Enemies for your army men.

[GatorFarmer]

Plastic soldiers have become a bit of retro toy. I think they were universally owned by males born between the end of World War Two through recent times. They are a bit harder to find now, but can still be had.

I recently made these. Keep in mind that the Kindle is terrible for photos. They started life as indifferent quality Chinese copies of old Airfix poses. I prime them and paint them by hand.

I was going for a sort of generic third world guerilla look. I tried to paint them so that they could be North Koreans, Viet Cong, Malay terrorists, Mau Mau, Indian troops, Philippine Huk rebels, Cubans etc....Stand ins for many a force in Asia, Africa, or Central and South America.

What do you think?

 

[zzzippper]

Well they definately aren't filipino guerillas, they are dressed to nice. and I love the old school droopy rifles!

When I was growing up the Japs were yellow plastic, the Germans were grey, and the US was green. I remember when they transitioned to the M16!

 

[rwsmith]

You made them?

You made them how? Carve out of wood or plastic? Mold them??

There was always a piece that got too hot in the mold and is in some awkward position. I had a guy throwing a grenade who's head was flopped back like his neck was broken.

Minesweeper, bazooka, 'Sarge' with Tommy gun. standing, sitting and prone soldiers, guy with walkie talkie, guy extending out a 1911, machine gun, Guy extending his bayonet looking like he's chewing the butt of his rifle, the guy holding his rifle over his head like he's going hit somebody right on the trigger assembly or fording a river, guy with binocs, guy with mortar.

When I was about 8 years old a big department stored burned down and as I sadly watched I could only think of the army men that I could have had that were melted to goo.

 

[Mydogmax]

Yes I remember those plastic soldiers when I was a kid in the 50's. My younger brother received a battleship for Christmas that shot plastic shells from a spring loaded gun on the deck. I'd set up the soldiers and he'd mow them down. Ah, the memories of youth gone by.

 

[zzzippper]

You made them how? Carve out of wood or plastic? Mold them??

There was always a piece that got too hot in the mold and is in some awkward position. I had a guy throwing a grenade who's head was flopped back like his neck was broken.

Minesweeper, bazooka, 'Sarge' with Tommy gun. standing, sitting and prone soldiers, guy with walkie talkie, guy extending out a 1911, machine gun, Guy extending his bayonet looking like he's chewing the butt of his rifle, the guy holding his rifle over his head like he's going hit somebody right on the trigger assembly or fording a river, guy with binocs, guy with mortar.

When I was about 8 years old a big department stored burned down and as I sadly watched I could only think of the army men that I could have had that were melted to goo.

Don't forget the minesweeper dude. Also tanks and landing craft.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

At age 9 or 10, I would go to the Goodwill thrift store warehouse. Mom was looking for antiques, I would buy grocery bags of army men for a dollar a bag. I had like 5 or 6 thousand of them. Dad grew tired of me spending my money on plastic. So one Sunday afternoon he dug out an old cigar box. In it were coils of sodier, fishing sinkers,and tire weights. And MOST important of all, a five man mould for lead soldiers. His folks had bought it used for a birthday gift in about 1940. The design of the men were from WWI or the Spanish American War. The were 5 types, a Cavalry man, Marching Rifleman, Charging Rifleman, Offhand Shooting Rifleman and a Bugler. That first time we cast a few dozen. A week or so later we cast another 30 or 40. Then I was at the hardware store and found an old 5 pound ingot of plumbers lead for 50 cents. At that point he gave me one of the last possessions from his youth. In total I cast about 2000 to 2500 lead soldiers. I hand painted every one in the uniforms of Ohio, Indiana, Georgia and Florida regiments of the Civil War. I would lay out battles depicted in oil paintings by eye witnesses and study who did what and why and the outcome of these actions. When I visited Gettysburg for the first time, I felt like I actually understood little round top. And I wept as I traced Pickett's charge from the the peach grove to the faltering at the union line. I believe this was a better education on history and responsibility and honor that I could get anywhere except maybe West Point (in the 70's: yes! Now: no so sure.) My Pb armies became 1911 and 45-70 projectiles in the late 70's and early 80's. Over the last month my wife and I moved out of our home for 30 years into a nice condo. A week ago Monday my youngest son (30) was emptying shelves and came across a very old cigar box..... I currently have 4 grandsons and 1 grand daughter. In 4 years the oldest boy will be 10. I think by the summer of 2018, There will be a regiment or 2 of Texas Cavalry and a few regiments of New Jersey Infantry to go with their home states. There will be the 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (my Great-grandfather's first unit and his reenlistment unit) the 2nd Ohio Cavalry. Maybe we can teach some history to them, maybe not, but FUN will be had by all. Ivan

 

[GatorFarmer]

I suppose "finish them" or "convert them" is more accurate. The base figures in this case were somewhat poorly detailed mass market figures made in China. The poses were simplified versions of the old Airfix poses and meant to represent WW 2 era Japanese troops.

