"more classic wargamer flats from the 1960s" Topic

Here are some initial pictures from a 1960's wargames collection. They are ancients flats – painted by Phil Barker and many of them sourced from Tony Bath.

(the main collection)

Phil and Sue have very kindly donated the figures to my 'Society of Ancients memorabilia' collection.

Elephants, of course, were 'de rigueur' for these wargame pioneers …

(the elephant corps and escort infantry)

Though, unsurprisingly, Phil's collection is predominantly Roman and Byzantine …

(Romans with Byzantines in the background)

The donation included a number of 'unsorted' bundles of Tony Bath's figures painted in his simple style and alphabetically tagged for his Hyboria campaign …

(archaeological treasure: Tony Bath figures from the Hyboria campaigns)

These match some of the similar Hyborian veterans which came into my care from Deryck Guyler's collection, thus seeming to solve the mystery of their authorship.

I am, of course, very grateful to be entrusted with these figures. Many I will preserve exactly as they are (they mark a transitional phase in the story of the ancient wargame), some I will bring back into service so players can enjoy them once again.

Phil
Ancients on the Move at 'Wargamer 2012'

Fantastic stuff! Thanks for posting Phil!

Wow!

Thanks for sharing those pics, and thanks to Phil and Sue for donating them.

Doug

It's been a long time since I've seen some of these figures, outstanding!

Fantastic!

and thanks to Phil and Sue for donating them

… aye to that, Doug !

Generally – thanks everyone for looking and commenting.

Opening up the dusty boxes, taking pictures and sharing them on the web for people (hopefully) to enjoy is all part of the memorabilia project … So in that sense you are supporting and taking part.

As above, there should be more to come when I have had a chance to shuffle things around a bit (and see what can be made up from the TB oddments) …

Thanks again …

Phil

Phil, Can you still buy flats? And what is the detail like? I quite fancy painting one!

Thanks
Simon

Www.lurkio.co.uk/blog

Great post and thanks for sharing

Your can certainly still buy flats – check out these bad boys

link

Thanks for sharing!
I realy like seeing this, the history of our hobby.

Listlurker, I believe there are a few German companies, and maybe even French, who still produce flats.

And maybe also Prince August (Ireland), but I'm not 100% shure about this.

Now and then some come up on Ebay also.

Listlurker
link
is one source, the first button named "Altertum, Antike" is for ancients

Can you still buy flats?

All the major miniature manufacturers sell them, and the ranges are huge, but the steam roller is, regrettably, not included.

Doug

That's fantastic, Phil! What a generous donation. Really takes me back.

I very much look forward to seeing them in action, at some stage.

Cheers, Simon

Irregular do some FIW flats.

Great to see those treasures in colour.

Great to see them, Phil ! They look splendid arrayed in units like that. Thanks for posting.

As for buying flats, there are many places to order them from Germany. So long as the editor takes Paypal it's relatively painless these days. But I recommend Berliner Zinnfiguren only as the option of last resort. High prices for the figures and even worse for the postage.

Irregular "Quarter-Flats" FIW & ancients aren't true flats, they're more like squashed semi-rounds. Trust me on this one, I tried some. A nice try but not in the same class as the ones engraved in Germany. Some discussion about them here:
TMP link

Regards,
Steve

Fantastic, Phil! Thanks for all of these (are there any more?).

The Ancient rules in Don Featherstone's "War Games" book which were in fact the Tony Bath rules, plus the pictures of his flats in action are what got me into flats in the first place some 50 years ago. I have never stopped mentally thanking both Don and Tony ever since.

I still wargame using flats and in the past five years even have begun to paint them. (Something of a challenge, that.)

Thanks again … yes there will be more photos in due course (when I get a chance to a bit more shuffling through). As the response has been so positive, I will post them here as well as on the Shows North blog.

Clearly the flats have the same resonances for others as they do for me: they are for ancients what the Suren and Spencer Smith 30mm figures of 'Charge!' and 'The Wargame' are for the 18th Cent wargame, I think.

I discovered wargaming as a 10yr old through a (friend's) chance encounter with 'Charge!' at the local library … around the same time Blue Peter did a piece on Deryck Guyler which featured his ancients flats collection*. For years, the best I could do was Airfix Romans and Brits. but clearly it made a big impression.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Phil
SoA Shows North
*for non-UK readers, Blue Peter is a BBC kids TV magazine show, and Deryck Guyler was a film and TV favourite, big in the 60s and 70s. In addition to his acting and his washboard :) he was a wargamer/collector and founder member of the Society of Ancients.

He wargamed with Tony Bath, Phil Barker, Donald Featherstone, Charles Grant et al, and although he was always more of a dabbler than a pioneer ('more a painter than a player', as Phil put it), he had the public profile to get wargaming, and his figures, on the telly …

Wow! very nice!

Wow. Just Wow. I do so love eye candy like these!