Purchasing "job-Lots" (1 Viewer)

[theBaron]

Thanks Baron Brad - D'you know - I think I might join 'em! ( in a tot, that is - I don't like chasing foxes ). jb

If you join 'em, wouldn't you be chasing foxes?

Happy New Year, John! Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

View attachment 224918

Some hard pressed guards and line infantry,,about half are restored since

Hey, Bromhead, that's a nice little assortment you have there! It'll be quite a display when you've finished. Do you take any in-progress photos, too?

Prost!
Brad

 

[johnnybach]

If you join 'em, wouldn't you be chasing foxes?

Happy New Year, John! Prost!
Brad

Nope! just for the tot part Brad!

Besides - real fox-hunting with dogs is really a thing of the past in the UK now. The Government banned it several years ago. I understand that It IS allowed to chase after a scented trail which has been laid in advance - but the practice of allowing a pack of hounds to chase, capture and tear apart a fox is no longer allowed (thankfully).

As Oscar Wilde called them: " The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable"

So my figures really depict a scene you can still see around many villages in the UK - as "Hunts" still dress up i their traditional garb - and do all of the things they used to - EXCEPT that they are NOT allowed to hunt foxes, with dogs - to their deaths.

Nice figures though - I'll be keeping an eye out for more to fix up, as some of the older hollowcast ones (like these) are getting to be a bit sought after, when intact.


Have a Good New Year Brad - jb

 

[bromhead]

Hey, Bromhead, that's a nice little assortment you have there! It'll be quite a display when you've finished. Do you take any in-progress photos, too?

Prost!
Brad

Those are a small part of the unrestored,,,most all of these legion-arabs are restored form the dead,,unfortunately none in progress types,,past shows etc I took every britains etc old hollowcast ,,Pieces etc, I could find and as is said they no longer go for .50,,as a past business in Fla I restored old figures for Collectors who were pleased with the work,,proudest being a first series Lancers,,1900 or so,,the guy had saved for many years ,heads,,legs tails etc,,,A few other makers,,replicas ,,,,,,Many trays of unrestored figures and parts now,,,my production rate is a bit slower then it was,,The camel corps was a complete tho each piece damaged set,,
The display is a great deal larger these days ..like some Iv run into a bit of photo sizing,,happy new year friends

 

[johnnybach]

View attachment 224918

Some hard pressed guards and line infantry,,about half are restored since

Proper "Toy Soldiers" there Brom. Nice.

Funnily enough, I have some part repaired versions in my "To do" stash. Here's a pic below - not painted yet - and the two prone firing have some repairs to be made yet. I will probably have to model the missing leg of the one with gaiters on (older and rarer - he's dated underneath 1.7.1901.) - as I can't get that as a new part. I find that the most common problems with these guys - is lack of head and/or missing parts to weapons. You can probably see the newer metal parts on my repaired Guards at the slope, which are actually ready for repainting - but waiting patiently for their turn. jb

 

[bromhead]

Proper "Toy Soldiers" there Brom. Nice.

Funnily enough, I have some part repaired versions in my "To do" stash. Here's a pic below - not painted yet - and the two prone firing have some repairs to be made yet. I will probably have to model the missing leg of the one with gaiters on (older and rarer) - as I can't get that as a new part. I find that the most common problems with these guys - is lack of head and/or missing parts to weapons. You can probably see the newer metal parts on my repaired Guards at the slope, which are actually ready for repainting - but waiting patiently for t

Well done,,Coming along to the ranks and returning,,Iv kept an original kneeling firing Britains with a Nostalgic Pegleg matchstick repair and a Scot charging with a 40mm BB hit in his back,,,ah those beautiful Red boxed perfect soldiers we had at the holidays,,couldn't wait to cut the ties and play with those fragile troops,,$3 a box of Foot in my time,,50s

 

[johnnybach]

Proper "Toy Soldiers" there Brom. Nice.

