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

Pound Store Plastic Warriors and New Years Gaming Resolutions 2023?

It’s been a quiet year on this Pound Store Plastic Warriors Blog.

What will 2023 bring?

Crossposted from my Man Of TIN Blog Two Post:

https://manoftinblogtwo.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/new-gaming-year-ir-resolutions-2023/

Happy New Year!

Posted by Mark Man Of TIN, NYE 31 December 2022

More Featherstone 1960s Close Wars Rules rebooted as SciFi by The Wargaming Pastor on the Death Zap Blog

You know how it is – you wait on this my Pound Store Plastic Warriors Blog for a Close Wars post to come along for ages and then, like London buses, two come along at once.

First, Roger Halvorsen on his Model Rails and Wargames blog reset these rules into the 1960s Bush Wars of Africa:

https://modelrailsandwargames.blogspot.com/2022/12/close-wars.html

Next and independently, The Wargaming Pastor on his Death Zap blog (“Anyone can afford wargaming”) setting these simple rules (appendix) into a Sci Fi future. https://deathzap.co.uk/2022/12/16/battle-of-the-rulebooks-part-4-close-wars-by-donald-featherstone/

The Wargaming Pastor makes some “as you game” adjustments as he goes, which are worth reading through. Featherstone’s group melee rules or mechanism appear to cause the biggest issues.

I too sometimes use Featherstone’s simple Melee variation rules for individual combat using d6 dice throws, other times I use Gerard De Gre’s Parry and Lunge duelling rules.

To be fair, as the Wargaming Pastor says, these original core rules are designed for French-Indian Wars ‘troops versus natives’ cluttered forest skirmish, not at first view an obvious match for futuristic fighting in the urban jungles of other planets.

You will find an attractively photographed battle report by the Wargaming Pastor and more reflection on the pros and cons of the Close Wars rules.

**********

Featherstone and Sci-fi Rules?

I had to do similar modifications when gaming with these Featherstone 1962 War Games rules on a past Wellsian garden Star Wars / Little Wars / Close Wars mash-up improvised game:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/close-little-space-wars/

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/in-a-garden-far-far-away/

The original Close Wars rules can be found in my blog post here:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/close-little-wars-featherstones-simplest-rules/

Not that Donald Featherstone was averse to fantasy and sci-fi gaming, as he left two unfinished or unpublished scenarios (one fantasy, one sci-fi) for his Skirmish Wargaming book that were edited and added by John Curry when he reprinted this classic book in his History Of Wargames Project. He has also reprinted Featherstone’s original 1962 War Games.

“This new edition, includes an additional fantasy scenario and a science fiction scenario: To Claim our Long-forgotten Gold (Third Age) [fantasy] and Mining Station Sigma 9 (Year 3015, the far future) and guidance on how to play solo skirmish wargames.”

http://www.wargaming.co/recreation/details/dfskirmish.htm

I wonder what the next Close Wars variant will be?

Blog post by Mark Man Of TIN, 17 December 2022

Featherstone’s Close Wars Skirmish Rules for modern games? Model Rails and Wargames blog

Alan (Duchy Of Tradgardland) mentioned that I should look at this post or website by Roger Halvorsen, where he tries out the very simple ‘old school’ Donald Featherstone Close Wars Rules (appendix to War Games, 1962) to fight a modern era skirmish.

You can read this post by Roger at his Model Rails and Wargames blog:

https://modelrailsandwargames.blogspot.com/2022/12/close-wars.html

In his search for very simple rules, Roger pushes the Close Wars rules past their original setting (or ‘comfort zone’) of French-Indian Wars colonial forest skirmish with ‘natives’ and ‘troops’ to the tropical forest and urban edge of a fictionalised part of an African country in the early 1960s.

The Blue Helmet UN forces tackle the local well-equipped green helmeted local African forces.

