£1 Charity Shop Cowboys and Indians Gift

This was a welcome recent gift from a family member, a £1 gift bag picked up from a British Heart Foundation charity shop.

Let’s look at the figures and bits in more detail:

There were some interesting 50mm cowboys that I don’t recognise (top row) , alongside China copies of Airfix cowboys. It was thought by the gift giver that they might possibly convert into Boy Scouts?

I would be curious to know which maker made the two top row cowboy poses.

The Indians or Native Americans appear mostly 50mm versions, possibly based on Airfix or Britain’s Deetail Indian poses.

They make fairly good generic tribesmen with swords, rifles, spears and shields. These weapons could be removed or converted as needed.

A small amount of repair is required in places as these figures are a bit bashed and well playworn.

Interesting as the figures were, the best parts of this pound were the accessories.

These are versatile accessories such as a cooking pot on a tripod over a log fire, an animal leather skin stretched out and the slightly more Native American weapons and shield tripod or wooden frame.

Mixed in were a few common plastic bushes and some interesting plastic trees that look like copies of older metal or lead trees.

The log fires are handy, they could be used in any age (or scout camp).

The third pole with a hole near the top is a bit flimsy or easily breakable but works for the weapons stand or pot hanger. A long thin dowel or cocktail stick could stand in for this flimsy pole to make up the spare accessory tripods.

A good find as buying these accessories new or vintage in metal would be reasonably expensive.

Many of the trees, figures and accessories have flimsy or minimal basing, so could do with a suitable mdf sort of base.

As befits the scraps from someone else’s toybox, there is also a stray fence or gate panel and steering part of a wagon. All useful for the bits box!

So there you are, a pound donated to a worthwhile charity, a welcome gift and some helpful recycling of vintage non-SUP (single use plastic).

Blog posted by Mark Man Of TIN, 27 March 2023

Having the Bottle to come out Tops in Tribal Warfare?

Somehow this post never got finished in 2018 but thanks to Alan Tradgardland Gruber’s memories in his comment on my Mother’s Day post on my Man Of TIN blog, I thought of Subbuteo and its odd influence on my gaming. Alan had memories of playing Subbuteo Cricket with his mother, which reminded me of this Subbuteo / bottle top tribal wargaming crossover.

***

Reading John Patriquin’s interesting blog Wargames Hermit, John was interested in recreating the free flowing rituals of Tribal Warfare as seen amongst the Dani people of New Guinea.

YouTube link West Papua 1963 https://youtu.be/JI4uirwxx1Y

John called into action his chessboard battlefield and good old Airfix Indians.

https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/ritualized-warfare-in-new-guinea-1963.html

https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/new-peter-laing-purchase-and-no-brain.html

https://wargamehermit.blogspot.com/2018/08/one-more-no-brain-wargame.html

It reminded me of a strange article from an early 1983 Miniature Wargames No. 11 magazine called ‘Stone Age Wargames’ that used beer bottle top mounted Warriors as a bizarre Subbuteo / Wargames mash up to reflect the free flowing movement of such Tribal Warfare.

When I mentioned this to John, he too remembered this article!

I thought I would have a winter (2018) evening knock around to see how this might work with whatever figures and bottle tops I had to hand.

I believe this Stone Age Wargames article in Miniature Wargames c. 1982/83 rules were by Andy Callan.

Andy Callan, he of the Hair Roller Armies, the Maori Wars Rules using Peter Laing 15mm amidst dense carpet forests and who is still writing rules for the Peter Dennis Paperboys Series, Never Mind the Billhooks Rules etc.

Blog posted finally by Mark Man Of TIN, 20 March 2023

Mother’s Day toy soldier thoughts 2023

What proved to be my last Mother’s Day card that I drew and sent ‘home’ in 2016.

Some interesting memories from readers in response to the Mother’s Day post on my other blog, my first Man Of TIN Blog, about the influence their Mums as well as their Dads had on their early gaming life.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/mothers-day-2023/

Crossposted by Mark Man Of TIN, 19th / 20th March 2023