Funnily enough, I have some part repaired versions in my "To do" stash. Here's a pic below - not painted yet - and the two prone firing have some repairs to be made yet. I will probably have to model the missing leg of the one with gaiters on (older and rarer) - as I can't get that as a new part. I find that the most common problems with these guys - is lack of head and/or missing parts to weapons. You can probably see the newer metal parts on my repaired Guards at the slope, which are actually ready for repainting - but waiting patiently for t

Well done,,Coming along to the ranks and returning,,Iv kept an original kneeling firing Britains with a Nostalgic Pegleg matchstick repair and a Scot charging with a 40mm BB hit in his back,,,ah those beautiful Red boxed perfect soldiers we had at the holidays,,couldn't wait to cut the ties and play with those fragile troops,,$3 a box of Foot in my time,,50s

Well done yourself for collecting them. It's not JUST nostalgia for me - as when I was a kid - I couldn't afford a lot of them. But Britains from Woolworths at a couple of pennies each - were just great. (unboxed of course - only the well off could afford A BOX!{eek3}).

I actually prefer the old Hollowcasts to the modern Matte painted "realistic figures" of many manufacturers. There's just something about these old glossies that I just love. Can't quite put my finger on it - but the pleasure I get from finding them as sad muppets - and then restoring and repainting them back to nearly brand-new - well....................I'm sure you know the feeling too Brom. They are proper TOY SOLDIERS to me ( and many others too).

Keep it up - and good on you - and please do send me some more pics - if you like. I'm gonna keep going with restoring them (when I find 'em) until I can't do it anymore. :salute::

P.S - whilst I had them out - I began a few repairs on those two prone Guardsmen. Pinned a couple of rifle ends on - and began remodeling the leg. Notice the difference between them? The later figure has splayed legs, whilst the one with gaiters has them close together ( or will have - when he gets his gaitered foot!)

Best for the New Year. jb

 

[bromhead]

Well done yourself for collecting them. It's not JUST nostalgia for me - as when I was a kid - I couldn't afford a lot of them. But Britains from Woolworths at a couple of pennies each - were just great. (unboxed of course - only the well off could afford A BOX!{eek3}).

I actually prefer the old Hollowcasts to the modern Matte painted "realistic figures" of many manufacturers. There's just something about these old glossies that I just love. Can't quite put my finger on it - but the pleasure I get from finding them as sad muppets - and then restoring and repainting them back to nearly brand-new - well....................I'm sure you know the feeling too Brom. They are proper TOY SOLDIERS to me ( and many others too).

Keep it up - and good on you - and please do send me some more pics - if you like. I'm gonna keep going with restoring them (when I find 'em) until I can't do it anymore. :salute::

P.S - whilst I had them out - I began a few repairs on those two prone Guardsmen. Pinned a couple of rifle ends on - and began remodeling the leg. Notice the difference between them? The later figure has splayed legs, whilst the one with gaiters has them close together ( or will have - when he gets his gaitered foot!)

Best for the New Year

And as always to remember,,the numbers are finite ,Pre 66? so everyone we bring back goes on,,As with us collectors of Autos etc 'We are the caretakers for now",,

 

[theBaron]

Happy New Year to you both! And I'm with you, too, both on the size of my grey army, and on the classic gloss finish. You've seen my figures-I do like a casting with good detail to it, but I like the gloss finish, because it reminds me that it's a toy.

Here's to more painting and many more finished figures in 2018, gentlemen! Prost!
Brad

 

[johnnybach]

And as always to remember,,the numbers are finite ,Pre 66? so everyone we bring back goes on,,As with us collectors of Autos etc 'We are the caretakers for now",,

I totally agree - and that's how I think of repairing them too. As each year goes by, the numbers of old hollowcasts inevitably decreases. Each one that I can repair does go forward ( although they rarely leave me once I have fixed 'em up again). However, I'm in my 75th year - and these will surely outlast me!

