This issue completes the end of the volume year and the majority will find resubscription notices with your issue. I am hopeful that you have enjoyed MWAN over the last year and decide to continue your association. I thank you for your support over the years and am looking forward to many more years of publishing MWAN! As usual, if you can not afford the full price, just send what you feel you can afford.
My reading has been eclectic over the last two months ranging from the Russian Civil War. Rereading my books on Frederick the Great and the Seven Years War - I find myself returning frequently to this period - as well as the Japanese in China in the late 1930's. With the release of 25mm Russian Civil War figures and vehicles (see "What's New in Hal's Mailbox for details), this opens up a brand new period in 25mm using single mounted figures. There are many accessories available tor this scale/penod. You can obtain metal wooden fencing from TCS. Russian buildings from Hovels; and additional figures for Germans, British and French from WARGAMES FOUNDRY, which could be used for occupation troops or, in a pinch. Russian troops. as the occupying countries supplied a great deal of materials, including uniforms and weapons. to the Russian White Army.
My long-time good friend, Richard Houston of Lyzard's Grin/Houston's Ships. has retired from the wargames business. having sold off his figure lines. I have known Richard for almost fifteen years and he was one of the early advertisers in MWAN, having started with MWAN #16! I always looked forward to seeing Richard, and his wife, Mary, at the LITTLE WARS CONVENTION each year, and spent many an enjoyable hour pouring over his offerings at his trade stand! When I did my 25mm Zulu War and Sudan projects, I obtained many figures and guns from Richard as he offered a great many "hard to locate" guns and accessories at a most reasonable (one might say "Cheap" price!). He also possessed the quickest mail order business. He was very responsive to requests for new items and sculpted equipment and ships on his own.
Several years ago, I stayed at his home for three days while attending a convention and had a great time. We spent a lot of time in his casting area (his garage) and workroom and it was great fun seeing how figures are cast and looking through his storage areas. I ended up having a fantastic time, thanks to Richard and Mary! Richard, to me, typifies someone who has given much to the hobby. He has been a 'cottage industry" manufacturer who has been involved with the business end of the hobby for enjoyment. He has never taken himself seriously and possesses a most even personality! Richard has been heavily involved in his local HMGS group and is currently, to my knowledge, the President of the group. He has a way of calming everyone down and getting things done! He's also been a good friend to me, as well to countless other wargamers across the country, and perhaps the world.
Richard reported to me that he has sold off his molds and the majority of his stock of figures/guns. The only items remaining are the 15mm "boxed sets" encompassing Rorke's Drift, San Juan Hill, El Caney, and the Moros set. Each runs for $85.00. Contact him ASAP if you are interested in any of these interesting boxed sets! Richard Houston, PO Box 14522, Oklahoma City, OK 73113.
Thanks, Richard, and Mary as well, for your contributions to our mutual hobby! Your presence and influence have served to increase everyone's enjoyment. Enjoy your 'second" retirement!
Check out Bryan Ansell's (Guernsey Foundry) article within this issue. I think you'll find it as interesting as I did. I would really like to see other manufacturers give their opinion(s) about the state of the hobby within MWAN. Bryan's contention that there are too many shows would, I would think, apply only to the UK, and is a statement we have seen frequently in Wargames Illustrated. His second opinion, namely that prices for model soldiers are too low is an interesting one and one which I have heard several times over the years. I am not qualified to make a statement either way as to this issue as I don't really know what costs are within the industry. although I would tend to give a lot of credence to Bryan's word. Guernsey Foundry represents, as Bryan reported, the upper end of the scale as to wargame figure cost. There are however, UK figures imported into the US which are priced higher than GF. There is no doubt that GF figures are also at the high end of the scale as to quality as well. This is not always the case for many UK figures priced higher than GF in the US.
Frigure Price Comparison
Just out of curiosity, I made a price comparison of figures versus my hourly salary between 1975 and 1998. In 1975, a Hinchliffc 25mm figure was .25, while in 1998, a Guernsey Foundry figure costs about $1.16. A 1998 figure is 4.64 times more expensive than a 1975 figure, while mv 1998 salary is 4.67 times higher, per hour, than my 1975 hourly rate. An increase, but not much. I would assume this has more to do with inflation than anything else and probably nothing to do with determining if wargames figures should be more expensive. If they were, I would assume we would buy far fewer figures. I know that is true for me, especially in view of my brilliant math above; although I make a lot more money now than in 1975, my earning power appears to he about the same!
I guess I've always assumed that prices of any products are set at what the market place will bear. This may be too simplistic, but it makes sense to me.
Something not addressed within Bryan's interesting article is how good does a wargames figure have to be? We've all seen the quality of wargames figures increase by leaps and bounds and we all like the way our new quality figures look, however, I wonder if we really "need" such high quality.
