The World of Toy Soldiers

Maybe you have noticed something special about this figure from First Legion, something vaguely familiar. His heroic pose, those over dramatic wounds, the grenade as the only weapon, the iconic striped shirt and sailor hat… If this rings any bell to you, you are right. The RUSSTAL061 - Russian Sailor With Grenade Bundle is based on a soviet propaganda poster!

Since I watched the TV show “I Claudius” when I was a kid, I was quite intrigued (and scared) by Sejanus. Sir Patrick Stewart was bringing this historical character to life in a brilliant way, showing a manipulative, intelligent, deadly and charismatic chief of the Praetorian Guard. So when I saw that King and Country produced a Sejanus, I was very excited! My first reaction to the images was an instant like. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the ROM054 - Chief of the Praetorian Guard by King and Country.

One of the most feared soldiers of antiquity was the Numidian Cavalry. Those elite troops served in many conflicts where they were noticed for their effectiveness. Their feats marked the mind of their contemporaries and they are still remembered today. So it’s not a big surprise to see them produced in toy soldiers. In this domain, John Jenkins Designs is once again producing the best version. So let’s take a look at his latest JJ-CTNUM-08B - Numidian Cavalry.

May is an important month when it comes to Napoléon. Not only did he die on May 5th 1821, but he was also officially declared Emperor of the French on May 18th 1804. In addition, he also won the Battle of Lodi in 1796, he started his Egyptian campaign in 1798, he established the Legion of Honor in 1802, he was declared war by Britain in 1803, he dealt with a rebellion in Spain in 1808, he was defeated for the first time in 10 years at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809, he won the Battle of Lützen and Bautzen in 1813… all those during months of May! Today, 200 years after his death, his legend still lives through the toy soldiers. Pieces related to this character’s life are so numerous that it can be almost overwhelming! So it would be only fitting to have a look at Napoléon Bonaparte this month and how our manufacturers are covering this topic.

In some line of products, you will see the sculpt of one figure being reused with different paint to cover different regiment. This is an old technique and good idea as it allows collectors to have access to more variety of pieces and maybe have their favorite regiment covered that way. However, this has one trade off; If you put all of those figures together, the trick becomes quickly visible as they all share the same silhouette. With the time, manufacturers came with interesting solutions to hide the “repaint” effect. Last month, First Legion released a bunch of Russian Hussars and they did a clever thing. So let’s have a look at the NAP0665 - Russian Pavlogradsky Hussars Trooper With Lance...

In the world of toy soldiers, pieces depicting women are not legions. Their participation in many war efforts are well known and recognized, but women were not often fighting directly at the front line, therefore making it hard to find them in most “soldiers” collections. Manufacturers struggle to find historically accurate inspirations and sometimes resort to a more “creative” approach in view to force women in their product lines. We all remember the Hussar Hussies Monique and Sophie. Those fantasy pieces certainly have qualities, but they are not in the taste of every collector. Luckily, manufacturers sometimes just find the perfect inspiration and create a perfect piece from it. This is the case for the King and Country’s TR004 - Grand Duchess Olga & Grand Duchess Tatiana.

Most of the time, American civil war collections are mostly blue and grey. Those were the most common colors used for the uniforms by the Union and Confederates. It is true that the lack of resources from the South was leading to very disparate looks, but they were still mostly grey. However, there are some exceptions in the Northern states and the 11th New York Infantry Regiment was one of them. Those men were red and such is the case with the latest JJ-11NY-14 by John Jenkins!

A good toy soldier can be more than a simple visual object. When looking at a good piece other senses are stimulated too and you can almost hear the sound of the fires shot at the enemies, the noise of the clashing blades or even the songs of a march played on a fifer. In some cases, you can even feel what it is to be there. This is exactly what King and Country succeeded to do this month with one figure from the VN109 - MARINES ON PATROL set.