Update and some nostalgia

Yesterday and into today was a 26 hour 3D print to complete the gate of my Vauban fort.
This was the biggest item I have printed so far, 200mm in length and pushing my Prusa printer to the limit. The scale is set at 100 percent for 28-30mm, so I have been up scaling to 120 percent to accommodate my 35-40mm figures. Very pleased with the finished print.

The figure on the left is Warfare Miniatures 28mm, the two on the right are my 40mm S&S conversions. The fort works well for both scales.

The third bastion is now nearing completion.


On a totally different note, I started watching the film Young Winston yesterday, which brought me back to my wargaming roots. When I got back into soldiers in the early 1970’s, after a very enjoyable childhood and youth playing with 54mm plastics, then Airfix, (I was just too young for lead figures which were phased out in by the mid 60’s,) the period I was really interested in for many years was the late Victorian era up to 1914, British army full dress period.
I was more of a collector/modeller in those days and joined the BMSS , went to the annual BMSS show and Euro Militaire with some kindred spirits and formed a local BMSS branch for North Scotland.  I had done really enjoyable trips to London visiting John Tunstills Soldiers ship, Under Two Flags, Hamleys, and the many others which traded then along with the fabulous book shops.There was an abundance of nice metal models being produced back then by a number of fine makers, but single models did not really appeal, I liked the idea of collecting and creating regiments en Masse like the many Britains collectors who were around then. It was sacrilege to convert or repaint a Britains lead figure and for a student and someone just starting work and a family they were just too expensive. For me Britains were too simplistic, but I marvelled at some of the conversions and parade scenes that I saw in the books by Henry Harris and Roy Dilley. So last night I took them off the bookshelves and enjoyed flicking through the pages once more.

In today’s terms, the figures look fairly basic and simplistic, but to me Britains conversions still have a certain style and look that sums up the Victorian era. While not as detailed as modern figures, to me  they have the same style as say a Willie figure has when compared to many of the chunky “Orc” influenced wargames figures which are so common today. Dilley and Harris were collector modellers, creating regiments, brigades, divisions, corps, to create miniature 54mm armies representing the period. This was always the ultimate goal for me, working to build a complete collection rather than a butterfly approach.

Alas, like so many of us, life got in the way of plans, and it is only in the last five years or so after purchasing AMG and being part of the forum that I have adopted a more systematic approach, and those five years have probably been my most rewarding in the hobby.