As befits a mention on this my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, I like the way that Roger has used simple and cheap, widely available dollar or Pound Store Soldiers. 54mm Modern / American Infantry (TimMee / BMC /Toy Story type) and plastic Matchbox figure copies (US Infantry) have been used, differentiated with two different paint schemes.

It shows what a good simple paint scheme will do for such versatile figures.

Roger has some interesting Pro and Con points to make about the simplicity and drawbacks of these two page rules for modern warfare including vehicles and automatic weapons.

John Yorio in the blog comments suggested to Roger using Featherstone’s World War Two rules from War Games or Battles with Model Soldiers.

At the end of the day, much of the experience of infantry combat on foot with rifles in forests or even urban jungles cannot have changed much in two hundred years, apart from more accurate or rapid fire rifles?

Melee and hand to hand fighting (at boot, fist, blade and bayonet level) cannot have changed much either.

This is good basic rules tinkering, working out how and if to include heavy weapons. Is a machine gun is just modern volley fire from 5 or 10 men (as Featherstone often uses) when not using individual figure firing?

***

Roger links to my 2016 Close Wars early blog post here with the two page original rules pages :

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/close-little-wars-featherstones-simplest-rules/

Post by Mark Man Of TIN, 10 December 2022

Wayward Pines Series 1 and 2

I have not been painting much of a dark evening but have been watching my way through several TV series.

One of these binge-watched series is Wayward Pines (2015/16).

The title sequence by PictureMill for Wayward Pines uses railway modelling type figures, houses or scenes in a Slinkachu style diorama “movie stills” to show possible scenes from the series.

https://www.titledesignproject.com/wayward-pines-title-sequence-by-picturemill/

The advertising poster shows the Series 1 lead Matt Dillon, who plays an American Secret Service agent called Ethan Burke.

Burke is sent to investigate the whereabouts of two missing agents.

He wakes up in the woods near Wayward Pines, Idaho, bruised and confused after what appears to be a car accident.

The Fox trailer for Wayward Pines Series 1 https://youtu.be/jZ1GdNLQ42Q

The town is not the “paradise” the billboard claims.

I was interested to watch this 2015/2016 series as some of its early episodes in Series 1 were directed or written by the Duffer Brothers before they made the first series of Stranger Things (Netflix).

I can see many dystopian sci-fi / thriller tropes revisited by the Duffer Brothers in Stranger Things. Washed up cops, a strange dark underside to a normal small town, echoing hospital or lab corridors …

I also like the quirky title sequence, made of model vignettes that could be film stills, all of which hint at the scenes to come.

Wayward Pines – “where Paradise is home”, its billboard announces.

Wayward Pines – the last of small town America? A perfect small town with secrets.

**** Warning – Plot Spoiler: Outside the town’s electrified fence, it is slowly revealed in Series 1, live tribes of ‘savage’ genetic mutant nicknamed “Abbys”, fast moving humanoid aberrations or devolution with predator like teeth and claws, excellent sense of smell and hearing, which hunt in packs and eat people. Much like chimpanzees go hunting each other or smaller creatures. ****

That’s a refreshing change from zombies, then …

Screenshot from the slightly altered Series 2 intro. Jeep and Troops.

Series 2 gives a more surprisingly sympathetic (post colonial) view of the Abbys as they mass again in their hundreds.

However the town now has a more martial law feel to it, with stylised light brown American / fascist uniforms. Lots of automatic weapons, disastrous use of flamethrowers, driving around fast in jeeps and army trucks as they set out to keep the town safe from the savages outside the gates and dissenters within …

Reference screenshot Series 1 – hostile savages (red dots) have breached the fence heading through the pines heading towards Wayward Pines. Almost a game screen.

As ever, the mind jumps towards potential gaming scenarios on the tabletop.

Savages versus trained or untrained troops or militia in urban or forest setting, should the electrified fence be breached …

An interesting model or prop of terrain model of the Wayward Pines town was sold after filming in 2015; its appearance is almost that of a board game or tabletop game.

