A recent acquisition, and one I've been after for a long time, is this figure of King Richard the Lionheart as a crusader, made by Cherilea. It's made in hollowcast lead and has been repainted, but quite sympathetically, so I can live with that, what a shame they never made him in plastic.
When I have a little money, I buy Toy Soldiers; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes. (with apologies to:) ERASMUS
Monday 14 June 2021
King Richard the Lionheart
Saturday 12 June 2021
Paint a toy soldier and win a car, or two!
The French take their coffee and their art very seriously, if you have ever doubted this just take a look at the handbills below. In the 1950's, Mokarex along with several other French coffee manufacturers gave away unpainted plastic model figures as advertising premiums with packets of their coffee. Collecting the figures and painting them became a national pastime, to such an extent that Mokarex sponsored a painting competition for their figures:
Wednesday 9 June 2021
Repairing PZG medievals
For those who might not have come across them before PZG is the Polski Zwiazek Gluchych (Polish Association of the Deaf) and during the Communist regime they used to run employment schemes, one of which was producing toy soldiers. And extremely good toy soldiers at that, I always pick them up whenever I come across them and I've never been too fussy about condition, these three were long overdue for a bit of attention.
Sunday 6 June 2021
Italian Wars Imperial Cavalry
Or at least my interpretation of them, I'm not sure they'd score many marks for accuracy but then they are just toys for playing 54mm wargames. Mostly converted from Britains Deetail knights, except for the rearing figure in the middle which started life as a chess piece from a Harry Potter partwork! The shield designs tie them all together as being part of the same unit, maybe one day I'll get around to doing the French opposition?
You'd think that one set of figures, which are mostly all silver would take no time at all to paint? Not so, these have taken an eon, not that they're difficult but just down to a lack of enthusiasm, it's been a lost year, many, many projects started, hardly any finished.
In the absence of any games to report I may just start posting up random pictures of toy soldiers, these chaps have already featured on Facebook so apologies if you're fed up with seeing them!
Friday 7 May 2021
Austin-Putilov made in Russia
Austin-Putilov armoured car made by MKI the Moscow Toy Plant, it's plastic and looks like the chassis and turrets have been produced in blow moulds. Collector Aleksey Dmitriyev in Russia tells me that it was made in the 1970's or 80s, it feels much earlier to me but there you go, I know virtually nothing about Russian toys, except that I like them! I found these pics while idly searching the net (as you do) and fell in love with it, so I thought I'd share it.