These are still in development and feedback is sought on heads and nations represented. The newsletter comes from info@princeaugust.ie or there is a comment form on their website.
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Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 14 September 2019.
Interesting pre-war 54mm scenery (battle boards) from Hugar – rare and expensive!
A book I am looking forward to as a gift at Christmas is TheIllustratedHistoryofHugar published in Hardcover by Smart Media in 2014 by Paul Brookes. Available through Amazon. Perfect for a 54mm old Toy Soldier gamer …
As original 1930s Hugar buildings are so expensive, the now defunct company of GBE Toy Soldiers used to manufacture replicas.
Hugar style buildings no longer available on GBE soldiers.Again no longer available from GBE Toy Soldiers
Man of TIN AdventCalendarDay3 – Looking up “Toy Soldiers” on the Etsy website is an easy way to lose several hours of an evening (and hopefully not lose or spend too much money).
The Etsy prices are generally not cheap (it is a retro, vintage, crafty, antique sellers platform site) but you do see some fascinating metal and plastic Toy Soldier figures from all over the world including Eastern Europe and America.
Perfect for online “window shopping”.
Shipping sometimes obviously adds prohibitively to costs from outside the U.K.
Disclaimer: Man of TIN cannot be held responsible for the loss of your time or hard earned cash from mentioning toy soldiers and Etsy. Searching for ‘toy soldiers’ on Etsy also occasionally brings up ‘adult’ material / figures.
I have bought from Etsy several times from UK and overseas sellers with no problems.
One set that caught my eye but I didn’t buy (no longer available – ships from Bulgaria http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RETROne?ref=si_shop ) are these interestingly blue uniformed versions of the Airfix 1:32 British paratroopers with very thick bases – Eastern European clones or copies?
I took a screen shot of these for my toy soldier scrapbook, so that now when they are sold and gone from Etsy, I still have the memory. All good reference and research.
Are these Airfix copies from Eastern Europe or an interesting paint job?I’m thinking James Bond super villain defence of secret base forces …Close up shot of Polish made Airfix paratrooper clones from Etsy supplier RetrOne 2018Interesting Imagi-Nations colour scheme for these Airfix British paras?
I hope whoever bought them enjoys them.
I hope that all who see them on this blog or browsing on Etsy enjoy the looking!Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN, Advent Calendar Day 3, Monday 3rd December 2019.
I spotted this Britain’s New Metal Guardsman in the first episode of the new Doctor Who series – and I claim my toy soldier Geek Points!
It appears briefly on a shot of the desk of Ryan, one of the new young companions to a new female Doctor Who (Jodie Whittaker). It stands next to a photo of his Granny, who is another important character in this first episode.
No plot spoilers for you but the presence of the toy soldier hasn’t yet altered the plot.
I haven’t watched Doctor Who for years and years, not properly since my childhood days of watching Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
Blog posted on 10th October 2018 – World Mental Health Day – by Mark, Man of TIN.
Repairs underway – wire spears, masking tape, matchstick, wire and glue leg repairs.
Rainy day last weekend, so a chance to do some more 54mm figure repairs.
These figures are not intended to be fine restorations but were bought as a job lot of bashed up, broken figures to be restored to stout enough condition for future gaming use in the garden or on the tabletop.
Work in Progress
Like several of these figures, these two Cherilea Assyrian looking ‘Saracens’ originally had wide thin bases which would not fit onto a twopenny (2p) base. So it gave me a chance using a strong wire leg to have some quite active, almost balletic battle poses.
Where needed, a Fimo polymer clay base on the metal 2p was made for each figure and baked hard still on the 2p base. The figure was secured to the base when its wire or wooden leg was then glued into place.
First row of figures repaired and rebased on Fimo polymer clay twopenny bases.
I discovered looking up the Cherilea ‘Saracen’ figures that they have some opposition amongst the figures to be mended – an English Archer.
Source Oldtoysoldier auctions reference image online. Repaired Cherilea ‘Saracen’ Warriors and what I have discovered to be an ‘English Archer’ from the same postwar series. They all have certain Flash Gordon quality …
The ‘Robin Hood’ English archer figure again was too wide for the 2p base but for balance, I gave him anatomically too long a leg that touched the ground. I may have to shorten this and put a small gravel rock under his foot. A spare Dorset head was attached, as in keeping as the spares box would manage.
To outer Space
The Hilco / Cherilea spaceman was missing a head and leg, as well as a broken space rifle weapon. A Dorset Soldiers recast of a Britain’s style infantry recast head was the most spacey head I had in my spares box. The astro-mech leg you might recognise from the plastic skeleton’s musical horn standard thingy.
The Hilco Cherilea space figure as mended has some balance problems. Finding pictures of original figures online gave me an idea of what instrument or weapon was being carried – in this case, a sort of space rifle.
A simple podfoot base for his other foot may be required. The Dorset Soldiers head could work as it is, as a robotic face or metal face mask. Alternatively it could have a flesh coloured or green alien skin face.
From the Arctic to the Air Force?
The Timpo Eskimo or Arctic Explorer turned WW1 pilot figure in warm sheepskin clothes has worked well. I have inserted a map or flight docs in his hand, a nice touch that I have seen on another hollowcast pilot figure.
The Eskimo or Arctic Explorer fits in pretty well with the other pilots, alongside my “work in progress” Moshi Monster monoplane conversion to a Thirties biplane.
The other Indian or tribal figures have shaped up nicely. Where possible I have kept the original paintwork.
Three Timpo Indians and a Johillco Zulu repaired and rebased, before further paintwork
A simple metallic copper paint skin tone covers the masking tape repairs well enough. All that is needed now on many figures are some spear tips from plastic scrap or Fimo polymer clay.
(Left) Timpo running brave with spear. (Right) Colorful postwar Johillco Zulu or Maori figure, the broken fragile knobkerry replaced with a spear. Hands Up? Slight differences in the Fimo bases give a bit of variety to these oddly posed Timpo Indians. Two Britain’s Indians on Guard, two Crescent Indians with rifles, badly damaged on the body and largeish Harvey 1950s Indian with spear replacing Tomahawk.
The Crescent Indians with rifles had crush body damage, so I filled gaps by hot glue gun for any large holes and then glued masking tape over these areas.
On one Crescent Indian, I covered some crush damage holes by adding a thick loincloth of several layers of masking tape over the leggings. A few layers of paint should cover the joins.
The largeish Harvey Indian was completely broken in half, so I hot glue-gunned both halves together for a secure join.
I have photographed these figures as they are slowly being repaired, just to keep a record.
I will post pictures of the finished figures when painted and varnished. I look forward to doing the fine details points of faces etc.
A rainy day last weekend, so perfect for getting on with these figure repairs.
Blog posted by Mark, Man of TIN, 22 September 2018.
