Cavalier and 28mm Plastics

I spent an enjoyable few hours wandering around the Cavalier wargame show a few weeks ago but have only just got around to putting anything about it on my blog! Sorry about that.

I have to say that I thought the show far less busy than previous years but, after speaking to a few of the traders I have come to know through organising Broadside, it seems many of them had one of their best days in terms of cash taken. I have come across the phenomenon before, smaller shows do not necessarily mean smaller takes for traders. I think it may have something to do with time and space....not the weird sci-fi stuff...which is great by the way....but the time and space potential customers have to look at each stands offer, speak to the trader and be allowed the freedom to buy. I know that I have often not even looked at some stands at shows for the melee of bodies around them. Might I have bought something there? Quite possibly.

I did get the chance to chat with some old friends, and some new ones to.....Hi Ray!! Top guy, Ray, looking forward to seeing him and his club at Broadside. I once worked for a guy called Ray Gunn, straight up, Ray Gunn. He is the premises manager at Crown Woods School if you do not believe me. I was an assistant there for a few years before I was made premises manager of my own school. He too is a great guy btw. His dad was Tommy.....I know, I know, but it is all true. Truth eh? Who needs fiction?

Where was I? oh yeah, Cavalier. Maria and I were there to help spread the word about Broadside. Maria was handing out flyers left right and centre, whilst I spoke to the traders and touted for new business; picked up another three! Good ol' Clint spoke to the clubs and we gained a few there too. We did very well here and raised our profile greatly. Plenty of people remembered the first show and word seems to have spread. we could do well this year methinks. I also took the opportunity to pass on a special gift I had for a friend and fellow MHWC member....the dodgy millwall fan that I mention in the Blog intro. I had an Arsenal FC painting kit I picked up at a sports shop sale....I even wrapped it in special pretty paper, I am that nice. Needless to say he wasn't at all that pleased, oddly. In fact he was quite miffed in a sort of 'I'm going to tear bits of you off and beat you to death with them' kind of way; the old soppy. He had to carry it around for the rest of the day too. Bless. And, do you know, I am not at all sure he is a Millwall fan. I came accross a photo of him in a Charlton shirt...that hadn't been messed around with or anything! Who Knew!? I would post it here but would not like to be the cause of any embaressment....unless you would all like to see a copy of it?????????

As for purchases, I have often looked at the 28mm plastic Marlburian figures by Wargames Factory, but only looked. I am a huge fan of Front Rank and all my Brits and allies are coming from there. But, as I am working on this huge Black Powder project on my own and therefore looking to cut costs, I thought the well priced plastics could be useful. I managed to pick up a box of each of the infantry and cavalry and was mightily pleased that I did!

Infantry first. The first thing that I noticed was the way the individual sprues have been made with pegs and sockets that allow them to be neatly stacked in the box. A simple thing perhaps, but it did make it so much easier to handle them and put them back in the box without breaking bayonets and things. The figures are also much better than the box artwork shows...a lot better in fact. You get 36 figures for less than £16 if you shop around and I only need 24 plus some casualties. You also get a lot of choice as to how you ,ake the figures, plenty of individual heads that will allow you to creat almost any unit in any army of the time; very neat indeed. Most of the figures are in a one piece marching pose (bar the head of course) so little building too. The pose is a little stiff but does suit the period. Well worth the money I think...still prefer my Fronk Rank figures but these are some £10.00 cheaper per unit.

The cavalry are bloody brilliant. At the same price of £16 you get twelve figures.

The great thing here is the amount of choice you have when building the riders. Each sprue has four different bodies and four different head choices, you can build all sorts of mounted units and the horses look like horses...not like some of the odd looking things you see in metal even today. Compared with the metal equivilents this box is half the price of the Front Rank units, themselves excellent value compared to most. The figures again come with the post and socket system, a real neat trick, and twelve plastic stands for the horses. For me this is the only let down, and it is a mean complaint really. As you can see in the picture above, the horses have  feet......not feet attached to something, like a peg or slide to fit into a slot. This means that the horses need to be glued to thier bases with fairly little to support them, especially those horses with two feet off the ground. I will need to look at this when the time comes and see how they work. Given the attention to detail Wargames Factory have shown so far I doubt they would have slipped here, surely?

Oh No! Stupid computer!!! I didnt want that picture on my blog!! whatever shall I do now??

Mark, if you are reading this, stop now!!











No, really.....stop now

you don't trust me do you?????