Thursday 12 December 2019

Miniature Figurines "Intermediates"



Miniature Figurines British Foot Guards Grenadier Advancing in Shako
BN 54 (intermediates) in centre, BN 54s (S Range) on flanks


To my knowledge very little has been written about what has come to be called (or at least I think of) the Miniature Figurines "intermediates" range, These filled a gap between S Range and the later (and still current) fat a*sed chunky dwarves.

I haven't found any mention of them in any catalogue, in any review, and have no recollection of them ever being issued or seeing them with a chance to buy them.My local wargames shop (imagine such a thing) went straight from a display of S Range figures to the new (current) range with nothing in between - this would have been around 1973 or 1974.

Having said that you do see a fair number of them on the second hand market so they must have been in at least restricted circulation for at least a short while. The Intermediates are much closer to the S range figures (with which they work quite well to bulk out original S Range figures) than the later (and current) ones.

They seem to have been Napoleonic foot figures only - I haven't seen any examples from other ranges. They are very slightly larger proportions that the S Range figures but haven't gone what I will call full chunky dwarf. They can be recognised by this but most clearly that the codes are embossed in the top of the base, like the current figures, and not scratched on the bottom of the base. It also gets confusing when you find some examples of S Range figures with codes on the underside of the base where the S has been omitted from the end of the code, and even one or two which seem to have been given completely the wrong code.

Goya has kindly sent me some photos of S Range figures and their intermediary counterparts, but I need to have a further think about how to present these, and to take some photos from my own collection which will take some time and a lot of rummaging about in the loft ,and then a fair bit of photographing and posting. So this will happen it just may take some time. Ideally I would make a number of posts with three photos for comparison - S Range, Intermediate, and Current - for each figure, but I am unlikely to have current ones and these are mainly available in the Miniature Figurines on line catalogue with Caliver Books..

So this post is half a pace holder and half a statement of intent. If anyone has any more information on Intermediates in the meanwhile I would be glad to hear from you via comments.

4 comments:

ABC Wargamers said...

Hi I have at least 3 ACW figures from this mid range which I have used to convert to other figure. My Austrian 1864 white coated infantry are Union or Confedrate advancing with head swaps. No back packs foe seay to paint/convert. They also made a Zouave who works as a Papal Zouave. There is also a standing firing figure which seems to owe less to the S Range.You are right they work well with S range.

ycrnr83 said...

I need to check my records & figures but I (actually my father) have or had Napoleonic examples of British, Prussian and certainly French Line Dragoon, Line Dragoon Officer, Line Dragoon Trumpeter, French Horse Grenadier (Guard), Horse Grenadier (Guard) Officer, French Line Grenadier Advancing (FN 15), Line Voltigeur Advancing (FN 16), Line Voltigeur Officer (FN 25), Line Grenadier Officer (FN 27) & Croatian Infantryman Advancing (FN 68).

I also believe they covered the period 1973-1977 with a large crossover, as my dad had regiments of soldiers with S-Range & Intermediates and Intermediates & Later. They seem to be renewed or remodelled versions of the S-Range being slightly taller/slimmer & more refined, also much slimmer than Later/current Minifigs.

I will try and get some pics done where possible, particularly in comparison form.

Vintage Wargaming said...

Thanks, that’s very interesting. I’ve got quite a few comparison photographs to put up when I get round to it. The four year time span surprises me as at my local Wargames store they went straight from S Range to the “current” figures

ycrnr83 said...

I think around 1974-early 1975 is the core period of intermediates but the date range specifically covers the Napoleonic figures and accounting for the fact the "current" Nap range was introduced over at least a 2 year period (Apr 1975 - Jan 1978). An early example of Intermediates was the Napoleonic Prussian range being remade by November 1973.