Having a quick look though Rick's blog Notitia Metallicum I realised that I don't really do justice in the area of figure identification/listings. One set I could include the Barbarian side of the 'S' Range - I've done a lot on Greeks, Persians, Egyptians and Assyrians, nothing on the Barbarians. Mainly because they're not painted.
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| One reason for this is that I have PB Range (though S chariots!), Garrison and Airfix armies already. Most of these are ex-Harry, some were originally mine as part of my 70s Successor armies, passed on to Harry, then came home when I acquired Harry's collection! |
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| However, I do have a load of S Range infantry lying around, even a few I undercoated grey a long time ago! |
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| Now, it's worth noting these are Minifigs. Most of my ids could be wrong... Minifigs would produce several figures with the same code (sometimes at the same time) and some S Range figures transitioned without change into the PBs Range! |
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AF1s Frank Axemen Advancing - I'm publishing these in the order they sorted themselves on my hard drive rather than catalogue order.
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| AG1s Gaul heavy Spearman Advancing. The first figure I take to be an early version, the second figure is S Range 'cos it's shown in the picture in the catalogue... |
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| AG2s Gaul Standard Bearer. This is an early version. You will see a different standard bearer in the chariot - that could be later S Range, could be PB... |
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| AG10s Hun Archer... It's Minifigs, don't ask! |
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| AG11s Gaul Heavy Spearman, early version. Later version could well be the back figure listed as AG1s of course - there's no number on the base. |
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| AG12s. The one on the right has the code on the base (as AG12), the other one is assumed to be a variant. |
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| AG13s Gaul Spearman (Ancient Briton) - id assumed but there is a worrying spike on the shield rather than just a boss. |
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| AGC1s Gaul Lancer - assumed it's the lancer, not the javelinman! Early one piece casting. My two piece casting of Minifigs Gauls all seem to be PB Range figures. |
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| AGC4s Gallic Chariot. Ex Harry, chariot painted by me, no idea who painted the PB Range crew. |
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| APt1s and 2s, Pict Spearman Advancing and Pict Archer, Kneeling Firing. |
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| Makes sense to include a catalogue page with this! |
Lots of S Range figures I've not seen before there Rob - I had a few back in the day - mostly to fill in for officers and standard bearers for armies that lacked them in the PB range. I've since picked up quite a few alongside the PB ranges that I'm primarily interested in - nice to see ones I wouldn't have recognised otherwise. I do like you barbarian army - those PB Gauls and Britons don't come up often second-hand - I reckon they were probably not popular armies when new - in the mid-70s folks tended to go for Successors, Byzantines, and later Romans from the PB ranges - Garrison and Hinchliffe for Greeks and Persians - at least that was the case amongst my gaming pals.
ReplyDeleteMid to late 70s in Liverpool we had a very good relationship with Bill Lamming so he got a lot of business in Ancients - though we were also very protective towards Dixon figures... One problem with Minifigs I always feel there is doubt when trying to identify them! Napoleonics I think was 95% Minifigs. Up to 1974 I was in Bradford - so mostly Minifigs from the Train Shop Supermarket and 2 buses to get Garrison from the Northern Garrison. Most upset the day I arrived and the place had closed down!
DeleteFrom what I remember - Lamming were favoured for Medievals and Dark Age armies. I have the remnants of a Lamming Norman army - chunky chaps on sturdy horses - as well as some of the Vikings. I shall have to get it out and photograph it one day!
DeleteOf course most of the figures on the heading picture of my blog are Lamming Assyrians. Also got some some Egyptians, few Greeks and Romans. There are also 3 half painted Norman cavalry lying around somewhere but I never got into them. Got loads of unpainted Garrison Normans and Saxons lying around that I refuse to melt down because I AM going to do Norman and Saxon armies!
DeleteIm a big lover of the Lamming ranges and have just finished painting some light Assyrian spearmen, they look very good. By the way Rob, please dont melt down the Celts. I will happily buy some off you if you dont need them,especially the Hollywood looking ones.
ReplyDeleteI only melt down 'surplus' Garrison figures on the grounds I can always cast more! I have an unrealistic belief that all the hundreds (thousands?) of non-Garrison unpainted figures will eventually get painted.
DeleteThe figure (1) in pic 8 Was the original S range, replaced by (2) the right hand figure in pic 5. Pic 5 left-hand is (3) the final version. I was building my Gallic army during the switch Ordered (2), got (3). Picked up (2) as old stock in a shop in London.
ReplyDeleteAG12 - Left is the original, replaced by right. Any code followed by S means it's an early S, made while they still produced 20mm figures - They dropped it when they dropped 20mms.
The Chariot standard bearer is PB range.
I am still a fan of the S range, would happily build armies of 'em.
Trouble with Minifigs is that could switch things round - if you look at the early PB figures they were followed by s as they were originally considered part of 'S' Range.
DeleteNot unlikely, but he is based directly on the illustration in WRG's 'Armies & Enemies of Imperial Rome.'
DeleteI also have the Pictish spearman and archer, with both thick and thin spears, bought in the shop on the same day. They handed them to me, still warm from the moulds. So things hung around for a while.
Some of the Roman figures carried on directly from 'S' Range to PB Range with only a change in code. I think the Pictish spearmen and archers did also but have to admit that's something I've never checked :). My favourite Minifigs mail order order was for some Egyptian 'S' Range figures - it arrived with 5 different variations. Actually one of the variations was of a Greek peltast, but you get the idea. Minifigs back then was chaotic.
DeleteThat is the truth.
Delete