Winterhilfswerk at Christmas 🎄🌲⛪️

This display of Elastolin, Lineol, and Kienel composition figures reflects imagery associated with the Winterhilfswerk des Deutschen Volkes (WHW), the national winter relief campaign active from 1933 to 1945, which reached its symbolic climax each year shortly before Christmas during the Tag der Nationalen Solidarität (Day of National Solidarity).

Bundeswehr manoeuvres with Leyla composition figures, 1950s.🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪💥💥💥

Infantry and light armour in field positions, with the Gescha 65-6 tinplate tank in the background, reflecting early Bundeswehr equipment in mid-1950s German toy production.

Bundeswehr composition figures by Leyla (Germany), 1950s.🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🥁🎺🎷

These early Bundeswehr figures show Leyla’s strong sculpting and paint quality, with well-observed uniforms and convincing marching poses. Made from traditional composition material, they reflect West German toy production in the early Cold War period and remain solid examples of 1950s military figure manufacture.

“Michels ungedienter Landsturm” – Primus Postcard No. 1070

“Michels ungedienter Landsturm” (“Michel’s Untrained Home Guard”) – Primus Postcard No. 1070 Artist postcard by Wally Fialkowska, published as Primus-Postkarte No. 1070 (c. 1905–1914). The illustration humorously depicts a child inspecting a line of toy soldiers—a familiar pre-WWI theme.

Lineol & Elastolin – Early “Bio-Drones” of the 1930s 🕊️🕊️🕊️

These vintage Lineol and Elastolin composition figures, produced in Germany in the 1930s, show soldiers operating messenger pigeons from a camouflaged field position. Long before the digital age, trained pigeons played a crucial role in battlefield communication, reconnaissance, and message delivery. Seen through a modern lens, these pigeons can almost be viewed as the original “bio-drones” — living, autonomous carriers used to gather or transmit information where radio silence or reliability was critical.

Wehrmacht Soldiers by Kienel (Germany), 1930s 🪖🪖🪖🔥🔥🔥

A dynamic combat scene featuring German composition soldiers produced by Kienel in the 1930s. These figures show typical Kienel characteristics: expressive poses, solid modelling, and hand-painted details. The bunker is also a Kienel product, typical of the firm’s 1930s battlefield accessories.

Imperial German Army – Paper Soldiers (c. 1900) 🏰🏰🏰⚔️⚔️⚔️

A wonderful display of Deutsches Heer paper soldiers produced by Luxus Papierfabrik, Berlin, around 1900. Printed in vivid colours on sturdy card, these figures depict infantry, cavalry (including hussars and chevaulegers), and artillerymen in pre-WW1 Imperial uniforms.