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…there he is…The gala uniform.Close upBoth Units
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!… and of course MAZAS CATAPULTAS will also deliver a pair of medievals…
Enjoy!
After more than 50 years of marriage here we are together in the cabinet… actually all those cars we did have in our time… but not at the same time!… one after the other! LOL (The Rolls Royce was my wife father pet… the Triumph Spitfire my wife… the Morgan Plus 4 and the Lotus Elise were mine…Some of mine in the cabinet…It lacks only 4 more figures, two are The Duellists by Dominique Junca -see below- and two from Mazas Catapultas a real specialist in medieval times… one would be Prince Valiant the other one an ancestor. If you look closer you will see the buttons on the Swiss Guard coat have been redone by me.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 PLAYMOFELIPEAnother view to show the sword.Comandante Franco Primera Bandera de la Legión (El Tercio) años 20 del XX. Custom de Felipe Barroso. Actualmente en el Correo (en tránsito).Working on them myself (light customs)Armand d’Hubert (Creation Dominique Junca)Gabriel Féraud (Dominique Junca)A X’mas truce? (Dominique Junca creations)One of my ancestors… IX Century or so.This is mine… the mounted one is a gift for my brother! (Mazas Catapultas)Prince Valiant! (Mazas Catapultas)
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…
The pic was done without some units…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)21st LancersI painted horses different colours…The “She wore a yellow ribbon” set… Mainly REPLICA and the ladies by Dorset.Always loved a bit of “colour”Never did a pic with the 4 units together…Even managed to do two “conversions”A better (and actual) pic I guess…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.
Indispensable.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!
Of course British Guards… LOLThose are much more elaborated… not available commercially I guess! … moderate customs in 75mm
Some NWMP/RCMP (updated the pic)
Wonderful stickers!
The gallant 600. An hommage to Javier Jimenez (MALONE) probably the best resine headgear maker ever… the hat does the trick!
Slowly getting there. The 7th Cavalry built for the Little Big Horn 1876 campaign doubles nicely as the ACW Michigan Brigade just changing hats for kepis. Custer is a different figure and uniform.
Curiously I like to confront a real unit with a fictional one, the Confederates are the Texas Light Cavalry of Dusty Fog literary fame (but I guess some real units can be done just getting a new commander because there are very good real one’s!).
Added the horses from the pool (pool of horses and equipment ALWAYS!), and got the appropiate sabers, pistols, carabines and what not.
Hope you enjoy.
The Michigan Brigade. The Union Cavalry can be increased at whim because I have a lot of them.Frontal view.The REBS outfit (waiting for some grey kepis to arrive).Frontal view (with provisional hats)Grey kepis and hats have arrived! Have to paint the visors black though…Painted and varnished kepis visors
After a long interval I decided to play some skirmishing with small units, got plenty of yankees but no Rebs remaining in my collection, so a bit from here and there (grey kepis still in transit), and here we are, nearly ready to play!
Dusty Fog rides again!… but also the Michigan Brigade & G.A.Custer… I also am going to modify the guidon of the Rebs to enhance a bit.
They are perfect for small scale wargames.
Enjoy
Two versions of G.A. Custer (if I have to choose I prefer been a Custerophile)No horses needed at the momentAnother view
We checked all the figures, added a few lost items (very few), did some changes of headgear (mainly ADC’s), took a lot of pics, and enjoyed the time.
Their collections are in great shape as you can see in the pics. Armies usually have 4 line Infantry Units (regulars), 1 Light Company, 1 Grenadier Company; two units of Cavalry: Light Dragoons and Cuirassiers; Artillery (a couple of pieces); Sappers, and even a Doctor and assistants. Actually the Armies also have a mounted spy (masked) and a Religion Priest. Plenty of Generals and ADC’s too of course. Mainly the figures are straightaway from Playmobil figures and pieces (you are really spoilt for choice in the “tricorne period”) and apart from some resin headgear variations for the sake of shaking a bit the “uniformity” it is fairly easy to build your Armies. Old School Wargaming is probably the best approach IMHO
BTW the Red Army (British) is in the hands of the younger of my grandsons, but I do not mess with it because he is too young to take it too seriously and has to parade them a few years more I guess.
I reread the rules “Three Inch Glory” wargaming (XVIII Century) available for download free in google, recently they added a skirmish rules for 10/12 figures I must read too!
As usual an image is worth a thousand words, so here they are.
Enjoy
A set of rules (the only one I know).The back of the headgear of the Grenadiers.A basic unit, a company of regulars of the “white Army” (Spanish or Austrian is just a matter of clipping the right colours in the hands of the standard-bearers)Sorry for the “angle” but it was the only way to get a pic of the table.The White Army Light Dragoons.The White Army Cuirassiers.Cavalry Commander with guidon bearer.The Grenadiers of the Blue Army (French or Prussian if need be)The basic Unit a regular Company of Infantry.In the front facing left the Cavalry of the Blue Army (looking right you can see the backs of the White Army Cavalry Units).A close up.The Blue Army Light Dragoons (resin helmets by Javier Jimenez – MALONE-)
The Blue Army Cuirassiers.
