BLOG – Page 29 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

New additions to my Collection from Dorset Soldiers 54mm (also Imperial Miniatures nowadays)

It could have been titled “The Art of Waiting”… but to be fair the deadline of the 30th of June has closely been respected (more or less). Ask for Antony Spencer if you need something… quite helpful and to the point if you know what I mean… a worthy successor of the retired Giles Brown.

What’s Important… really important is the magnificent painting job done on those Toy Soldiers… sometimes they do not like Toy Soldiers at all… as the Duke once said : “By God they frighten me!”

Will post again when received and added to the rest of the Collection.

Enjoy!

The lot.

British Artillery. Mountain Guns by TRADITION OF LONDON and other various makers (RPWorld Models and others).

I am not a fan of Artillery, give me an Infantry Soldier or a Cavalry one any time… I do not know why but it is so… As an Infantryman myself I suppose I do not like to be a target of incoming Artillery fire… whatever… I do not have an extensive collection of models about that theme.

But of course you need them if a completist.

Enjoy!

Above two sets of Mountain Batteries. Below Guns and Machine Guns.

British Colonial Cavalry. Ducal 54MM.

Red Coated Dragoons and Blue clad Lancers (17th)… Zulu War times more or less.

Once I finished collecting Household Troops I went Colonial for a while… there was always something of interest in the Ducal Catalogue… and if it was not there you politely asked if it could be done… as the fictional standard or colour of the lancers!

Enjoy!

British Foot Guards in my Collection.Ducal 54MM

When I was a child I was fascinated by those red coated Guards… got a box of Britains with Coldstream Guards… and then when I started collecting “seriously” they were my first addiction… I bought books about them and slowly it dawnwd on me that it was five different Regiments! LOL

Well… there they are (with some other minis just for fun)

Enjoy!

Pomp and Circumstance. The Household Cavalry (DUCAL 54mm)

There are parts of my Collection that do not move at all… they were completed to my satisfaction and that’s that.

BUT… if I started anew they would be the first one’s I will build… see what I mean?

The British Household Cavalry Life Guards and Blues&Royals is that special part of my voyage ineludible because I was always in awe of the magnificent pageantry and display.

So here you have them in all their splendid uniforms.

Enjoy!

Shelves display in a Cabinet 54mm Toy Soldiers

Long long long ago I bought 54MM Toy Soldiers in a regular basis.

I did collect what was my fancy when a child, I have to admit that I was so busy (in my real life) that usually they come out of the box and straight into the cabinet (not much time to play when in age of working).

Nowadays retired I can display at leisure, but somehow TIME slips by and projects are very slow in coming to fruition.

I am waiting for some painted Toy Soldiers since last November (2022), also casts in 54mm too that now I paint myself (I enjoy doing that).

And some odds and ends in 6MM… including a River Nile British Gunboat thanks to the courtesy of Daniel Hodgson.

It is hard to wait for them!

Enjoy!

The late Queen Elizabeth II and some “specials” from DUCAL

Collecting 54mm Toy Soldiers

When you collect in 54MM… the basic scale for that… you can do it on Military Subjects or even Civilian…

But the final choice is product of a Fun attitude!

Those are from my private Collection for once… (also tomorrow’s Post).

Enjoy!

Holmes&Watson telling Lestrade they are going to take a Hansom Cab. RPWorldModels

Policeman and Medical personnel…RP.WorldModels

Those above are not mine but they look 54mm and an inpressive lot!

FREE BOOK : MY TOY SOLDIERS AND ME (second edition revised & updated)

You can download for free on the top right column clicking on the cover… it would take a minimum of time (about 3 minutes) because of the original colour pics (BTW the captions of them are silly printed at the end of the book… I do not know why but in 2016 it seemed a good idea!).

To cut a long story short one day I read you could edit and publish a book quite easily! (autoedit a book using createspace)… just on the point of ending my professional life as an architect I decided to write a book about my experiences with Toy Soldiers (my daughter counseled that better than writing about urban planning&landscape because I would hurt less people).

So I did, for a while I sold copies through amazon.com and amazon.co.uk (and even a Spanish version in amazon.es)… guess that I sold around two or three hundred copies including the kindle version. So far so good.

Then the IRS started pestering me about my supposed benefits… the correction of the English version costed far more that the pitance I got from the book returns… and I simply retired the copies from createspace. No vanity after all… it was fun for a while.

Then one day I asked my eldest son (a computer engineer with a doctorate and several masters I do not know how to explain myself…) if it would be possible to hang in this present webpage a downloadable free copy… and he said yes no problem!

So, there you have it!… the first drafts date back to 2006 or 2008… it was first written in Spanish (my maternal language)… and I assure you nobody was interested in Spain at all!… LOL… So I translated it myself to English (where the hobby still exists… I thought!) with awful results (the black cover first edition) and then once the critics in amazon said it was good intentioned but ilegible… I decided to put a remedy and then I paid for the services of a profesional corrector (something the IRS does not take account for). and there you have it.

BTW I pay my taxes in Andorra dutifully!

What happened after 2016 is in the Facebook Group under the title (obviously) MY TOY SOLDIERS AND ME…and this webpage/blog.

Enjoy!

21st Lancers at OMDURMAN

Winston Churchill rode with them at Omdurman… a favourite subject of Britain’s factory and others…

Enjoy!

The complete set once the last three figures arrived (Antony Spencer (DORSET SOLDIERS) did the arms conversions of Colonel Martin-Standard-bearer-and Young Winston)

Here is easy to see the work on the hides colours of the horses (originally all black).

My Own 6mm Unit (any British lancer Regiment)

I am doing a 54mm UNiT too, using “NEW” Britains (Centenial series), and YES I do paint the horses because all black is much unrealistic! Nearly finished nowadays (see the first 4 pics).

A matter of ADC’s

I must be boorish today talking about me projects… you see I am still “squaring” units, so while DORSET SOLDIERS does the last 16 soldiers to complete ny British Army (Khaki)… I am doing some odds and ends because of some old horses I got (do not remember why at all)… First I did Young Winston (see elsewhere in this Blog)… now I am working on Charles Saganne (Depardieu) as a French ADC (mounted) … he is already primed for paint… and his horse has got a new “rouleau” just for the fun of it! (I am getting better with plasticine or milliput)

More to the point a couple of dismounted ADC’s for the British Army (see pic).

And what is even much more fun a couple of motorcycle riders! Full circle I guess (they were my first toys those kind of chaps!)…

So … try to Enjoy!