September 2026 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

Playmobil 75mm Danish Guards (very light -easy to do- customs)

Perusing ebay (yes I also do that!) one day I found a Danish Guard (summer gala “red” dress)… I asked about the possibility of having a 10 figures unit but to no avail, good comms by ronald-toys but no deal.

You see… I had them in 54mm traditional toy soldiers gloss finish by Tradition of London… I even asked Giles Brown from Dorset Soldiers (another brand) to make some customs so to have the Band (the music)… sadly I sold my set some years later “to make place”… a collector’s silly mistake! (we all do that I guess… mistakes).

I was never a fan of those sky blue trousers. BUT I liked the normal (undress or no gala) uniform! with dark blue coat… red & sky blue was not a personal choice at all you see?

But… once you get to permutate parts with Playmobils the challenge was there… so… this last summer I started to work on the possibilities…

As usual I bought the basic parts from my main suppliers: Playmoingstore (Carmen&Oscar) and Markus (hannibal-lektor) ebay or on-line shops. But also bought stickers from Playmobil Custom Factory (see on FaceBook)… in fact I used Prussian stickers torsos! (stickers are used sometimes for different “things” that those intended originally)… also some parts from PlaymoBox (sky blue cuffs and closed collar). So the spares box is absolutely magnificent for new projects!… the white strips were there for years and are from BENDALA (bendalator in ebay)… BUT I ordered the “blue service clad guards” from Felipe Barroso (playmofelipe) because I did not know how to get at first instance those trousers with white strip!… So I got the pertinent parcel from him… with them “blue guards in it” and finally I built myself the gala chaps using ACW sky blue legs whith white stickers stripes (bendalator on the spares box for years!) so to have the two versions!

For my ever lasting satisfaction a member of FaceBook put a single word Post tonight: “Price?”… Not selling them… No commercial items… just my hobby for pleasure… I redirect her/him to ronald-toys and will add Felipe Barroso (they do sell them!) … but was gratified by that single word nevertheless… LOL (Her/His Profile is very suspicious! too recent… no activity… but it make my day… LOL)

Royal Danish Guard by ronald-toy (see modern rifle)

My versions with parts build by Felipe Barroso (playmofelipe) Curiously the blue chap has finally my legs and the red chap the Barroso legs for a “better contrast”. It was real fun!

A nearly completed unit. Still thinking about the drummer…

PLAYMOBIL REAL CUSTOMIZED FIGURES. Edited September 2026

I do not have a lot of them, actually they are collection pieces done by true “artists” (IMHO) that go directly to the Cabinet… not to be played with… and even matt finish!

The pics are from Spanish artist PLAYMOFELIPE… and on the pipeline (read September) probably Dominique Junca will deliver D’Hubert & Feraud (The Duellists)… fingers crossed!

Enjoy!

My last addition to the Cabinet… a Vatican Papal Swiss Guard… the best of mercenaries (loyal, sober and true… the perfect soldier… as long as you pay them… a contract is a contract!)… finally did “touch” the buttons see above!

Tintin, Captain Haddock and Milú (CUSTOMS PLAYMOFELIPE)

Spanish Tercio Arquebusier/Musketeer… my own “Captain” Alatriste -young- (before growing a moustache)… 75mm PLAYMOFELIPE

Comandante Franco Primera Bandera de la Legión (El Tercio) años 20 del XX. Custom de Felipe Barroso. Actualmente en el Correo (en tránsito).

And in the End… edited September 2026 (summing up a bit)

The games you play are equal to the games you make…

(or are involved in some way… nobody will propose “wargames” to you if you do not do “something” to be there…)

I could not resist it, saying farewell… knowing when to quit is very difficult (same in a game of poker).

I once painted a “new old toy soldier”… a 54mm (Replica Metal Soldiers Andrew Stevenson) a mounted Inspector General of the NWMP in a dark blue patrol jacket – I enjoyed so much the painting of it that this evolved in a new collecting frenzy! I am currently pestering Andrew to pay for my “last order” (it really is mind) – and all just because a childhood memory.

I was very young when I got a box of mounties (I already had a lot of them) but in that one proudly in front of the lot there he was… a mountie with a dark blue tunic -and yellow gauntlets!- of course it was the commander of the unit!… I always had a crush for that figure (and of course never found one alike)… so in the end I decided to make my own and quite satisfied even if I am going full circle. Of course the original one was lost forever, but I have still 3 “mounties” over 65 years old.

