More Retro packaging for the ‘Penny Dreadful’ pound store plastic warriors

The Super Cheap Wargaming Facebook group featured a post by Ron Lumbis about the current 30mm-32mm (ish) pound store figures.

I like the retro style of the packaging from Schyllyng with on the back of the box the pen outline of the figures inside, a little like the early 1960s Airfix boxes.

I also like the slight overselling – “INCLUDES TWO ARMIES” – obviously serious defence cuts have happened. What they mean is includes two different colours of figures, in this case the traditional green and tan of some plastic army men figures sets.

I see echoes of the famous Russ Heath Lucky Toys page adverts in US comic books for disappointingly flat mail order figures. https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/classic-close-wars-and-comic-book-soldiers-back-to-the-forest/

You can also see similarly stylish packaging (short lived packaging and sold out) from 2017, the “WW2 Soldiers” tag a little misleading with the Russian Army looking troops.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/10/26/retro-packaging/

Either box would make a good attractive mail order gift, one that I would happily have played with as a child, then have somewhere to put them back in the box afterwards.

The alternative packaging I have found for these figures over the last few years ranges from a flimsy plastic bag and header card of two different colours per bag …

… to the useful storage tubs of single colour figures occasionally found in Poundland UK.

Same figures, different colours, varying prices per figure, different packaging.

To me these are the modern cheap small plastic equivalent to the Airfix figures of our youth.

They are surprisingly versatile and at a penny or two each (prices are steadily creeping up) these anonymous and widely available ‘Made in China’ plastic figures can be cheaply and easily converted to a range of periods past and present – and future.

Several fantasy or sci fi gaming bloggers have used these same figures such as the Wargaming Pastor for his Death Zap future games.

Ross Macfarlane of the long-established Battle Game of the Month blog paid these figures and conversions a sort of dubious tribute when he described them as:

Hence my nickname for them of the “Penny Dreadfuls“, as this is what I once paid for each 100 figures for £1.

I have used them for many things from my Boy Scout rough conversions …

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/05/19/pound-store-plastic-boy-scout-32mm-conversions/

to Flash Gordon style space marines and little green men aliens.

The alien ‘cape’ is a card paper hole punch strengthener from cheap old luggage labels.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/little-green-men-pound-store-plastic-space-warriors/

These figures adapt to modern as well as 19th Century colonial figures

Various theatres of War and historic periods suggested by paint conversions here

Simple cardboard hat brims (again from hole punch paper strengtheners or card circles)

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/26/pound-store-plastic-colonial-infantry-on-the-painting-table/

Colonial highlanders from Carry on Up the Khyber … tissue paper and PVA kilts added

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/pound-store-plastic-carry-on-up-the-khyber-colonial-highlanders/

Simple desert or native warriors created by scalpel and PVA / tissue paper conversions

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/pound-store-desert-warrior-unit-completed/

Cheap enough to risk losing figures if taken as a travel battle on holiday – simple melee rules.

As you can see these are very versatile figures, with a little imagination, they can become many different types of ImagiNations figures.

Transport easily requisitioned from charity shop cheap finds …

Arguably Airfix figures have or had the advantage of scale model kits and buildings to complement their figures (although both often in and out of availability or production).

However, with a little imagination, suitable Pound Store playset or charity shop vehicles, terrain and buildings can be found.

A full blown pound store colonial skirmish for under a pound …

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/pound-store-colonial-skirmish-part-1/

Suitable sized gaming accessories add variety to conversions – here an old Prince August homecast gun.

Or light railway battery ‘train in a tin’ style …

https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/deconstructing-trains-train-in-a-tin-vs-train-in-a-box/

This paint conversion or scalpel and PVA approach works with any size or scale of cheap plastic Pound Store type figures as you can see from meandering through my blog.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN on his Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, 21 December 2020

Pound Store Skirmish Part 2

It’s been a week or two since I started this skirmish game and today I had the chance to conclude the final moves.

The story or scenario so far of my 1:1 skirmish game using pound store plastic warriors converted into colonial infantry and natives – photos and blogpost 1

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/pound-store-colonial-skirmish-part-1/

The native spearmen attacking from the ridge on the right had done serious damage to the numbers of Redcoats relieving the Gatehouse patrol.

It was fairly obvious that the Redcoats would be unable to hold out at the Gatehouse to the Pass for long against the massed native rifles on the ridge.

Turn 4

Once most of the native spearmen had been dealt with, the cleverest solution for the Redcoats was to run for cover beneath the ridge that the native riflemen were on or remain across the other side of the valley beyond rifle range.

Turn 6

By Turn 6, many of the Redcoat troops had perished in the melee fighting against the Native Spearmen, leaving mostly the militia rifles to attempt to reinforce or rescue the Highlander patrol at the ruined Gatehouse.

Turn 7

Turning the gaming board round to get my painting seat back in action, this time we are looking from the native rifle positions on the left ridge down the valley.

