54mm Toy Soldier Collection: Folding up!… filling gaps on the ranks and “final steps”

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I’ve been collecting gloss Toy Soldiers in 54mm (and other scales) for what it seems forever, and believe it or not I can see the end of it. A collection you will learn is never complete or “finished” but the addition of items slows and becomes much more sporadic.

If you have minimally programmed objectives one day they will come true, and that’s that. Of course items seems to continue appearing on the radar from time to time… and then collectors act and add them to the collection without a second thought!

To be fair, in my particular case I am nowadays rounding up units (or Armies) Recently from Tradition of London I got about 6 painted pieces and 4 castings to be painted by me. Also waiting from STEADFAST nine Toy Soldiers to complete sets. My yearly order from DORSET is being done by Antony Spencer, and only one more order has to be shipped to me by Andrew Stevenson from REPLICA fame.

French Line Dragoons with lances (circa after 1870)… REPLICA METAL MODEL SOLDIERS (You can not go wrong with them!)
Another view (spectacular!)… Years trying to get those!

As you will see in the pics the world is not perfect at all and even some mishaps occur, the painting jobs of the added Toy Soldiers by Tradition of London did not match the old one’s (and that from the same company mind!), so I am repainting the bits that offend my aesthetical eye. Even more strange I got 4 casts missing a bit of the right foot (with the consequence -obvious- that the toy soldiers did not stand upright… because “unbalanced” was the result (steadiness is of course expected from the British Infantry!…pun intended) a tricky job… repair included gluing little bits of iron clip to the right foot, a bit of plasticine to “reconstruct” the boot, and then the painting job would be possible (will add pics of course when all finished). In the process I had to cut out the nice bayonets because one was already “falling off”.

Right arms are not glued on yet
Close up of the iron clip bit glued on to get “balance”
Drying the superglue is a chore
Had to repair a third time… but I am quite stubborn!
First coat of imprimation. In the end I had to cut out the bayonets because one was nearly out anyway… a pity mind!
Primed coat of preparation
By now the right foot is not a very nice piece of modeling but seems to hold on tight (what it was all about I guess)
They now have equilibrium and that was the point of the work on them
step by step does it
Working the flesh parts
Red stripes on trousers
Added black today
Only bright red needs to be applied
Only a coat of gloos varnish and that’s it!
Varnished
Their place in the ranks is allotted
End od Story!
The one on the right is the original one, the middle one has only been partially mended, and the left one waits for the correct shade of sky blue colour.
Slowly getting there I guess
Royal Navy Landing Party completed as a 12 sailors unit… at last
Rifles all done.
Rifles also completed
Filling gaps on the RPWorldModels (Steadfast) sets. (Front)
Back
Finally home!
Collection completed!
Black Watch
Detail
24th Foot
Two 21st lancers officer’s have been transfered to other Regiments!
Heavy Cavalry
A much needed Field Officer
Working table

Author: Alejo Dorca

Born in 1952. Married in 1976. Two sons and a daughter. 4 grandsons to date, 3 boys and a girl. Arquitect in 1978. Retired in 2016 aprox. Lifelong Toy Soldiers aficionado.