The Loose Association of Wargamers

Finished two battalions over the past week, well finished them one on Monday and the 2nd one on thursday.
All figures metal Spencer Smiths.
Due to an admin error ( I had run out of 40mm x 40mm bases ) I had to wait until Saturday for my delivery from Warbases to arrive.
First up, 2nd battalion Ogilvy, I know they had only one but it's my imagination army so I got two 24 man battalions or one 48 man battalion.

Flags by me from Kronoskaf.













Here is the 2nd battalion finished this week.
5th Prussian infantry, flags by David at "Not by Appointment".
Plus some more photos of Ogilvy battalion.



























Willz.

Ogilvy played de Lancey in "Waterloo" and was The Saint MkII, so you are covered either way.

Though I personally fail to see the appeal of these Spencer Smith figures you have certainly made a very fine job of painting them.

The good old v. Braunschweig, one of the first two Prussian units I painted for my SYW.

If you wanted to confuse some nit-pickers, Will, you could give them their original colours, which were carried until 1743ish (Austrian Succession unpleasantness)- mid-grey with cross in light blue.

(For even more fun you can do I.Leibgarde carrying v. Braunschweig's poppy red on yellow, which they possibly did until mid-1741- it takes a long time to hand-sew all those silver strips onto a flag, and then embroider the details, regardless of the cranky new king wanting them done next week. Someone is bound to tell you that the flags are wrong.)

Thanks for all your kind comments chaps, I have a 2nd battalion of the 5th on the workbench.


Willz.

Penda wrote: ↑Sun Jun 30, 2024 7:52 pm Though I personally fail to see the appeal of these Spencer Smith figures you have certainly made a very fine job of painting them.

It is a labour of love, when I first ordered some Spencer Smith's about 1978, I was unimpressed by the quality so I did not buy anymore until 2014,
then picking up several hundred very cheap on fleabay.
I wanted to prove to myself that they could be modelled and painted to a reasonable standard as my painting and modelling skills had improved
over 30+ years. So it's an ongoing project which has been driven by John Ray who asked for photos of 18th century wargame figures, which I gladly provided. Only to have him delete them saying that he did not like them and I was wasting my time painting them.
That I found was an insult to all hobbyists and I took offence from his cruel and unkind comments, thankfully his forum failed as others felt
his comments were unkind and unjust.
So here I am enjoying painting these Spencer Smith's, yes they are not as detailed as figures that are available today but as they were some of the first wargame photos I ever saw it's a nostalgia thing, which gives me great pleasure.

Willz.

Like Willz, when first buying SSM, I was distinctly underwhelmed.
In the mid-1990s I embarked on creating mythical armies for the GDW Soldier King boardgame and looked around for how to do it. I could have used existing Prussian or French and called them something else, but to me, they'd be Prussian not Bravancian.....
I also picked up a copy of the Wargame by Charles Grant at this time; I had been entranced by the massed SSM in the book when seen in the school library. Hence, I found a way to indulge in nostalgia and Imagi-Nations long before it was popular using SSM.

Yes, they have their limitations (oh God the flash), but some retain the feint detail of the original Holgar Ericsson SAE figures they were pirated from. If you overcome your prejudices, SSM become a thing of beauty. They are slight and elegant 30mm demi-rondes from another age. They can become many different types of soldier - converting - another lost skill.
They do require careful painting; Willz paints his properly, I slap on bold colours on a black undercoat and hope no-one notices the mistakes!

I now look upon the current "28mm" creations as all too often caricatures with too large heads and hands - designed for ease of painting with exaggerated detail. SSM are only surpassed by Willie, Staddern, Pax Britannica and Zinnfiguren flats.

As to the Mr Ray comments - yes nice figures - not commercially available however - nice pics in the glossies but "you have to buy my very expensive limited edition book to join my club" - at the time my thought was "no thanks'. I despise such elitism. Then finding out that all those subscribers are left in the lurch at his whim? Clearly the man has issues - rather pathetic attitude over toy soldiers.......

FWIW, Willz, the kinship you have offered from a mutual love of SSM has (through the VWC) greatly enriched my wargaming life. Mr Ray' loss.......
Neil

Thank you Neil for your kind comments and support, it's a pleasure to know you and we must meet up someday.
Yes the JR issue still irks me, I bought the book and enjoy reading it.
I do remember when on his forum he took great pleasure in posting photos of figure molds he had destroyed rather than sell
them or the figures to forum members as he wanted to keep his collection unique. As you say elitist, praise my toys, want my toys but you can't have them as I am special.


Willz.

Willz, You aren't the first person I've come across whom Mr Ray attempted to bully and well done to you for standing up to him - I echo the comments of Panzer21. I was given a copy of his book and, as you say, it is an impressive creation - sad confirmation that a***holes can also create impressive art. However, I never had any dealings with him and since two of his other "victims" were long-standing personal friends (one of whom he told to "stop whining" about a life-threatening illness), I've deliberately kept it that way, despite an invitation to join his little coterie.

Thank you Willz & Neil for taking the time to explain your joy in the figures. Not something I can share, but certainly something I can understand given my affection for Dixon Miniatures' ACW figures! As to Mr Ray, your comments and sentiments echo what I have read elsewhere, a clear case of 'Look At Me!' syndrome.