IT training toy soldier collector TruePDF february march 2019

THE LONDON SHOW: ALL OF THE DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
February/March 2019 • £4.75
www.toysoldiercollector.com • Issue 86

We’re as
serious about
collecting as
you are

NEW REVIEWS
02

9 772631 307858

Pigeon
English
Homing in on new
releases from
Tommy Atkins

W. Britain

From the 1960s onwards

Auction report

The latest from the sale room

76 PAGES OF TOY SOLDIERS | METAL | PLASTICS | CASTINGS

Editor:
Mark Avery
Sales & Marketing Director:
Tom Foxon
(
Tel: +44(0) 7540153368
Contributors: Mike Blake, George
Phillips, Keith Nairn-Munro, Martin
Ainscough, Gary Haines, Chris Bartlett,
Robert Welham, Dr Victor Wong, Andrew
Sutton, Tim Spanton and Gary Emery

Welcome...

Sub Editor:
Emma Whittaker
Editorial Assistant:
Gemma Avery
Design:
Andy Whittaker
Printing:
Acorn Web
Toy Soldier Collector ISSN
1745-5804
Subscription rates:
UK £27, Europe £36.50, ROW £40
(all prices include shipping and postage)

Issue 86

Front cover: Mobile pigeon loft by
Tommy Atkins

www.toysoldiercollector.com
Toy Soldier Collector is published
bi-monthly by Guideline Publications
Magazine Licensing & Syndication
Guideline Publications publishes top
quality magazines, books & bookazines.
Guideline Publications publishes a wide
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the world. You can find out more by
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4
6

NOTICEBOARD
LET’S START AT THE
VERY BEGINNING
Chris Bartlett looks at the
earliest toy soldiers known
to have existed made from
wood

10 NEW RELEASES PART 1
20 THE DEATH OR GLORY
BOYS
Keith Nairn-Munro looks at
the history of the 17th/21st
Lancers

26 CASTING AROUND
31 THE CROSS AND
CRESCENT
Gary Emery delves in to
the history of the Crusades

37 WINTER WARMERS
Early December can only
mean one thing for the
toy soldier collecting
community: the advent of
the final London show of
the year

44 FANTASTIC PLASTICS
48 AUCTION REPORT

50 BRITAINS PLOUGHS
IN TO THE SWINGING
SIXTIES AND BEYOND
Keith Nairn-Munro
continues his series of
articles looking at the
history of the most famous
toy soldier company of
them all, W. Britain

57 LADIES OF THE COURT
OF LOUIS XIV
60 THE BLACK ROBES
Robert Welham tells the
story of eight catholic
priests who braved the
‘Americas’ in the mid 1600s
to try and spread the

Christian faith

64 NEW RELEASES PART 2
68 HOW DO I SELL
MY TOY SOLDIER
COLLECTION?
70 TOY LIGHTNING
STRIKES TWICE
73 SHOW DATES
74 FINAL WORD

I don’t usually cover politics in
TSC because this is a toy/hobby
magazine rather than some highbrow
broadsheet. However, by the time
you’re reading, this hopefully we’ll
have resolved the Brexit muddle, or
if we haven’t then we’ll be heading
towards a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU. In
my ‘proper’ job, I do a lot of importing
and exporting from the UK and I know
that without some form of agreement
being reached, it will make my job a lot
more difficult and this got me thinking
about our hobby and the impact it
could have.
There’s the obvious issues of
European-made figures like Alymer
being imported in to the UK and
the potential price increases due to

additional duties being applied, and
likewise all the UK cottage industry
makers who currently sell to European
collectors will most likely have the
same problems. Then there’s the effect
on shows. Will it become harder for
dealers like Saimex to come over and
attend the London shows? And the
same for the UK makers and traders
that usually attend European shows like
Kulmbach etc?
Beyond these simple issues there’s the
likely impact of major delays at all ports
and airports for inbound cargo due to
all the additional products having to be
checked, meaning even manufacturers
producing in China, etc, could be
impacted as the goods get stuck in
customs for much longer periods.
Whatever your personal view on
the whole Brexit situation, there’s no
denying that without some form of
agreement being reached before
the March deadline, even life’s little
pleasures like our hobby will feel an
impact in some way or another.
Anyway, that’s enough about politics
for now and hopefully by the time I’m
writing my next introduction for TSC
the future will be clearer than it is now.

As always, enjoy this issue and I’ll see
you all back here again in two months.
All the best
Mark Avery
Editor

TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 3


NEWS

Noticeboard

The latest news from around the global toy soldier hobby
Email any hobby-related news to the Editor at
or alternatively write in to: Guideline Publications 6 Kensworth Gate, 200-204 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS.

