Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Callan, from Miniature Warfare May 1970


One of the things that strikes you reading through old copies of Miniature Warfare is the impact on the hobby of a number of feature films. Miniature Warfare had big spreads with publicity photos of films including Patton - Lust for Glory, Cromwell, War and Peace, and the Charge of the Light Brigade (which coincided with the release of Minifigs S Range Crimean figures, or possibly vice-versa).

Although there is a famous wargaming scene in the Callan movie, using ACW figures and scenery provided by Peter Gilder, the pictures from this issue of Miniature Warfare are from an episode of the television series. Some of you may recognise the cover picture (minus background) from the home page of Vintage 20mil.

The caption for the front cover picture reads: "Actor Edward Woodward on the set of Thames television's studios at Teddington admiring some Hinton Hunt French cavalry, part of the collection of Mike Stephenson." They look like dismountable series hussars to me. It is hard to make out the figures in the pictures of the game itself, but they are Napoleonic - hard to work out who the French are fighting, though.

I particularly like the umpire's tent in the first of the pictures of the game. Perhaps this could be revived for competitions?


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