Alejo Dorca – Page 30 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

54mm Cavalry Officer’s Minis bought already painted

It is a pleasure to collect in 54MM… because it remains the Toy Soldier scale par excellence.

Sometimes I do order them by Post, sometimes I buy in Ebay (less frequently).

In any case the results have been quite satisfactory so far.

REPLICA and DORSET/IMPERIAL SOLDIERS are just two of the best manufacturers around.

Enjoy!

Bought on Ebay (expensive way of collecting).

General Wolseley painted by Andrew Stevenson (REPLICA) one of my first ever buys from REPLICA.

French ADC post 1870 painted by Antony Spencer (DORSET SOLDIERS or IMPERIAL MINIATURES)

REPLICA: My last Three Mounted 54MM Toy Soldiers (casts painted by me)

I am getting older for all that. But for a last effort in 54MM they are not so bad… after all they ARE Toy Soldiers!

Next would be basing some 6mm Baccus 24th Colonial Zulu Wars Infantry and then to the wargames table.

I always seem to think I have finished my collection (in the sense that I won’t paint anymore excepting maintenance…)

Collecting already painted boxes of Toy Soldiers still goes on. And my orders for 2024 are done, sent and agreed upon… so in due time in the next months they would appear here.

Also plan to post some pics of the excellent work of Antony Spencer from Dorset Soldiers and Andrew Stevenson from REPLICA METAL MODEL SOLDIERS.

Enjoy!

PS: YES! they still lack the gloss varnish but I always wait about a week to do that… a lesson learned in 25mm (silver and gold colors tend to wash all over if not properly dried!)

From left to right: Scot Guards Brigadier (VC); HRH King Charles III; and last but not least W.S.Churchill as a 4th Hussar.

Toy Soldiers: Vignettes to end a collection

You must be tired of my wanderings, but that surely completes the big cabinet.

Now, if only Andrew Stevens admits orders in September I would be sorely tempted in adding three or four figures to the other cabinet…

Nurses and a Medical Officer (STEADFAST)

And the Military Policemen set by STEADFAST

Could not resist adding Lestrade (Plian Clothes Detective STEADFAST)

The joint Band of Life Guards/Blues&Royals in State dress.

Those musicians are badly needed in any Trooping the Colour ceremonial.

Incidentally as spectators you have the Duke of Wellington, the Emperor of the French N.B. and Admiral Nelson… the only Napoleonic 54MM in my collection.

Enjoy!

The Gordon’s REPLICA 1880

The Gordon’s REPLICA original set complemented by Paul Watson’s casts and still pending additions (to be also painted by me) from Imperial/Dorset… LOL

Got three more minis already primed and pending painting in detail… a bugler and two pipers with pith helmet from IMPERIAL/DORSET miniatures…

The Heliograph duo was a gift from Paul… one really makes friends in Facebook!

54mm Toy Soldiers from Tradition of London (Ceremonial Troops)

I have been collecting sets from Tradition of London from decades… I was actually a bit distracted by others periods and scales… but they are always on my mind.

I recently put an order to give a bit of colour at one of my cabinets and Erik supplied (quite fast!) the following set: 1 Officer (British), an NCO (Indian) and two lancers for 4 Regiments with different uniforms… so far so good.

Once the parcel arrived one of the lance shafts was broken above repair and so I contacted them. A replacement is on its way… EXCELLENT service and Communications…

As I loath to gave anything away I did a bit of repairing on the “broken” lancer and he has been raised in rank (twice…LOL) and decorated… and sent the pics to Erik if that can help other customers…

Here are the pics of the little tale…

Enjoy

See broken lance above left.

Detail.

Inspected and small “retouching”

Raised to Corporal (and out of bits of the lance to have a pacing stick)

Raised to RSM and decorated… I did not want to threw it away you know… I try to never do that… sometimes looks good enough!

Finally the replacement (FREE) arrived and the set is complete. Thanks to Erik from Tradition of London for an excellent service.

54mm Toy Soldiers: New organization of the display, my collection is now parted in ceremonial/marching units and those able to wargame with (II)

The move is completed.

See the cabinets in Andorra la Vella: Three kinds of British Armies (Khaki-White FSH-SIMKIN times); Two (but complementary) kinds of French Armies (Basically North of Africa / Colonial and more Continental/Regular one). They are my “best enemies” always.

Some exotic units are also there Second US Cavalry (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon) and lots of Bengal Lancers.

Still waiting some reinforcements but nearly there. Probably this year I will top the needs… never the capricious sudden whims (I know).

Enjoy

REPLICA last parcel completed the SIMKIN period! (One unit of French Dragoons arrived to give a touch of class to the French Army!). The Naval Brigade is simply amazing… the First Service obtained at last! (thanks to Andrew Stevenson)

The British Collection: REPLICA – BRITAINS (old/new) – Tradition of London – Steadfast/R.P Models – DUCAL – and some Dorset Soldiers too!

Collection is completed… which does not mean I can always add one off’s, specials or sudden whims! But the core of the 3 British Armies is done!… at last…

Mainly the French Collection with on the top US Cavalry, Bengal Lancers, Scot’s Greys and 21st Lancers at Omdurman. Mainly Dorset Soldiers – REPLICA – BRITAINS (New) – and a bit of Tradition of London.

French Cavalry added to their place… not long to complete that Army too!

54mm Toy Soldiers: New organization of the display, my collection is now parted in ceremonial/marching units and those able to wargame with (I)

As a matter of fact, it was obvious enough… once the table and painting area has been moved and put together. The cabinets in Andorra la Vella now stock all the Toy Soldiers with wargaming potential (quite Old School). Will add more pics tomorrow.

Now Pal holds the marching figures and ceremonial units.

See pics.

Enjoy

Bengal Lancers added after a simple reorganization and redistribution.

The old set up (the one you have seen many times) has been modified!

The way to move them without casualties.

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

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 infantry from Dorset… lack green bases still…

French Line Infantry Charging… same as above.

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”.

Close up of the iron clip bit glued on to get “balance”

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!

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

Only a coat of gloos varnish and that’s it!

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.

Royal Navy Landing Party completed as a 12 sailors unit… at last

Filling gaps on the RPWorldModels (Steadfast) sets. (Front)

Two 21st lancers officer’s have been transfered to other Regiments!

54MM Tradition of London set evolved to”MY” Royal West Kent Regiment

It sounds silly maybe, but I first bought a box of them in the old Tradition of London shop (no longer there I fear). And it expanded… and grow… and I even painted some casts myself… and asked for specials to Jack Duke (DUCAL) who obliged… and then he did the Colours… and the Band… and I did the Pioneers… and it took years to complete as it is now… and had lots of FUN doing it!

So here you have it (I did a Post showing a close up of the Band no long ago), A General’s Inspection of The Royal West Kent in 54mm (Three shelves in the small cabinet in Pal).

Enjoy!

Nowadays only two shelves because a bit of reoganization of the display! see below at the end (a new pic)