Turn 7 to 11 saw the Militia and remaining Redcoats reach the Gatehouse. Several Native Riflemen left the ridge to attempt to cut off the retreat of the Militia but were fought off in melee.

Redcoat orders: What to do on this confused situation with so few men?

A d6 dice roll sorted this out. 1-3 retreat, 4 occupy Gatehouse or 5-6 attack the native ridge.

The Redcoats and Militia rolled to retreat, aiming to return with reinforcements. They remained below the ridge or out of rifle range. Their flag or colours were safe.

The Redcoats and Militia retreat out of rifle range.

The surviving Redcoats, rescued Highlanders from the Gatepost and the Militia halt out of rifle range. The heliograph operator flashes back a request for reinforcements.

Likewise the natives rolled for their next action and also retreated, melting away from the ridge to watch from the hills.

A most satisfactory game, albeit a game that soon proved unwinnable for the Redcoats after the heavy losses against the native spearmen. It proved interesting enough despite being shelved twice, played over three short occasions, all part of the convenience of a portable game board and of solo gaming.

It was a joy to finally be handling figures that I had been converting and painting for many previous weeks. It was the good looking game I had been working towards and envisaged. I liked the Old School / Featherstone / Wells look of the game and of the rugged desert Heroscape Hex terrain.

Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN on Pound Store Plastic Warriors, 25 February 2018.

Pound Store Colonial Skirmish part 1

Late last weekend my Colonial pound store plastic desert warrior conversions went into action against my Redcoats.

I have been working on these figures for many weeks and finally it was a chance to use them on my 192 Hexes of Joy game board, complete with extra added pink deserty Hexes.

Somewhere in the foothills of Generica, a patrol is overdue.

The initial dispositions are shown below, a Redcoat column marching up the valley to rescue the missing Patrol of the 3rd (Foot and Mouth) Highlanders, who were camped at the old gatehouse in the Pass.

Either side on the high ground of the valley are amassed Generican desert Warriors with rifles (bottom left) or long spears and shields (top right).

A heliograph operator flashes back information, summoning reinforcements. The Redcoats look to be outnumbered!

Generican desert riflemen with their long jezails or muskets line the rocky valley walls.

Will any reinforcements arrive in time? A slouch hatted company of local Militia are in Reserve nearby.

Will Private Widdle and the other 3rd Foot and Mouth Highlanders be rescued and the Pass held?

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/pound-store-plastic-carry-on-up-the-khyber-colonial-highlanders/

Opening Moves

Being bunched up by the terrain, the first few volleys from the Redcoats were ineffectual before the Generican spearmen charged down the right hand Valley slopes into melee. With no savings throws, the initial casualties were high for both sides. Fixed bayonets met sword and shield. The Redcoat officer, leading from the front sword in hand, was soon downed.

Luckily, the d6 was rolled for when the Redcoat reinforcements of rifle militia would arrive in game turns. They rolled a two, so soon more rifles and boots on the ground will be stomping up the valley.

The following blogpost  part 2 shows  the conclusion of the skirmish:

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/pound-store-skirmish-part-2/

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Rules are my hexed up Close Little Wars, some of the simplest Donald Featherstone rules designed for natives and troops in cluttered terrain, originally in North American forests but here used in rocky desert. The cluttered terrain is made up of Heroscape hex tiles, now many percent extra deserty with the help of some painted Hexes!

Previous posts illustrate the conversions of cheap Pound Store 32-36mm plastic modern infantry into colonial figures.

Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN on Pound Store Plastic Warriors, 3 February 2018

Pound Store Plastic Carry on Up the Khyber Colonial Highlanders

The original pound store plastic 36mm figures are shown alongside the conversions. These kilted colonial figures have been made and painted from modern figures using kilts from PVA glue and tissue paper.

These are inspired by rewatching Carry on Up The Khyber and represent the 3rd (Foot and Mouth) Highland Infantry, those ‘Devils in Skirts’. This isolated guard patrol of three Highlanders form part of the focus or rescue part of my latest Colonial skirmish game.

You can see more of these pound store conversions and of Carry on Up The Khyber film stills that inspired the painting scheme:

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/26/pound-store-plastic-colonial-infantry-on-the-painting-table/

More 36mm pound store figure conversions on the next blog.

Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN, on 28 January 2018.

Pound Store Desert Warrior Spearmen Conversions # 2

A new set of Desert or Ancient Warriors to add to the Desert Warrior Riflemen previously shown here on the blog:

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/pound-store-desert-warrior-unit-completed/

The “penny dreadful” Pound Store figures £1 for 100 (now 80) plastic 36mm figures from Poundland offer great conversion potential.

These spearman are converted from a Rambo-esque machine gunner. Desert robes are added with PVA, tissue paper and paint.

The patterned shields are upholstery pins ordered online from China.

The hands are drilled to take a garden wire pin or shield and ridiculously long spears seemed to work best.

As well as white desert robes, I tried a black robed warrior as well. The modern water bottle becomes a mysterious bottle or dagger and sword hilt

Officer type figures with swords were made from different figures.

