The joy of randomness

I generally get a buzz from serendipitous events or opportunities.

The plastic figure manufacturer Hät from time to time run a 'random sprue' sale. These are to clear out sprues that they have 'lying around', presumably because they are insufficient for a set, have a figure or more missing, some breakage or perhaps were test versions. If one is interested, all that is needed is to nominate the weight of sprues desired (they sell them by the US pound) and any preference for scale and/or period(s). The former can be guaranteed, while the latter they will fulfil as far as possible.

I eagerly jumped at the latest offering, asking for a pound each of 1/72 and 1/32 and "Napoleonic if possible". The box arrived today and they are a perfect mix for me.

Random sprues: a useful pile of assorted goodies

 

All but five of them are Napoleonic. Those five (ancient, First World War) are all immediately of interest to me. I was particularly pleased to get a full sprue from set no. 8111 WWI Canadian Infantry (or so I thought). This is a set of figures that I have been wanting to get hold of, but that is currently out of production. I was even more pleased when I realised that it was actually not a sprue from the set, per se, but a test sprue and so had a lot of heavy weapons in addition to the infantry. They are gonna be great for my journey into the First World War + 105.

The Napoleonic specimens, in both scales will be really, really useful. There are French, late Prussians, Russians, mid-late Austrians, Brunswickers, Dutch-Belgians and British amongst the 1/72 and French, Prussians and Württembergers in the 1/32.

They will all be perfect to swell the numbers for certain units and/or to provide extra figures to use as markers or on bases that have taken casualties (i.e. with fewer figures on them). I like to do this as I then simply swap a full base with a part base to represent casualties, rather than remove figures—cutting them off the base always seems so brutal and results in a heap of repair and repainting.

All in all, a box full of random joy and future utility.