I think I'm a good caretaker though - so it will be the good luck of a future owner to take them on at some future date. But hopefully, not any time soon!!!{sm2} jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here'a a couple more repaired and repainted figures.

The kneeling nurse unraveling a bandage is from Crescent Toys - and is pre-war. All that was broken off and missing, was the bandage between her two hands. I simply cut a small thin piece of metal to fit. ( it was a piece of "Flash", the bits of thin metal that has sometimes oozed out of the mould, which is trimmed off before painting). A dab of glue and a careful application with tweezers - and Bob's your Uncle! Fixed up for work once again. Getting scarce this one. There are two paint versions - Blue blouse for civilian amd khakhi for military ( same casting). She had tiny traces of blue left on her blouse - so she was the civilian paint version originally - but I wanted the Military nurse paint version, so I painted her as the Khaki Nurse.

JoHillco Bugler. Again pre-war - he had no stand or feet when found, and little paint left. A spare pair of feet on a stand may be purchased at Dorset Model Soldiers for 50 pence to fit him - and with a dab or two of glue and a tiny piece of milliput - he could stand up once more. I did a bit more work with milliput to emphasize his WW1 webbing pouches a little better - and then repainted him. I don't think these are scarce - as Hills must have produced tens of thousands of him - but I like him anyway.

Both figures are comfortably older than me anyway - so I enjoyed bringing them back from the brink, once again. jb

 

[johnnybach]

This time, I thought I would take you through the process of fixing up a badly damaged figure. He's a JoHillco post-war figure of a British Tommy charging with fixed bayonet. A figure of no great value - but an interesting challenge, to say the least.

Here's how he turned up at surgery: Note that the head above is not his original, but a Dorset spare. But before fitting it, I had to close up the gaping neck hole with some small pieces of tissue and Superglue first - and then some Milliput. When this was still tacky - the head is put into position and left to set



Her's the head now in place. Note that I have begun modelling the buttoned up high collar around his neck. Also in picture is another Dorset spare part - a pair of feet. (actually two pairs - as the complete pair is how the part comes - and the others are being detached from the base to go on our hero. Note also the pin that I have glued into the leg - this is for one of the feet that I'm carving out of the base.



This next pic, shows both feet now attached to the legs of the soldier by pins - and the gap between foot and leg has been modeled in Milliput to simulate long puttees.



This pic shows him almost ready to be fitted onto the new stand that I fabricated from thin alloy sheet. Note the holes drilled in place to accept the pins now protruding from the feet. These are glued in place on the stand, filling in any spaces with tiny pieces of milliput.




And finally, here he is now standing on his own two new feet - head bent forward - and ready again to take on his foe. My next job will be to tidy up the figure, and then begin re-painting him. Watch this space................ jb

 

[johnnybach]

Next up is a piece that I simply had no idea what it was when it landed on my "to do" desktop. I also wish now that I had taken a pic of him when he arrived - in pretty bad shape.

It was a Britains figure - as the underside of the horse told me that. The horse had no legs below the knee at all and no tail. The rider was also predictably without the "loose" arm - but he had a kepi on? I hadn't seen one like that before - but a search of the Internet for Images soon identified him for me.

He was an ACW figure made by Britains as either a Union or Confederate Officer. The figure is usually found with a sabre arm outstretched - but after I had cleaned off all of the gunk - and was back to a clean casting, I felt that an arm with sabre at the carry seemed more fitting - and I had one in my box of spares anyway.

As I don't have many ACW figures at all - and absolutely no Confederates - I decided to paint him as a Rebel Officer - and because I like Grey horses - I would give him one too.

So........four legs, one tail and an arm with sabre later, this is how he turned out - and even though I didn't stray far from Britains original colour scheme for him - I must admit I love the result - and I will be looking for more to add to my collection. jb

 

[theBaron]

Great resurrection, John! Confederate was a good choice-the colors are very attractive.