Best of
Britains
Hardcore Britains fans descended on the
London Scottish Regiment headquarters
in Westminster at the end of November
to celebrate the 14th annual W. Britain
Collectors’ Club event.
On arriving at the venue – which also
doubles as the regimental museum –
guests were greeted by the team from W.
Britain and seated at tables before a light
buffet and wine were served.
Collectors were then treated to a

unique presentation from retired RAF
pilot Wing Commander Stuart Reid.
Wg Cdr Reid flew Jaguar and Tornado
fighters while on RAF service but his
presentation focused on his role as a
Lancaster pilot with the Battle of Britain
memorial flight.

His warts and all exposition of the
thrills – and challenges – of flying
Lancaster PA474, a 1940s-vintage
heavy bomber, seemed to have guests
transfixed.

the 7-man crew
The session ended with a lively Q&A
session, with club members quizzing
Wg Cdr Reid about the history and
operational characteristics of the ‘Lanc’.

Potted history

Prize draw

He explained how PA474 is one of only
two Lancaster aircraft remaining in
airworthy condition out of the 7,377
manufactured. PA474 rolled off the
production line at the Vickers Armstrong
Broughton factory at Hawarden Airfield,

Chester in May 1945, just after the war
in Europe had come to an end. The
aircraft was prepared for use against
the Japanese but the war in the Pacific
ended before it was deployed.
The slide presentation delivered by
Wg Cdr Reid also gave his audience an
insight into the cramped interior of the
aircraft and the positions occupied by

It seemed that every guest present
won either a Britains toy soldier, scenic
piece or military print in the prize raffle.
And the exclusive figure presented to
collectors on the night –a dynamically
posed member of the 24th Foot from the
Zulu War – seemed to go down very well.
The evening ended with a slide
presentation from Ken Osen, General
Manager and Creative Director of W.
Britain, in which he discussed new
figures in the production pipeline and
some of the meticulous research that
has gone into ensuring their historical
accuracy.

Imperial Miniatures

Miniature knights

Mike Lewis was at the show in December with a couple of
new releases including this little vignette titled ‘The death of
Marshall Lannes’, the piece
CONTACT:
is available either painted (as
Imperial Miniatures
shown here) for £85 or as a
Nyetimber
casting for £30.
Norfolk Farm Road

If you’re a fan of miniature knights then make sure to check
out www.chevalierdelenfance.com which is a new website
created by collector and ex-military man Pierre Neven. Pierre
freely admits the site is still developing but I have a feeling it will
become a very useful resource for anyone with an interest in
toy soldier knights!

The death of
Marshall
Lannes

Woking
Surrey
GU22 8LF
Tel: 01483 855757
www.imperialminiatures.co.uk

GNM
Miniatures

website
Graham Mollard, owner of GNM,
has recently launched a new
website, point your browser to
www.gnmminiatures.com and
take a look as it’s filled with tons
of photos of Graham’s stunning craftsmanship (and if you like
Graham’s figures make sure to get next issues TSC to see some
reviews of his latest figures)

4 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR


Capture the intensity of the action of Isandlwana, the first major battle between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom, with
our latest hand-to-hand sets. Hand-crafted in our matte style finish, they incorporate highly detailed sculpting and shading.
To view the full range of Anglo Zulu War figures please visit www.wbritain.net

1 Piece Set

1 Piece Set

1 Piece Set

B20185 24th Foot Standing
Loading

B20186 24th Foot Kneeling
Loading

B20187 24th Foot Standing Firing

1:30 Scale

1 Piece Set

1 Piece Set

B20188 24th Foot Kneeling
Firing in Shirtsleeves

B20189 ”Here They Come!”
24th Foot Yelling and Pointing

To view the full range of Zulu figures or pre-order from your nearest stockist please visit

www.wbritain.net

Model • Collect • Create


These are all plywood figures which are around 11” tall and are signed Emspan or Eispan

Let’s start at the
very beginning…
Chris Bartlett looks at the earliest toy soldiers known to
have existed made from wood

T

he earliest known

wooden figures
were found in the
Egyptian pyramids over
4,500 years ago.
From there on wooden
figures as toys for both boys
and girls have been found
throughout history and all
over the world.
Wood, as a medium for
making toy/model soldiers
has been used by many
model figure makers in the

last century. Holger Eriksson and Gustave Vertunni
sculpted many of their masters in wood.
Although the majority of
my personal collection are
metal and 54mm in scale, I
have accumulated (as you do)
quite a few flat plywood cut
out figures, along with some
other flat ‘toy’ like figures
made in France (I think?)
I believe Rene North
produced a series of plywood

13” tall plywood
figures which I
obtained from

well-known
collector John
Ruddle. There are
no markings on
them and
although he never
mentioned it
maybe they were
made by John
himself!