And my screenshot from series 1 of a rough sketch map found by Ethan Burke of ways out of Wayward Pines … (You’ll never leave.)

*******

I bought both series (£20 per series of ten episodes) on Apple TV.

The original Series 1 stories are based on a trilogy of books by Blake Crouch.

Fox TV announced that there are no current plans for Series 3, leaving series 2 on a permanent cliffhanger.

Blog posted by Mark Man Of TIN, 24 November 2022.

Quantrill’s Toy Soldiers blog and ACOTS 2022

James at Quantrill’s Toy Soldiers sent me a message that he had refreshed or updated his blog with a new address: https://quantrillstoysoldiers.blogspot.com

James deleted a parallel blog of the same name that he stopped using in 2011 but this oddly has made his continuing blog not viewable in a search other than through a Google image search and mentions on other blogs.

On the bright side he has finally fixed the follow mechanism (top left menu) so it is easier to find and follow.

His new blog header gives a glimpse of a well-stocked games room of shelves and display cabinets full of toy soldiers.

Alonng the side menu (three lines on top left) with the follow button, there is a date archive of posts going back to 2011.

I have been following this blog since 2016 and enjoy James’ madcap conversions of battered plastic 54mm figures into colourful characters for his ImagiNations and fantasy games. It’s the sort of thing I sometimes do here on my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog here from time to time.

Quantrill’s Toy Soldiers blog also gives a glimpse of Toy Soldier collecting in Australia, such as the recent post on the ACOTS Australian Collectors of Toy Soldiers meeting 2022.

Dozens of photos of old toy soldiers in plastic or lead, a feast for the eyes. They also got an ACW game or two in as well. Looks just like a mini “Plastic Warrior Show” in Australia!

https://quantrillstoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2022/04/acots-2022.html

Anyway, a colourful blog well worth a read and a follow!

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN 18 April 2022

#FEMbruary 2022 figure painting and conversions – Good Queen Bess and the Generic Empress

Two slow burner female figures that have been stalled on the Painting Table but finally finished for #FEMbruary 2022, that celebration of the believable female figure in our modelling and gaming collections.

#FEMbruary 2022 figure No. 1 this month featured an introduction to #FEMbruary and this skater girl,

#FEMbruary 2022 figure No. 2 – The Generic Empress or Queen

You can glimpse the Empress / Queen in black undercoat on my painting table at the back of this picture and the Ladybird book inspiration for the costume colours.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2022/01/15/meanwhile-back-in-the-bunny-hospital/

On the New Year rule of “painting what I have in hand”, I used this joblot-acquired or gifted figure of an Empress figure that could be “Queen Elizabeth The First” but is more likely to be Catherine the Great in 54-60mm brown plastic.

With this impressive Sceptre, she could also be a Queen or Empress of Syldavia in King Ottakar’s Sceptre in the Tintin books, bearing the pelican sceptre.

I could of course spend real money on a painted Queen Elizabeth Figure from Tradition Of London / RP models: https://toy-soldiers.store/product_info.php?products_id=816

Shiny gloss toy soldier painting style, pink cheek dot and all.

FEMbruary 2022 figure No. 3 – The Amazonian Armada Elizabeth the First

This archer is from a 54mm generic fantasy figure set by True Legends Toys (USA?), what is probably meant to be an androgynous Legolas type elf man? The others can be seen here:

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/fantasy-plastic-warriors/

With impressive enough ‘man boob’ armour, I though it might convert easily enough into a Cate Blanchett type Galadriel or Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury type figure.

Literally a Copper Top, as I used my favourite bright gloss acrylics for the shiny toy soldier look from Revell Aquacolor of Orange and copper highlights!

A tissue paper and PVA skirt was added as no self-respecting queen would show off her legs in such martial manly attire!

The visual inspiration was Cate Blanchett’s Tilbury speech from her Elizabeth The Golden Age film. Trailer / clip on YouTube here.

