the 18th and 19th century. This is as you know one of my favourite subjects. The figures are 25 or 28mm figures. But why not produce them in 1/72 and increase my range of Wellington in India. That reminds me on my wishlist for Massimo, where is still and Indian prince on an Elephant.

And of course more british infantry in India in addition to the already existing set

Beside this there are some new additions to the 1:72 collection. A nice conversion idea, something useful to do with the Italeri figures.

Or with the thousands of Airfix French artillery lying around:-) 

My Mamelukes need a drummer too

Puh, old Minifigs?

The good old times, when the Airfix Grenadiers gave the only possibility of conversions into Austrians. On a diorama you won't see the difference

Washingtons army also was very useful for many 18th century armies

And finally one of "Frankensteins" interesting ideas. British infantry into austrians at Solferino.

And not only them, see also Airfix Japanese!

And here now our diorama about the battle of the river Medway 43 AD

 as described in Simon Scarrow's novel 

Last weekend we had the chance, to put our Medway diorama on show at the Dioramica.

The figures are painted by "Schmitty", Rainer Stephan, Timo Kreimes, Markus Münch and me.

The diorama was buildt by Schmitty, Rainer an me. And I have promised Schmitty to post that I was not there, when Rainer and Schmitty removed everything after the fair:-)

Another Roman Diorama on Youtube

While I was packing the car for the upcomming Dioramica, my friend Thomas Mischak sent me this link to a diorama of our Hobbyfriend Tommer 17, called Gladiator

Simply great to see the thick packed Germans and formations of Romans.

I am wondering, if these figures are fixed on the plate, otherwise it would be a nightmare if you accidently hit the plate.

Now wait, until you see the Medway:-) 

Our Portuguese army gets some reinforcements

In my collection,  I have a nearly 30.000 painted British and French infantry. Usually people would create a Waterloo diorama with them. 

As I am often after the lesser known subjects, my decission was to create a diorama of the battle of Vitoria.  I have decided for this battle, as I could use the British with the Belgian shako. 

The next step would be to increase my Portuguese brigades. We have already the biggest part of the Portuguese units in our shop at Blackwatch miniatures.  

The only set I was not happy with, were the old Cazzadores, which we took over from Hagen. I have asked Massimo to increase the set to our usualy 12 figures and change the stupid pose of the running figure. We need a skirmish line for them. 

See here Massimo's result, already on the way to our caster in Spain:-)