This is a 13.5” tall
‘Nutcracker’
which was made
in Germany
during the 1980’s

TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 7




Maison Militaire,

Flint Barn Farm, Flint Lane, Lenham, Kent, ME17 2EN (Callers by appointment only
please)

Tel: 01622 850336
Contact Tina or Robin. 1pm - 10pm, 7 days a week. Please leave a
message outside those hours.

Email:
We carry a comprehensive range including figures from:
First Legion, King & Country, Black Hawk, Collectors Showcase, Thomas Gunn,
Conte Collectibles, W.Britain, Forces of Valour, St Petersburg and lots more.

Maison Militaire website now open

www.maisonmilitaire.com

If you do not see what you want on the website
please call as we have lots more items available

Exclusive First Legion dealers for the UK
U


REVIEWS

New Releases 1
Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by
Marti Ainscough
Martin
i
h and Mark Avery
y

The 27th Enniskillen’s
at Waterloo

Alexander’s Toy Soldiers

Danish infantry from the
Battle of the Boyne

Napoleonic Infantry
Nik Biberovic at Alexanders
Toy Soldiers added
to his extensive range
of Napoleonic figures
for his December new
release offerings. The 27th
Enniskillen with their
distinctive buff facings is
depicted as they would
have fought at Waterloo.
Illustrated here is just a very
small sample of a range for
which there are in excess of
20 different figure variations.
These come in the form of a
command group, consisting
of various officers, sergeants
and other ranks, drummers,
wounded fellows being
pulled out of the line etc;
more than enough choice
for collectors to recreate
authentic impressive squares
10 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

to repulse the French cavalry
sorties. Individual figures
are priced at £16.50 which
includes postage costs.
Expect to pay slightly more
for the two figure vignettes
and for standard bearers
to reflect the extra work
involved in the production
process.
The second offering from
this excellent gloss painted
figure maker features one
of the newest ranges in the
ATS catalogue – The Battle
of the Boyne. This series
charts the fight for the English
Crown between William III
and James II. In no time at all
this range has already grown
into a substantial collection
on offer to collectors
and features some of the

many varied and different
nationalities that fought on
both sides of the conflict.
The newest recruits to this
range come in the form of
Danish Infantry that fought

for William III. They are
depicted both kneeling firing
and standing firing poses. As
with the Napoleonic figures
the Danish Infantry too are
priced at £16.50 painted and
are inclusive of postage. I
am reliably informed that a
command group consisting

of an officer, sergeant and
drummer at the advance is
in the pipeline for release
shortly.
Review by Martin Ainscough

CONTACT
Alexanders Toy Soldiers
14 Constance Road
Whitton
Twickenham
TW2 7HY
Tel: 0208 894 5925
www.ats-uk.net


JAMES OPIE AT C&T AUCTIONS
11th TOY SOLDIER SALE
Wednesday 27th March 2019
For Further Details Contact James Opie

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7794 7447 Email:

My eleventh sale includes Britains early, inter-war and post-war hollowcast sets, with more recent issues, King and
Country etc. with Civilians, CJB, and much more, featuring: THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE BRIAN CORNALL

Lot 5 Britains Rare PARIS OFFICE Chasseurs a Cheval at the halt with Officer and Trumpeter, 10 pieces, Estimate £400 - £600

CATALOGUES, BIDS & INFORMATION
Call: +44 (0)1233 510 050
Email:

Auction Venue: The Spa Hotel, Mount
Ephraim, Royal Tonbridge Wells,
Kent TN4 8JX

SALES LIVE ONLINE AT: the-saleroom.com

18 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR


Albatros W.4 SeapLane

JUNKERS D.11

1/30
T
sca H
ful
le
ly

a

sse
pai mbled
mod nted
els

and

Rufe Seaplane

Phonix Fighter

www.tomgunn.co.uk
email:

Available direct from us and from all good quality
toy soldier stockists throughout the world.

