Author: 26soldiersoftin
Hello I'm Mark Mr MIN, Man of TIN. Based in S.W. Britain, I'm a lifelong collector of "tiny men" and old toy soldiers, whether tin, lead or childhood vintage 1960s and 1970s plastic figures.
I randomly collect all scales and periods and "imagi-nations" as well as lead civilians, farm and zoo animals. I enjoy the paint possibilities of cheap poundstore plastic figures as much as the patina of vintage metal figures.
Befuddled by the maths of complex boardgames and wargames, I prefer the small scale skirmish simplicity of very early Donald Featherstone rules.
To relax, I usually play solo games, often using hex boards. Gaming takes second place to making or convert my own gaming figures from polymer clay (Fimo), home-cast metal figures of many scales or plastic paint conversions. I also collect and game with vintage Peter Laing 15mm metal figures, wishing like many others that I had bought more in the 1980s ...
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Sidetracked 
Great layout and article. I sometimes lurk around the model railway forums ( l even subscribe to the 009 Society journal when sends an issue every month through the post . It is full of great inspiration and ideas. It could show us wargamers a thing or too about amateur publications and positive intereactions with the public at shows- they are willing to spend time with folk) and have been particularly taken with a layout featuring hobbits and Middle Earth. It was in a magazine relatively recently too. I love the whimsy, detail and world building. There are some lovely Emett inspired model trains and layouts too, both indoors and outdoors. All very tempting. The only hobby magazine l actually subscribe to that is a glossy from USA Garden Railways. It comes out bi monthly and is full of lovely layouts people have spent years working towards. Inspiration too. Years ago in one of the first issues l saw they had a Gondor railway replete with dragon being transported in a cage. I like too the imagineering of people. Perhaps a Tradgardland or Volare Cantare layout or at least planning one day…
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I have some Emmett Railway books with his charming drawings.
Flicking through old and new Railway magazines, I am often disappointed with the lack of care or love or imagination in the use of figures and scenarios on model train layouts, it seems more about running the engines.
The fantastical train sets sound interesting. There were some interesting gimmicky quirky ideas on the Channel 5 Great British Railway Modelling Challenge.
Tradgardland or Volare Cantare railways would be very atmospheric Mittel European and great focus for a gaming scenario.
Likewise a garden railroad would be very good for Garden Wargames. I quite like instant battery toy railways like my train in a tin or Wilko Wild West one
https://sidetracked2017blog.word press.com/2018/07/14/the-wild-wilko-western-express/
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Tradgardland European railways – would now look like this? Found this link from someone in a comment to my Sidetracked blog
https://sartenada.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/alpine-model-railway-exhibition-exposicion-de-modelismo-ferroviario-alpin o-exposition-de-modelisme-ferroviaire-alpin-exposicao-de-modelismo-ferroviario-alpino/
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