SHINY TOY SOLDIERS

First published in THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT.

Three things I have always liked from an early age (excluding beer and women) are: traditional toy soldiers; 19th century uniforms; and wargames. I have never had them all together - until now! Originally planning to make some toy soldiers for myself, based on a mid 19th century war, I could not make up my mind which war, or the style of the toys themselves.
    This set me on a research trail unlike any other that I have ever done - not into the uniforms and equipment, but into the toys themselves.
    In the history of toy soldiers there have been many styles and sizes, from the flat Zinnfiguren figures (produced in Nuremberg at the end of the 17th century), through to William Britain’s hollow-cast miniatures from 1893, and to the myriad of types produced throughout the 20th century (made in everything from wood composite through to aluminium). Eventually, my mind became set on the look of late-19th century European semi-flat figures, but with the size and bulk of early Britain’s (42mm – for gaming purposes).
    I was also intrigued by the painting style of the French firm CBG-Mignot (a company with a long history, who started producing miniatures in Paris in 1858). They manufacture a number of basic figures and animate and paint them to suit the unit they wish to create. If the unit has facings, they are painted in. If not, the detail is simply covered over with a thick coat of paint.
    It dawned on me that if you turned this technique around and made masters with no details (such as turnbacks, facings or buttons), you could paint them in as you wanted in the style of CBG-Mignot. Combined with a basic set of uniform types (tunic, tailed coat, shell jacket etc) and hat types (shako, kepi, bearskin etc), you could make just about any unit you wanted.
    The look I eventually chose was long-legged and narrow-waisted (in a Zinnfiguren style) but more rounded and 42mm in height. I must admit that the first batch of designs favours the conflicts of 1848-1850 (especially the first Schleswig-Holstein war and the Hungarian War of Independence), favourites of mine because of the mixture and beauty of the uniforms. I have a special liking for these ‘chocolate box’ periods and intend to add further figures to the range that will allow me to do more of them.
    I have been asked, “How do you know which parts to choose for the army or unit you wish to make?”. Well nothing could be easier! You pick the parts that give you the basic shape of the unit in question. Here are some examples:
    TB10, tailed coat, running, plus TA1, shouldered musket plus TH17, bell top shako with pom-pom and oak leaves (minus the oak leaves) plus TT10, short sword plus a paint job equals A Danish infantryman 1848.
    Or
    TB10, tailed coat, running plus TA1, shouldered musket plus TH17, bell top shako with pom-pom and oak leaves plus a paint job equals An Austrian infantryman 1848.
    Bodies with tunic and heads with Pickelhaube will allow you to make many of the German States from the 1840s onwards, and so on and so on.
    There is nothing to stop you inventing your own armies and countries in the style of the Ruritainian troops from the Prisoner of Zenda. It really is the paint job that finishes the model. More unusual troop types can be attempted by adding wire or putty extras such as shoulder rolls, cap line or plumes.
    So far, I have painted all my toys in a simple gloss finish, but there is no reason why the more adventurous out there could not shade or line out their miniatures in the style of Greenwood and Ball from the 1960s & 70s. The choice is entirely up to you.
    If you decide to use your Shiny Toy Soldiers to game with, then that’s when the fun can really start. I made my hills from MDF squares covered in felt, but you could use old books (atlases would be most appropriate). My houses are made from card and brick paper, but why not use building blocks in an H.G. Wells style? It’s up to you if you wish to fire matchsticks at your toys - I choose to rely on the roll of a dice. Your playing surface could be a table, a piece of baize, a carpet or, if your old bones will let you, the floor.

Aly Morrison

The Foreign Correspondent Is the journal of The Continental Wars Society

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