Thomas Gunn Miniatures,
Unit 21, Deverill Road Trading Estate, Sutton Veny, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7BZ

Tel: 01985 840539


Red Lancers charge at Waterloo

The death or glory
Keith Nairn-Munro looks at the history of the 17th/21st Lancers

T

he reputation of the
British cavalry in
the eyes of generals
and historian alike, I suspect
would be regarded in its kindest form as dubious. Their
recklessness at Waterloo
nearly cost Wellington the
battle and there are many
other instances of their ill-disciplined, foolhardy bravery
nearly ending in disaster.
Both the 17th Lancers
and 21st Lancers regimental
prominence was established
by such episodes, the former
taking the leading role at the
Charge of the Light Brigade,
whilst the 21st would turn
rashness into triumph at
Omdurman.
Nonetheless cavalry did
have an important role during a campaign and if used
wisely, could be of enormous
value to the successful
20 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

outcome of any such venture.
As we travel through the histories of these regiments, we
will see how their influence

affected the conclusion of the
various operations, in which
they were involved.
The 17th Lancers origins
date back to around 1759
when the British forces successfully captured Quebec.
The news of this victory was
entrusted to a Colonel Hale
of the 47th Foot to communicate to the King back in
England.
The King rewarded the
harbinger of such good news
with land in Canada and the
commission to raise one of
five new regiments of Light
Dragoons. Thus the 17th Light
Dragoons were born. Hale still
in mourning over the death of
Wolfe at Quebec decided to
adopt the Death’s Head with

the motto “or Glory.”
The 21st Lancers were also
raised about this time as Light
Dragoons by the Marquis of
Granby, for the Seven Years
War. They were also known

as The Royal Windsor Foresters. The regiment was chiefly
used to escort French prisoners from Scarborough to Hull

in England and then disbanded at the end of the war. This

21st Light Dragoon Officer 1808

17th Light Dragoon Officer


Tradition of London
The French Army Napoleonic War
54mm Model Soldiers – Painted or Unpainted/ kit

Tradition of London Toy Soldiers are available from the following retailers in Europe
Au Plat d’Etain
16 Rue Guisarde
75006 Paris
France

Scott’s Models
9 St Margaret’s place
G1 5JY Glasgow
United Kingdom

Soldiers of Rye
110, High St.,Rye
East Sussex, TN317JE
United kingdom

The Armoury of St. James’s
17 Piccadilly Arcade
London, SW1Y 6NH

United Kingdom

Patricia Hebert
Tel: 01 43 54 32 06
E-mail:
www.auplatdetain.sitew.com

Tel: +44(0)141 552 3956
Email;


Mr.Chris Viner
E-mail:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 5082
Fax: +44 (0))20 7499 4422
Website: www.armoury.co.uk

Manufacture Belge de Dentelle SA
Galerie de la Reine 6-8
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: 32 (0) 2 511 44 77
Fax: 32 (0) 2 513 09 17

Serneels
Avenue Louise, 69
1050 Brussels
Belgium

S.P.R.L Rayve
48 AV Albertyn
1200 Bruxelles
Belgium

Tel: +32 (0) 2 538 30 66
Fax: +32 (0) 2 538 05 37
E-mail:
www.serneels.be

Tel: 0032 2513 2422
E-mail:
www.rayve.be

Saimex di Stefano Allorini
via guicciardini 24
41012 Carpi (mo)
Italy
Tel: 0039059699788



E-mail:
/>
And shop at the following address;
IL SALOTTO DEL SOLDATINO
VIA ASSISI, 19
ROMA

Scarlet and Gold
Lansdowne,
Cavendish Road
Church Crookham
Hampshire, GU52 6PZ
Tel: +44 (0)1252 622604
www.scarletandgold.co.uk

Berliner Zinnfiguren
Knesebeckstr. 88
10623 Berlin
Germany
Tel: 0049 30 315 700 0
Fax: 0049 30 315 700 77
E-mail:
www.zinnfigur.com

www.traditionoflondonshop.com
e.mail
For telephone enquires contact Bob Prati of RP World Models on 0115 9427462 who are working with Tradition
RP World Models Ltd, Chelsea House, Chelsea Street, New Basford, Nottingham, NG7 7HP


REVIEWS

Casting around
Gary Haines takes a look at the latest toy soldier castings
to arrive on the market

In this issue’s Casting Around we wander the frozen

wastelands with a renowned barbarian, return to civilization
with a good old fashioned set of criminal investigators and
then look at All the Queen’s Men. We then look at a prequel
(of sorts) to last issues Richard Sharpe with a discussion on
recruiting in the British Army in the time of Wellington and
Napoleon. I am also pleased to say that I have had other
manufacturers contact me and next issues Castin Around

will be more varied. If you do know of any manufacturers
producing 54mm castings for sale please do let me know
though as the more the better!
We begin this series of reviews with a major release from
Marcos Navas Studios. This is I am very pleased to say
available to buy in resin unpainted as well as the usual painted
version.

