Book review: The History of Toy Soldiers

My father would have loved this book. It’s full of the model soldiers from his childhood, but so much besides. Such is the extensive history provided by Toiati that Dad’s nostalgia would only have begun a few chapters into the book!

With his aptronymic name Toiati was destined to this. He has produced a sumptuous book that is like an encyclopaedia of toy/model soldiers and their manufacturers down the ages. His descriptions and explanations are written with the knowledge of a master of the subject, but one who has an absolute passion for it.

This ‘encyclopaedia’ is arranged in historical and thematic chapters. The journey begins with four chapters about the history and development of figures from the earliest known toy/model soldiers to the birth of what he calls the ‘modern’ toy soldier—a chapter with plenty of photographs of lovely flats. The remaining 12 chapters are thematic around styles and materials of production, uses or both.

Some of the lovely flats featured in chapter 4

 

Model soldiers in action. This photo of some of Ian (Stryker)'s beautifully painted Hinton Hunt figures is from the only chapter about wargaming.

Toiati is not a wargamer. He has an understanding and even some appreciation of wargaming, but the book is about model soldiers as individual representations or used in their tens or dozens as playthings. There is but one chapter about wargaming*. I would have liked to have seen more photos of figures in ‘action’, hundreds and thousands of model soldiers used to represent history in dioramas or wargames and fewer presentation or cabinet-type photos; but that is the bias of the wargamer^. This is Toiati's book, not mine!

*Reminds me a bit of when Battle Magazine was absorbed into Military Modelling and content of the former was relegated to a few pages, amongst pages and pages of absolutely beautifully painted display figures.

^Mind you, a functional approach to toy/model soldiers was ‘drilled’ into me at a young age. We all played with Dad’s Britains figures, which received quite a bashing in the process, chiefly because he considered that toy soldiers were to be played with, not left in a display cabinet. In his later years he did have a few, selected purchases in such a cabinet, but, of course, we had the less-expensive, wargame figures for ‘active duty’. 

A two-page spread of some of the paper figures featured. I have some like these in an old scrapbook.

While not a toy soldier aficionado nor collector, there is still plenty in the book for the likes of me. There is the nostalgia associated with photographs and descriptions of flats, paper figures, elastolin figures, ‘classic’ wargaming figures and plastic figures. Added to this is the pure joy of seeing so many lovely pictures of beautiful figures, from makers around the world, some battered ‘veterans’ and others with a pristine paint-job. Many of the photos are from the author's collection, some from other collectors and quite a number simply taken from various internet sites (all sources are noted).

Some battered Britains, reminiscent of the look of Dad's old Romans after he and then we three offspring had played with them. (The ones photographed here are a little older though circa 1910).

Britains souvenir figures. The Henry VIII was amongst those that my Dad had.

Airfix French cuirassiers in one of the early boxes; part of the personal nostalgia for me.

A childhood favourite; mine were the Timpo version (currently stored in my wargames room).

Toiati states that he chose to limit his research up to around the year 2000 as his focus is on “…figures already part of history. Today’s figures will have to wait for their turn to be included.” His cut-off is a little earlier than this though as, of the more wargame-related figures, there is a description of Hinton Hunt, Les Higgins, Hinchliffe, Minifigs, Scruby (and so forth), amongst the metal figures, but none of Foundry, Élite, Essex, Front Rank, Dixon, Peter Pig, Warrior, Old Glory or any of the plethora of post-60s–70s manufacturers. In plastic we have Airfix, Matchbox, Atlantic and Esci/Italeri, but no Hat, Strelets, Zvezda and so on.

Nevertheless with its 621 pages packed with beautifully reproduced colour photographs and Toiati’s descriptive text full of interesting details and anecdotes, it’s a book that will naturally appeal to the collector of toy soldiers but also anyone who has had the pleasure of using and enjoying them as children or in adulthood.

Rating

Reference

Toiati, L (2019) The History of Toy Soldiers. Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. 621 pp.