When I first started writing this, I did a little research, to share some history of toy soldiers. They have actually been around for a long time. Even in the “modern” sense, they’ve been around since the late 1700s, (Really? MODERN?) I mean, you could make a claim that the Chinese Terracotta soldiers were actually just a really big collection of large scale toy soldiers, right? And they date back 2200 years. But for our purposes, I’ll only go back to the early 70s.
I think of 3 categories of toy soldiers.
The first (and least favorite of mine) were the “green army men.” They are what most people think of when you say “toy soldier.” The original molds were made by TimMee in the late 1960s, and depicted modern uniforms and weapons of the day. They had M-16 rifles, “steel pot” helmets, and some pretty iconic poses: the “guy on the phone,” the “mine sweeper,” the “officer with pistol and binoculars,” and perhaps, most memorable of all, the “guy with the rifle and bayonet over his head.” They could be bought at just about any store (including grocery stores) in a plastic bag on a peg. Although the soldiers themselves were about 1/35th scale, the tanks and other vehicles were way undersized, and usually hollow. They were really inexpensive, and that’s why so many were sold. They were so prolific that they can be found to this day. Many are copies of copies (pirated and mass produced in China) so even the limited details of the originals are now weak.
The second category are the toys by Louis Marx and Company. As far as toy soldiers were concerned, they were best known for the 1970s era boxed play sets. I had “Battleground”, with figures depicting Americans vs. Germans (though to avoid controversy, the Germans’ flags were French.) It included blown up buildings, a German bunker, and a bunch of additional terrain scenery. Although the soldiers poses were a little stiff, Marx got many of the details right. But it was the boxed sets that make them stand out. I never owned the “Navarone” play set, but I think it was the most impressive. It was a 3 story tall plastic mountain, with artillery guns poking out of the caves on top. It also had a working elevator for troops to move inside the mountain. The top of the box states it is from “The Famous WWII Battle,” That’s a bit of a stretch. There was a really famous MOVIE – The Guns of Navarone. It was based on the fictional book by Alister McLean. Oddly, neither Mr. McLean, his novel, nor the 1961 movie are mentioned on the box. Just the famous (fictional) battle. I guess intellectual property laws were more just intellectual property suggestions back then.
That brings us to the third category. This is my personal favorite. Airfix made the best toy soldiers from the 1960s through the 1980s. They were a little larger – closer to 1/32nd scale. What makes them stand out was the attention to detail with the weapons and uniforms. And it was made better by some of the best full color box art. Airfix also made similar soldiers in a smaller 1/72nd scale. The advantage was getting 48 in a box, vs. the 15 or so in the larger scale. But just like their larger brothers, they had amazing artwork.
They were intended to be played with, but also to be painted. It was what started me down the rabbit hole of war gaming miniatures. Along with Arifix, Matchbox had very similar soldiers. Their sculpts were a little less precise, but they made up for it in more dynamic poses. Side by side, they paired VERY well together.
Time was not kind to my original toy soldier collection. I was the oldest of 4 boys, and each of us got a turn commanding the low-density polyethylene warriors. Later, the survivors of those battles went into a large plastic tub, and my own kids took them into combat. The forces that once numbered in the thousands are now reduced to a clear plastic shoe box of battle scarred veterans. I recovered them from my parents’ house last year (along with the color box art shown above.) The soldiers spent about a week in a Ziploc bag of brake degreaser / detergent, and almost all of the old enamel paint finally came off.
(Now, why would he bother to remove all that old paint…? )
-Toph