Marcos Navas Studios
The Age of Conan & ‘Agatha’s Mysteries’

The clangor of the swords
had died away, the shouting
of the slaughter was hushed;
silence lay on the red-stained
snow. The bleak pale sun that
glittered so blindingly from
the ice-fields and the snowcovered plains struck sheens
of silver from rent corselet
and broken blade, where the
dead lay as they had fallen.
This opening description

by Robert E. Howard of
the aftermath of a battle
in which eighty men have
died is from The Frost-Giant’s
Daughter. A story in the age
of Conan that was never
published in its original form
in Howard’s lifetime. It took
a change of title (The Gods
of the North) and also of the
main character (from Atali
to Amra of Akbitana) for it
to be published for the first
time in March 1934 in The
Fantasy Fan.
The story tells the tale of
Conan meeting a beautiful
woman on a battlefield who
bewitches him. The woman
26 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

is not of human origin and
this adds to her charm from
Conan’s point of view
Conan chases the woman
for miles but is lead into
an ambush by Atali’s two
Frost-Giant brothers. Conan
of course survives this
encounter, Atali’s father Ymir

knocks out Conan with a
lighting bolt and he comes
to not knowing if Atali was a
dream (and also presumably
with a hell of a headache).
Conan realises that he holds
in his hands the gossamer
veil that Atali wore, the only
thing she wore, and which
was not spun by human
origin.
The models released by
Marco Nava Studios depict
all the main characters in
this tale of Conan’s youth
when he was a mercenary
in the frozen wastes of
Nordheim. Conan the
Cimmerian, Atali and her
two Frost-Giant brothers
(who are very well armed
and not looking particularly

Conan the Cimmerian

inclined to diplomatic
negotiations).
The level of detail on the
figures are of the usual high
standard and it is notable

that these are also available
hand-painted or as resin kits
so you can undertake your
own painting.
A single hand-painted

limited edition figure in this
range is 40 euros and the
whole collection can also be
purchased hand-painted for
150 euros. The figures vary in
height from 75mm (Conan)
- 104mm (Ymir’s Son) due
to the elevated bases and
height of weapons and In
Atali’s case her gossamer


WANTED!
Andrew of Miniature Autoworld is

• looking for all makes and scales of:
• • Modern & Vintage Toy Soldiers
•
• Modern
& Vintage Diecast Models
• White Metal & Resin Models
• •White Metal, Resin
Kits
g & Plastic

y
•
Large Collections - Small Collections
- Surplus Stock

Selling couldn’t be easier!
We will travel anywhere in the
UK & Ireland!
We can make payment by your
preferred method!

We produce a wide range of 54mm historical figures
which are available as castings or as painted sets.
We also produce custom made
diorama utilising our figures.
Please send a large letter SSAE for a full
price list or see the website for details.

Simply phone Andrew direct, anytime:
01271 864061 or 07515 743152
Visit the website:

WWW.MINIATURE-AUTOWORLD.CO.UK
Email us:

Or post details to:
Andrew Sutton, Miniature Autoworld,
Green Ridge, West Down, Ilfracombe,
Devon, EX34 8NF

Imperial Miniatures, Nyetimber, Norfolk Farm Road, Woking,
Surrey, GU22 8LF, England Tel: 01483 855757

www.imperialminiatures.co.uk

Acrylic paints for modeling
and figures

NMM Paint Set (Steel)

NMM Paint Set (Gold)

SSE-001

Flesh Paint Set

SSE-002

Wood and Leather
Paint Set
SSE-004

Sky and Ice
Blue Paint Set
SSE-007

www.HistorexAgents.com
30 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

SSE-003

Blood and Fire
Red Paint Set
SSE-005

Black and White
Paint Set
SSE-008

Colors of Nature
Green Paint Set
SSE-006

Inktensity
SSE-011


Pope Urban 11 at Clermont preaching
the first crusade. Illustration from
Sébastien Mamerot’s Livre des
Passages d’Outre-mer c. 1472–75

I

t was hard fought, brutal
and unforgiving. For 200
years a small strip of land
only a few hundred miles long
in the Middle East was fought
over. It was a clash of empires,

religious beliefs and to this
day is remembered with pride
and hatred in equal measure.
It seems no one has not heard
of the crusades and the bitter
aftertaste it has left in this
small corner of the globe. Even
the word crusade can evoke
extreme reactions.
On one side Christianity
had spread across the Middle
East and Europe from around
the 4th century AD outlasting
the Roman Empire and taking
root as the western world
descended into the dark ages.
Indeed, the church was a
beacon of light during those
violent and turbulent times.
During the 7th and 8th
centuries Islam burst onto
the scene. Muslim conquests
spread from Arabia through
the Middle East enveloping
North Africa, Spain and as far
north as present-day Turkey.
Both religions viewed Jerusalem as their holy city. The Muslims took the city in 637 AD
from the Byzantium’s (Greek
Orthodox Christians) and held
onto their prize while allowing

a degree of religious freedom
to continue.
Problems emerged in the
late 11th century. Europe was a
brutal and lawless place. The
rule of kings was diluted by
local warlords who invoked an
arbitrary and barbaric form of

