Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Roman Scale Comparisons - "40mm"


First, apologies to my fellow bloggers for lack of reciprocal blog comments of late.  I got laid off from my job last week, my company eliminated Northern California R&D production.  And a rather unexpected short-term effect is in play here.  That is, I find myself spending less time on the Internet, not more.  Now today when I logged into the Reading List to catch up on things, Google thinks I no longer have a Reading List.  Probably a short term glitch, I'll try it again later.

So far as the layoff goes, disappointing. I had hoped to continue with the company until retirement at 66, now dropped off a few years short of the finish line but ultimately not surprised to become another casualty of cost cutting measures.  I don't blame the company, sign of the times and I did get a good package which will buy time to find something else and relocate.  For now, it's a tantalizing foretaste of retirement, with more time to paint and ride the bikes (road and mountain), as well as support my wife through the exhausting travails of chemotherapy.  Of course, I'll need to be a lot tighter with the figure and book purchases, no doubt a good thing. And atone for 25 years of undisciplined hobby clutter with eBay selling, something I dislike but no longer have the excuse of insufficient time to manage it, and of course the extra cash will come in handy.

On to the infantry:


From left to right:
* Helen of Toy, comic book ad flats
* Kinder Surprise
* Spenkuch, 35mm flats
* Heinrichsen, 40mm flats
* Irregular
* Elastolin
* Ideal, home cast semi-flats
* Ideal (other side of the mold from the limbo dance pose guy)

The comic book Romans don't fare well posed next to the traditional flats but at the very least the archers and oddball slingers will come in handy. On the other end of the spectrum we have Ideal.  The figure on the right just looks oversized relative to the rest, but the variance between figures could possibly be mitigated by means of thicker and thinner basing as the case may be.

And cavalry:


From left to right:
* Comic book flat
* Heinrichsen
* Spenkuch
* Elastolin

Clearly the undersized comic book cavalry won't do.  It's interesting that the scales of Spenkuch and Heinrichsen reverse with the cavalry, but they are stylistically compatible so long as kept in their own formations.

So far as maintaining a consistent aesthetic goes, it will be in the flat and semi-flat style. Meaning Irregular and Elastolin (despite their undeniable appeal) are out, although it remains to be seen whether flat ballista/scorpion crews could ever be found in 40mm.  The Spenkuch figures don't show to advantage here as unpainted castings but they are superb, to my eyes the best thing Spenkuch ever did.  I'm painting some now, so should have a post up soon about them.

10 comments:

  1. I had six months of chemotherapy last year . . . and it is very hard for people who haven't undergone it to comprehend how fatiguing it truly is.

    I wish the very best result possible for your wife, sir. And please be patient with her; recovery after the chemo does take time but it takes a while.


    -- Jeff

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  2. Thanks very much for your best wishes for my wife, Jeff. She is fighting hard and keeping the best attitude in the face of it. Her one quirk is craving for different types of food which I then have to rush out and buy. No problem, I'm glad to do it for her.

    Regards,
    Steve

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  3. Steve, Really sorry to hear your news. Being let go is probably not what you needed on top of your wife's illness. I do hope it all turns out right in the end.

    I have to say I seem to have more trouble finding time for ebay now that I am retired.

    Kindersurprise? I have a few of those and was wondering where they came from. The flats are lovely but of course I am committed to the Elastolin.

    I'm a little dismayed to see how well the Irregular mixes with the Elastolin. Their renaisance figures are much taller and bulkier than their Elastolin counterparts so I had crossed the Elastolin Romans off any future shopping lists, I guess I may need to rethink that when I run out of Elastolins.

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  4. Hey Steve that sucks about the lay off! My prayer is that your wife gets better and you find some work. Hang in there my friend and I'll keep you and yours in my prayers... Jeff

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  5. Steve: I'm sorry to hear about the news about your wife and then followed by your job loss. The latter has happened to so many of us in recent years. You are due for a wave of good fortune. Just know that a lot of us are thinking about you and that we enjoy reading about your projects on your blog.

    Jim

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  6. Sorry to hear your news Steve, I've just gone back to work two years after being laid off and I really miss the extra time with my family and hobby, so if there is any bright side to be found make the most of the break and take time to enjoy the things that are more important in life.

    Best wishes, Brian

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  7. Thanks very much for the good wishes, gentlemen. I'm tempted to just retire now, but looking at it pragmatically, I'll need about three more years of employment to bridge the gap.

    Ross, it looks like Irregular has updated the Roman range. I can't vouch for the new ones being the same size as the older more toylike figures. But yes, the old infantry does fit pretty well with Elastolin, the cavalry not so much.

    Regards,
    Steve

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  8. Best wishes for you and yours.
    I've been nail biting about rumours at my job as well, that's why I've been looking for a country place and maybe an early retirement.

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  9. Steve, for some time now I've gotten rid of home TV and internet and used the local library's wifi and free wifi at restaurants or facilities.
    I use my home desktop computer and a rebuilt Ipad 4 and cheap android device. I use SD cards to transfer info between devices.
    It saved me over $100 a month.

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  10. Thanks, Doug. I haven't completely ruled out early retirement either, although of course I'd prefer to keep earning for several more years so long as I am fit to do so and can find suitable employment.

    Anyway, appreciate the savings tips and we are quite okay for a while.

    Regards,
    Steve

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