As I zero in on collections that work for me, I have been reviewing and thinning the herd quite a bit. While doing so, I realized that the plastic WWII figures I am keeping really needed a sprucing up.
Many of them had never been sealed and dozens of games over the last decade had taken their toll. Plus there was some noticeably sloppy paint work.
Finally, since some of the colors have ceased to work for me aesthetically, I decided to give them an update, too.
To see what they looked like before, here's an example.
Up first, the Germans:
You may also notice that these are primarily Matchbox, supplemented with a few Classic Toy Soldiers figures. As much as I love the Airfix poses, I am reducing all of my forces for 1/32 WWII to 20 figures or less - the Germans have two Britains and four 21st centruy in addition to what is here.
The Matchbox Germans were the first set of 1/32 WWII figures I got when I started wargaming.
The Americans never had as many plastic troops, as I have quite a few Britains "Big Red One" figures.
I also painted the helmets with Vallejo Brown Violet rather than Olive Drab (I believe I had previously used Jo-Anns Olive Drab. It took like a dozen coats to become opaque) and the khaki jackets with Vallejo German Camo Beige (ironically).
These are subtle changes but do make them more "correct" to my eyes.
A few of the Americans were given later war US Green jackets or trousers to reflect that newer troops often had the green while veteran troops had a ramshackle combination.
You may also have noticed the Americans don't have bases while the Germans do. The TSSD figures have tall integral bases and this way the Matchbox figures are much closer in height.
Hopefully, now that they are all sealed (with Mod Podge), they'll hold up for at least another decade.
The Weston Brits will be on their way into the queue, once I find the right colors - I have three Britains British WWII infantry figures (my first metal 1/32 figures) to at least try to match with them.
In the meantime, I've got 1/72 rebasing, tanks to paint, 1/35 French WWI to finish, some fantasy figures, and who knows what else.
One day, perhaps, I will make the decision to cull the collections down to a manageable number and size. My problem is that I figure all of my collections are still "manageable"!
ReplyDeleteJonathan, the decision is in part made for me by living in an apartment - space is at a premium and rents keep going up. Having a lot of stuff I am not actively using also makes me feel claustrophobic and I get a good deal overwhelmed thinking of when I am ever going to use half the things I have. Worst case scenario, I end up trying to reacquire things later.
DeleteJohn, I love converting things I don't use into something I will. That can also apply to selling or swapping. But if you know the periods you like, have a care before getting rid of additional assets. Perhaps you need a superior method of storage? (I know that's what I need to do, lol.) I have just picked up a quantity of 1960s-made, 54mm US GIs. About to start on their paintwork.
ReplyDeleteMichael
Michael, Part of this cull is me honing in on what I like most and not only what i like now and then (which is where the excess comes in). For 1/32 WWII it's a complicated thing. I enjoy the figures far more than I tend to enjoy most games - but the games with those figures that I really get into and enjoy tend to have few figures (a squad or two) and support. My goal is to get down to what I enjoy most and moving the rest on.
DeleteI agree completely with needing better storage! Not just for figures but for all of the hobby supplies that go with wargaming.
The updated paint jobs look great John and give a unified appearance to each unit! Good luck on deciding who stays and who goes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brad! So far, it's been pretty easy to decide - if it's unpainted and I have no plans for the next 6 months or so to paint (and they aren't figures I like to use unpainted), it goes away. It turns out, this is how to reduce the plastic pile quickly! As for painted figures, certain figures feel like excess given the games that bring me the most joy (getting Marie Kwando over here I guess). So while all of them give some enjoyment, I want to keep only the figures I absolutely love to use, can see using in the the next 12 months, and in the quantity necessary.
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