The Crusaders successfully use heavy cavalry during all three crusades

The Cross
and Crescent
Gary Emery delves in to the history of the Crusades
justice within a feudal system.
It was akin to the wild west
with the church acting as the
only sheriffs in town. Something needed to be done.
The chance for salvation
came when the Byzantium
emperor (Alexius), on the back
foot and loosing territory to
the Muslims, asked for help
to alleviate the pressure on
his capital Constantinople
(modern day Istanbul). Being
of the Christian faith, albeit the
Eastern Greek Orthodox version, Alexius appealed to Pope
Urban II for assistance. The
Pope saw an opportunity to

reduce the anarchy in Europe
and importantly bring Jerusalem back into the control of the
Christians. The problem was it

wasn’t what Alexius asked for.
He just wanted around 300
mercenary knights to help
strike back at the Muslims.
What he got was something

completely different.
On November 27, 1095 at
Clermont in France, Urban
II made perhaps the most
influential speech of the

The latest crossbow technology is used by the Crusaders (Figures by K&C and
First Legion)

TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 31




SATURDAY 30TH MARCH 2019
HAVERSTOCK SCHOOL
24 HAVERSTOCK HILL · CHALK FARM
LONDON · NW3 2BQ
Over 150 trader tables
King & Country, W Britain, Thomas

Gunn, First Legion,
Jon Jenkins Black Hawk
plus many traders check the
website for full list

www.toysoldiershow.co.uk

Free valuation from James Opie C & T Auctioneers
Free traders parking,
visitor parking £5.00
Opening times
Early bird 9.30 - 10.30 £10.00
10.30 - 14.00 £6.00
14.00 - 16.00 £4.00
For trader reservations and tickets


Telephone: +44 (0) 1582 668411

Unit 6 Kensworth Gate, 200 - 204 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 3HS

www.guidelinepublications.co.uk


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Winter warmers

Early December can only mean one thing for the toy soldier collecting
community: the advent of the final London show of the year. TSC’s
George Phillips joined hundreds of collectors at the Haverstock School
on December 1 to see what seasonal goodies were up for grabs…

These
Conquistadors by
JJD clearly mean
business

F

orgive me if I begin
my final show report
of the year with the
same observation, but I
amgenuinely staggered
at how fast 2018 whistled
past. In particular, the six
months between the June
and December shows were
a blur.
Because of its proximity
to Christmas, the December
show has always been my
favourite and it still makes
me smile watching collectors treat themselves to a
Christmas gift or two that they
unquestionably want!
What follows is a cross section of the items that caught

my eye at the show - the
old and new, the weird and
wonderful.

Conquistadors
As an ex-rugby player of
well over six feet in height,
Clive Gande of Grey Goose
collectables is hard to miss in
a crowd and I quickly zeroed
in on his tables at the show.
As regular readers will know,
Clive’s company is the sole
UK agent for Hong Kongbased John Jenkins Designs
(JJD) and he had some
new releases from the JJD’s
Conquest of America series
for sale on December 1.
Among them is a nice twopiece set that provides useful
firepower for the Spanish
invaders. The first figure is
aiming a powerful-looking
crossbow while the other
kneels firing a smoothbore
harquebus. Ignited by a

matchlock mechanism,
the harquebus was crude
and heavy but hard-hitting.
When Aztec warriors first

encountered it in battle, they
believed the Spanish had
learned to create thunder!
The colourful 16th century

uniforms of the two figures
are nicely rendered and I can
appreciate the popularity of
this range as it definitely offers
collectors something a little
different. The two-figure set
was very reasonably priced,
in my opinion, at £89.
The final Conquistador
figure wields a rounded
shield and double-edged
sword. The paintwork is
excellent with realistic
looking armour and the
posing is dynamic, as you’d
expect from JJD. This figure is

priced at £52.

TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 37


Continental
Army on the
march from

Loggerheads



A la cart
Fans of the traditional
gloss-finished toy soldiers
produced by The British
Toy Soldier Company may
be interested to learn that
proprietor Patrick Adams
has expanded his groundbreaking Gibraltar Regiment
range with the launch of a
new four-wheeled supply
cart pulled by two horses.
With four wheels, this is a
much more robust vehicle
than the two-wheelers Patrick
has already released and it’s
laden with barrels and sacks.
If you’re building a collection
of Gibraltar Regiment-themed
figures, this is a terrific new

addition, providing a slice of
regimental life. Details for the
new set including pricing will
be available soon on the BTSC
website.

