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Monday 18 July 2011

"Charge- your Pike " and comparative pricing.


An ongoing thread on the Old School Yahoo group about converting Young's Charge rules to the ECW got me thinking so there I was searching for appropriate info on what ECW stuff was available in those far off days when I came upon my copy of Military Modelling ISSUE 1 January 1971.
Afew comparative prices are absolutly intrigueing. I quote
Lamming 20/25mm Cavalry 2 per box - with horses- 7/-each Now as Mil-mod was only 3/- per issue at the time this would make1 cavalry figure more expensive than the magazine.
Translate that to today and you'd be paying a fiver for a single 28mm cavalry figure- given that most of todays glossies are 4 quid plus each - current Miniwargs price £4.25 . Around 3/- (15p) seems to have been the norm for mounted figures back then-(Garrison were 3/- each with fpoot at 1/3d each a box of Airfix would cost you about the same. Some outfits were more expensivew some less so but while comparisons are not exact its interesting that the actual models are in real terms cheaper than they were then - 3 bob was a lot of money certainly 2 or 3 pints (I was a bit young to know precisly) Now asingle pint will cost you about the same as a 28mm Cavalryman Hmmmm choices....
For me -despite the nostalgia for the old days - we have a better hobby now with more competititon - more companies and, on the whole, far far better product- at least as regards figures.
Now the photo is a depiction in 40mm - using my own Jacdaw and Romanoff figures a "battalia of foot a la Peter Young as depected in his article in the december 1969 issue of Bayonet. . I have placed the figures as he had them in the diagram- with the exception of the CO who I have placed- dismounted at the head of his regiement as would have been practice in the 17th century.
Andy

3 comments:

  1. Better but less characterful, or is that just the rosy tinted NHS specs I wear now?

    The real bargains have to be in 30mm which back in the day would have been at least three times the cost of 20m. Imagine £12 per cavalryman it is no wonder you had to have the salary of a Brig General to afford a unit.

    At the risk of being a crawler I have to say your Jacdaw 30mm are the best value figures I have come across in 40years.

    John

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  2. John My wallet trembles at the thought of time travle! My Jasons- all bought in the last 3 years would have vcost me 24p per foot fig . Modern 30mm are the same as 28mm more or less - sometimes cheaper.
    I'd whole heartedly agree that today is less characterful. Back in the day at least we knew which maker we were buying instead of playing "guess the perryclone" .
    As for jacdaw there will be more releases soom
    Andy

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  3. Excellent arrayed 40mm chaps- I look forward to seeing where Charge ECW will take us...
    best wishes
    Alan

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