Prost!
Brad

 

[bromhead]

Next up is a piece that I simply had no idea what it was when it landed on my "to do" desktop. I also wish now that I had taken a pic of him when he arrived - in pretty bad shape.

It was a Britains figure - as the underside of the horse told me that. The horse had no legs below the knee at all and no tail. The rider was also predictably without the "loose" arm - but he had a kepi on? I hadn't seen one like that before - but a search of the Internet for Images soon identified him for me.

He was an ACW figure made by Britains as either a Union or Confederate Officer. The figure is usually found with a sabre arm outstretched - but after I had cleaned off all of the gunk - and was back to a clean casting, I felt that an arm with sabre at the carry seemed more fitting - and I had one in my box of spares anyway.

As I don't have many ACW figures at all - and absolutely no Confederates - I decided to paint him as a Rebel Officer - and because I like Grey horses - I would give him one too.

So........four legs, one tail and an arm with sabre later, this is how he turned out - and even though I didn't stray far from Britains original colour scheme for him - I must admit I love the result - and I will be looking for more to ad

Well done,,all my ACW Britains cav are restored purchased on mass at a show some time ago for an absurd cost - low in a shoebox,,having a silicon mold for horse legs,,tails etc is a help,plus arms ,,heads of course

 

[johnnybach]

Great resurrection, John! Confederate was a good choice-the colors are very attractive.

Prost!
Brad

Thanks Brad - I thought the Grey horse would go well with the uniform - and so it did! jb

 

[johnnybach]

Next up is a piece that I simply had no idea what it was when it landed on my "to do" desktop. I also wish now that I had taken a pic of him when he arrived - in pretty bad shape.



Well done,,all my ACW Britains cav are restored purchased on mass at a show some time ago for an absurd cost - low in a shoebox,,having a silicon mold for horse legs,,tails etc is a help,plus arms ,,heads of course

Hi Joe - This piece was amongst the worst in a batch of 57 figures, (e-bay lot) - but when you consider I paid pennies for him - he didn't turn out so badly after all. I buy in all of my spare parts - and in this case they came from Dorset Model Soldiers. I used six parts for this one - so the cost of the parts far outstripped the actual cost of my original figure.

I haven't seen that many old Britains ACW figures on this side of the pond - as obviously they are more popular in the USA - but I must say - even though these figures are obviously a re-make of the Britains Indian Cavalry range ( They changed the head from turban to a kepi), I think it was an inspired move on their part. As I said, I'll be keeping an eye out for any more like him.

Can we persuade you to show us a few of yours Joe????

Best - jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's another part of my last job-lot - that I have been slowly working through. These are at the restored to standing stage.

First left is a Britains Sailor in Sennett Hat - found minus base feet and half a bell-bottomed leg (now just begun repair on new base).

Second in is a Royal Artillery man marching ( I suspect from the Britains Mountain Artillery set). His lost head has been replaced with a Dorset spare.

Third in we have a Crescent soldier throwing a grenade. Originally missing head, feet and stand. This is really a similar repair to the figure shown earlier, involving replacement of the three missing parts.

Fourth along is an interesting Crescent figure. He is a Royal Signals signalman, who should have a roll of wire held over his shoulder and raised arm. His problem was that he had no lower legs or stand. I made him a new stand - and then found a donor figure which had no top half - but good legs! I therefore used his putee clad legs to replace our signalman's missing pair - and then pinned him to the stand. I'll keep looking for the roll of wire - but in the meantime I'll repaint him.

The final figure on the right of pic., is a mystery. He's in the "unidentified" pages of Joplin's "Big Book of Hollowcast Figures" - and if he doesn't know who made him - well, neither do I. He was just missing the end of his rifle though, so was an easy fix. Just find one that looks the same - cut it to fit - and drill & pin thye parts together.

I'll show you how they get on later on.

 

[johnnybach]

You will remember my poor little chap from a few pages back - this one.



Well - after a visit to the MO - he is now fighting fit - and raring to go:

Nice eh? jb

 

[blaster]

Excellent!