Is Plastic Fantastic ???? My Views on why I still love it.

I have always loved 1/72 scale plastic toy soldiers.

For over 40 years I have played with them, painted them and gamed with them.

Yet among the general wargaming community I am still frowned upon.

When at shows or on blogs or facebook, when I mention that I game in 1/72, the look of horror on some peoples faces would make you think I had told them I had Anthrax poisoning.

Why do so many people have the attitude that to be a real wargamer, one has to play in 28mm and with Metal figures.

Even those who game in 15mm or even 6mm frown upon me and the little blobs of 20mm plastic that I game with.

But why?

Why is their a stigma attached to gaming in plastic?

Having thought about this in some detail I have come up with some possible answers to some peoples perception and prejudices regarding gaming in plastic

My Buddy Andy over at Loki's Great Hall spoke about overcoming Plastic prejudices in an earlier post on his blog.

I started my foray in to the wargames world many years ago in the late 60's.

Airfix were to blame and it's probably their fault for most of us that are about my age.

Those lovely little tempting boxes with pictures on the front that had no resemblance to the figures inside the box.

These to me were toys that I played with, lining them up and playing out a battle from some cheesy old Hollywood movie I had recently seen.

Some of us liked the masses of 1/72 (or HO/OO as it was back then). One inch high and you got loads in a box.

Many loved the larger 1/32 scale and many commando raids on some poor unexpecting Jerries were re-enacted.

I think for many, this is the problem.

We grew up with these and remember them as toys.

Never ever able to shake off that feeling of those happy days before dice came along and ruined everything.

The good guys usually won, all the bad guys were dead, simple.

Yet looking at these so called toys as you get older and you see that company's like Airfix, did try to make them quite accurate.

Many wargamers have gamed WW2 in this scale for years, why?

The range was good with all the fighting vehicles and tanks etc that were available.

Another problem was the Historical ranges that were available at the time.

WW2 was well covered, but untill Esci came along that was about it.

OK! we had the limited Napoleionic and WW1 from Airfix, and a bit of wild west and even a couple of AWI, but it was Esci that really opened the gates.

Colonial, Zulu war, Crimean war and a mass of new Napoleonics and WW2.

The choice got better.

Many new manufactures came along  after, Hat, Italeri, Strelets, Zvezda to name a few.

Now we have a bigger choice than ever and most periods and troop types are covered..

The Airfix and Esci originals are still available even today.

To look at why they are still unpopular with hardcore gamers, we have to look deeper into the dark depths of prejudice and wargames coolness.

I hear people all the time say, "I cant get the paint to stay on them"or they are to light "they don't feel like figures" or the most common "well! they aint really wargames figures, are they".

I'll answer these in order.
True, getting paint to stay on the soft bendy plastic has always been a problem, but most of us older painters used the old Humbrol enamels.
Nowadays the figures are made from a harder plastic and some of the newest are made from a vinyl type plastic.
There are many places on the web with many different methods of making the paint stick, but I find the easiest way is to use the Acrylic Polyurethane surface primer by Vallejo.
Just make sure the figures are well washed in detergent before you apply any paint.
Most acrylics we use now are quite flexible and will move with the figure if any bending occurs.
Flexible types of varnish are now also available to finish and protect the paintwork.
I have had figures many years and they still look like the day they were painted.
Looking after them and handling them correctly will also keep the paint on them.

They are light, well yes! they are plastic not metal.
Is this a bad thing really.
Easier to carry, but if you need to make them heavier, use a heavier basing compound.
Considering that many now use 28mm plastics, is that really a fair excuse.

I'll save the best for last, "well they ain't really wargames figures are they".
Oh this one can keep me ranting on for days.
What is a wargames figure ?
A miniature figure (also known as a miniature, mini, figure, or fig) is a small-scale representation of a historical or mythological entity used in miniature wargames, role-playing games, and dioramas. Miniature figures are commonly made of metal, plastic, or paper...
Well thats what it says on Wiki.
Once again I think it is the fact that they are still seen as toys by many.
Another problem is the poses you get in the box. Come on, we all love the march attack pose for our Napoleonic ranks, early figure designers never really put much thought into the poses.
You always got the useless prone figures and the guys stabbing the floor with a bayonet.
But nowadays, the poses are a lot better, but I still would not use 1/72 plastics for era's where serried ranks of troops are needed.
Unless you check out the new SYW Prussians from Hat.
But for the Ancient period through to Medieval the current ranges are great, with many poses to make up the irregular appearance of troops fighting in a warband.
No marching in step to a drum here.

We recently started playing "Hail Ceasar" and we decided to do this in 1/72 scale.
We currently have Imperial Romans, Ancient britons, Celts, Nubians, Medievals, Crusades with many more as work in progress. Republican Romans, Cartaginians, Parthians, Dacians, Sea Peoples and Egyptians.
We also play Bolt Action in Ye, wait for it, 1/72 and you know what! it works great.

I have seen many things come and go in the Wargaming world over the last 40 years.
I started with Airfix, moved on to 15mm and eventually moved to 28mm.
I was lucky, for many years I played on a huge table with 28mm and it was great.
I am still lucky to have a permanent games room with a purpose built table and a good amount of storage.
But my table size has shrunk to a modest 6 x 5.
No more large 28mm battles, we just can't get them on the table for a decent sized rumble.
So it was back to smaller scales again, our musket era games are now back to 15mm and yes metals.
But all our ancient gaming, well anything with swords, bows and armour is in 1/72 scale and if looks great and works on my 6 x 5 table.
I am still beating myself up badly for all the 15mm and 1/72 stuff I have sold over the years to fund the moves to 28mm gaming.
I won't be doing it again,my stuff I have now and add will be with me to the end of my days.
Plastic armies are cheaper (around £30) for a good sized HC army.
They are also great to paint, having good detail with great scope for conversions.
Check out how far 1/72 plastics have moved forward here at  Plastic Soldier Review

I often spend the few shows I attend each year chatting and linking up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Something I have noticed is the acceptance I get from the younger generation when I mention that I do game in 1/72 plastics.
I think this is due to the fact that many of these younger gamers started with GW and are used to plastics.
Ok they may have been 30mm plastics, but plastics all  the same.
I also found it quite funny at Triples earlier this year when I bumped into a couple of old friends who looked at me with utter horror when I said I was looking for some 1/72 Celts.
The words, "your not playing with plastics are you" was worth a giggle as I glanced at the boxes of figures in their hands.
Saga Dark age warriors, Perry British Naps and a Warlord Roman and Celts Starter armies.
All, may I add, Plastics.
Maybe it's the scale, or the fact that they really are wargames figures for real wargamers

1/72 plastic toy soldiers work for me.
15mm Metals also work for me.
I am a real wargamer, painter and collector.
and sometimes they are plastic.
and I love my hobby.