Hinton Hunt Figures WATERLOO

I have just obtained this document dating from 1965 and the 150th anniversary, possibly from the Wargamer's Newsletter's Military Festival at the Duke of York Headquarters in Chelsea on 20th March (see this post on Doug Crowther's admirable Unfashionably Shiny blog).

I have also come into more Hinton Hunt painting instructions. These are not particularly legible as some of them are bad carbon copies, but when I scan them I will photoshop them as best I can.

On a more long term basuis I might consider typing them all up in a word document or series of documents, if there was a demand for this.

The Elusive Mr Hunt

I am indebted to DC of Unfashionably Shiny fame for this and a number of other items from his stash of the Bulletin of the British Model Soldier Society. This advertorial piece appeared in the Special Edition (celebrating 1,000 members) in August 1969.

Old Shop New Shop

From the oldest Hinton Hunt catalogue I have seen to date:

original contact details for the first shop
announcement of the new premises

Marcus Hinton at work and play

MILITARY MINIATURES

Priceless Pathe newsreel footage of Marcus Hinton, tipped off to this by Paul in Oz, and beaten to putting it up by Ian at Hinton Hunt Vintage Wargames Figures blog

Click on the picture to view.

Let's not be precious, my preciouses...

Over on his new Prometheus in Aspic blog, Tony has posted with some trepidation what seem to me to be some entirely realistic views and experiences with Hinton Hunt figures.

Lest we get too precious about them in their current vogue, it is good to remember some words of John G Garrett from his World Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers, published by Frederick Muller Limited in 1981.

With a certain charming dryness (and writing as a model soldier collector, rather than wargamer) Garratt wrote:

"He was one of the earliest makers of wargame figures, which are still in great demand, and are of good quality when properly cast, but unfortunately many are issued that are so heavy with flash as to be unacceptable to the collector...Hinton himself is one of the characters of the trade, and in this his whimseys are aided and abetted by his wife"

Marcus Hinton - a biography

The following short biography (autobiography?) of Marcus Hinton appeared in the Battle Commemoration Unit's programme from October 1973 for their 160th anniversary event of Leipzig, at the National Army Museum. The picture (in an earlier post) of a bare headed Marcus Hinton also came from this booklet.The BCU's technical advisers were Brigadier Peter Young, Dr David Chandler and Christopher Duffy. There is plenty more of interest in this programme but I am intending to make it available in another place - more of this anon.

Hats off to Hinton

This is the only picture of Marcus Hinton I have ever seen not wearing his bowler hat. It is taken from the programme for Leipzig 1813-1973, held by the Battle Commemoration Unit at the National Army Museum on 19th and 20th October 1973. Marcus Hinton was Secretary of the BCU and its technical advisers were Brig Peter Young, David Chandler and Christopher Duffy. Uniform information from this programme is posted below, and historical and other material is posted over on Vintage Wargaming.

This programme is just one part of a vast horde of vintage wargames ephemera I have just picked up this afternoon from Pearson Towers. I'm not 100% sure what to do with it - there is a mass of catalogues, magazines and other material, some of which can be incorporated into the existing three blogs, but some of which may need another outlet. I will start thinking about this, contacting copyright owners etc, and try to see what might be possible.

The proprietor and his shop

Thanks to Martin for this photograph