These along with one brush and four pots of Humbrol enamels started a journey that is still ongoing today.
The subject matter may have changed over the years as has the medium but the process is much the same. Look over the packaging, check the contents, decide what you like best and then buy. From memory most of this set of figures was painted - sadly none have survived the years. None especially well, then I was only five year old and hadn't yet developed any of the patience required to achieve better results. Still waiting on that coming :)
Well, that is enough reminiscing for one day. However, before this post finishes here is a question for you all - when and what started you all in the hobby of painting toy soldiers?
Cheers for now
11 comments:
Same figures for me about the same age :)
Would love to try and paint one now!
I can't recall to the day like you have, but I have similar recollections. One of my older brothers had model airplanes he built that hung from the ceiling of our shared bedroom. I was fascinated by them, but got into Hot Wheels prior to military stuff. After dabbling in model tanks, etc. I picked up boxes of Airfix 1/72nd stuff. I know I had the French Foreign Legion & Berber sets, as well as the plastic fort. Painted them up with Testors enamels. I then got other sets like the Romans (later converted to Greek hoplites) and Napoleonics. I also had a few 1/32nd Airfix sets. Then surfing (growing up in Hawaii) and girls got in the way, and after a hiatus of a few decades, I got back into it via my first metal 28mm figures - Redoubt Trojan War range. And now here I am today - some 45-plus years since staring up at those aircraft hanging from the bedroom ceiling.
Plastic toy soldiers were collected from very early years, I occasionally go to plastic soldier review just to peruse the old sets. If I had saved enough pocket money I went to the nearest toy shop which had a huge stock. It was great but the 3 mile round trip was a bit of an adventure on my hand-me-down chopper bike.
Painting started when one of my pals bought a copy of white dwarf, which led to each of us starting to collect and paint miniatures.
Painting was a bit wild back then but the scratch building was amazingly thoughtful.
Who would have thought an ork gargant can be made from a plastic bottle,sticks and blu-tac.
:)
I had that set at the same age, I think I used red house pint to paint them, it was all I had.
It was back in '79 when I started buying and painting Matchbox 1/76 scale kit tanks. Its one of them had a very nice diorama battle display which in my elementary school boy's eyes looked wonderful!
Ah, that box of Airfix Old Guard brings back memories. My dad had that box, I had the French Line Infantry, and my brother had the English, back around 1979. We used to play a game of setting up all the figures on the carpet and advancing them across the room (one hand span at a time) while one of us used a spring loaded cannon from Britains to mow them down. Great memories.
My dad had a book published by Sandhurst, illustrated with miniature dioramas. I was hooked.
My parents bought me two plastic guardsmen, around 60mm tall, in 1963. I called them Fred and Charley. I think I still have them, up in the loft...
Thanks for all your comments. It has been interesting reading how so many of you started in this hobby of ours. Also very interesting to see how many of us had similar origins in the hobby. Airfix has a lot to answer for.
Cheers, Ross
I used to get half a crown a week pocket money which would get me a box of Airfix 1/72. I then progressed to the bigger stuff, fond memories.
Airfix 1/72 and spending my pocket money on a toy soldier on a Saturday at the local newsagent.The shopkeeper was so patient as I took ages to choose,way back in the middle 1960s...
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