John Niblett 20mm historicals plus a Bryan Ansell titbit.

 

I was recently lucky enough to pick up a small selection of miniatures by the late John Niblett. He was the designer of the first of the Airfix HO/OO scale plastic back in the 1960's, possibly earlier. I firt noticed them in a Battle Magazine back in the mid 1970's or therebouts and fell in love with them.. I don't think I envisaged how tiny they would actually turn out to be. They are exquisite.

Below is an advertisment taken for Wargamer's Newsletter for June 1978.

Also a lovely review of them in the same issue. Donald Sutherland of course.

'A couple of months ago I mentioned the small but excellent range of 20mm figures beings put out by the military sculptor JOHN NIBLETT (50 The Broadway, Herne Bay, Kent.) I am delighted to see that he is supporting this magazine by taking a full page advert in this month's issue and I also have in front of me as I write samples of his latest I7th Century English Civil War 20mm figures. Lacking the solid "chunkiness" of the usual wargames figures, these are highly distinctive and beautifully designed miniature manikins which I imagine could stand being blown-up in a photograph to many times their size and still be mistaken for a flesh-and-blood person. They are too small to blend in with any other make of figures so far as I can recall but are well worth acquiring and painting up as a smallish "second" army - the foot figures are very competitive in price although the cavalry seem a little more expensive than most available ranges. The figures I have before me come in pairs and this is a sensible method because one pair consists of two pikemen, one in an action pose and one at rest; then there are two musketeers, one in an action pose with his musket on a rest and the other with  shouldered musket and the rest on the ground and in the other hand; then there is a pair consisting of a drummer and I imagine it is an officer or sergeant with a halberd. This means that a unit can be made up half of men in action and half (the rear ranks) at rest although on orders of £5.00 and over any selection of figures can be made and I imagine that regiments of figures in the same position can thus be obtained. The cavalry figures consist of a Royalist trooper with raised sword, an Ironsides trooper In lobster-tail helmet and a cuirassier In three-quarter armour. Coming In kits of parts, the figures can be individually animated although, as I have said before I am not very happy about fixing small muskets and pikes, etc., on to such well defined figures - but then I am not particularly handy with either soldering Iron or glue. The price of this range Is - 3 mounted figures £1.60p; 6 foot figures 72p, each plus 12p postage and packing (overseas postage and packing 50p).

 John Niblett also has a pleasing if small range of 11th-12th century figures and 14th century horse and foot. Turn to his advert elsewhere in this magazine and see them for yourself.'

There are some more pics and lots more info on his history on this wonderful blog post;

https://independentwargamesgroup.blogspot.com/2024/01/john-niblett-original-designer-of.html

I also found an interesting titbit from Bryan Ansell, with Donald reviewing some of his new Asgard historicals;

As always; enquiries@deartonyblair.co.uk