However, I wonder how much increased "quality" costs; probably not that much as the majority of costs are concerned with the manufacturing end of the industry, though I am just guessing at this.
Marlburian Period
I've been doing a fair amount of reading on the Marlburian Period; I've never read much at all about this fascinating period of history and have been enjoying it. Having a long-time interest in the Seven Years War. I would guess it is sort of a natural progress, or regression (time-wise) to have an interest in it. It was just a maner of not having the material on hand to read. I recently obtained a copy of The Battle of Blenheim by Peter Verney, which I thought was very good! It covers the entire campaign leading u to Blenheim and provides a lot of information about the armies. Several other books I have on hand are The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough by David Chandler and The Anatomy of Victory: Battle Tactics 1689-1763 by Brent Nosworthy. The Chandler book is just great as he covers all arms (foot. horse, and artillery) in detail, as well as engineering and fortification. I have had the Nosworthy book for years and to be honest, had a very diffcult time enjoying it. I purchased it solely because so many MWANers spoke so highly of it. I found it quite dry; however, since I've developed this interest in the Marlburian Period, I've gone back to it and it is much more meaningful. I've also reread Brian Carroll's excellent article in MWAN #86 "Birth of a Notion; or 'You Want to Put How Many Figures in a Battalion?!" In his article, Brian discusses how he went about collecting. organizing, and painting this period. If vou haven't read Brian's article. Do so - it is excellent and exciting reading!
As usual, when I am interested in a new period, I pull out listings of available figures for the period and do a lot of daydreaming. In 25mm Old Glory has an extensive line of foot (28 different packs); to my knowledge, they have added several packs of horse, though I haven't seen any additions beyond that. l may well be behind the times on this however, so don't take my word for it. Old Glory doesn't list figures for this period by country. rather, by description of uniform details. It would appear to me, that one would have to know a fair amount of the period prior to ordering figures if this technique is used. l can only assume that the figures are of the same high quality as the rest of their line. They offer 18 packs of infantry in tricorn marching, advancing, standing, or charging, as well as ten packs of grenadiers marching, advancing, or standing. MWANer Bob Haggerty offers Imperialist Enterprises, 25mm figures for the War of Spanish Succession 1702-1714 and has English, Austrians, Prussians, and French and has plans to keep adding to the line. There are 42 poses in the line thus far. I have seen these figures and they are well done. Guernsey Foundry has had a 25mm line available for years including artillery and limbers as well as the normal foot and horse. Brian Carroll speaks highly of this line - I have not seen them as of yet but imagine they would be very good. I believe Dixon also has a 25mm line as does Stratagem though I haven't seen either of them.
I'm not as familiar with 15mm figure availability. Regal Miniatures (1116 Broadway, Polk City, IA 50226) just last night sent me a listing of Roundway 15mm miniatures for this period (1700-1720) consisting of English (20 packs), Denmark (2), French (16). Bavaria (5), Prussia (3), Holland (3), and equipment items including wagons, artillery and crew, pontoon bridge and bridging troops, engineers. etc. Pat Condray has an extensive line for this period as well though I haven't seen a listing or figures. If someone else has information on 15mm availability for this period, please do an article on the subject.
One thing that holds me back from collecting in this period is the fact that I have such an extensive 25mm SYW collection. It hasn't made sense to me (yet) to collect a period so close in time to the SYW.
I've thought that if I were to go into the Marlburian Period, l would be hard pressed to pick a scale between 15mm and 25mm. I can't honestly say which way I would go. If someone were to come out with a quality 20mm line, I think I would be sorely tempted to go with 20mm! I know that I would not build "large" battalions as I have with the SYW (37 figures per battalion including mounted officer); sixteen infantry (4 figures per base) and twelve horse (3 figures/base) or twenty-four foot (6-man bases) and eighteen horse (3-figure bases) sounds good to me. Artillery would remain at two gun batteries as for my SYW collection. I really don't care for one gun representing a battery, except for Fire & Fury!
There hasn't been much written within the pages of MWAN about computer wargames; I know that number of people play them. If anyone is interested in doing an article on availability of computer wargames, or a review of specific games. I think the rest of us would be interested in seeing it!
I'd be interested in hearing how people handle wargames villages/buildings on the wargames table. In 25mm. I've mounted tour to five buildings on a double-tempered hardboard base 12" X 16" in size. This represents a 'village" and in my SYW rules. I allow one battalion of foot and an artillery battery to occupy this space. I set the buildings on the base so as to allow space to put the figures on one side. There may be three buildings in the front and one on the side with the back of the base holding a Barden and stone wall, for example. If I wish to represent a town, then I would just join two or more of the 19" X 16" bases together. I've been wondering if I should use the same approach for my 15mm European buildings for the ECW/TYW.
Thank you for supporting MWAN; I hope you continue to enjoy it!
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© Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum
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