September 2022 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

A GENTLEMAN’S WAR: Still more pics

Sometimes my 54mm fever is high… must be one of those periods. Enjoy while it lasts.

Surely you can admit they have a charm of their own.

A GENTLEMAN’S WAR: more pics

I have posted a lot of Scott Lesch work because it is awesome!… Does that mean that I am going to indulge in the Franco-Prussian War (1870)? NOT AT ALL!… but you must admit his production of Armies is very mice indeed!. And sometimes when awareness is down… I think of it seriously!.

The fact that every unit seems to field a “cantiniere” is non important for me… but adds a “je ne sais quoi”… LOL

I added those Prussians as an afterthought

So here they are… The Second Reich would be won at the end of the campaign.

Daniel Borris Own 54mm Toy Soldiers

He posts frequently in Facebook… and his collection is really impressive!… he even got in it the late Featherstone’s Armies… Those Highlanders are Britain’s of course… but he is an eclectic collector and has items from a variety of makers. Enjoy!

REPLICA GUARDROOM COLLECTION

As far as 54mm New Toy Soldiers akin to Britain’s go… you do not need to search more… REPLICA it is… and that’s that. (Alternatively there are other well known trade marks as Dorset Soldiers / Imperial Soldiers and Steadfast (R.Prati) to say but two!).

Here you can have a sight of the new premises… as we all know we have been promised start of production by next January 2023… keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best!.

Michael Nash presents: Nate Fogt’s of Nate’s Garage

All items seen in facebook as reported in the Chicago Toy Soldier Show… items exposed and sold in less than an hour… and no wonder!… Enjoy!

Scott Lesch’s Own

Splendid castings. AGW or not involved they are beautiful Toy Soldiers on their own. I wish I could do moulds and cast my own figures but never got even close to that part of the hobby. Too late at my age… better buy unpainted casts and paint them if I found the time!… Silly me!… I thought that once retired I would have lots and lots of free time… it is not so (you have been warned!). LOL

Rifles from Hilditch

Less than 54mm (series “B”) and still impressing.

I was personal yesterday, maybe even too personal… well, I can always edit the thing if I want… I do not know if being too personal is a bonus or a malus…

So, today let’s go back to the main line of this webpage… toy soldiers and those who enjoy them.

A big thanks to Paul Watson (I)

Could have been called a tale of two chaps too. To begin at the beginning… due to that blasted pandemia who seems more or less in control nowadays… I was stranded in Pal at 1.660 mts over the level of the sea with nothing much to do than wait for a vaccine etc (as you all). So thanks God are my books and my Toy Soldiers Collection (in Pal I mean)… so I reordered the shelves and find a way to make place for some beauties from REPLICA. As an ex wargamer in 25mm all my British Regiments had matter of fact two colours, the Queen’s (or King’s) and the Regimental one, so I become worried because I did not have one of the Colours of the Gordon’s (Highlanders), I wrote to Andrew an email asking for 4 figures to complete my obsessions etc. Real life intervened and in June 2021 my needs were not fulfilled because a lot of real life intruded in REPLICA “WORKS”… to my disappointment by X’mas the matter was still unsolved… You see “collecting” is somewhat “complicated” it had to be the true companion of the existing one… but REPLICA could not then supply… weeks and months of frustration ensued… and a rupture of diplomatic relations too!.

Many months later I explained the case using the first pic in Facebook explaining my dire straits and asking “the world of friends” for solutions or alternatives… I was in some state of acute obsession and anguish (all that fuss for a standartbearer mind… we collectors are mad as hares).

Then, out of the blue (that is a lie he is a long stand facebook friend), Paul Watson (which is also a friend of Andrew Stevens – the REPLICA chap _) offered the perfect solution: he said he could make a cast from a mould and sent it to me from faraway Sheffield… I could not believe it!… one thing is to add likes and hearts to Posts in Facebook… and the other is getting truly involved!… of course I thanked him and after a chat on messenger… I had the idea of asking for two figures! (by then I was asking STEADFAST to send two POM-POM guns to Paul with my heartfelt thanks!… he is into Boers/British)… not everything in this world is a matter of a computer and a VISA card I am afraid… I asked for some suitable arms… and pieces and bits for me too to DORSET/IMPERIAL who sent the flags arms to Paul.

And to cut a long story short yesterday a parcel arrived in ANDORRA by post and my esldest son sent to me the pics of the contents…(see pics below) to my ever lasting surprise Paul did outsmarted me and included an Heliograph party (using the same figure with different arms) consisting of a Highland officer with binoculars, the heliograph and its operator (so two extra figures+heliograph)… nonplussed is the word!

The original box from REPLICA… (and to think that the Gordon’s were added to an order as an afterthought!)

Great box from REPLICA at arrival in Pal.

Here you have it (in fact two) the elusive Ensign!

Now, when my “real life” permits (a bit of a bother of surgery inflicted on me) it will be speedy recovery and painting of those chaps and to complete the collection on the cabinet thanks to Paul Watson!

Of course as colateral benefits the old Ensign would be converted in a RSM for the Gordon’s, and some Artillerymen will be added sponges and shots because REPLICA did all of them in the same stance without accesoires….lol… in due course pics will be provided by yours truly of all those modifications…

A truly satisfied collector I am. The most convoluted “operation” I ever did… lol

Hope you have enjoyed the tale. Cheers!

Here we go again!

Excuse me if you have already seen this pic (my own for a change) 75mm Customized Playmobil (Just the headgear I guess)

Congratulations to the British. The civic attitude was paramount and those public and privately professionally involved gave a lesson on “how it is done”. There is no better example to compare. Long live the King!

This webpage would again be alive as from today with the usual business of giving you your daily ration (or dose) of Toy Soldiers. Cheers.

Mourning

There will be no new posts in this site until the 10 days of official mourning have past. I was born in 1952 and has never been a British subject… but in a way HM Queen Elizabeth the Second (The Great as already are saying) was my Queen too. So it is normal to show due respect and start talking about Toy Soldiers again once the official mourning has passed.