Hausser system of shelters and trenches

Recently I have seen at Ebay this wonderful original Hausser/Elastolin factory showpiece of the large WW1/WW2 fortification system with trenches and shelters produced in 30s for 7 cm composition soldiers. The size of this construction is 200cm x 100cm. It consists of 23 trenches elements !

Swiss soldiers in a bivouac

This set of Swiss soldiers in the milatary camp was produced by Lineol (Germany) in 30s. This version with soldiers wearing helmets is considered to be more rare comparing to the common version where soldiers are wearing side caps.

Discovery Channel: The History of the Plastic Toy Soldier

At Processed Plastics (Tim-Mee Toys), millions of plastic army men are churned out annually. Originally aired on "Our Favorite Toys" broadcast on the Discovery Channel, 1997. Narrated by Daniel Stern.

Please use the link below to watch the video:

A rare, complete set of Nazi S.A. tin soldiers, from the 1940s

A rare set of tin soldiers depicting Nazi S.A. troops. Demi-round, hand painted lead figures made during, or just before WWII. Most likely the manufacurer is Georg Spenkuch, Germany.

Britains Super Toys Models Catalog 1974

Britains Super Toys Models Catalog 1974 contains the following sets of Britains models and soldiers: Motorcycles, Tractors and Dumpers, Farm tractors, Wild Life Animals, Waterloo: Napoleonic wars, Gun models, Knights and Turks, American Civil War, Wild West, Herlald (Made in Hong Kong).

 

The full catalog (24 pages) is available here: 

WW2: Dux Luftwaffe plane and Elastolin German pilots

This Dux tinplate plane and Elastolin composition pilots were produced in 30s. The Dux plane uses a clockwork motor to run. I made a video of this process.

Set of Georg Spenkuch the Russo-Japanese war toy soldiers

This box of toy soldiers and scenery props made of pewter in Germany in 1906, by Georg Spenkuch, portrays the Russian Japanese war, the first war won by an Asian power, Japan, against a European power, Russia, in the modern period. In their original box, and still in excellent condition, the toys travelled with their owner all his life, mostly spent in the Pacific and Indonesia, surviving both World Wars (the donor spent part of the Second World War in a Japanese concentration camp in Indonesia), and the tropical climate. Given to him when he was 12, the toys were his most treasured possession. Known as 'flats', this type of toy soldier was and is very popular in Europe, particularly Germany where these were manufactured, in contrast to the more familiar hollow rounded figure which became the type made and sold in England and the United States of America. Georg Spenkuch was one of the best known makers of pewter toys at this time. 

The box containing a sheet of cardboard, pasted with a blue-grey paper covering, and small slits to hold 33 flat model soldiers, 12 scenery items and 3 battleships. The Russian soldiers are attached to the left hand side of the sheet and the Japanese are on the right in action positions. The soldiers are painted appropriately on both sides, while the larger pieces of scenery are painted only on one side. There are three battle ships, one Russian and two Japanese, with one mounted officer, one flag bearer and one stretcher case per army. At the centre of the sheet is a cottage flanked by two fruit trees, and other assorted props. The figures are designed to be positioned on a flat surface in play. The box is cardboard and is covered in brown wrapping paper with a large coloured label in the centre of the lid which reads: 'Extrafeine massive Zinnfiguren' (in German); 'Figures d'etain superfine' (in French); and 'Superfine solid Pewter Figures'. The manufacturer's logo, featuring a 'bursting bomb', is at the lower centre of the label. The box is complete except for two missing edges and still contains the original straw packing material on which the soldiers rest, now coloured brown with age. This set of tin soldiers is kept in the collection of Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences MAAS (Australia).

WW1 : Imperial Russian Army

At the outbreak of the war, Emperor Nicholas II appointed his cousin, Grand Duke Nicholas as Commander-in-Chief. On mobilization, the Russian Army totalled 115 infantry and 38 cavalry divisions with nearly 7,900 guns (7,100 field guns, 540 field howitzers and 257 heavy guns). There were only 2 army ambulances and 679 cars. The war in the East began with Russian invasion of East Prussia (1914) and the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The first ended in a Russian defeat by the German Empire in the Battle of Tannenberg (1914). In the west, a Russian Expeditionary Force was dispatched to France in 1915. During the Russian Revolution of 1917 the Imperial Russian Army collapsed and dissolved. The rebellious remnants of the Imperial army evolved to become part of the new Red Army. Here I put some photos of my composition soldiers representing the WW1 Imperial Russian Army : Russian infantry soldiers produced by Kienel (Germany), the Russian standard-bearer made by Manz (Germany), and also composition cossacks produced by different Belgian companies in 30s (e.g. GJ, Triumf). The tinplate cannon was made by Marklin (Germany).

Wagram Eve mantel clock

This French 19th century mantel clock represents Napoleon Bonaparte at rest, his foot resting on the terrestrial globe on the eve of the Battle of Wagram, won over the Austrians in 1809 (5-6 July 1809). The clock is presented at Curtius Museum in Liege (Belgium).

Gloire aux vainqueurs !

French WW1 postcard - Gloire aux vainqueurs ! (Glory to the victors!)

WW2 German retreat from the Eastern Front ...

WW2: German troops retreating from the Eastern Front... Elastolin composition soldiers made in 30s.

Elastolin: Soldiers of Frederick the Great

These are great examples of Elastolin one-piece showcases with a motor running Frederic the Great (1712-1786) army parades in front of the Postdam City Palace . (Germany 30s). Photos from Andreas Pietruschka and Helmut Lang's book - "Elastolin Schaustücke: Original-Schaustücke der Firma Hausser von 1913 bis 1960 ". You can purchase this book at Amazon.

German Hausser Flugzeugabwehrkanone and Elastolin Flak soldiers

Hausser Flugzeugabwehrkanone (Anti-aircraft gun) and Elastolin Flak crew composition soldiers (7,5 cm) produced in 30s.

Italian Confalonieri Chialu plowman

This Italian composition  plowman (1/24 scale) was produced by Confalonieri Chialu in 1949.

New York Zouaves (1861 - 1865) paper soldiers

Cutouts of American Civil War era paper soldiers marching with bayonets slung against their right shoulders[ca. 1861-ca. 1865]. The Civil War Paper Soldiers Collection of Library Company of Philadelphia .

Wild West : original showcases from Hausser

These photos demonstrate original Hausser Wild West showcases from 30s. These interesting photos of Elastolin composition Indians and trappers were published in Andreas Pietruschka and Helmut Lang's book - "Elastolin Schaustücke: Original-Schaustücke der Firma Hausser von 1913 bis 1960 ". You can purchase this book at Amazon.

Walter Merten of Berlin catalog 1956

Walter Merten Miniaturplastiken GmbH of Berlin was founded in the 1950s; they manufactured injection-molded plastic figures of knights, soldiers, cowboys and Indians in 65-70 mm size. Eventually they added a model railroad range, which spanned HO, TT, N and Z Scales. Merten's product line was a bit more creative than most: in addition to railroad staff and passengers, they made garden gnomes, pirates and other unusual figures. The company was purchased by Preiser in 1990s.

Walter Merten catalog from 1956 (36 pages) is located here:

Airfix Footballers from 70s

The Airfix set of 1/32 footballers was issued in 1972. Airfix produced the set till 1978. The Airfix Catalogue provides the following description of this set: "This new set of model figures will enable the enthusiast to stage his own football match. There are 29 pieces in the set - 24 players, in various poses, 2 trainers, 2 linesmen and a referee. In addition there are 2 footballs. We leave the choice of team colours to you as all the figures are unpainted".