The first Russian rocket-equipped submarine

In 1834 the Russian Army General Karl Andreevich Shilder (1785 - 1854) demonstrated the first rocket-equipped submarine to Emperor Nicholas I. This scale model of the Shilder's submarine (1834/1838) is demonstrated at Contemporary History Museum (former the Revolution museum) in Moscow.

Unknown makers of composition soldiers: Armee

In 1938, Albert Heid established Armee company in Roth (Bavaria). Armee was one of the German makers of composition soldiers (base stamp: ARMEE). The Armee composition mass was made from wood flour, glue, kaolin and dextrin. The mass was heated to 60 ° C, air dried, deburred and painted by hand (partly in the Roth prison). Armee stopped producing toys in 1943 and after the war converted to mass baby dolls and chicken farm figures. The Armee toy production came to the end in 1953. Armee composition soldiers are comparatively rare. I have these two German infantrymen ...

 

Gallic Wars

The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. Rome's war against the Gallic tribes lasted from 58 BC to 50 BC and culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul (mainly present-day France and Belgium). While militarily just as strong as the Romans, the Gallic tribes' internal divisions helped ease victory for Caesar, and Vercingetorix's attempt to unite the Gauls against Roman invasion came too late. (Plastic toy soldiers made by Biplant).

Unknown makers of composition soldiers: Strola

Strola was one of the first companies founded was Strobel & Lades in Roth (Bavaria) in 1910.The company produced mass figures of farmers and menageries. Strola was taken over by August Schlemmer in 1920. Mass soldiers were in the company product range as well (6.5 and 7 cm). In 1935 the business filed for bankruptcy.I have two Strola figures : one Wehrmacht cavalryman and the Prussian flag-bearer. Do you have any Strola soldiers in your collection ?

Unknown makers of composition soldiers: Papelin

Roth was considered the most industrialized small town in Bavaria. There were around seven companies manufacturing composition soldiers (Massefiguren) in Roth and the surrounding area. These firms started production of composition soldiers from the early 20th century until the early 1960s. The oldest factory was founded in 1910, the youngest in 1935. The history of these companies shows striking similarities in terms of their business history, product range and political influences. The Papelin company, founded in 1932, belonged to the brothers Adam and Friedrich. Only composition soldiers were manufactured by this company, as well as other accessories for war toys from other manufacturers. The company used the mass prepared according to the conventional recipe used in the Roth area. The deburring of the pellets with soldiers were also done at home. Both brothers died during the war, Friedrich in 1941 and Adam in 1944. The company had to go out of business after the German economy was put on a "total war" footing in 1943.

Lineol Irish Army figures ?

There always have been a dispute among collectors about whether Lineol Irish figures have existed or not. Some Lineol soldier collectors are sure that Lineol produced Irish Army soldiers in 30s because of the Irish army helmets similarity to the German Stahlhelms. In reality, Irish Defence Forces decided to choose the German helmet used in the First World War, and in November 1926 the Irish government approached the German consulate requesting a modern sample. The German Foreign Office’s reply, dated 30 December 1926, advised that the export of steel helmets was prohibited under the terms laid down by the Versailles Treaty, and for that reason they were unable to comply. So the Irish Free State had to look elsewhere: an order for 5,000 helmets was placed with Vickers & Co. Ltd, London, and the design was to be based on the German pattern worn during the Great War. The helmet produced was similar to the German one except that the sides were more gently sloped and it was painted a dark shade of green. The most relevant features were the two small brackets affixed to the front to hold an officer’s pattern cap badge painted black and worn by all ranks when the occasion required. On the inside rim of the centre of the rear was a die-stamped inscription ‘V Ltd.’ with a serial number. The interior fittings were completed in Dublin and were stamped ‘T. Smith & Son, Dublin, 1927’.      
On the photos below you can see Lineol figures that are considered by some collectors as figures representing the Irish Army. It might be true. Lineol tried to extend its product range of "foreign" armies through simple painting of 
German army figures in different foreign uniform colors. This production approach worked for foreign armies wearing German Stahlhelms in 30s and 40s (i.e. Hungary, Bulgaria, Sweden).

WW 2 Building Blocks Bricks from AliExpress

I found these WW2 Plastic building blocks and Soldiers sets at AliExpress (Scale 1/32)

Haile Selassie and the Second Abyssinian war (Part 2)

More photos of the Second Abyssinian war. These composition toy soldiers were produced by Elastolin, Lineol and  Durso.

Lineol Wehrmacht standing musicians

The Lineol standing musicians of the Wehrmacht are among the relatively valuable figures. The price can be 10 times as high as that of the corresponding figure from the marching music. On the one hand, this is certainly due to the fact that the figures were only included in the Lineol production program from 1936 on, but on the other hand, they apparently did not enjoy such great popularity among customers.
At these photos you can see three musicians in the center (n2,n3,n4 from right), which are painted in non-Wehrmacht colors. I assume that these soldiers are representing the Irish Army of 30s.

Model Soldiers Sale in UK 🇬🇧(1968)

Nice British Pathe video that shows auction sales of lead toy soldiers in UK (1968).

 Please use the link below to watch the video:

German Kavallerie-Division (Part 2)

Elastolin cavalry figures produced in 30s.

Italian Army during World War II

Nearly four million Italians served in the Italian Royal Army during the Second World War. Nearly one half of a million Italians (including civilians) died between June 1940 and May 1945. The Royal Army suffered 161,729 casualties between 10 June 1940 and 8 September 1943 in the war against the Allies. These composition soldiers are produced by Elastolin and Lineol (you can also notice one Italian officer produced by NF (Italy)). It is interesting that these Italian soldiers produced in 30s are "wearing" two types of helmets: the M15 Adrian helmet and the M33 that was designed later in 30s.

Haile Selassie and the Second Abyssinian war

These soldiers were produced in 30s/40s and dedicated to the Second Abyssinian war. German composition soldiers makers - Elastolin and Lineol produced a lot of soldiers dedicated to this conflict. But I especially like soldiers of Free Belgian forces, also participants of this conflict, produced by Durso. The figure of Haile Selassie was produced by Lineol.

Chess Set in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

This chess set glorifies Nazi Germany’s urge to conquer. The pieces are shaped like weapons and the text in the border refers to countries occupied by Germany in 1939 and 1940. The chess set was made by a German soldier, artist Georg Fuhg from Königsberg, who was stationed in the Netherlands. It was shown in 1941 at the exhibition Kunst der Front organized by the German occupier in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The chessboard is made of wood and earthenware with 2 x 16 white and brown earthenware chess pieces. The chess pieces have a military shape: the pawns are infantrymen; in the case of the white party, the tower is a 'Flak' (Flugzeug Abwehr Kanone - anti-aircraft gun); the horse is a motorcyclist; the runner a fighter aircraft (type Junker Ju 87, the so-called Stuka (Sturzkampfflugzeug)), king and queen are air grenades. In the case of the brown lot, the horse is a rider. The runner is a fighter (not Stuka). The king is a tank. In the border around the chess field is the following text: 1939 SCHACH-MATT POLAND. DENMARK. NORWAY. HOLLAND. BELGIEN. FRANKREICH. ENGLAND USW

Pirates: Duel

Do you think this wise, boy?