Hinchliffe, own up, who bought them?

by **Biggus Dickus** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:33 am

Inspired by a recent thread about Foundry I thought I'd show you how far this industry has come. I've put a link in to an item listed on ebay (still having issues putting in pictures), that is, when i'd finished laughing my head off.So Hinchliffe figures……………..who used to buy them? Have you still got them? or have you melted them all down and sold them off as ingots of white metal? This is one of the more detailed ones, looks more like miss marple than a greek archer!http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hinchlif.....439e889ada I remember having a 20mm "terrorist figure" who had a head like the comedian Frank Sidebottom, (sadly no longer with us.) So we called him…………… Frank, and he was part of a special forces group!!!! All i can say to who ever is selling them………good luck!

by **NTM** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:28 pm

Got a handful of Hinchcliffe figs many years ago from the bargain bin of the long gone 'Toy Soldier' shop in Maidstone. Bought an entire battalion of Connoisseur Prussians though which I still have with the majority unpainted.

by **Tim Kindred** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:22 pm

Back in the 70's it was Hinchcliffe or Scruby or MiniFigs. That was about it. Before that I only had Airfix Romans & Britons, or Robin Hood & Sheriff sets for gaming.

by **NTM** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:31 pm

And those Minifig 25mm are still in production with new figures released recently too.

by **Biggus Dickus** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:42 pm

I think that is it.........it must be the answer..............there was virtually nothing else. I remember the catalogue for Hinchliffe.........no pictures but fantastic descriptions, and you went down the list and thought, yes i must have that....and sent off your money and amazingly what came in the post was.....well........accepted without complaint! Scary stuff. As bad as it is i won't sell "Frank" or melt him down, but then i won't use him again either.....or will I ? hahahahahaha......When i see them listed on ebay now i think to myself, I could have been a sculpter!!!!, but then so could my cat hahahahahaha, Oh dear it's just woeful isn't it? Wink

by **paulsmodellingworkshop** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:46 pm

I say dear Sir! This is a Gentlemens club. Not PMT.I'm sorry but I'm not sure why you want to start a post that is basically slagging off. The Old Gaffer used to say to me, If you have nothing good to say, say nothing. Wink

IMO in their time, they produced some useful sculpts - especially wagons/artillery pieces.Perhaps you could bring to the club some of your work for us to peruse.

by **Biggus Dickus** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:51 pm

paulsmodellingworkshop said:

I say dear Sir! This is a Gentlemens club. Not PMT.I'm sorry but I'm not sure why you want to start a post that is basically slagging off. The Old Gaffer used to say to me, If you have nothing good to say, say nothing. IMO in their time, they produced some useful sculpts – especially wagons/artillery pieces.Perhaps you could bring to the club some of your work for us to peruse.

Mmmmmmm…You have a valid point. Their tanks and artillery were great, I have nothing against their artillery/vehicle range…….they just couldn't do figures…..My point was to show the advancement of sculpting, However it wasn't so much a kick in the teeth as you imagine, I'm quite fond of some of my hinchliffe figures , as I stated…..it's just, to say the least, they are, shall we say…………. anatomically challenged….I think that is a fair point to make!Love to bring my average painting to the forum but unfortunately I'm having a great deal of difficulty getting it on here. Having said that I think I have a dose of PMT this week….I need to have a lie down. Surprised

by **hithero** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:15 am

They were good (well some were, and still are, such as the ECW) back in the day as we had nothing to compare them with. You could also buy them anywhere in my area, craft shops, toy shops even a jewlers! There is not one shop in my area now that caters for wargame figures :(

by **mikeland** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:27 am

To be fair to the OP it is a really good point that sculpting techniques, skills and let's be honest, effort has gone from strength to strength. My very first ECW was a Hinchcliffe pikeman, and i thought it okay until I saw the WF range, but as noted on another thread, even many if the WF ranges ate looking a little tired. The skill involved now just amazes me! Not only the detail and character achieved now but the dynamism of pose that makes many modern figures (ESP WG)so fantastic. Just because something was good for it's time, and we loved it and have fond memories of it doesn't mean we can't celebrate howfar we have moved on! To use another geeky example, I loved my first (3rd hand) Mac Plus computer, but would I trade my current MacBook Pro for it? No way! So it is good to look back fondly but we should revel at the fantastic times we live in now for Wargaming/collecting.As to availability to buy in the shops, yes in away this is a shame but with the Internet we enjoy the ability to make a wide ranged, increadably informed purchase, any time of day. And every order I have made (WG,Perry, etc) has been delivered in under 4days!

by **Biggus Dickus** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:02 pm

mikeland said:

To be fair to the OP it is a really good point that sculpting techniques, skills and let's be honest, effort has gone from strength to strength. My very first ECW was a Hinchcliffe pikeman, and i thought it okay until I saw the WF range, but as noted on another thread, even many if the WF ranges ate looking a little tired. The skill involved now just amazes me! Not only the detail and character achieved now but the dynamism of pose that makes many modern figures (ESP WG)so fantastic. Just because something was good for it's time, and we loved it and have fond memories of it doesn't mean we can't celebrate howfar we have moved on! To use another geeky example, I loved my first (3rd hand) Mac Plus computer, but would I trade my current MacBook Pro for it? No way! So it is good to look back fondly but we should revel at the fantastic times we live in now for Wargaming/collecting.As to availability to buy in the shops, yes in away this is a shame but with the Internet we enjoy the ability to make a wide ranged, increadably informed purchase, any time of day. And every order I have made (WG,Perry, etc) has been delivered in under 4days!

thanks Mike!!! Wink

Support much appreciated!!! I have quite a few Hinchliffe figures, not really bashing, just laughing, as well as at myself for buying them, and still having a soft spot for them!!!We live in amazing times, in all honesty if I had a go at sculpting it would be somewhat worse than Hinchliffe...but in the 1970's I might have got away with it!!!!.......Now though, well it is simply amazing what comes out.Living in Dorset England is lovely, it feels like i'm on holiday every day but sadly not much action on the 28mm figure shops out side of G.W.!!! So the internet is the only way. Isn't technology amazing? A universe of knowledge and shops at my finger tips!

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