I have been happily reading and exploring two fine new books on 54mm Wellsian gaming, written or updated by Paul Holcroft Wright – Funny Little Wars and Garden Campaigns …
Short version of the Review – Buy these two books, if only to enjoy colour photographs of shiny toy soldiers in the garden …
See and read more at / Crossposted from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two:
A Toy Soldier ‘Tale of Two Plastics’ and Tricornes!
Airfix and Spencer Smith.
Sadly these Airfix 20mm Tricorne figures were produced too late in 1971 to be pictured in Change! (1967) or The War Game (1971) but I’m sure that’s how many people started their 18th century collections …
… or with 30mm plastic Spencer Smiths?
I’m always interested when early Airfix figures are mentioned in the second wave of now classic 1960s wargames books from the fathers of modern gaming such as Donald Featherstone’s War Games (1962), Charge! by Peter Young and James Lawford (1967) and The War Game by Charles Grant (1971) …
Crossposted from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two on 20 June 2025:
When the Tudorbethan Home Guard meets Dad’s Army to see off The Spanish Armadas of the 1580s and 1590s.
Fully colour illustrated – Crossposted from my Man of TIN Blog Two post:
Father’s Day gathering, Three Man Patrols and toy soldiers in the garden.
Crossposted on 15th / 16th June from my Man of TIN Blog Two post:
Enjoy these retro Space Wars or Star Wars type panels and doors or these more colourful or laser-burned ones to make your own simple space buildings.
Download or copy them from (crossposted from) my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two:
Enjoy!
After seeing how I had hijacked Wells’ Little Wars illustrations for my Close Little Space Wars project in a recent blog post, regular blog and Facebook reader Ion A Dowman asked: “How about an R.L. Stevenson war game in space?”
So here’s what happened when I tasked Chat GPT to design me such a book or magazine (cover) illustration …
Crossposted from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two:
Blog crossposted by Mark (Star) Man of TIN, 12 June 2025
“When I spotted these six figures in my Wicked Duals Aliens versus Humans tube of figures, they reminded me of a SWAT team rushing in on their mission, blasters held low but ready to fire …”
Assassination squad, alien hostage hunters, rescue team?
Crossposted from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two,
From the great Cereal Killers plastic toys website, these Crescent / Kellogg’s figures:
And a Youtube video exploring an episode (The Election Candidate?) on BBC 1960s Radio with clips of Tony Hancock’s frustration searching for the missing Kellogg’s Guards band trumpeter to complete his band set amongst an excess of drummers and trombonists.
Remembering the joys of 70s cereal packets with plastic toys inside.
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, June 2025
That classic ImagiNations problem – What colour and design feel should it all be?
I am slowly progressing my fusion project called Close Little Space Wars where H.G. Wells’ Little Wars meets Donald Featherstone’s ‘Close Wars’ and Wargames (1962) rules played with 54mm shiny toy space soldiers, inspired by childhood viewing of Star Wars, TV and film Science Fiction from the 1930s to 1980s.
I wanted to keep it tied back from AltFuture Science Fiction to the rapid technology improvements of late Victorian and Edwardian Little Wars. (VSF or ESF?)
Summon the Close Little Space War ArtIst!
Call up the ChatGPT ADC or Amalgamated Design Cavalry!
Crossposted from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two post:
Looking though the SCS Direct Wicked Duals Humans versus Aliens and Robots tube of 50mm figures, I chose and started work on these Hazmat type figures …
Crossposted by Mark Man of TIN from my fully colour illustrated Man of TIN Blog Two post
Man of Tin blog 