Lost Ranges...

Years ago, I stumbled across the old Mikes Models renaissance range that was ultimately purchased by Essex. At the time, Essex no longer made the miniatures and I read at the time that the molds were destroyed as they introduced their own figures to replace them (this turned out not to be true). Because of their scarcity, I joined groups, made purchases and conducted swaps with people across the globe to get enough figures to make my armies. Years later, Essex announced that they would make the figures available again.

I never needed to order from Essex because I had spent a small fortune collecting my figures second-hand. I painted some up many, many years ago and here are those photos:

Some French Huguenot millers looking rather spiffy in their white smocks...

A flamboyant landsknecht pike block.

Have gun, will travel...German mercenary reiters ready to caracole.

I planned to paint up armies to refight the French Wars of Religion. I never completed them, I think what did me in was the spaghetti lances of the gendarmes. I decided to replace them with hand-crafted lances and that became a pain. Perhaps one day I will revisit this project, until that day comes the lead will sit in a rather heavy and battered shoebox under my paint table.

After my last post in which I mentioned Josef Ochmann's 10mm Conquistador range, I started thinking about other ranges that I loved that also disappeared from the world. Wargames Foundry's 15mm War of the Roses and Burgundian range sculpted by the Perry Brothers was one of them. I  picked up off of Barter Town when I was planning to do an Italian renaissance project in 15mm and rather stupidly sold them off. MinisMyWay has a rather interesting video on the range here. I heard that these molds were also destroyed, but who knows if that is true. 

Ironically enough, I had planned to pair the 15mm Perry sculpts with another range that has since disappeared, Peter Pig's Italian Wars range. I still remember how beautiful the crossbowmen sculpts were as well as the soldiers behaving rudely pack (one fellow mooning his backside and another flipping the bird). Peter Pig sold the range to a company called Moon Beam who then sold them to Black Cat Bases who appears to have gone out of business. Poof, gone.

Cannon Fodder Miniatures out of Australia produced a beautiful 25mm Mexican American War range, I had plenty of those figures but sadly painted them off. Anyone remember Wild Geese Miniatures and their 10mm ranges? I always wanted to buy them but never did. I own a bunch of 15/18mm South American Wars of Liberation figures from Grenadier Production's Liberators range. These were beautiful figures sculpted by Mike Broadbent. As I recall, the owner of the range was in the music business and the miniature range was a labor of love. To go along with the miniatures there were some beautiful wargaming guides. There were plans to release figures and wargaming guides  for the Northern campaigns of Bolivar but sadly the range went defunct before that ever happened. Totentanz Miniatures was another company that came and went, they had some beautiful figures for the Carlist Wars in 18mm, I came close to ordering them but never did.

Some ranges disappear with the passing of the proprietor. I remember getting into wargaming the Greek Wars of Independence in 15mm when Spyros, the owner of Alphacast Miniatures passed away. His 15mm Balkans War and Greek Wars of Independence ranges disappeared. Luckily I was gifted some of his miniatures from a friend. My mind also goes to Cracker Line and Good Ground Miniatures owned and operated by Bill Moreno before his passing (a true loss to the wargaming community). 

With Magister Militum to close doors at the end of this month, one wonders what will happen to the various ranges in so many scales that they own. Perhaps some of these ranges will disappear as well...

Anyway, back to Obelisk's 10mm range...I believe Obelisk was owned by Ochmann the sculptor. Apparently he retired in 2014 and sold off the range to Badger Games but Badger didn't purchase the 10mm offerings of Obelisk. Another poof and gone.

As years pass, we get older and nostalgia becomes stronger; I imagine there will be more ranges that I will lament the absence of. In the interim, lets look at some pictures of those Obelisk 10mm figures and maybe I will dust off those Mikes Models renaissance figures one day....

Absolutely stunning sculpts, these fellows look like hard chargers...

It's hard for me to believe they were 10mm figures. So much character in the poses.

A little bit of missile weaponry to go along with all of the Spanish melee...

The Incans are mighty impressive too. The painter Anndrew Taylor did some amazing brushwork on the little buggers.

No idea how Andrew managed to paint squares that cleanly in 10mm on these Incan halberdiers. 

Some of the aforementioned Cannon Fodder sculpts, so much character in these figures.

A very unique looking Mexican officer with the brimmed hat and the pistol. I had these figures but unfortunately I sold all of them off.

One range I neglected to mention was Flytrap Production's 15mm Afghan range. I own a bunch of them but wish I had more. I think Flytrap is still around but these guys are no longer available.