At Loggerheads
Positioned next to Patrick’s
tables at the show was the
display from Loggerheads
Military Studios. Under the
artistic direction of Louise
Handley, Loggerheads is carving a name for itself in the supply of connoisseur painted
military miniatures and busts
of varying scales.
Among the new releases
debuting at the December
show were two new house-

Gibraltar Regiment supply cart set by BTSC

38 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

Eye-catching
Household
Cavalry busts
by Loggerheads

hold cavalry busts sculpted
by Steve Ledley depicting
troopers from the Life Guards
and Blues and Royals regiments. Produced in creamcoloured resin, the busts are
available fully painted at £65
and unpainted at £18. The
pictures that accompany this
report give you an idea of the

quality of the paintwork.
Another eye-catching new
release from Loggerheads is a

marching Continental Army
infantryman from the American War of Independence.
Based on a master sculpted
by David Scheinmann, the
new figure is well proportioned and expertly painted.
Our photograph shows a
number of the new figures
marching in formation. A
single infantryman will cost
you £28.


Royal Navy gun and crew by Reka

Mini Morant
Regulars at the London
shows will be familiar
with the tanned skin and
infectious mirth of Andy
Morant, a Portobello Road
market trader who brings
a broad range of vintage
collectables along to the
London shows. On this
occasion, however, I will
not be reporting on some

rare item that had surfaced
on Andy’s tables. Instead,
I’m going to describe a
terrific little tribute to Andy
from Nik Biberovic of
Alexander’s Toy Soldiers.
Andy gleefully shared
with me a miniature metal
replica of his market stall
that Nik had cast and
painted for him.
It’s a lovely gesture and a
very singular piece made
for Andy alone. So I asked
Andy the inevitable question: why no miniature
of him to accompany the
stall? With tongue firmly
in cheek, Andy explained
that none of the masters of
the figure created to date
had been able to capture
the full extent of his good
looks, so it was still a work in
progress. We can only hope
that the next version is truly
lifelike.

‘...a lovely
gesture and a
very singular

piece...’

A miniature
rendering of Andy
Morant's market
stall. But where is
Andy?


TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 41




Spanish
craftsmanship
It’s always a pleasure to see
traders from overseas at the
London shows and it was a
delight to speak once again
to Antonio Martí of Alymer
Military Miniatures. Alymer
is based in Spain and produces some unique Spanishthemed sets. A case in point is
two recent releases, members
of the crack modern-day
Spanish Legion or Legión
Española, walking with their
regimental mascots. The first
figure is accompanied by a
ram and the other by a white

German Shepherd-type dog.
Both sets retail at E35
painted and E20 unpainted.
The painted figures are also
supplied in very attractive
presentation boxes.
The final new item that
Antonio had for sale was a
Spanish Civil War Civil Guard
unit of riflemen, officer and
colour bearer, carrying the
unit’s distinctive tricolour flag.
This attractive 8-piece set
retails for E136.
42 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

Spanishthemed
offerings
from
Alymer

In closing
I hope this short report
has offfered just a glimpse
of the varied array of
collectables available for
hobbyists to buy at the
London Show. In truth, I
have barely scratched the
surface.

The next event takes
place on Saturday March
30th at the Haverstock
School. Why not take a
look for yourself?
END


REVIEWS

Fantastic Plastics

Mike Blake reviews all the latest and greatest plastic figures
to be released into the hobby for collectors

Engineer Basevich
Nomads
Here we have twelve
superbly sculpted figures in
twelve poses (colours may
vary) depicting the warriors
of the Golden Horde or one
of the other great armies
of Mongol warriors and
conquerors.
And what splendid
figures they are too. EB go
from strength to
strength,
the

animation
and detail
getting
better and better
with each new set.
These are truly
splendid figures,
44 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

full of life and action, and
sculpted in amazing detail.
They vary from heavy
armoured to light, weapons
range from bows to spears,
swords, war hammer
and even a lasso!
My favourites
amongst
them

are the seated chief drinking
from a human skull and a
female warrior hunting
with a bird of prey both are marvellous
examples of the art
of plastic figure
making!
Theses cry out
for a second set of
mounted versions.

But I guess if I want
them I may have to
make them – watch
this space.

