New member from Spain

[Guardiamarina]

Hello everybody,

I'm posting from sunny Madrid. I must admit I discovered your incredible site about a year ago, as I resumed collecting clickies, but I have just decided to join in.

I got my first clickies when I was about 17 or 18, in the late seventies. I'm afraid they arrived to late for me to play with them as a child. A full account of my sufferings, before deciding to buy some playmos for myself despite being too old, can be found in my presentation in Playmoboard 

As said, last year I discovered this world of collectors of every age, rescued my colonial army from the cellar and bought, at last, my long awaited pirate ship! Only to commission it as a cutter or "balandra" (in spanish naval jargon) of my Real Armada. I love allmost all your stuff, that is customised soldiers (not pirates , sorry, but I will do my outmost to fight this scourge of the seas  ), particularly colonial themes, but, for the moment will concentrate on XVIIIth and early XIXth Century ships. I choose "Guardiamarina" (midshipman) as an avatar, because I'm just beginning to learn about customizing, photo making etc.

I love this site and your little warriors!

[Argand]

Hello & welcome from Spanish North coast!!!

[GaiusIulius]

U wont regret to join us Guardiamarina , I hope we will see some pictures of ur ship soon!

[Richard]

A BIG welcome from sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida ...

[Leblanc d. II.]

A big welcome from Germany.
You have a fleet? We have some stinky pirates here  . I´m sure you will make them running before you can show them your broadside.

[Guardiamarina]

Oh, I'm afraid I am still a midshipman...

I will have a fleet. For the moment, I am just beginning with three cutters (bought as red sails pirate and black sails corsairs ships...). My Commisariat is still working on the rig and sails, and recruiting the crews (already got about two complete crews including the marines, but still awaiting results of my press gangs...). As for the colour of the hulls, I plan to keep two with their originals colours (perhaps with the exeptio of the blue deck... ).
The third will certainly be painted black with a yellow stripe, a natural wood deck, with some elements painted red, as close as the Real Armada would have been painted.
I am also considering buying a forth cutter (red sails) to customise it into something close to Surcouf's owned corsair cutter "Le Renard". Would call it "Le petit Renard"... We will see. And then I would add a couple of Brigs (the so-called "big gallion"), painted black and yellow...
Some plemnty of plans, but few means, for the moment.

[henry_martini]

it looks as if we can look forward to seeing great things from you. 

i like the pictures of your colonials.

bienvenido tambien.

!que te diviertas!

[Guardiamarina]

Henry_Martini wrote:

[...it looks as if we can look forward to seeing great things from you. 

i like the pictures of your colonials.]

Well, thank you very much Henry_Martini, but you are too kind. I like YOUR colonials  (by the way, being a very paceful man I was nevertheless always interested in everything military, and among rifles I do like the Martini Henrys (of Zulu War fame...) I was lucky enough to fire a real one, owned by a reenactors association in Malta, two years ago...)

Now, my tiny colonial Guard was customised, in a very simple way, many years ago, in my late teens that is between 1979 and 1982.
The pictures were made last year as I rescued my clickies from the cellar. I have got to make better ones.  Actually, I now have modern rifles for all of the guards and I have heard of the possibility of getting new arms for all of them from Playmo. The inspiration was, of course, the spanish colonial army in Morroco, during the first quarter of the XXth century.
I hope to achieve a much higher level of "customisation" now, particularly through what I learn from you all.

Gracias, y un saludo.

Guardiamarina 

[Guardiamarina]

I found something rather surprising today:

Yesterday I wrote : ["...For the moment, I am just beginning with three cutters (bought as red sails pirate and black sails corsairs ships...). My Commisariat is still working on the rig and sails, and recruiting the crews (already got about two complete crews including the marines, but still awaiting results of my press gangs...). As for the colour of the hulls, I plan to keep two with their originals colours (perhaps with the exeption of the blue deck... )."]
So I used to think old ships decks were left natural wood colour, and some surfaces sometimes painted red (arguably to avoid the sight of too much blood in warships). But today, surfing the web, looking for more data and images of traditionnal sailing ships, with gaff rigs, as my favourite Playmo ships, the cutters, I found a nice English Pilot cutter (a reconstrution) called Eve, with guess what...
A DECK PAINTED BLUE...

I add some pics... (wonder wether I should start a thread on "cutters"...)

[Guardiamarina]

Yesterday, I also wrote:
[..I am also considering buying a forth cutter (red sails) to customise it into something close to Surcouf's owned corsair cutter "Le Renard". Would call it "Le petit Renard"... We will see. And then I would add a couple of Brigs (the so-called "big gallion"), painted black and yellow...
Some plemnty of plans, but few means, for the moment. ...]

But I forgot to add the links to info on "Le Renard" privateer, or french corsair ship, of 1810.
Here they are:
www.cotre-corsaire-renard.com
and
http://perso.orange.fr/adech/renard/index.htm

Now, see the details of that british inspired french ship, and compare with the magnificent work done by Playmo design engineers with the cutter.

You can also, look at the Gaffer Association, and at
http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/eve_st_mawes/pilot_cutter.php
and
http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/annabel_j/bristol_channel_pilot_cutter.php

Bon vent!

[henry_martini]

(by the way, being a very paceful man I was nevertheless always interested in everything military, and among rifles I do like the Martini Henrys (of Zulu War fame...) I was lucky enough to fire a real one, owned by a reenactors association in Malta, two years ago...)

i hope all here are merely decent playroom militarists.

and it seems that malta has more to offer than the maltese knight. envy envy.

encantado de conocerte
henry_martini

[seawarrior]

Welcome from connecticut

[Sylvia]

Hello and welcome from Scotland!

I enjoyed reading your introduction and look forward to hearing more about your collection and seeing some of your customs.

[da Hugh]

Hi, and welcome from central USA.  I also like the naval theme.  Although I do not have room to display them, I have 13 Playmo ships.

Keep up the great work.

da Hugh