Slightly smaller than DUCAL but exactly as BRITAINS or DORSET SOLDIERS.

They were like that… not mine but I had the same…

Those are the boxes I had at X’mas (well the 6th of January back then because gifts were brought by the three wise men -aka “The Kings” in Spain) or whenever… never got those Life Guards though… Note the difference in size of the two rear ranks! Those were the days!

I am going to update this post with pics and slowly edit the rest, meaning that I think there is always room for improvement.

There he is on its proper place before saluting the flag of the parading mounties.

It was a pleasure comparting posts here… and sure I will post more pics!… and edit existing posts but that’s all. To elaborate would be just a copy/ paste of what I said in my book “My Toy Soldiers and Me” so just peruse sometimes to see editions to come (of the posts of the blog not my book!).

Editing this blog would be much more interesting that writing a lot of new entries…

Renaming and ordering the Posts of the Blog by subjects and categories nowadays. There is a Post explainig that…

Original pic of my DUCAL mounties in the garden (Pal in ANDORRA) not Canada at all I am afraid.

Summing up, my interests on “toy soldiers” were and are wide and large. I do not restrict my activities to a single field or even scale, neither period. No original at all, as you can imagine there is nothing more conservative than the Household Division to collect in 54mm,

Mainly DUCAL (or Fort Ducal), with some Tradition of London, a REPLICA cast painted by me, even some Marlborough and Dorset… and one lonely old Britains for nostalgia sake.

and the rest of my glossy 54’s are in themes: French Foreign Legion (with some Chasseurs d’Afrique and Spahis); This is the large cabinet under the stairs in Pal.

This one is the small cabinet in Pal. Much more heterodox… a sentimental journey full of mementos (memories perhaps!)

French Foreign Legion “square”… have a bit more of them but you get the idea…

As a result of renewing relation with DORSET/IMPERIAL MINIATURES to “square” my FFL I finally got (again) out of hand and finally got hold of a nice French Army! -mainly 99% Dorset-Imperial but with a REPLICA general too!- LOL…;

The French Army late XIXth Century. 99% DORSET SOLDIERS (Antony Spencer)

There are also 4 Paul Watson’s figures there…

Have added some more Cavalry (Centenial Britains) but nearly all are there… 99% REPLICA (Andrew Stevenson)

Tel el Kebir/Rorke’s Drift aka Brits colonials with red tunics and white sun helmets! before khaki;

Mainly Tradition of London with DUCAL Cavalry and a few Dorset (Giles Brown) and RPM

My discovery of REPLICA toy soldiers finally led to a Khaki clad British&Allies little Army… complemented with BRITAINS centenial sets as Bengal Lancers etc and even a Rolls Royce armoured car!…

NWF, Maiwand, Kandahar, The Sudan (Omdurman) etc. Mainly REPLICA, some Dorset, and 4 figures by Paul Watson… Britains Centenial sets of Bengal Cavalry in the rear ranks.

that I also indulged in getting a SIMKIN times red clad British “home army” about half and half REPLICA -well a bit more of REPLICA- and BRITAINS also centennial sets…

Finally completed with the Naval Brigade. Majority of REPLICA, Britains (Centenial sets) and even “Old Britains”

And the Cavalry (half REPLICA half Centenial sets by Britains)

and last but not least NWMP/RCMP; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Captain Brittles last patrol; USA early sets (before WWI); Tradition of London Raj Lancers + conversions of BRITAINS Centenial sets… I even falled (again) for ttwo sets of Scot’s Greys LOL…

Tradition of London Royal West Kent with some conversions (minor) and some DUCAL (the Band and Mounted Officer’s)

The “She wore a yellow ribbon” set… Mainly REPLICA and the ladies by Dorset.

Never did a pic with the 4 units together…

My current last “rabbit hole” USA Marines USMC and Soldiers at the turn of the Century.

As you can see in Collecting Toy Soldiers I Post the minis collected in 54mm have been subject to buy/sell, Scot Grey’s cometh and goeth, same with US Cavalry in gala uniform, Denmark Royal Guard, and some mat finish Spanish miniatures I had because a compulsory swap was made. That is Collecting for me, something alive but with periods of lethargy. Not Original at all I am afraid but a rewarding pastime.

I dedicated a chapter of my book to Collecting (my own experience mind) but the books you need is the one by James Opie: Collecting Toy Soldiers, and THE COLLECTOR’S GUIDE TO NEW TOY SOLDIERS by Stuart Asquith. The former has written many excellent books about Britain’s but THIS ONE is the best of all his production IMHO.

