The World of Toy Soldiers

During the XIX century, an occidental artistic movement called Orientalism reached a peak and had an impact on various creative spheres, from architecture to painting, litterature and music. This month, King and Country announced a figure that can be considered as a tribute to XIX century orientalism: the AE079 - The Egyptian Harpist.

In the world of toy soldiers, most of the pieces are related to more or less violent themes. However, there are some toy soldiers that are not following this trend. Such is the case with the new group of voyageurs by John Jenkins Designs. Of course the voyageur had their share of conflicts with other voyageurs, first nations and wilderness, but this new collection is all about partying. So let’s look at the first piece of this new series: JJ-WSP-50 - Jean-Claude Clymer And Didier Dupont.

Building a D-Day collection using pieces by King and Country can be quite fun. They have quite a huge selection of figures allowing collectors to recreate plenty of different scenes from the Battle of Normandy. However, when it comes to the landing itself, this can be tricky. Landing ships are not always available and when they get released, they usually sell fast. Luckily for us, not only one but two new landing ships were released this month: The DD335 - Royal Navy LCVP 1335 and the DD336 - Royal Navy LCVP 1324.

Like this month was the 262th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, we will have a look at one piece related to this event: the JJ-QF-33 - BÉARN STANDARD BEARER. This item, produced by John Jenkins Designs a few years ago, is from a now collection where more and more figures got retired. So covering this figure while it is still available might be a good idea.

September 13th 1759, French and British met in Québec City for a battle that would reshape North America. The Battle did not last long and was certainly not one of the bloodiest with only 174 dead. Nonetheless, this decisive victory by the British troops took the main French port and precipitated the downfall of the Nouvelle-France.

When it comes to painted toy soldiers, First Legion Ltd is amongst the best in the world. However, this quality comes with a price and this can be an obstacle for many collectors when it comes to assembling massive battle forces. This is why, a few years ago, First Legion came with a series called Mass Battle; a collection with a slightly different style and a more accessible price. Today, we will have a look at the MB084 - British 30th Regt of Foot Grenadier Standing Firing #1 and also at what Mass Battle is.

It can be tricky to talk with passion about a book or a movie without giving any spoilers. Especially when the goal is to review a figure covering one of the key scenes. So this week’s review will have to be a bit more vague and mysterious as we take a look at the WoD070 - Sherlock Holmes & The Hound Of The Baskervilles set by King and Country.

Sometimes, there is a piece that is just epic beyond any measurements, a set that is just so amazing that even non-collectors will be filled with awe when looking at it. And such is the case with this future release from John Jenkins. Behold the JJ-VIKLONGSHIP - Viking Dragon (Dreki) Longship.

Many know of Wellington’s military achievements during the Peninsular War or at Waterloo, but his greatest success on a battlefield probably was the Battle of Assaye during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. With the release of the new collection from John Jenkins Designs called “Wellington in India”, it would be nice to do some recap.

When Napoleon became emperor, the Republic of Italy was reshaped into the Kingdom of Italy. Troops were reorganized according to the new French structure and this is the time period chosen by First Legion to produce the Italian 3rd Line Infantry collection, also known as the 3º reggimento fanteria leggera. With it came one sapper with a slightly familiar look. Let’s look at the NAP0669 - Italian 3rd Line Infantry Sapper.