I was also imagining her with a bow, rather than sword, as it also has the classical Amazon overtones or huntress iconography of Diana and Artemis.

Anyway its all just more classical and Tudorbethan Imagi-National propaganda for my Arma-Dad’s Army project! I love this Holy Grail / Monty Python-esque type muster of troops on the clifftops, again useful for Armada era uniform details.

Some screenshots from the Trailer / clip for uniform and colour reference.

My final #FEMbruary female figure (No. 4) will be out of this world … watch this space! (Two clues there).

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 23/24 #FEMbruary 2022

What will 2022 bring?

What are your New Gaming Year plans for 2022?

Here are my New Gaming Year Irresolutions for the coming year:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/26/what-will-2022-bring/

Crossposted from my Man of TIN Blog by Mark Man of TIN, 31 December 2021.

Pound Store Plastic Warriors 5th Blogaversary

Another year of Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog posts have come and gone …

Nothing much new in the pound stores this year. Good to see these still around. Poundland – my Shelfie 2020/21

Thanks to my loyal regular blog readers and new followers who have found my blog over the last year. Your likes and comments are always welcome.

This marks the fifth Blogaversary or anniversary of the first post on my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, dedicated to affordable gaming or “Little Wars on a Budget”.

What’s happened since last September and our 4th Blogaversary in 2020?

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/pound-store-plastic-warriors-4th-blogaversary/

Nothing much new in the online Pound stores this year? 2020/21

What with ongoing Covid restrictions I have only been into pound stores a couple of times on the high street only for ‘target: toy section’ for a minute or two.

And visits to charity shops, jumble, steam fairs, junk markets? None.

This paucity and Covid drought of penny dreadfuls and plastic tat has been relieved partly by some kind donations from blog readers of old unwanted Airfix figures, some great samples of Hing Fat 54mm figures from Peter Evans and also from strategic reserves laid down in the past.

These strategic reserves are laid down according to my Pound Store Plastic Warrior wise hoarding maxims –

1. “Buy them when you see them, they’re sometimes only around for a short while”

2. “They’re only a pound”.

3. “You may not need them now, but in the future …”

2020/21 saw a couple of games using Pound Store plastics ranging from snowballing fights of Yukigassen in August …

To an RLS “Land of Counterpane” game in April on an old squared blanket …

Some mistakes – octagonal ‘hexes’ in this budget reconstruction of Games Workshop Lost Patrol for Pound Store space marines … the well known eight sided hexagon, that one …

Some curious Pound Store conversions, padding out the more expensive Chintoys plastics or old lead …

October 2020 onwards: My Arma-Dad’s Army Elizabethan muster or militia Home Guard 1588 1595 slowly builds using Pound Store knights

This of course having Spanish Fury Conquistadors and Armada troops means Aztec types are a natural match or extension (Peter Laing style ‘dual use figures’ )

With found cheap scenery from scrap … inscribed stones, temple steps, obelisks …

The Super Cheap Wargaming group on Facebook has been good for such affordable scrap terrain ideas as well.

Sometimes my Pound Store Plastic Warriors posts crossposted material or projects from my Man of TIN blog (main blog) or linked to these including:

Fembraury – The new BMC Plastic Army Women becoming Women’s Revolutionary Army of Parazuellia, part of the 1960s Morecambe and Wise comedy film The Magnificent Two whose other government and rebel troops will be padded out with Pound Store GI copies …

January 2021 – Scrap modelling Edwardian style with E Nesbit’s Wings and the Child on the building of Magic Cities

and January also involved archive history research to identify more about H.G. Wells’ connections, family and friends involved in playing his Floor Games and Little Wars c. 1911-13. Well our Pound Store Plastic Warriors strapline is “Little Wars on A Budget”.

Who knows where 2021 and 2022 will lead us?

Thanks for reading and following.

Blog posted on my Fifth Blogaversary 13 September 2021