Benno's Figures Forum

Posted by **Howlin** on 02 Apr 2022, 10:43

Just thought it would be fun to share my story intro into 1/72.... starting with my frequent trips to the small hobby shop in my town in the later years of high school somewhere around 1999-2001. It was a real modelers den, they had tanks, and jets and things you would never see in a big box store. I made quite a few 1/35 tanks from WW2 and modern, but one day I got these little ancient armies.

I had a mat similar to the one they were on and dreamt of making them into a game like chess using the mat as a grid.... well I never did, I went to college and forgot about minis and then got a job and still did not remember or make models. and time went on and meanwhile manufactures were making some of the best minis i knew nothing of... until I found the little bag of minis... and oh how I regret going to the model shop that day... because now I have quite a collection and reliving that childhood dream and loving every bit of it.

So here are my first 2 army sets, the ESCI Romans, and the HAT African Carthaginians.

I really like the sculpts from ESCI but my paint job has not aged well with lots of flaking. The Carthaginians did a little better and I really like the front line shield wall they make, the Romans look a little disorganized yet very dynamic. I may have to repaint some of them to add to a ship crew

rayman wallpaper

The other 2 sets I got were the accurate or other branded versions of the French and English knights. These minis still stand out as some of the best I think, though I do have a fondness for the Zvezda. I thought I was going to do a medieval theme, but I turned to the ancients.

These French ones are the shiny boys!

ancient rome wallpaper

The English are the brown shiny boys

I hope you Enjoy. Thank you.

Posted by **Bessiere** on 02 Apr 2022, 17:58

For any time these aren't badly painted at all. My Airfix from the last 60's -early 70s were treated to testors gloss paints. Lime green infantry with pink faces. I was adept at assembling ship models but never painted a single one out of a collection over 50. My matchbox and Roco tanks fared a little better but only thanks to humbrol of which I had exactly 2 pots. As kids we had wargames where we tossed bb's or beads and utilized all 3 arms in my front yard. Quite fun organizing them in to various formations and filling ziplock bags then tagging them with a label maker. Quite laughable now but I had zero guidance thus no criticism. I was very fortunate to have such amenable parents to allow my imagination to take over entire rooms.

Posted by **Howlin** on 02 Apr 2022, 19:54

I painted well within the lines and its not much of that glossy enamel paint that I see on some ebay auctions, they are not bad I think, but not pro. And I do not mean amateur to be a bad word, just that they lack some refining and not representing what I would paint today. The metals are just a little too bright and clean and it could really use some washes. With a wash some of the French and English knights would likely work fine. (for the ones that are not all chipped up)

I made lots of tanks but I only painted a few, and due to a move only a few survived. I may make a post in the other scales section for my WW2 selection.