"The Deserving Poor?"*

As I mentioned in my previous post, there was more to report following the exchange, in Bugman's at Warhammer World in Nottingham, with Aly receiving my Late Romans in exchange for moolah; namely the receipt of what I have dubbed a further 'Red Cross package' of figures surplus to his requirements ~

The opened package on my painting desk, to give you some idea of the box's dimensions. 

The contents viewed from above. On first opening the box looked to be packed with many bags containing bare metal castings.

That proved to be only half the matter though. Hidden away beneath this veritable mountain of bare metal was a further box. On opening that second inner box 100 fully painted figures were revealed, carefully rolled into yards of bubble wrap! I felt rather as Lord Caernarfon or Howard Carter must have felt, I saw beautiful things! I am not often lost for words - ask my family or friends - but I was genuinely struck dumb! These figures had been painted I've been informed  by Mark Hargreaves of Over Open Sights. They are Empress Miniatures, formerly Tusuba, for the Russo-Japanese War. 

The painted figures alone have given me three Japanese battalions of infantry and a machine gun set, while for the Russians there are two infantry battalions. It seems now that I shall have a new project after all...

Two Russian infantry battalions.

Three Japanese infantry battalions together with a machine gun & crew.

Sorting through the myriad contents of the bags of bare metal castings was a complex task, as I know next to nothing about the history of the Russo-Japanese War,  the organisation of the respective armies, nor the figure range(s) themselves. As initial searching seem now to have revealed these include:

Russians ~ High Command; Field Gun & crew; Machine gun & crew; Cossacks - both mounted and dismounted; mules and mule handlers; a Band; casualties and medical staff.

Japanese ~ High Command; a number of infantry command figures; a flag sheet (which anoyingly I've misplaced!); mule, handlers and ammunition carriers; casualties; infantry marching and command - these latter might be Oshira figures, as they have separate heads and full back packs to add and are slightly larger sculpts?

Certainly this is all well beyond an outstanding gift you'd surely have to agree and a magnificent foundation for a new project for the new year! Now you see why I was lost for words...

As a postscript: there was also a large number of Perry Miniatures Agincourt range figures for my son Matt and, perhaps with evident serendipity, the Henry Tudor command set which saves me buying it as I'd painted Richard III, himself in an earlier Red Cross parcel! The Wars of the Roses project was not finished after all...

* The destitute deserving of help from their betters. A Victorian concept for those unfamiliar with it. Used in a lighthearted way of course.