By now it should be named The Collector’s Guide to “OLD” New Toy Soldiers. How time flies by…

Nowadays restricted to skirmishing with Playmobils on 75mm because orders come in a matter of DAYS!… not months as per 54mm glossies. That’s getting old for you!… have commented elsewhere that this is very funny indeed!

Those are much more elaborated… not available commercially I guess! … moderate customs in 75mm

Some NWMP/RCMP (updated the pic)

Wonderful stickers!

So long, pleased to have entertained you a bit!

Cheers.

adb@andorra.ad

METAURUS RIVER BATTLE (really “ancient” boardgame): Full Circle? YES! (edited 2026).

The very first game (or wargame) we played with dice was METAURUS (Great Battles of the World series). It was late fifties or early sixties I do not recall exactly (and do not care a lot about the exact date… could look at it on the net… but it really does not matter…).

It was a hit.

I keep buying boxes of plastic (quite hard) additional soldiers to increase the basic main box contingents. My rivals grew out of all historical proportion… I do not remember exactly if I got 7 or 11 elphants in the end! (guess it was 9!)… a silly disproportion… but got a lot of Roman Cavalry too!… sadly never found Carthaginian Cavalry which existed!… it never ocurred to me to paint Roman Cavalry as Carthaginians!… (I was too young and inexperienced)… (I never was lucky with those boxes of Carthaginian Cavalry!). Our battles were masive and cramped (an early symptom of the vice “IF I ONLY HAD ONE MORE BATTALION”)… I only stoped buying more troops when I run out of space on the “map”… LOL… now I know “those were the best days of my wargaming life”.

Fifty or Sixty years later my brother has produced a commemorative edition of limited number of copies (got number 33 if you are interested in those details), and I do not intend to break the seal of my copy. In that half century (or more) many things have happened… I still can remember how I teached the basic and crude rules to my (back then) little brother… that he will from there to build a company (with partners) that produces tabletop games was only a dream (his) but by now DEVIR (celebrating this days its 25 anniversary of existence) launches tabletop games expected to sell 140.000 copies in Spain alone… or 2.000.000 copies worldwide…

I must say that Mr. Rojas was strongly Roman biased, the games he produced (MEATURO and ZAMA) were Roman Republic highlights!… curiously enough Hannibal and the “Carthaginians Armies” are probably a lot more inspiring because they lost (mainly at sea as in all wars)… Europe is not “oriental” because the Romans won. Never Mr. Rojas produced a game about Ticino, Trebia, Trasimeno or Cannas… and he was probably right (mind!)… those were the ancient “big scare” of the ancient world.

With hindsight an Empire build with “business and commercial values at its core”… aka the Phoenician heirs of CARTHAGO… with mainly mercenary soldiers and dubious allies payed for their military services… with very few real carthaginian soldiers in their Armies was doomed from the start against the “citizen roman soldier of the republic” (probably half of a Republican Army was also Auxiliary troops… but they fought to became proper “roman citizens as a bonus in the end”)… It is a fascinating History. Got us all hooked when very young… we do understand it now. It is a matter of values… the higher values and sacrifices pay in the end.

I can also reflect that the “agrarian” Romans (Primary economical sector mainly) won over a “business commercial” carthaginians (Tertiary sector mainly)… both using the same technologies available (Second sector)… just mention this for fun of course. When Hannibal asked for more troops and supplies -basically money- the business decison of the Cartagho Senate was the wrong one… and that’s that.

But the “scare” was so big that the Romans had to erase Cartago from the face of the Earth… literally… DELENDA EST CARTHAGO!… raze the city and plant salt on their fields so they will never raise again… because it was a “Near Run Thing”. The languages we speak are mainly derived from greek and latin… no one cares about what “carthaginians” spoke…

We never looked back after that boardgame with 54mm plastic minis… of course more than fifty years later the plastic minis are gone and forgotten… years ago I bought metal minis to use the map with them… actually after several tries with Baccus 6mm correct figures (meaning Iberian, Gauls, Carthaginian -a few-, Elephants -small number-, and Republican Romans).

The private edition by my brother is not available commercially if I understood correctly!… will post actualizations once I got my complimentary copy! (After all it was me who introduced my little brother to wargames at a very early age… that he later will transform that passion into a business still puzzles me!).

Enjoy!