From KerryT: P is for Plastic Fantastic (280 points and a Squirrel bomb )

Morning afternoon and evening all

Plastic figures have made such a difference to the hobby haven't they - for me they've changed an influenced my hobby in two ways.

Firstly the availability of plastic figures is what got me moving from 15mm figures and to those 28s that in my younger days  I felt were unaffordable. I've always hankered after the massive table groaning under the weight of those massed 28mm Napoleonics , the siren calls of those pictures leaping out of the pages of Miniature Wargames in the 80s by the likes of Peter Gilder could more easily be answered.

What can you get for 75 pence now!

 About 10 years ago I remember wrestling with the thought that "look you've got more than 10,000 15mm Napoleonic figures, why on earth do you want Napoleonics in 28mm? Their affordability won the argument though I have restricted myself the French, Russians and Polish

The second thing is that its done is allow me to go big when I got mesmerised by the "oh look shiny" spell. This happened a few years ago and I remember being one of those early punters through the door at Salute a few years ago (fair play I had come all the way from NZ - in those days it was possible to travel easily and we would time visits home to see family to coincide with a major show like Salute or Partizan)

I remember hurrying to the then Musketeer Miniatures trade stand and buying from their 28mm Caliphate range because I had been previously dazzled by the "oh look shiny" effect. Since then you can credit Artizan Designs  with having the same effect. Somewhere along the line I've got a bit lost and I think I'm collecting for both Crusades and Spain with El Cid but it matters not! Consequently I have decent sized armies for both sides now but you know what I wanted was more... or Moors!

This is the infantry in 2012, which meant Salute must have been 2011!

That's where these Gripping Beast Plastic Arabs come in- this is the second advantage of Plastic figures - it allows you to beef out what you have and make the big game possible because you have Moors ( ok no Moor puns I promise! - oops)

Its funny painting plastics isn't it - the first mistake I made a few years ago was to undercoat them in my usual way - Matt Black Humbrol enamel  thinned with turpentine and sloshed with a large brush. They got a little bit warm and I noticed they were beginning to melt and the faces ended up looking a bit funny

Since that early mistake  I've used Vallejo black primer but it doesn't flow over plastic figures as easily as metal and I've also noticed that when you start to paint plastics the initial coat of paint doesn't seem to adhere easily and washes don't seem to flow into the crevasses so I have had to adapt my painting technique just a little. On the plus side I have noticed that once the paint has finally adhered it doesn't seem so easy to rub off as with metal figures

So here is my 10th P unit - P is for Plastic, leaving me with just P for Posh and P for Pagan to follow.

So here we are a unit of plastic Gripping Beast Arabs to beef out my Islamic/Moorish army. The box contains 40 figures and my initial intention was to paint the lot but as my units are usually 24 figures strong, made up of 6 figures on 4 bases I realised I wouldn't be able to complete 2 units as I'd be eight figures short.

The figures are nice enough but not as nice as Artizan's Moors, shield transfers by LBSM.

They certainly will bulk an army out though

Gale Force 9 arid grass seems to have changed from 2012

Moor figures running away!

I'm reasonably happy with these, they were quick to pain and will beef out the army, but they could do with a few banners - I think I'll get 2 command groups from the Groping Beast metal range which when complete will give 2 x 24 figure units. The other thing I need to do when the challenge is over is make a desert kind of basecloth that I can use for Moors, Crusades and Pony Wars

The figures are fairly simple, there little detail that needs to be painted and so I completed the unit earlier in the week than I had expected. So rather than be satisfied and continue on with the next P unit (Probably Pagans = Vikings) I had an idea....

The Squirrel Bomb...

My main aim with the challenge so far has been to reduce the lead pile and churn out game sized units  but as I'm not lagging too far behind in the Squirrel challenge at the moment I've taken a side track, trawled through my leadpile (in this case plastic pile) and selected 6 figures each from several ranges languishing in boxes and painted them up. Yes this will give me  a few extra Squirrels but the resulting impetus might mean I will actually tackle them in earnest once the challenge has ended 

So here they are

First up a the command stand from some Perry Napoleonic Russian infantry

I know Jaeger did not carry standards but this is superseded by the first law of wargaming that all units should have big flags - GMB Design in this case. This is from a spare box of Perry plastic, I have another 20 figures to paint to make them up to a 32 figure unit

Next up some Perry Billmen, this must have been the first box of plastics I ever bought and these have languished for an age though the Pikemen were painted ages ago

GW LOTR Harradrim

I just love these figures

I have quite a few painted black but they've never made it onto the wargames table

Next are some Rangers in the same Range

There are still a good few left to paint, others from the box made an appearance in a Lead Adventure Forum Lead Painters League Challenge in April 2012. Picture below

and finally some Orcs, again left overs from those used from the same box in the above  picture

So in conclusion I'd have to say that Plastic really is fantastic though I do prefer the heft of metal figures. I've also really enjoyed the past few nights delving into storage boxes and digging things out from the past and with the relatively quick time it took to knock off 6 from each set I now feel less daunted about finishing the remainder with the aim of getting them on the table in the months to come

So if my calculations are correct

 

24 Arabs @ 5 points = 120

8 Russian Napoleonic infantry = 40

6 Billmen, Harradrim, Rangers and Orcs @ 30 points each

Hopefully that's also 6 squirrels 

____________________________

Wow, Kerry, you've given us a very nice variety pack here. I'm much the same as you in finding that plastic figures play a big role in making mass unit armies more attainable. Their cost is an undisputed benefit, and their overall quality has improved by leaps and bounds. This all being said, I still have a soft spot for good old metal figures, warts and all. There is something inexplicable that just makes them 'better' to me. They still have a crispness and weight that appeals to my lizard brain - also, they seem to be a bit more resilient to tabletop mishaps than plastic or resin. Anyway, all this aside, I think your new units of (deep breath) Moors, Jaegers, Harradrim, Rangers and Orcs are terrific. I especially like the Moors and fully endorse that ALL units be allowed big, honkin' banners. Well done!

- Curt