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Author Topic: Awwww Crap....  (Read 4468 times)

Offline Valerik

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 600
  • "...promiscuously brandishing a revolver..."
Awwww Crap....
« on: March 17, 2015, 08:42:14 PM »
I could very well be in DEEP trouble...

Whilst committing a neatness today, an admittedly rare & infrequent exercise, often abandoned, I literally discovered something in the vicinity of 100 ECW/TYW figures...  
Almost all appear to be Wargames Foundry...

They are all individuals, foot & mounted, many in plastic bags with a simple Wargames Foundry printed label, some figures are identical, albeit with various head/hats/helmets.  Some poses I recognise from the WF website, some sets I have complete & bagged, others 1 or 2 of.  & there's a sedan chair??  Which looks to be complete, horses n'all...  

PLUS 20-30 Foundry Elizabethans...

& a small assortment of musketeerish swashbucklers, a few pyrates & some 17th C odds n'sods, all sans provenance.

This troubles me, on several levels.

I have an incredibly vauge n'hazy memory of acquiring these.  It could only have been late '70s early '80s.  Did anybody in the USA sell individual Wargames Foundry figures as well as sets 'round that era?  Were their sets, frame gun, petardiers, blacksmith,  etc, ever polybagged with printed labels rather than clamshell or other packaging?  I can't imagine these are re-casts, too very, very clean n'crisp.

Where'd I get em?

& WHY??

Dioramas?  Possibly.  There's lots of artillery & plenty of vignettes.
And there are nowhere near enough to give a good start to an army of any ilk.
Clearly, given the singularity of the figures was I perhaps intent on skirmishing?

With what rules?  I have nothing in the library that fits.  
I played a good bit of Retinue 1-1 medieval skirmishing.
&, of course, lots of Swashbuckler boardgaming, Tavern Brawls & Boarding Ships!!  
Great Fun, to which we ultimately added a few figures in place of tokens.
What was I gonna DO with these lads?  

We'll set aside why I failed to find these folks when I first examined the sad remains of my leadpile when I decided to re-enter the hobby a coupla years ago, after a 30 year hiatus.  I blame my longstanding container fetish (I have more receptacles for things than stuff needing contained) and duplicate boxes sans labels.  

They are here, gorgeous, paid for, unallocated, & sadly, now beckoning.

I need yet another project like I need another neck.

They fit with NOTHING I'd planned...

Belay the chants of "send 'em to me!!" & gimme some suggestions.  
That do NOT involve further acquisitions.

Off the Top of my head  I'm seeing:

Swedes on the Delaware
Defying the Dons on Yucatecan incursions
Holding the coast against the Yemassees
Taking the Piedmont from the Cherokees
King Phillip's War & similar early American ethnic cleansing pacification.
Mebbe even forays into the Carribean or along the east coast of Africa.

I've already got Mike Demana's Song of Muskets and Tomahawks from First Command Wargames that would work.  Also a a copy of Matchlocks on the Warpath which I picked up at Siege of Augusta  for $5.  It seemed a good adjunct for SD&T, though I like Mike's game mechanics MUCH better.  I believe there's a supplement coming to address earlier conflicts, which would perhaps suit these figures bit better. Perhaps Mike could chime in.
http://www.firstcommandwargames.com/

& I've still got my old Swashbuckler game too!!  

Any other suggestions?

Bonus Question:  Why didn't I buy Darkest Afrika back then, instead of ECW/TYW?

Valerik

dammit, I hate it when things like this happen

EDIT my miserable spelling
« Last Edit: March 17, 2015, 09:05:26 PM by Valerik »
BGR

"Fart in the devil's face"
Martin Luther


Offline Dr Mathias

  • LPL Champion (S6,S7) Bronze Medalist (S5)
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    • Dr. Mathias's Miniature Extravaganza
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2015, 08:51:48 PM »
Don't feel bad, I run across things in my hoard and think 'Wha? When... why...?'

I'm in the habit now of double checking to see if I already purchased something after I nearly picked up a third figure off eBay for a conversion.

Happens a lot...
a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice.
Dr. Mathias's Miniature Extravaganza

Offline Miantanomo

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 231
  • Ahhh, Crap.
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2015, 10:57:11 PM »
Don't feel bad. Just received some fresh warhammer stuff in the mail, already have it.

But I do love the King Phillip's War idea. Even just a generalized Colonize-the-America's game would be awesome, in my opinion.
"If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die."
-Eddard Stark

Offline juergen c. olk

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
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  • Posts: 2388
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2015, 03:42:17 AM »
I just found a pile of Boers,and related in a box labeled Maximillian. Now I don't have a box labeled Boers,sooooooo......where afre my Maximillian figures from Gringos 40s?aaaargh!

Offline syrinx0

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Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2015, 03:48:08 AM »
I have not forgotten why I bought a unit (yet) but I have forgotten a box to two existed. Upon seeing them the forgotten project plan comes to mind - usually followed by the thought of what I still "need" to get the project started.

I would go with the swashbuckler game.
2024: B: 0; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline Etranger

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 917
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2015, 05:52:49 AM »
I could very well be in DEEP trouble...

