Gary's collection (1 Viewer)

[NZGary]

Next up Union marines come ashore in North Carolina during the civil war.

 

[NZGary]

Its 1066 and Saxon warriors make their way south having just beaten the Vikings at Stamford Bridge. Next up the Normans at Hastings - they would not be so lucky a second time!

 

[NZGary]

A Natal Carbineers patrol run into a Zulu war band in Zululand 1879.

 

[villagehorse]

Like the mounted Sudan figures, but so much to see in your other scenes Gary, you have a vast collection. Robin.

 

[Ivanhoe]

Its 1066 and Saxon warriors make their way south having just beaten the Vikings at Stamford Bridge. Next up the Normans at Hastings - they would not be so lucky a second time!

"Next up the Normans at Hastings"...yes October 14th, 1066...not a good day for the Saxons.
So much of English-speaking-people's history and culture were affected that day.
Great figures !

Thank you.

 

[NZGary]

"Next up the Normans at Hastings"...yes October 14th, 1066...not a good day for the Saxons.
So much of English-speaking-people's history and culture were affected that day.
Great figures !

Thank you.

Thanks for your comments. Just commissioned the last of my Hastings diorama with around 30 standing Normans. Add in some old Conte and new WB's figures and the diorama runs to around 200 plus figures. Going back to the UK over the holidays and my mother-in-law lives close to Hastings so I plan a trip to walk what is reckoned to be the battle sight. Apparently the gradient of the slope would have been steeper in 1066. But happy to stand at the centre of the ridge to get a perspective and visit the spot where Harold was slain. Then I need to think about getting a figure made of Edith Swan!

 

[NZGary]

Virginia 1620's and early settlers are about to b ambushed by native Indians.

 

[NZGary]

Bengal India and the Battle of Plassey 1757. Robert Clive of the East India Company with a smaller Anglo/Indian force (850 Europeans and 2000 Sepoys) defeats the last Nawab of Bengal (50,000 Indians and 50 French gunners). This was assisted by the defection of a large part of the Nawab's army. However, it still ranks as one of Britannia's 'against all odds' victories of its colonial expansion era. There was a small contingent of French artillery attached to the Nawab's force from the french East India Company. This pivotal victory ensured large concessions from the Nawab with strengthened the British position pushing other colonial powers out such as the French and Dutch. The jewel in the British Empire was beginning to shine bright.

 

[NZGary]

British hussars in the Spanish peninsular in around 1813.

 

[NZGary]

French cavalry attack Spanish forward positions south of Madrid in 1808. Defeat for the French prompted Napoleon to become directly involved and he retook the Spanish capital several months later. The disastrous decision to replace the Spanish king with Napoleon's brother unhinged the colonial Spanish empire resulting in several South American countries such and Bolivia and Venezuela gaining independence. It also meant that the Spanish people were in constant rebellion against Napoleon and their puppet king.

 

[STG44]

I am new to the board and relatively new to toy soldier collecting (I just have a few scattered examples).

I have to say, I was captivated by viewing these dioramas.

Amazing work, Gary!

 

[NZGary]

I am new to the board and relatively new to toy soldier collecting (I just have a few scattered examples).

I have to say, I was captivated by viewing these dioramas.

Amazing work, Gary!

Many thanks for your kind comments. Gary

 

[NZGary]

Shaka Zulu. In the early 19th century Shaka was chief of a small sub tribe in present day Natal. His lands were around 10 square miles and he ruled over no more than 1,500 people. Within 20 years he had conquered lands amounting to 11,500 square miles and ruled over more than a million people. He achieved this by radically changing military tactics and structure. Up until Shaka came on the scene battles between sub Saharan tribes were fairly ritualized with the throwing of long spears from distance a lot of chanting but little hand to hand combat and casualties were low. Rather like early ancient Greek battles.

Shaka changed this by inventing the short thrusting spear, making shields larger and invented independently the very Roman tactic of hooking the Shields of the opponent and thrusting the short spear in close combat. His troops were conscripted, fought in close order and were well trained. He developed the envelopment by pinning his enemy in the centre and sending the right wing around to attack from the rear. He perfected this to the double envelopment or horns of the bull. The British at Isandlwana were to discover just how devastating this tactic could be 40 or so years later. Shaka was a tyrant and ruled with a rod of iron killing over a million people during his reign. His brothers eventually did for him. The Zulus remained lord of their lands until 1879 and the Anglo/Zulu war.

 

[NZGary]

The 1620's and under Swedish King Gustav II this protestant country become a major European power during the Thirty Years War. Swedish conquests and interests in the Baltic states, Prussia and Poland caused inevitable tensions. In the 1620's and early 1630's this boiled over into open war between the Poles and Swedes. Gustav won many battles in Northern Europe and was a brilliant tactician leading his men from the front.

 

[villagehorse]

Oh I do like Zulu and Gary your scenes bring out the best in the series. Robin.

 

[sapper]

Some more interesting dioramas there Gary. I like the variety of scenes that you are able to display and the informative story that accompanies them. Well done, Regards Greg.

 

[NZGary]

Early evening southern England 1944 and a British Lancaster bomber prepares to another nighttime bombing raid over Germany.

 

[NZGary]

Northern Malaysia 1941 and the ANZAC spirit is alive and well in challenging circumstances. A Kiwi pilots and Aussie troops get ready to coordinate ground and air offensives against advancing Japanese forces.

 

[NZGary]

The Ptolemaic Kingdom was based in Egypt where Greek rulers descended from Macedonian invasion of Alexander based themselves in Alexandria overseeing the local population from Alexanders death in 323 BC until the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC. They were a blood thirsty, deceitful lot readily killing each other for the thrown. They did not mix with the local Egyptian population with the aristocratic Greco/Macedonian upper classes only speaking Greek and intermarrying with brothers, sisters uncles and nieces providing weak offspring. The army descended from 4,000 garrison troops left by Alexander and hiring mercenaries or offering Greek/Macedonians land to settle in Egypt and provided manpower for the army.

The army did use local Egyptian forces but revolt and rebellion or the fear of it kept these numbers fairly low. They used Greek/Macedonian tactics including the Phalanx. This was still used when Caesar put down rebellion when Cleopatra's brother raised an army against his sister but was easily defeated by Roman forces. It is a myth that Cleopatra was adored by her people. The ruling Ptolemy's were generally despised by the Egyptian masses. They were and remaind very much Greek. This diorama is off the last stand of Ptolemy's Cleopatra's bother) army in the Battle of the Nile.

 

[NZGary]

The 9th Legion makes its last stand somewhere in Caledonia (Scotland) around 115AD.