Squirreless again! The Vikings failed the test.....
First though you get a sample of Irregular Miniatures 1848 Range! of course repurposed from their other ranges! Enjoy Danes, Romanians, Tuscans, Modenanians and Parmese oh, and a cafe selling wargame figures......
In March Ian Kay who runs Irregular Miniatures will be retiring and his business will cease production. As someone has said he cast a million figures in 45 years and they travelled to wargamers all over the globe.
Ian Kay represents that era of the metal miniature where sculptors often were manufacturers as well. I met Ian at wargame shows where his stand was an extension of his workshop - it was not flashy but a veritable mine for figures piled in recepticles with the ranges laid out on shelves above.
A far cry from todays pre packed and branded ranges on offer.
I have even met the man at his home when I collected some figures but wanted to do a size comparison check first. He said just pop in when I was passing. He was just so accommodating and I thank him for that and his service which I found to be excellent.
All the best Ian for your retirement.
For some people Irregular were or are marmite - the rugged nature not loved or the style unappreciated.
In years to come people will recognise that these figures were an artform in the same way that a printed digital STL file is an art form of sorts - at least if it gets painted!
The cast metal figurine is most definitely a piece of sculpture and the mere fact that flames, heat and sweat are involved means its a very human creation.
We should celebrate the metal casters even more so as their kind diminish.
As it happens I bought these 40mm Vikings at a cafe in York - back in 2022!
It is a pity the sets came in threes...............
They have since sat in a corner but in pursuit of squirrels I suddenly thought - their different. Only after painting them did I consider the 25 point cut off. Its hilarious as this AHPC I have done quite a few items for squirrels without considering their below the points threshold. heyho.
Whats more I had a varnish disaster with these figures - a first for me.
I had decided to play around with some washes and super diluted some colours to create bland cloaks on two figures. Two days of drying before varnishing did not prevent the vallejo matt varnish reigniting the washes. However I stopped and actually decided I had just made them a bit more timeworn!
The paint jobs are a mixture of citadel and vallejo paints regular and contrast even the odd one dating back a decade or more and still in great condition. However I also used some windsor and newton sepia ink wash over the initial white primer which while excellent for shading may have contributed to my varnish issues.
TOTAL POINTS are 3 x 40mm vikings = 3 x 7 points = 21 points.
First of all thanks for taking me down the Irregular Miniatures memory lane John. For me if I was looking for that niche figure, or one that could be morphed into a niche figure, Irregular was THE go to place. Looters with torches, wagons, odd animals, medieval bombards - check, check and check! Love these old school vikings and the old school paint job that suits them to a tee. I'm round you up to 25 for the nostalgia.
Thanks Peter - I have a final order in for my 1st Schleswig Danish but alas I think some of my other plans will fade away as Irregular were my key source in my mind.
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