Not complaining at all because the order from 2023 arrived on 2025!… quality compensates in spades.
The “cottage” industry of Toy Soldiers has that… limited production… long queueing… but SATISFACTION!
The Toy Soldiers Britains never did… not in its heyday (classic times)… not in his centenary sets either… bespoke orders… simply fantastic output.
You can also buy from him… see replica metal model soldiers in google or email “HQ@replicametalsoldiers.co.uk” HQ@Replicametalsoldiers.co.uk and just wait to be satisfied… it helps if you are not in your seventies like me!
Enjoy.
Line Infantry Charging!Rifles firing.Royal Fuziliers…“THE” General… of REPLICA’s fame!And something completely different… an armoured car (Rolls&Royce) if you please… a model a bit late for my period… but I guess the fact that is a secret prototype can adapt well to my needs!
Followers of this website must know I am now collecting sets of the BRITAINS CENTENIAL COLLECTOR SERIES (1993)… to use in AGW Old school wargames.
With the Infantry there is no issue as they come in sets of 6… so two sets makes a complete Unit and that’s it. On the contrary Cavalry Sets have 4 Cavalrymen… you buy two boxes and then you have two redundant figures (redundant is a term I do not use at all) to be converted in something else.
Bought two sets of the 4th Hussars and then one trumpeter and one sergeant were promptly repainted to represent another regiment of Hussars of SIMKIN times… they will be added to the General Staff (A General always needs a trumpeter and a flag!)… or whatever… had fun messing with them… still not gloss varnished mind… probably work a bit more with the flag too (in the pic it is not correct… mend it by now!)… and why not paint the trumpeter’s horse white? (done too!)
Enjoy!
“New” Standardbearer… the flag is wrong and has been repainted!The other side…Ex-4th Hussars…Finally painted the horse white.Original and Conversion.Also painted the horses lancers in other colours… too many blacks as it is!They still lack gloss varnish… but you get the idea…
I expect some brigades of Infantry from Andrew Stevenson before the 30th of June of 2025.
They do mix very well indeed even if the design and finition of REPLICA is superior, a case of the disciple surpassing the master.
Will add pics of the Hussars once conversions finished.
Enjoy!
The whole collection so far…The Highland Brigade.Royal Marine Artillery and Westminster Rifles (Territorials)The Cavalry minus the Hussars (not finished).Royal Artillery (DORSET SOLDIERS) and BRITAINS LINE INFANTRY in the background.
I am nowadays buying some of this sets to hurriedly complete some projects (British SIMKIN times Army and others…).
I can not wait for the more traditional way of collecting. Probably some of this units will be “embellished” with paintjobs in the near future… I can do that mind!
Just thought to mention that for me the only “toy soldier shop” available nowadays is ebay… and that’s that… nearly instant satisfaction… at nearly 73 years old is what I need in spades!
Enjoy!
Recent arrivals… the General is a Dorset figure…Royal Marines ArtilleryBritish Hussars (two of them would be “converted”.AGW UnitTerritorials in a way…A fast way of completing your Armies!
Box 1Box 2Box 3The two sets of Victorian (SIMKIN TIMES) CavalryThee Highland BrigadeForefront 6th Dragoon Guards (Carbineers) and 16th lancers in the rear rank. Pic “in process” by Andrew Stevenson.
Finally here! (meaning ANDORRA)
They are part of a larger order… but Cavalry always have an extra appeal to me.
In 2023 (by the last months) I placed an order with Andrew Stevenson (REPLICA METAL MODEL SOLDIERS)… this is part of it.
Intended to be a part of a little British Army to play AGW (Yes you’ve guessed right I will of course mess with the original rules!)
Never thought the vast amounts of patience needed nowadays to collect “la creme de la creme” (si j’ose dire)… days, weeks, months, more than a year sometimes… but well worth the wait.
