TMTerrain- a history!

Time for a bit of self indulgence so please bear with me!
I was talking to a customer this week who asked me how many jobs I had done and it got me thinking.
Mark and I (Mark Thornley and David Marshall- that is where the TM comes from) started TMterrain on the 15th April 2002- that was when the first job was booked in. Yesterday I booked in my 682nd job!
We started off as a part time business for 18 months and then from September 2003 we have been full time. I can't believe it has been that long- I have never been in a job that long before.I am amazed we have done that many jobs.  They of course vary from painting just a couple of figures right up to massive town layouts

part of 8'x6' layout of York during the English Civil War

28mm Walled town

28mm Victorian London

54mm Normandy church-  so big I couldn't get it all in the picture!

Hopefully over that time we have built up a reputation for high quality bespoke terrain making for the wargamer and toy soldier collector. I guess if we can be doing it for so long we must be doing something right.

The company started off just in the wargaming market with plans to explore the railway hobby and the really grand aim of getting into TV and movies! Well, we have never made it into the railway hobby but we did make the TV with a layout for an episode of Lewis. If I work out how to do it I will have to try and put a clip of it on the blog one day.

Although we haven't got into railways, we have developed our presence in the 54mmtoy soldier collecting hobby. We started to sell John Jenkins Samurai buildings about 4 years ago and over a period of about 8 months John persuaded us to start stocking his new line of 54mm French Indian figures. We gave it a go and went to our first London Toy soldier show in March 2007 (or 8) and have never looked back. We now import and sell figures from John Jenkins, First Legion and Collectors Showcase to collectors all over the UK.

First Legion 95th Rifles- a future release

John Jenkins limber

Collectors Showcase SDKFZ7

I also do a large proportion of my model making in this scale. The types of jobs vary from small 6" square diorama bases up to massive buildings that need a van to ship!

54mm ruined building dio

54mm Hotel Hartenstein- 4' wide and 2' tall!

Although the company is nearly 10 years old, Mark and I have been in the wargaming hobby for years going round various shows with display and participation games. My particular highlight was an Indian Mutiny participation game that we put on years ago. I think we got photos into wargames illustrated with it but I have no idea which one- it must be nearly 20 years ago (gulp!).
We have been missing from wargaming shows over the last couple of years but I hope to start bringing games to a few shows every year so we can have a good time and to promote what we do. We were at Salute this year with the amazing looking English Civil War game

English Civil War game

We will be at Partizan on Sunday with it so come along and have a chat.
The London Toy soldier show sees us with a stand 30feet long now and we fill it with toy soldiers all on terrain boards and dioramas- it looks spectacular.
Anyway, that is a brief history of us. I hope it wasn't to self indugent. Hopefully, we can be around for another 10 years at least- as long as my eyes hold up!

John Jenkins Sudan layout

54mm normandy layout