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Having not managed to finish anything this last week (I only managed about four hours painting on my Zouaves) I've reverted to posting another in my 'Abandoned buildings" posts.
This time, I've once again fallen back on my 54mm western buildings, all built sometime in the late 60's and early seventies.
"Flanagan's" was a general store and the first model I'd built for the my western games and the first to see action.
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| Internal view |
This and many other of my western models was built from thick plasticard. - their original purpose was as "Bingo boards", but were much cheaper than modelling plasticard sheets.
The shelves were mostly barren, but a few pieces from 'Timpo', 'Scalextrix' and some scratch-built items were present.
Probably not my finest work, but I was only 17 or so when this was built.
It was names "Flanagan's" as this was a freebie sign in the skirmish rules I played at the time.
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| Some of the bits from inside the store, |
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| Display case - note the unpainted Winchester ! |
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| Counter, shelves and dust - lots of dust ! |
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| The storeroom |
I didn't just scratch-build models, I also bought what few "Britains" models that could be found (Britains wild west range was, at the time, rapidly declining) and added interiors to them too.
The following model had it roots in Britains' "Silver Dollar Saloon" and you may notice the attachment for the bat-wing doors still present !
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| Phil Mc Cavity's dentistry and tonsorial parlour |
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| Side view showing more dust, |
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| Dust, the result of having sat in the same place for 30+ years. |
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| Top floor interior (all scratch-built save for the tool bench) |
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| Ground floor interior - can't remember what was sold here though ! |
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| Rear view (obligatory boring picture) |
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| Three-quarter view (Padding - Ed.) |
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| Where I store my western stuff - 6' ladder tips just visible |
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| Date of first group meeting, with yellowed paper |
Having risked life and limb getting these two models, I tried to find the exact date when I played with Flanagan's at the Wargames group I started in 1970, but alas the records didn't help.
The habit of recording every meeting's attendance and game sadly went into disuse less than a year after the group started.
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| The meeting book (obligatory boring picture) |
That's it then for another week, though I doubt this post would have happened had not my daughter returned my ladder yesterday ! Goodness only knows what I could have posted about !
Thanks for taking the time to visit, as always your comments are welcomed and truly appreciated.
(On a side note 'Explorer' highlights spelling errors - score! I'm also desperately trying to keep up with the blogs I comment on, so apologies if I miss any!)
Having not managed to finish anything this last week (I only managed about four hours painting on my Zouaves) I've reverted to posting another in my 'Abandoned buildings" posts.
What a great trip into the past Joe, it's always interesting seeing where peoples gaming started. I remember at one time I was using the lid of my fishtank as a gaming table, being that it was 2' x 3' and random bits as scenery mostly ornaments to play around, wouldn't dream of doing that now ! LOL
ReplyDeleteI was very lucky to have a huge wargame room for many years, centrepiece was a 16' x 6' sand-table. My western games took place mainly on an 6' x 8 ' board that could be left in situ later in my life (around my early/mid twenties) and these are definetly the oldest scratchbuild I still have, and probably the most often usedm though sasdly not for the last thiry plus years.
DeleteI like the outside staircase and sweeney Todds workstation is great, you just need a slide and a pie shop!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain the workbench came from a Scalextric pit-stop iirc. The stairs came with the model - great models are very rare these days.
DeleteThat's an awesome blast from the past, from a time when I wasn't even close to being born :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Mikko, it was a time when polyhedral dice were only just coming into being and we used some very wonky d20s
DeleteThis is wonderful, but you be careful with that ladder Joe!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael, these were some of my favourite nostalgic pieces. I am very wary of climinbing ladders, but getting the stuff down is more tricky(Flanagans was dropped 6').
DeleteWhat an amazing bit of memorabilia Joe!
ReplyDeleteThanks MJT, all the boxes etc. you can see is all my Western stuff, but I hink I may have a building or two in the loft too.
DeleteExcellent stuff Joe!
ReplyDeleteThanks you Michal, nothing wrong then with a bit of memorabilia ?
DeleteWhat a great blast from the past!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray, it was a very nostaligic ex[erience getting these out, so much so that I googleg "The Old West Skirmish Wargames: Wargaming Western Gunfights" to fins they are still available !
DeleteAll I can say Joe is you have some very fine plaster coving in your wargames room, kudos to you.
ReplyDelete54mm Cowboys was the epitome of my wargaming dreams a way back when, so kudos for that as well.
Thanks Vagabong, I guess, you'd like our cieling roses too, they;re slightly older than me (1904), perhaps I should write a post on these and our front door brass pull-bell?
DeleteMy Timpo (mosly) westerners (some painted and converted!), have great value to me.