I take the figures and wash them. Then I apply a primer and let them dry. After that I hand paint whatever level of detail the figure can support. These were a pale waxy orange yellow to begin with.

The famous M16 troops were made by Tim mee toys. They fell out of production for a bit but are once again made in the USA and available.

Marx, Remco and other makers of WW2 styled figures are mostly gone, Marx going under circa 1980. As around a six year old, I was just old enough to get the Battleground and Guns of Navarone sets. The molds for Marx Marines are still American owned and see some production.

Painted Britains figures were available, made in England when I was a boy. They are sadly painted in Chinese sweatshops as well as made there these days.

There are no mass market painted toy soldiers to be found, though more expensive painted and metal ones for collectors can be had

So....I started painting some. It was the easiest way to clean up and add value to the basic figures.

 

[blujax01]

I found several packs at Meijer (kind of like a WalMart) for less than a buck. I keep them at the gun shop and hand them out to kids who come in with their parents. Adults like 'em too!

 

[zzzippper]

Not to highjack but do you guys remember Warriors of the World? They were "high end" army men and they detailed different real life soldiers from around the world. I have tried to find them on ebay but can't find any originals, just GI Joe junk.

 

[the ringo kid]

Plastic soldiers have become a bit of retro toy. I think they were universally owned by males born between the end of World War Two through recent times. They are a bit harder to find now, but can still be had.

I recently made these. Keep in mind that the Kindle is terrible for photos. They started life as indifferent quality Chinese copies of old Airfix poses. I prime them and paint them by hand.

I was going for a sort of generic third world guerilla look. I tried to paint them so that they could be North Koreans, Viet Cong, Malay terrorists, Mau Mau, Indian troops, Philippine Huk rebels, Cubans etc....Stand ins for many a force in Asia, Africa, or Central and South America.

What do you think?

Pretty good. I used to paint only 1/72nd scale(or) 1/2 inch sized figures. I cant do that anymore because my hands shaketoomuch. The last I had--I gave away back in Feb this year. I had 100 "Continentals" 100 Britsh "Lobsterbacks" 24 "Scots Greys" and a Confederate and a Union Standard-bearer.

Now I kind of wish I had kept them but--oh well.

 

[the ringo kid]

Not to highjack but do you guys remember Warriors of the World? They were "high end" army men and they detailed different real life soldiers from around the world. I have tried to find them on ebay but can't find any originals, just GI Joe junk.

I remember and did collect those. They sold at Target or K-Mart for $8 per figure. They were cheaply made--but still looked deent. I collected about 50 of them--mostly WWII, Civil War and Revolutionary War. Then they began to produce too many others and I lost interest--then gave most of them away to neighborhood kids. They also made a Three Stooges set--along with KISS sets and so many others. I HAD the three stooges--but gave those away to a stooges collector I knew in Houston. This guy was Vietnamese--and was my foot dr. He loved everything about the stooges and had stooge pics and posters all over his office and inner sanctum places. The figures I gave him were when they were paying football. He loved Golf but I never could find the stooge golf payers pieces. Anyway, the: Soldiers fo the world didnt last very long--at least around here. They overwhelmed the collecting market with too many to choose from in a short time.

I still have a few GI Joes--mainly my Ike and Patton figures, George Washington and Robert E. Lee--maybe a few others? I also have a few Germans too. Forgot--I also still have the John "Manila John" Basilone Medal of Honor figure. These few will always be part of what I have left as acollection.

 

[handejector]

I was going for a sort of generic third world guerilla look. I tried to paint them so that they could be North Koreans, Viet Cong, Malay terrorists, Mau Mau, Indian troops, Philippine Huk rebels, Cubans etc....Stand ins for many a force in Asia, Africa, or Central and South America.

What do you think?