More conversions rolling off the painting table on the gaming hex boards in blogposts this week.

Desert spearmen on the heights – A glimpse of my current colonial game on my portable 192 hex game board.

Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN, 28 January 2018.

Work In Progress from Pound Store Plastic Rambos to Spear Warriors

From Rambo machine gunner to colonial or ancient spear warrior …

These are some of my WIP  Work-In-Progress on the painting table.

One of the more awkward of the 12 figure poses  for conversion from the Poundland tub of £1 for 100 36mm plastic figures is this Rambo style bare-chested machine gunner figure, a figure beloved in different scales of many pound store toy soldier makers.

Work so far

Out with the scalpel and off with the machine gun barrel and magazine. The cartridge belt get some incorporated into or covered by the tissue paper robes later on.

Next hot glue gun the plastic figure to a penny base. Post 1992 in the U.K., these pennies are magnetic cupro-nickel, useful for later storage and transport. The figure’s original plastic base overhangs the penny so I have trimmed it back with snips and scalpel as far as possible.

Out with the mini hand drill and finest drill bit (bought from Prince August) to drill the right hand to take a wire spear made from stiff uncoated garden wire.

Drill a hole through the left hand to take a pin shield. The shields used are patterned upholstery pins ordered online, which took weeks to come free post delivery from China. Standard drawing pins would suffice. The long pin tail can be cropped with metal snips later on.

A small strip of tissue paper attached round the legs with white PVA glue ( a small dob of this in a plastic milk bottle top palette)  makes a suitable robe effect,  and scrap of tissue to helmet and back of head. This needs time to dry overnight.

The spearman are not based on any particular troop type. The hefty pike of a spear seems ridiculously long for now but looked odd cut shorter. It can be transformed into a flagstaff or standard. It can be trimmed down later as needed. I may add with hot glue gun a wire or Fimo scabbard for a sword or not. A wire sword can be fashioned by trimming down the spear, if I change my mind.

This PVA and tissue paper robes were done using the same approach to the completed Pound Store desert warriors and kilted colonials (see link below). They easily cover up the modern trousers and any obvious modern military kit.

Undercoat with white acrylic before the painting proper begins.

———————————————————————

That is as far as I have got for now … as I said, it’s all WIP / Work in Progress.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/11/26/pound-store-plastic-colonial-infantry-on-the-painting-table/

They currently share the WIP painting table with the generic Boer / Confederate / Mexican / Cowboy / Bandits and the Kilted Colonials from Carry On up the Khyber, both of which are almost finished.

All good inexpensive fun conversions starting with a penny plastic figure.

Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN for my Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, 12 December 2017.

Pound Store Desert Warrior unit completed

 

Poundland conversion desert warriors on some converted desert Hexes from Heroscape.

Having completed a unit of Space Marines, I have been building up the numbers of my native warriors as another Poundland penny plastic toy soldier figure conversion (or “penny dreadful” original figures as some of you have suggested).

Each plastic 36mm figure costs a penny (tub of 100 for a £1 in Poundland) and is now based on a penny for a bit more weight and stability.

My first trial batch of half a dozen figures worked well enough, so I have now quickly converted another dozen riflemen towards  a small skirmish force of native warriors or hill tribesmen. Another dozen or so more figures to add and we should be almost there.

Any roughness in painting or conversion is almost hidden en masse.

A very light wash of pale blue was used, hopefully to bring out the whiteness of their robes.

Another kneeling desert warrior aiming from behind a low wall of rock.

You can read more about how these were all converted or made from Poundland’s finest “penny dreadful” figures using tissue paper and PVA to add robes at: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/poundland-desert-warriors-finished

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/desert-warrior-pound-store-plastic-warrior-conversions-inspired-by-featherstone/

I am thinking about future native artillery unit conversions so dug out of the spares box an old 30mm artillery piece, probably by Spencer Smith Miniatures or Prince August. The lack of 36mm cavalry is one thing I am working on, with some interesting odd possibilities in my spares box.

These figures are not specific to any country or historical period. Instead they are  intended to be a wily native opposition to the usual Redcoat or colonial / imperialist troops invading or defending one of my Imagi-Nations countries.

Redcoats in Waiting

My next conversion is to paint up a unit of some “Redcoats” using some more of the Poundland figures.  A batch of 20 riflemen are already undercoated, based on pennies and waiting their turn on the painting table. A very rough conversion of a Poundland’s modern machine gunner to a Redcoat heliograph signaller is partly done (below). Twenty odd tiny  Fimo backpacks will also be required!

My alternative desert infantry conversion is a simpler paint conversion, a little more ‘modern’ (or at least 20th century) and khaki than the toy soldier style Army Red / Redcoat figures.  I want to create a small skirmish force of these desert khaki infantry as well from the Poundland figures.

Work in progress on a desert infantry figure using the Poundland penny figures. 

All good fun, it makes a cheap and pleasant change from tracking down vintage Peter Laing 15mm metal figures.

Blogposted   by Mark, Man of TIN blog and Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog, November 2017.