Honour Bound: Resupplying Panther (HB01c)
TREEFROG TREASURES
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
TO
MILITARY MINIATURES
Honour Bound: Resupplying Panther (HB01c)
Miniature soldiers have been produced for collectors since 1785 when the CBG Mignot Company began making lead soldiers in Paris. Mignot is still producing toy soldiers for today’s collector. Below is an example of their current line of figures.
CBG Mignot (France)
In 1893 the William Britains Company was founded in England, becoming one of the best-known manufacturers of metal soldiers. Many of today’s collectors got their start collecting figures from the Britains’ “Regiments of All Nations Series”, which were produced between 1946 and 1966. They came in bright red boxes as illustrated below:
Wm. Britains Ltd. (England)
The soldiers produced by Mignot and Britains represent what has been described as the “traditional” toy soldier. The figures, which were cast from hollow metal (lead) represented actual soldiers or units but the anatomy was basic and details limited. The figures were painted in a glossy style, so that they looked like toys rather than real soldiers.
In addition to metal soldiers cast from lead, other early examples were made from composite materials. The best examples of composition figures were those made in Germany by Elastolin. These figures were made of sawdust mixed with casein glue and clay molded onto wire armatures and then hand painted. Some examples of Elastolin figures produced during World War II are illustrated below:
Elastolin (Germany)
After World War II, young baby boomers, eagerly sought toy soldiers to play with and act out the stories told to them by the returning veterans of that war. To meet the demand American companies like the Marx Toy Company began producing playsets of plastic toy soldiers, usually accompanied by buildings made of metal or plastic. Many of these sets were theme-based such as the French Foreign Legion and the Alamo pictured below:
Marx Toy Company (United States)
Many children born during the postwar years who had grown up playing with Britains and Marx toy soldiers, eventually migrated to military model kits such as those manufactured by Monogram (established 1945) and Revell (established 1943). The soldiers in these kits were usually more realistic than the toy soldiers that they had played with as children. The evolution of greater realism in these kits was enhanced by manufacturers in Asia, for example, Hasegawa and Tamiya in Japan which entered the market with plastic kits in the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1987 Dragon Models Limited, a company based in Hong Kong, began producing figure kits of an exacting realism, which set the standard for accuracy and realism in military miniatures. An example of a Dragon figure kit is illustrated below:
Dragon Models (Hong Kong)
Kits with increased levels of figure detail, were also being produced in plastic in England by Airfix and in France by Historex and Heller. Metal kits with similar levels of detail were also available from companies such as Imrie-Rislie in the United States and New Hope Design in England. An example from Imrie-Risley is pictured below:
Imrie-Risley (United States)
The increased realism of these kit figures which required assembly and painting, had an important impact on the soldiers being produced for the collectors market. Among the innovators in metal figures for collectors was the Hong Kong based company King & Country established in 1984 by two Scots Andy C. Neilson and Laura McAllister. The metal used in these figures and other brands today is pewter. An example of K&C craftsmanship is illustrated below:
King & Country: American Civil War Rebel Guard (CW007)
The standards established by King & Country have influenced other companies making miniature soldiers for the collectors market. The enhanced realism of these figures is characterized by their attention to anatomy, accurate depiction of uniforms and equipment, and a matte finish painting style rather than the glossy finish of earlier examples. First Gear, parent company of W. Britain, now makes both glossy and matte finish soldiers and even the glossy ones show a greater attention to detail. Below are other examples, carried by Treefrog Treasures of this new realistic style:
Figarti: WWII USMC Flame Thrower (A4021)
Honour Bound:
Honour Bound: WWII German Wehrmacht Snow Troops (HB10a)
Manes Marzano:
Manes Marzano: Police Corps Askari WWI (MM31)
New Model Army:
New Model Army: WWII German BCM Granatwerfer with Crew (NMASS 1)
Old Northwest Trading Company:
Old Northwest Trading Company: WWI French Renault FT-17 Tank (TGW-002)
Patriot Models:
Patriot Models: French Napoleonic Good Comrade Vignette (PMNA Set 1)
Roman Militari:
Roman Militari: Black Knight (RMBKN01)
Troiani:
Troiani: American Civil War U.S. Marines (THM3)
W. Britiains:
Britains: WWI British 9th Lancer Charging) Set (17668
Traditional Style glossy miniature soldiers are still made and preferred by some collectors. Among those carried by Treefrog Treasures are:
Beau Geste:
Beau Geste: French Foreign Legion Camerone 1863 (BG166)
W. Britains:
Britains: Victoria Cross (Indian Mutiny) Set British 93rd Highlanders (43107)
Figure Scales:
Before looking at collectible military vehicles, some mention should be made of the various scales or sizes of these figures. The majority of military miniature figures produced for the collector have been about 54mm or about 2 ½ inches in height. This size is also described as 1/35th scale. King & Country has been producing its figures at 1/30th scale. Companies such as Figarti, Honour Bound, New Model Army, and Patriot have followed K&C’s lead in this larger size. Below is a list of popular scales for miniature soldiers (arranged from smallest to largest):
1/72nd = 25mm =1 in.
1/48th = 38mm = 1.5 in.
1/35th = 54mm = 2.13 in.
1/32nd = 56mm = 2.20 in.
1/30th = 60mm = 2.36 in.
Note: These measurements are approximate only. Just as human sizes vary so do the sizes of miniatures within any scale.
The smaller scale figures around 1/72nd and 1/48th scale are used for Wargaming and small scale dioramas. These smaller scale figures are available in both plastic and metal. Below are examples of these types of figures:
Plastic: e.g. Revell 8th Army Scottish Infantry 1/72nd scale
Metal: e.g. Battlefield Miniatures (Blitz) Hitler Youth 20mm (wargame figures)
VEHICLES:
Miniature military vehicles are equally popular with today’s collector. Their production as toys and collectibles has followed the evolution of military technology. After World War I toymakers began making versions of the tanks and airplanes used during that conflict.
Marx Co.: WWI Tank 1930s
The extensive use of vehicles both on land and in the air during World War II created a demand for these kinds of toys and miniatures during the postwar years. Marx in the United States and Dinky Toys, W. Britains, Matchbox, and Corgi in England, and Solido in France catered to this growing demand.
Corgi: Centurion Tank
As was true of miniature soldiers, the increasing popularity of injected molded plastic model kits of tanks and airplanes in the postwar decades led to a greater preoccupation with realism and detail. Companies such as Revell, Monogram, Hasegawa, Tamiya, and Dragon mentioned previously in the section on soldiers produced a wide variety of these items.
Tamiya: German Tiger Tank
Miniature military vehicles for collectors today are made in a variety of materials: die-cast metal, plastic, resin and polystone. Polystone is a compound consisting of polyurethane resin mixed with powdered stone (for strength and weight) and hand painted. Vehicles made from this material are cold cast rather than oven-fired. Polystone allows for great detail, takes paint nicely, and is more economical to produce than vehicles made from metal.
Popular scales for miniature military vehicles are:
1/144th, 1/72nd, 1/50tth ,1/48th, 1/35th, 1/32nd, and 1/30th.
Here are several examples available on the market today:
King & Country 1/30th Scale Polystone USMC Amtrack (IWJ23)
Dragon: 1/72nd Scale Die-cast metal Mk Vb Spitfire
Return to: Military Miniatures Page
Contact us: resources@treefrogtreasures.com