An Attic Discovery!

Two posts in three nights what am I thinking!  Well this rapid post is all due to a discovery made in the attic yesterday.  This probably represents the turning point for me from being a modeller to being a wargamer.

From the age of about 8 I stuck model aircraft (and my fingers) together and attempted to paint them.  After a good many kits and reaching the age of around 14, I had become fairly proficient for my years.  Other recent attic finds have surprised me at the detail I tried to put in at that age. I even had a 1/24th Scale Hawker Hurricane where I even painted a handlebar moustache on the pilot!

Certainly, I went through that phase of throwing marbles at plastic 1/32 airfix figures in garden gaming, not exactly HG Wells style but I had fun. But I hadn't tried wargaming 'properly'.  A friend had shown me how to use a ruler to give rifles a distance and grenades other distances but lethality was decided by who was in range rather than any dice throws, effects of cover etc so it was barely one up from the marble method.

I think there were 3 co-incidental factors which happened at the same time.

1.  A history project  in class which we had to work on and present (I chose Waterloo because of the next point).

2.  A rather good book on the Battle of Waterloo which I had on near permanent loan from the school library. There was something about the first hand accounts which wouldn't leave my imagination alone.

3. This battle set produced by Esci especially the artwork by Rick Scollins, I mean look at it!  It has everything - drama, colour, desperation, heroic officers, smoke, battle lines wavering.  This picture inspired me as I painted as many plastic 1/72 figures as I could get my hands on - (not realising that within a few years the paint would ping off!).

When I found this lid,battered as it was, it all came racing back, those thoughts and inspiration which it gave me some 33 years ago.  I have the box sat behind me at the moment rescued from the attic.  I don't know what to do with it.  Thoughts of framing it come into my mind.

One thing is for sure though - I'll be keeping it safe now and seeking inspiration from it anytime I need it.  Thank you Rick Scollins (sadly deceased now I understand) for helping me to get into this fine hobby with your amazing artwork!