Researching The Home Guard Through Tabletop Gaming
Steve Weston WW2 British Infantry 54mm as Home Guard?
There are a host of useful plastic and metal figures in 54mm that you can use for Home Guard games.
These 54mm 1:32 British Infantry figures are a useful set of figures, currently available from their creator Steve Weston of Weston Toy Co. via his Toy Soldiers web shop site:
There is a great (2020) deal of three sets of these for £10.00, which is 36 figures for £10.00. This is probably the cheapest new 54 – 56mm figures of this type and quality you will currently find, on special offer as they have had water damaged packaging.
They are described on their retail site as British Khaki infantry, “scaled to sit nicely with Matchbox, TSSD (Toy Soldiers of San Diego), Conte and Austin Miniatures. Superb detailing, excellent quality plastic. Currently the only company currently producing 56mm WWII British figures in plastic!”
This deal is also still available (mid 2020) through the related eBay shop chopped-merc
The twelve Steve Weston figure set, 6 poses x 2 in handy khaki plastic. Less painting needed.
These attractive plastic figures are steel helmeted, lightly equipped figures with no haversacks and only light webbing, ammunition pouches, water bottles and entrenching tools, which fits the mid to late Home Guard well.
Rifle armed figures, very Home Guard. SMG figures with Thompson SubMachine Gun and Sten Gun Eventually LMGs like this Bren Gun made it into the hands of some Home Guard sections. Still in use in the late 1950s when my late Dad was one of the last National Service cohorts.Mills Bomb Grenade throwing figure, kneeling.Some of my Eighties painted surviving Airfix British Infantry and Support Group for comparison with Weston Toy Co. Airfix British Infantry and Support Group with my battered childhood Timpo Bren Carrier, with modified Heavy Machine Gun.The same Bren or Universal Carrier with Steve Weston Toy Co. figuresFinally a comparison photo L to R of British Infantry a solid homecast Home Guard, Britain’s Deetail mortar, Airfix British Infantry Support Group and Weston Toy Co.
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN on Home Guard founding day, 14 May 1940 / 2020.
Hello I'm Mark Mr MIN, Man of TIN. Based in S.W. Britain, I'm a lifelong collector of "tiny men" and old toy soldiers, whether tin, lead or childhood vintage 1960s and 1970s plastic figures.
I randomly collect all scales and periods and "imagi-nations" as well as lead civilians, farm and zoo animals. I enjoy the paint possibilities of cheap poundstore plastic figures as much as the patina of vintage metal figures.
Befuddled by the maths of complex boardgames and wargames, I prefer the small scale skirmish simplicity of very early Donald Featherstone rules.
To relax, I usually play solo games, often using hex boards. Gaming takes second place to making or convert my own gaming figures from polymer clay (Fimo), home-cast metal figures of many scales or plastic paint conversions. I also collect and game with vintage Peter Laing 15mm metal figures, wishing like many others that I had bought more in the 1980s ...
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2 thoughts on “Steve Weston WW2 British Infantry 54mm as Home Guard?”
I like the Steve Weston figures, well animated and useful poses. I recall we had a Bren gun in my C CF days and it was a heavy beast to lug around, not popular with us for that reason. It reminds me of section attack drills on the lawns in the front of the school…
They are nice figures, large 54mm and a good match for Airfix. Currently a gift of a price for 3 sets through Steve Weston’s eBay site (seller Chopped Merc).
My late Dad had many National Service stories of stripping bren guns by touch in the dark, eyes closed or blindfold – he still reckoned he could do it 40 years later. About that time I saw a decommissioned one, greased up in packing crate for sale and for a few seconds I was tempted to buy it for him as a retirement present so that he could prove this.
Look Duck and Varnish 
I like the Steve Weston figures, well animated and useful poses. I recall we had a Bren gun in my C CF days and it was a heavy beast to lug around, not popular with us for that reason. It reminds me of section attack drills on the lawns in the front of the school…
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They are nice figures, large 54mm and a good match for Airfix. Currently a gift of a price for 3 sets through Steve Weston’s eBay site (seller Chopped Merc).
My late Dad had many National Service stories of stripping bren guns by touch in the dark, eyes closed or blindfold – he still reckoned he could do it 40 years later. About that time I saw a decommissioned one, greased up in packing crate for sale and for a few seconds I was tempted to buy it for him as a retirement present so that he could prove this.
LikeLike