The problem (main) is not the wait itself… it is my age LOL)… time is now an issue…
You can not “hurry up” Andrew… he is IMHO an “artist”… multiple interests…. multiple ranges…. multiple novelties…. multiple objectives… he also collects!…. whatever… Probably the best if you are affected by BRITAIN’s nostalgia… I have never indulged in collecting “antiques” if you think pre-WWII (or WWI for that matter) Toy Soldiers…. do not have the time… neither the money (or budget)… neither the interest (pure or purist). On the contrary I do collect NOW the Centennial sets by Britain! (You need all sorts you know…).
The use of REPLICA models in wargames is a bit of an heressy as I considere them “collector’s items” on their own right!. But boy do they bring “class” to your tabletop…
Curiously enough this cast (unpainted) was one of the first minis I ever painted myself (as it was mean to be… red tunic & all… and there it is still in my collection). One day I noticed I did not have thought of buying from DUCAL a RSM… so… I bought from Tradition of London the kit again and have painted in a new version with pace stick (a bit of steel paper clip).
There you have it hope you like it.
There… it only lacks the gloss finish… will add when dry!
Was bored while they were doing repairs of the garage door… after all 30 years for a motor is enough… so they had to change it!… meanwhile I took some snapshots with my mobile phone to pass the time.
Here they are.
You’ve seen the cabinets many times before… but this is a new approach I guess…
First I did the RCMP Band… and was pleased by the pic…So I went on and did the Grenadier Guards Close-up.The Band of the Scots Guards (Pipes and Drums out of the pic)A clse-up of my staff car (Dorset Soldiers)And finally King Charles III (A REPLIC Cast painted by me) new addition to command the Household Division after the regretted dead of Queen Elizabeth II.
I will replace (finally not) those pics with new one’s “out of the boxes” when coming back from holidays… summer is hot even in Andorra!… done partially!
So for the moment just enjoy like this… fresh from the parcel!
I even did not take pics of a drummer and some dogs!
In a hurry it was… mind!
2025 order has been placed already (French Chasseurs of the Line aka light Infantry; two units of French line Infantry, a mounted ADC… and a special “Mildred Natwick” as cast in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON)
Have added new pics…
And an interesting experiment… with chatgpt.com (that was before changing a bit the order)… LOL
I will replace those pictures with new ones “out of the boxes” when I return from my holidays. Summer is hot even in Andorra! I’ve done it partially, so for the moment, just enjoy it like this—fresh from the parcel! I didn’t even take pictures of a drummer and some dogs; I was in a hurry, you know! I’ve already placed my 2025 order for the French Chasseurs of the Line (light infantry), another unit of French line infantry, and a special “musique de la Legion.” I’ve added new pictures as well. (Same text using chatgpt.com). LOL
The “missing drummer” completes the unit! Thanks Antony!She wore a Yellow Ribbon (Joanne Dru).The whole outfit.Mules and new ADC…British Artillery (late XIXth)British Artillery deployed for action.French Artillery with Infantry support.French Line Infantry (187o amd later)Properly “unboxed”…French Marines (marsouins)Same with the Marsouins!French line artillery…French Line Artillery deployed.British Colonial Machine Gun Servers…Deployed.Guides NWF Vickers servers…Deployed too!… I searched for this fellows since I saw eons ago Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Gary Cooper blowing his whistle deploying the machine guns… fantastic job by Dorset Soldiers!French 75mm guns, British 13 pounders and machine gun with carriage.
I have always been fascinated by horses (lead toy horses I am afraid), films with horses in them I am a fan… but my experiences with real horses are almost nil, once I rided a horse in a tourist promenade (about 1 hour) and only can recall the vast amount of flies they carried with them.
Lead toy horses are “cleaner”… and they behave… lol
As Oscar Wilde said they are dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle… probably an exaggeration to make a laugh…
Enjoy!
RCMP Inspector (my avatar) REPLICA painted by me…Captain Brittles (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon)… REPLICA painted by me…HRH King Charles III (REPLICA painted by me)Winston Churchill as a subaltern in the 4th Hussars… (REPLICA painted by me)French Officer (DORSET SOLDIERS) painted by me… I already had the horse bought painted and asked for a suitable cast from Antony Spencer.Churchill at Omdurman… converted and painted by me…using DORSET SOLDIERS castings. (In fact I already had the painted horse)