CONTACT
Engineer Basevich
www.facebook.com/
groups/1858709394344370/
In the UK (and many thanks for the
review samples):
Weston Toy Soldiers
14 Limburg Road
Canvey Island
SS8 0QJ
Tel: 01268 680117
www.plasticsoldiers.co.uk



Auction
report
James Opie tells us about the recent
sale of Pat Campbell’s Delhi Durbar
collection at auction

T

he Mughal term
Durbar, translated as

a Court, was adopted
by the British Empire as
an occasion marking the
accession of a new British
Emperor of India. There were
only ever three of them under
the British Raj, in 1877, 1903
and 1911. The initial occasion
was to announce the
culmination of the process
whereby the British Crown, in
the person of Queen Empress
Victoria, took power over
India from the East India
Company after the Indian
Mutiny. The 1911 Durbar was
the only one attended by a
reigning British monarch,
George V. The 1903 Durbar,
which it had been hoped that
Edward VII would preside
over, was instead guested by
the king’s brother, the Duke of
Connaught. It was arranged
under the authority of the
viceroy Lord Curzon, and
was by some way the most
spectacular occasion of the
Lot 272 – The splendid
Britains Viceregal

Amphitheatre, decked
out with Pat’s figures.
This lot sadly went
missing on the day,
only to turn up in the
evening, so will
appear in the next C &
T toy soldier auction
on March 27, 2019

48 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

three, hence the favourite for
depiction by modelers.
It could be described as
a giant party for the Indian
princes, and 1903 lays claim
to it being the most bejeweled
occasion that has ever taken
place. Fifty state elephants
were scheduled to take part,
although only forty-eight were
fit to participate on the day
of the grand procession. The
world’s press descended in
force, including one journalist
intent on using a new process
to take photographs in colour.
Mortimer Menpes took
three photographs of each

subject through colour filters,
processing them into full
colour images using

Lot 270 – Illustration from the 1903 book colour photographed by Mortimer
Menpes. The text was written by his wife. Sold for £520 inclusive at the auction

a pioneering photographic
colour printing process that
he had co-developed with
Carl Hentschel.
The resulting book,
published by A & C Black
in 1903 with a hundred full
colour photographs, was
printed in a deluxe edition
of 1,000 copies. An example
of this book is one of the
highlights of the Pat Campbell
Replica Durbar Collection,
part of C & T Auctions’ recent
December 12 2018 sale of toy
soldiers and figures.
As the book shows, there
is no better subject for
toy soldiers. Probably the
most comprehensive (and
expensive) series of models
is by the Argentinian maker
Beau Geste. Marlborough

also was famous for an

extensive series in their
own distinctive style. The
models of Bill Cranston and
Pat Campbell (Replica) seem
much more akin to Britains
hollowcast and Toy Soldier
Collection, while the fairly
limited Durbar selection
issued by Britains rather later,
while suitably spectacular,
does not actually fit in with
earlier Britains so well.
Now that so many collectors
are switching to spectacle
rather than collecting by set
numbers, adding Durbar
figures to British Indian Army
displays seems more and
more the natural thing to do.
Certainly, this was the late Pat
Campbell’s favourite, and the
impact of his Durbar display
on opening the door to his
Garden Shed number One
was considerable. 882 figures
massed in front of 22 feet of
background buildings and
more than 100 spectators

made an indelible impression.
Not since the days of George
Palmer’s Durbar Collection,
sold at Phillips in 1992 has
such a unique extravaganza
been on offer, not least
because nearly all of them
are Pat’s own creations for


USA Marine Corp Band

Britains ploughs
into the swinging
sixties and beyond…
Keith Nairn-Munro continues his series of articles looking at the history of
the most famous toy soldier company of them all, W. Britain

T

he Second World
War had finally
been won, Britains
had done its bit and now
everything could get back
to normal. However for
the next decade or so the
word normal probably did
not often pass the lips of
the senior staff at Britains.

The firm was to see a revolution in the marketplace,
triggering changes in the
way it functioned and the
items it produced, in all
likelihood never envisaged prior to the war.
Not only would the company’s pre-war dominance
in the toy soldier sector be
dramatically challenged, but
the market environment in
which they had previously
operated, would be supplant50 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR

ed by a domain inhabited by
revitalised and new competitors, who were aggressive,
cheaper in price and on occasions perceived to be lacking
in ethical behaviour.
In addition, with the emergence of British based die
cast vehicle manufacturers,
plastic model kit makers and
the purveyors of model railways, the customer had never
had such an abundant array
of contrasting merchandise,
from which to choose.
As a result of that choice,
Britains were now dealing
with a generation of small
boys whose expectations
were a great deal more
exacting, with regards to the
design and function of their

prospective purchases, than
had occurred with their

The Collectors club figure of Dennis Britain

antecedents.
For Britains it really must
have come as a shock having
so many new competing elements in the marketplace and

deciding on a strategy to take
the company forward must
have been thought-provoking, to say the least.
The business would also