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Two Dimensions instead of Three.
Model soldiers don't only come in fully-rounded form. Fusilier Roly Hermans shows us some German flat figures that he painted many years ago.
Too many years ago for me to recall, as a callow twenty-one year old youth, I made my first overseas trip from New Zealand. This was during my first bout of enthusiam for the wargaming hobby (my present involvement in the hobby was rekindled in my 40s), so I made a point of visiting some of the European shangri-la's of miniature soldiers.
One of the most impressive of these was the Plassenburg Castle. This medieval fortress, nestled picturesquely above the beautiful Bavarian town of Kulmbach, houses a museum containing literally hundreds of thousands of flat tin soldiers, or "zinnfiguren" as they are known in Germany.
I couldn't resist buying a few flat miniatures to keep as souvenirs. When I got back home to New Zealand, I painted the figures and arranged them onto bases. Since then these dioramas have accompanied me through the various flats and houses I've lived in, surviving my abandonment of the wargaming interest for twenty years, until my return to the hobby four years ago.
Over that period, they have survived remarkably well, considering their fragility. One halberd has snapped off, and the varnish has yellowed somewhat. But otherwise they are all still as good as new.
I'm afraid I can't tell you too much about the painting techniques I used, as I've forgotten, it was so long ago. I'm not even sure if they were done in enamels or acrylics!
Here then, for your enjoyment and edification, are pictures of the flats in my small collection. Remember to click on the images to see larger pictures.
The
first diorama, containing figures made by Maier, depicts a laboratory
in the Plassenburg in 1677. The alchemist Krohnemann is showing Margrave
Christian Ernst something that might just be gold (but probably isn't!).
There is also another gentleman and his lady friend, a priest, and an
assistant. Even the table and stove are completely flat. As I recall,
I made the bricks for the base out of Das modelling clay. The rather ugly
title was made with Letraset (remember, we didn't have PCs with printers
back then!).
The
next diorama depicts the great German writer Friedrich Schiller reading
from his drama "Die Räuber" to his friends. He attended
the Duke of Wurttemberg's military academy, the Karlsschule, and was forced
by the domineering duke to study medicine. After graduating in 1780 he
became an army surgeon, attached to a military life he abhorred. He wrote
"Die Räuber" in 1781, so perhaps this group of friends are
fellow officers from the Wurttemberg army. The tree (also flat) came with
this set, but I made the stone fence and the terrain from Das modelling
clay. The ground has been covered with static grass.
The
final group shows a princely travelling carriage, circa 1560. The carriage
is accompanied by a horseman and two halberdiers. At one stage I did know
who was in the carriage, but unfortunately I have long since lost those
details. If I remember correctly, it was a wedding ceremony of one of
the Kulmbach nobles. I never got round to basing this group (which probably
accounts for the fact that this is the only group that has incurred some
damage over the years - one of the halberdiers now has a broken weapon).
So, there we are, that is my small collection of flat figures. They certainly have a charm of their own. The animation and anatomy are perfect - the makers were true artists. Of course, they are of no use whatsoever for wargaming, but they certainly look nice in my study!
