John Niblett, original designer of Airfix soldiers.

As promised a post regarding unsung heroes of Wargaming and collecting toy soldiers in general.

John Niblett is the man who started the whole wargaming thing for me. In 1956 he joined Airfix. He was the original designer of the HO/OO range of plastic soldiers that began with the release of the British Guardsmen in 1958. Figures from is initial box had originally been released by Hummel before being re released as the first of the Airfix soldiers range. 

Niblett worked for Airfix until 1974 and produced many of the company's ranges including their beautiful Napoleonic and historical character range in 54mm, my favourite being the wonderful French Imperial Guard Grenadier. He also producded their 1/32nd range of figures.

Niblett also was commisioned to produce models for the wonderfully named government department, The Ministry of Public Buildings, but it was while working for Mettoy that he met and became friends with Les Higgins. An another amazing talent.

Niblett originally started sculpting model soldiers shortly after the war, making 54mm and 65mm figures. However after 1956 he concentrated on sculpting beautiful 20mm figures which were painted and sold by Hummels House of Miniatures, a figure shop based at the Burlington Arcade in London. Niblett covered a number of military subjects including the English Civil War, Romans,Normans, and for me his best, his beautiful range of knights. These were originally by Hummels for the princley sum of 9/6d for foot figures and 17/6d for the mounted figures.Quite pricey in the early 1960's.

Niblett continued producing large 150mm and 175mm military figures in white metal. 

In 1975 John Niblett set up producing figures in an independant studio producing figures for Britains, Lesney and the tourist shop at the Tower of London. In 1977 he re-released his lovely 12th and 14th century knights and his final range, the English Civil War in 20mm.

I remember carefully studying images of Niblett's knights but was put off by their small size, 20mm. It appears only Greenwood of Greenwood and Ball fame and John Niblett persisted in producing 20mm figures in the UK. while the accepted scale was fast becoming 25mm as producded by Les Higgins, Hinton Hunt and Jack Alexander. The only comprable 20mm figures were being producded by Jack Scruby in the USA and there was no way I could have ever afforded those.

John Garrett, the acknowledged expert on model soldiers believed that John Niblett's 20mm ranges were the finest of the small figures ranges produced and who am I to argue with that.

                             

                         The last range Niblett produced, the English Civil War in 20mm.  

                        

A review of the new English Civil War range was printed in the March 1979 Military Modelling magazine

"John Niblett of 50 The Broadway, Herne Bay, Kent has added some attractive
English Civil War subjects to his 20mm scale wargames figure series this
month. The new figure comprise an assortment of six foot figures and three
cavalry types, and on all of them the degree of detail is remarkable and the
casting superb.
The mounted figures include an Ironside trooper and his Royalist counterpart
and there's a beautiful little mounted cuirassier in three-quarter armour on
a rearing horse discharging his pistol. The horses are moulded in two halves
for epoxy assembly and on all the figures the diminutive weapons (and in
some cases, an arm) are moulded separately for the purchaser to stick together, thus making possible a fair degree of personal animation. Among the foot types are pike and musket men from both sides,one of the latter firing his musket on its rest, and there's a choice of positions for the pikemen as well; an attractive little drummer rounds off the collection. Niblett tells us that, depending on popularity, they'll be expanding the range, so if wargamers want more of these nice little 20mm's then its up to them to give these new ones the reception they deserve.

Sadly John Niblett died in 1980 a relatively young man and his ranges were purchased by a small company called Rosedale Figurines who also bought the Les Higgins range of 20mm figures and sold them under the Tribute Figures range. After a couple of years the owner moved from England to the West of Scotland and somehow the majority of the masters were lost in the move!

Sadly the beautiful ranges of 20mm figures produced by a master sculptor ceased to exist and are lost forever. 

With thanks to Vintage Wargaming Blob and various snippetts from the internet.