Hinchliffe Models Ltd System 12 Napoleonics

 

Sometime around April 1975 Hinchliffe launched yet another new scale onto an unsuspecting public... 12mm. There were already well establied 1/285, 1/300, 5mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm and so on but it seems we needed another! The first mention I can find is from the ads in Military Modelling April and May of '75. Back in 2018 on TMP, SteveZodiac stated he'd heard from the owner (which one?) that the molds had been trashed. I do wonder, as always, if originals sculpts or masters exist in a drawer somewhere!

April '75 a glorious centrefold!

It was preceeded towards the front of the issue with a 'more usual' advert... including the pricing structure. Not sure what the designer was due to be recruited for...

May '75

Donald Featherstone discussed them in Wargamer's Newsletter 159 in June that year (remembering that copy was sent a while before publication back then...)

Followed by more detail in the ever useful 'Must List'

I have a few baggies, unfortunately multiples of no.13. Always open to trade!

The 1976 Hinchliffe Handbook (a veritable Bible!) gave a few illustrations. I can't find any actual detailed images of the range from the time.

May 1977 catalogue listings

In the '77 catalogue listing they also showed the imported Heritage 15mm.

I'm not sure when the range was pulled however I don't remember there being many major additions at the time (although I was primarily interested in fantasy at the time, I did follow the trends!). By the February 1983 catalogue listing the range was longer there although what apears to be their own 15mm was listed which included a number of scenics... did they repurpose the codes and hope to get away with the size difference or just use the System 12 listing as a guideline?

I have found some hedges up on eBay - if you live in Europe it would be a bargain, UK postage precludes me purchasing unfortunately... not my images, posted purely for research purposes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154758822443

A few cavalry baggies via completed auctions, I don't know who the seller was.

Another addition to the '77  listing was the licened production of Heritage Models 'Fantasy Fantastics', totally up my street. I've still got loads of them that saw occassional action on the table.

If anyone has more information on the range please email me or leave a comment below!

enquiries@deartonyblair.co.uk

Citadel C18 Undead Samurai

 

I got all of these (actually just realised I'm now missing one, see the bottom pics) when they were released at some point in the mid (or a little later?) 80's. Designed by Aly Morrison, they were simply a joy to paint although I stopped for some reason after 8 of them. The rest were, at least, based and undercoated with the occassional slap of paint... Fantastic sculpts. I've just joined the 'Fantasy Japan Gaming' group on Facebook which is a perfect home for them. At some point I'll dig out my old Clan War boxes and see if they are compatible.

On to the part painted...

This guy below was featured in a Citadel catalogue but I can't find the reference. I recall it being a colour one but maybe my memory is playing games.

It does look like I'm missing 'Li-Che' so if anyone has a spare please give me a shout. Image c/o Lost Minis.

Some of my other painted Samurai types... a very old Dixon's Miniatures one in the middle, I painted this in the late 70's I think. Trevor Dixon has one of the most wonderful oriental ranges and is still going strong. His son looks to be carrying on the tradition as well. The other two are more Aly Morrison sculpts released in the Citadel / GW Oriental Heroes range. There were quite a lot of initial sculpts as it was for the 1985 TSR AD&D Oriental Adventures book. Unfortunately GW lost / dropped the license and the minis had any reference to C TSR removed although you can occassionally make out a faint TSR on the back of some tabs.

Trevor's Samurai types on either end, this time sandwiching two of Aly's earlier sculpts for the Citadel / GW original Oriental Heroes range... a wonderful boxed set that was expanded beautifully before the AD&D / slotta change occured... the undercoated figure looks to be succumbing to lead rot unfortunately as it was of the era Citadel experimented with different alloys. Grrr etc.

Boxed set contents c/o Lost Minis WIKI.

So, until we meet again. Please leave a comment below!