We have already looked at the use of toy motor vehicles for gaming. There are also opportunities within the Lledo line for horse drawn transport. The models are box scale which means that just about anything goes yet some examples are a close fit to 1/56th. This article covers similar ground to a ‘Fiends in Waistcoats‘ page. Unfortunately the Photobucket images on that post tend to be blurred out. The Lledo models come with 1 or 2 horses using a limited variety of model sculpts but a wide choice of signage, most of which is not period specific. The models do not fit into an exact time frame. The best guess would be 1890 through 1914. Those with pneumatic types being more useful in later periods. In the UK horse drawn vehicles would be likely if uncommon up to the 1970s. The comedy drama ‘Steptoe and Son’ being an example of horses used in the rag and bone trade.
The Lledo horses come in at least 2 sculpts and seem too small for 28mm. This comparison with a Crusader Miniatures 28mm cavalry sculpt shows that they are not far off. The problem being that one would expect a heavily built draft horse to be larger than one allocated for riding.
The Lledo models are inexpensive if bought as job lots from eBay. Individual purchases are inflated by the postage cost. Two good suppliers of horses are Northumbrian Painting Services (who run Reiver) and Warbases. Here is a Reiver team used to pull a limber. Note the smaller breastplate on the harness of the inner team. Only the lead pair have a full collar. The actual limber provided with the team is a small wheeled 18th century type. Reiver swapped the wheels at no additional cost and the box limber was made out spare parts. At the time of writing the cost to buy a team and limber is 25p more than the cost of the horses. An insignificant extra cost for 2 wheels and an axle even if they go straight to the spares box.
This a Warbases horse with Lledo cart. The Lledo draught horse is a little smaller and less bulky than the Reiver. The Reiver horses also have thicker bases that will need to be cut down or the cart platform built up to prevent the horse standing above the ground level of the cart.
Choosing Reiver, Warbases or other suppliers is a case of swings and roundabouts. If making up a postal order the other goods both companies supply might come in useful. Reiver have some unusual 28mm equipment in their Chinese, Japanese and VBCW ranges. They also have some splendid basic metal and resin carts. Warbases have drivers (also available from Reiver), excellent animals and some nice resin cobbled bases for your carts. Their own carts are MDF, an option that works best where there are no thin fancy bits involved.
These are Reiver horses with a removals van sprayed and painted over blue for a possible role as a police ‘Black Maria’. The built up carriage base could do with less building up.
A brewer’s dray with the original Lledo driver.
The top down shot shows the vehicle space compared to a Lledo motor vehicle that has been calculated as true 1/56.
The fire engine is a lovely model but perhaps a little small. The 1/56 scale Fiat pick up gives an idea of relative size. The engines were made in different capacities so perhaps we can get away with it. There exists a low quality but useful video of the same builder’s Shand Mason fire engine. The example in the video was in front line use until 1913, then put into storage but pulled back out as static water pump during World War 2.
The figures that come with the various Lledo models are not entirely useless. Most models have no figures and even those that do may not follow this guide on Plastic Soldier Review. Here they stand by an Artisan 28mm. The guy with the dog is of limited use but the dog is a keeper.
More examples, these would work for the 30s or 40s. Some figures are aimed at the early 20th century. Many are too small to be of any use.
Gaming in Blackshaw Head 