ALTHOUGH my hobby purchases have been rather pitiful this year, back in May I did manage to win nine C01 Chaos Fighters on Ebay for the princely sum of £14 (including postage); which was nice. As is often the case with second-hand models these chaps were already painted and my intention on receipt was to chuck them in a jar of stripper to be cleaned up, based and painted at a later point. However, they have instead remained in a tub swaddled in bubble-wrap. You may think that this is because of my recent hobby inaction and although that might provide a partial answer, a more compelling reason is that I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
In most cases when I receive vintage lead the paint-job - if any - is negligible and immersion in stripper seems a mercy, but with this nonet it was clear that someone had put a laudable amount of effort into their appearance. For a time, presumably back in the eighties, these models must have meant something to their owner and were probably a regular and striking fixture on their gaming table. Looking at them over a quarter-of-a-century hence one wonders what fantastical realms they have visited, how many heroic battles they have fought and what renown they have won!
Sentimentality aside, they ARE still destined for the toxic tank and a repaint, but I determined this would happen only after I have photographed and shared them both for posterity's sake and as a salute to the previous owner who was evidentially handy with a brush!