Ya done good, but I think all those groups must have bought WW II Japanese surplus.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Oddly enough the left overs of Japanese weapons actually did serve to arm various national independence movements throughout Asia for at least twenty years or so after 1945. The Red Army also aquired massive amounts of ex Japanese weapons when occupying Manchuria. Even the United States Army converted some Japanese rifles to .30-06 for issue to South Korean forces.

Soldiers of the World was actually, long ago, the name for "international" variants of GI Joe back in the 60s. Unaffialiated with Hasbro at a later date, the name was used for a mass market line of 1/6th scale action figures.

Tradtional toy soldier scale was about 1/32 and now has shrunk to 1/35 or smaller. Essentially classic toy soldiers would be GI Joe scale to a GI Joe.

From circa 1997 to around 2004 or so, there was a second golden age of 1/6th scale figures. The Soldiers of the World were originally a bit crude but by the end were a great value and well detailed and articulated. Hasbro sold many 12" Joes during this same period, including Teddy Roosevelt, JFK, Ike, Patton, George Washington and Robert E Lee. There was also a line of just Medal of Honor winners, notably Mitchel Paige and Francis Curry. Other companies such as 21st Century Toys and Blue Box offered mass market figures as well. Prices ranged from just under ten dollars to thirty for a deluxe set.

Today you can get Power Team 12" figures at Big Lots om a seasonal basis and Lanard had simple 12" figures arriving at some Walmarts. Unfortunately 1/6 scale has gone from affordable to being the province of expensive and limited hobby figures sold by DML Dragon and others. They can be very accurate but cost more than a hundred dollars at times.

Generically called "Joes" at times, 1/6 scale collectors tended to seperate themselves from those collecting "little Joes" ala those from the 80s and also from those buying toy soldiers. Among the latter seperations existed between scales, plasic or metal, painted or unpainted, etc. Sound familiar to those used to Glock, Sig, Colt, etc doesn't it...

The mass market bagged figures were usually what got people started though. Cheap Chinese imports put American makers out of business for a time, but emthusiasts resurrected Tim mee toys. However a bag of a hundred of their classic M16 American GIs will cost around $12, still making a specialty item in a world where dollar a bag Chinese soldiers are more common.

Toy Whether crudely cast or precisely cast, they still make fine toys. I have found that the non toxic American made acrylic paints sold at Walmart for 50 cents a bottle work well if applied over something like Krylon primer. The end result is time consuming and the paint can wear off (battle damage), but can still open up a world of possibilities for those wishing to explore history, be creative etc.

 

[Checkman]

I'm 46 now and a couple years ago I was surprised to find out my parents held onto my plastic soldiers. All of them. Vietnam, WWII. U.S. , German , Japanese, British paratroopers and Roman Legionaries. They're now down in my man cave sitting on a table next to my gunsafe. I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. My son is seventeen so he doesn't want them. Guess they're going to stick around.

 

[vonn]

Had some GI types , but my favorites were blue and gray and were very well used probably fought the Civil War thousands of times .

 

[wbraswell]

When I was little, seems like all I ever saw was the usual green G.I. figures that were about 2 inches tall. I remember when I first saw 1/72nd Airfix soldiers of different armies. Man, I wanted them all. I think most of my old plastic soldiers met horrible fates from the dreaded hair spray flamethrower.

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Very nice!

I still have about 50 US army men, they see use when a family we know comes over, one of the boys (he's seven) and I will go out back and play in "Afghanistan", he always claims the Sgt. with the 1911 "like his Dad."

For a Christmas gift for us kids, my parents got us a dump truck full of dirt dumped in the backyard, there was many a battle and fort build in or around that dirt pile.

Thanks for bring those good memories back.

 

[Cyrano]

Well they definately aren't filipino guerillas, they are dressed to nice. and I love the old school droopy rifles!

When I was growing up the Japs were yellow plastic, the Germans were grey, and the US was green. I remember when they transitioned to the M16!

When I was growing up, we only had American soldiers, mostly in WW I dress. They were made out of pot metal, and all the 5&10's had them.

 

[labworm]

Kellogg's had some great ones in their cereal in the 50's.

I was woofin down the cornflakes to get the complete collection of 5 (I think that was how many) they were nice.

 

[kaaskop49]

Kellogg's had some great ones in their cereal in the 50's.

I was woofin down the cornflakes to get the complete collection of 5 (I think that was how many) they were nice.

I remember the toy was always at the very bottom of the cereal box. Our home was such that I was never allowed to reach to the bottom to retrieve the toy, but had to eat the cereal on several successive Saturdays until the toy would appear. I remain bitter about this...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103