One to look out for...

Old John, who also appears as TJ in Harry Pearson's Achtung Schweinhund! and is responsible for putting back on the market a number of classic figure ranges under the banner of 20mm Nostalgic Revival, has joined the blogosphere here

The blog has only just started up, but you may like to bookmark it and keep an eye on it as it develops.

I'm hoping for lots of pictures of John's extensive collections and hopefully more news of old figures (if that makes sense)

Scruby designers

From a 1962 catalogue, here are Jack Scruby's notes on the designers of his miniature ranges.

In the last section it is interesting to see the name of John Hathaway -  the source of the "Hathaway cannons" mentioned in Charles Grant's The War Game?

John Niblett

Thanks to Harry for a copy of the Hummel House of Miniatures catalogue from the early sixties.

Hummel were an upmarket toy, models and miniatures shop in Burlingtion Arcade and concentrated on top end makes for collectors.

Among the best of these wre John Niblett's one inch figures - just check out the prices. Garrett in Collecting Model Soldiers says" these lovely little figures were the first to be made in England in such a tiny size, and they remain the finest in this particular scale.". In his World Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers Garret states that these figures were available from 1950 to 1963 .

GHQ Guardsmen - 20mm Napoleonic Range

I have recently located these pictures sent to me a while ago by George in the States. They show the front and back of the original GHQ packaging.

George was not sure whether the cavalty figure is GHQ or CinC - can anyone confirm?

GHQ Seven Years War Range Review

Thanks to DC of Unfashionably Shiny for this original review of the SYW figures.

It was publisherd in Miliatary Modelling in February 1976.

GHQ Seven Years War Range

Thanks to John Cunningham for pictures of some of this range.

I have previously posted a listing for the Naploeionic range (see here) and have seen pictures of some of the figures, but have no list for the SYW range and had not seen any of the figures before. The figures were finely detailed (as you would expect from the makers of GHQ microarmor, and had separate heads and muskets.

Austrian Command

Austrian Infantry

Highland Infantry

Prussian Musketeers

Prussian Grenadiers

Some Napoleonic Highlanders

Thanks to Tony of Prometheus in Aspic for these figures - two Minifigs 20mm, BN 9 Highlander advancing, or just possibly BN 6 Highlander on guard, and a first series Lamming BI/16, Highland infantry kneeling.