Hinchliffe System 12

[Vintage Wargaming]

I’ve just been looking at the Hinchliffe System 12 stuff I acquired recently.

This was a very short lived attempt in around 1976 by Frank Hinchliffe to start a new figure size (12mm) with a comprehensive range of cast metal scenery and other accessories. It launched with a reasonable sized range of British and French Napoleonics. There was a very professional marketing effort for the time and I was fascinated by them when they came out, but by the time I had any money to spend on metal figures they were long gone.

http://vintagewargaming.blogspot.com/2 ... 2.html?m=1

I recently bought at a reasonable cost various items which had been on sale on the internet for quite a while, eventually put in a successful best offer on eBay.

So I’ve just gone through them to see what I’ve got. There are some scenic items (which are mainly crossroads of various sizes, with and without craters), then infantry and cavalry fir both sides. Unsurprisingly the Brits are mainly Highlanders and Scots Greys, along with some line infantry command and some light dragoons; while the French are mainly Old Guard Grenadiers and Guard cavalry. Just surprised there were no riflemen.

I bought them from a collector’s point of view than a wargamer’s but I’m not sure what to do with them. I would like to paint them but I can’t even paint 15mm or 18mm to a decent standard.

So any (helpful) suggestions?

I will take some photos and put them on Vintage Wargaming and this might flush out a few other items, but I’m not sure there is much out there. Maybe I need to save up to find someone to paint them - I guess someone who paints 10mm might be a good option.

[muaddib7]

Hi,

I have developed an interest in Hinchliffe System12 myself over the past year or two and I have amassed quite a collection including some extras. Would you be interested in making some trades? I would definitely like to get some crossroads.

Thanks,

Bob DeSilva

[FreddBloggs]

Riflemen only came to be reguarded as super troopers in the sharp era.

[goat major]

When I painted my 10mm Napoleonics I went for a quick paint approach which worked quite well
- White undercoat
- Simple block paint the main colours
- Army paint strong tone dip brushed on. This stage does all your shading but it will make the brighter colours look a bit dirty.
- dab highlights onto the areas that need brightening back up again (e.g. white trousers, pompoms etc). This isn't a detailed step - just "un-dirtying" the highest points that need the colour

Once you have the small figures in a unit it looks absolutely fine. Blown up in fine detail with a camera, less so.

[Vintage Wargaming]

Hi,

I have developed an interest in Hinchliffe System12 myself over the past year or two and I have amassed quite a collection including some extras. Would you be interested in making some trades? I would definitely like to get some crossroads.

Thanks,

Bob DeSilva

Bob - PM sent

[Vintage Wargaming]

Thanks for the painting tips, all.

TBH they’re quite a long way down the queue but will come back to this

[Vintage Wargaming]

Bob de Silva - I sent you a PM a week ago but it’s stuck in my outbox

[Shahbahraz]

out of curiousity - are they 'large 10s, or 'small 15s? It makes a difference in painting style. My own approach with 15 - 6mm is undercoat black, block colours, wash (in a variety of shades) then highlight.

[Vintage Wargaming]

I’ve now acquired some more of these figures and am coming back to thinking about doing something with them. I think the best option might be to find a painting service which might take them on, if anyone has any recommendations. I am oversupplied with command figures so I could experiment myself with some of the techniques people suggested earlier on some of those as test figures.

The main problem is that they are pretty rare as they had weak ankles so I am a bit wary of spoiling them by putting a poor paint job on them.

[FreddBloggs]

Never got an interest in the hinchcliffe small scale foray, but was always fascined by minifigs short lived foray.