Whilst committing a neatness today, an admittedly rare & infrequent exercise, often abandoned, I literally discovered something in the vicinity of 100 ECW/TYW figures...  
Almost all appear to be Wargames Foundry...

They are all individuals, foot & mounted, many in plastic bags with a simple Wargames Foundry printed label, some figures are identical, albeit with various head/hats/helmets.  Some poses I recognise from the WF website, some sets I have complete & bagged, others 1 or 2 of.  & there's a sedan chair??  Which looks to be complete, horses n'all...  

PLUS 20-30 Foundry Elizabethans...

& a small assortment of musketeerish swashbucklers, a few pyrates & some 17th C odds n'sods, all sans provenance.

This troubles me, on several levels.

I have an incredibly vauge n'hazy memory of acquiring these.  It could only have been late '70s early '80s.  Did anybody in the USA sell individual Wargames Foundry figures as well as sets 'round that era?  Were their sets, frame gun, petardiers, blacksmith,  etc, ever polybagged with printed labels rather than clamshell or other packaging?  I can't imagine these are re-casts, too very, very clean n'crisp.

Where'd I get em? .....

Bonus Question:  Why didn't I buy Darkest Afrika back then, instead of ECW/TYW?

Valerik


The sadly long gone Tin Soldier in Sydney, Oz used to sell Wargames Foundry figures in bags back in the 1990s, I bought some of those ECW figures myself! Doesn't answer how yours got to the USA though, but that was probably the standard packaging at the time.

You could always do 17th century Darkest Africa you know!
« Last Edit: March 18, 2015, 05:54:26 AM by Etranger »
"It's only a flesh wound...."

Offline HerbyF

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1981
  • Why fear nightmares when you can be one
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2015, 02:48:20 AM »
Don't feel too bad. I have selves full of boxes without any labels. Some of that stuff is over 30 years old waiting for me to get inspired. When I do decide to  dig into some new project(with the old stuff) it is an all day job just to find the stuff I want. I often suprise myself with what I find. If you have other figures to go with them for something early colonial go for it.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2015, 02:52:57 AM by HerbyF »
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Offline Paul Richardson

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 934
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2015, 09:12:50 AM »
When Foundry put the Elizabethans into blister packs, a few figures were not included, and those figures went out of production. If you have any of those figures, they might be worth more than you think.

Offline mikedemana

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  • Investigating curiosities around the globe...
    • Worldwidemike
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2015, 12:23:57 AM »
Swedes on the Delaware
Defying the Dons on Yucatecan incursions
Holding the coast against the Yemassees
Taking the Piedmont from the Cherokees
King Phillip's War & similar early American ethnic cleansing pacification.
Mebbe even forays into the Carribean or along the east coast of Africa.

I've already got Mike Demana's Song of Muskets and Tomahawks from First Command Wargames that would work.  Also a a copy of Matchlocks on the Warpath which I picked up at Siege of Augusta  for $5.  It seemed a good adjunct for SD&T, though I like Mike's game mechanics MUCH better.  I believe there's a supplement coming to address earlier conflicts, which would perhaps suit these figures bit better. Perhaps Mike could chime in.
http://www.firstcommandwargames.com/

Personally, what I think would be cool would be that time frame when the Swedes, Dutch, British, and French were all in the same area of operations. It would be a neat set of connected battles that saw the Europeans using native allies to vie for control of the area. Each force could consist of a small core of Europeans with Native allies. The rules modifications to Song of Drums and Tomahawks for the early period of matchlocks and such are straight forward. You even have native special new stuff like their banded armor.

Thanks for the compliments and links, Valerik! I agree that this is a really intriguing time period.

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

Offline AdamPHayes

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 600
    • Wargame Warrior
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2015, 10:16:13 AM »
I love that combination of excitement at rediscovering a lost project, and the mild anxiety at when there might be ANY chance of completing it...

I would find a copy of Donnybrook, designed for 17th C skirmish games, very quick and easy to pick up and lots of possilities for incorporating interesting vignettes...

http://www.leagueofaugsburg.com/shop/products-cat-1.html

Inspiration and ideas here and on the League of Augsburg forum.

http://leagueofaugsburg.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/welcome.html




Offline kingsmt

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 750
Re: Awwww Crap....
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2015, 05:50:44 AM »
I think I know where they came from. Foundry had an American agent in the early '80's, who lived in Ohio. He used to attend all the conventions on the East Coast. His name was Ed something and he was an Ohio Police Officer. I was, at the time, a Detective with the NYPD and we often spoke at the various shows, talking cop stuff.
He used to have the figures in those hardware cabinets and he must have had a hundred of them. I remember that his teenaged son was usually with him and that both of them could find a single pose within seconds. That amazed me as there were thousands of Foundry poses available back then.

So, you probably bought them from him, as he was the only American agent that Guernsey Foundry (as they were called) ever had.

The other alternative answer is that Foundry had a massive inventory sale around 1995 or so, when they sold off ridiculous amounts of lead for pennies. Maybe it was when they moved? I bought the entire line of WAR OF 1812 sculpts during that one.
Had to be several hundred figures.

Gotta be one or the other.

Ed Gannon. Yes, that was it.
I still got it.

 

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