The Blue Army Colours (French in this case)A French King with dog. (In fact is based on a Prussian King figure!)The White Army Colours (Spanish this time)
This is a summing up, there are more Posts in this present web page about Playmobil Toys… probably never intended to become Toy Soldiers (in the true sense) at all mind, but the GEOBRA brand did enjoy producing Pirate Ships and Romans (probably very reality hard core violent subjects in the real world)… so it is more a matter of deluding themselves I guess.
The Sport of Kings it was called, and small profesional Armies took rendez-vous (more or less) shooted a bit to each other and claimed victory (sometimes both sides) see Barry Lyndon film.
Football and TV had not yet been invented so you had to do something completely different if you follow my thoughts.
Seriously, the potential as entertaining friendly wargaming is there, I recognized, collected, customized, and give as a gift to my grandchildren (I am more into lead Toy Soldiers myself). But still have kept some in my own collection!
Yesterday, we took a look at their collections, well preserved (to my surprise!) and reorganized the whole lot. It was my intention (completely wrong) to buy from them instead from ebay the imaginary “scraps” of the lot because I feared once interest outgrown it is always the bin nowadays… LOL… WHAT A SURPRISE!… Now I will probably buy some items (the less interesting that anyway they will inherit no matter what!) to give them pocket money… but will preserve their collections (the best parts)… and stop messing about with them. Sometimes with the best of intentions you are proved completely wrong!
If I have time (and interest) I will probably write a fastplay set of rules for them. (I only know about the “3,5 inch rules” that are not bad at all… but I love them more concise and not so complicated.
Have some pics (I will add more today I think!) as a summing up.
One of my pet formations…Shades of TOMBSTONE…Tim Tyler’s LuckDid those customs myself long agoI added a RSM todayColonel Le Sage and the three Geste brothers (Michael, John and Digby)Some characters Union ACWTexas Light Cavalry Company C (Dusty Fog’s own)The whole 7th Cavalry marching to destiny about June 25th 1876…Yesterday pic, nice Spanish Grenadiers with custom headgear. More pics today.Finally displayed on a bookshelve.Detailadded a bugleadded my personal avataradded a painted by me dogHow time flies!… I remember showing my grandsons how to parade them… they have grown up a lot! the elders are 18 and 16 this year, the youngest is already 12!… and I thought (maybe wrongly) that their interest would have faded and toys forgotten… BTW my fourth is a girl going on 8 years old and she has also her own lot!I heavily customized some characters in their collections, and it was FUN!Those are my personal pets (I still have some in my collection… YES… I have a small collection myself too!)The Band of the Guards took me a lot of time to complete… hard to find Tubas I remember.Trooping the Colour is one of my pet subjects in any scale…The drummer’s callThe Escort to the ColourFrontal viewPresenting the ColourSuiteGoping to give to the EnsignHere it isCarry On!Going to Troop the Colour…Ready to goClose upRSMAerial viewLateral viewDetailA nice one!Guess you get the idea!Have changed the eapulettes of the Officer’s… they look better now.More changes…Even the HRH Queen (Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip (and other officers have been also modified thanks to the counsel of Mr. Angus Mac Legol)French Foreign Legion (I sold some of them)… the rest are for keeps.
There you have it… a collection of pics is better than a long text… this is what I did in 2023… from bottom to top chronologically I am afraid!
I enjoyed the lot of projects. Some come out of nowhere… some were convoluted… some straightforward…
How the mind wanders in a year… seriously considering selling my Playmobil Collection on Ebay nowadays… lack of interest by my grandchildren… and need of space… that happens…
Hope you enjoy my recollections!
Finally varnished, dry, and ready to play!Command Group detail!lanyard corrected!A nice little collection in Kakhi by REPLICA
I do not remember if I did that on 2023… but probably! DORSET SOLDIERSMy only 42MM soldier! B series by REPLICAThe SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON project!Union Cavalry in 6mm (Baccus)6MM Nile Gunboat (Daniel Hodgson REVEILLE production)Rorke’s Drift in 6MM (Baccus Minis and Leven Buildings)My avatar in 75mm. Playmobil customThe Charge of the Heavy Brigade (Crimea 1854) 6mm Baccus Proxies!Repainted central Toy Soldier (substitution in the collection)The finished Brigade of Guards Crimea 1854 (Baccus Proxies and a lot of work involved!)The “NEW” additions (Lt. Chard and Lt. Bromhead) in their proper place. DORSET SOLDIERS.Display of finished units! REPLICA and DORSETStaff Car and Motorcycles escort!Chard and Bromhead by DORSETXIXth Corps d’Afrique (French) in 54MM… now complete. DORSETConfederates in 6MM (Baccus)The whole Heavy Brigade (Crimea) 6MM Baccus proxies.My ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG Wargame 6MM Baccus (At the end of the game)Another view.Playmobils 75MM… seriously considering selling my collection of them in 2024! But not those…Saganne in 54mm Dorset Soldiers casting painted by me…Nathan Brittles last patrol in 6MM Baccus Proxies (Pony Wars and a scratchbuild Olivia Dandridge aka Joanne Dru).I did this “conversion” for a W.S.Churchill at OMDURMAN…. Dorset Soldiers cast!French Foreign Legion by Dorset Soldiers waiting Varnish (Gloss of course!)PLAYMOBIL customized by me NWMP.Last but not least!… this is what I remember… (fondly).
