Little Battlers
Wednesday April 21, 2004
According to Corinthians, when we grow up we "put away childish things." Sociologists might say we replace them with bigger toys. Some people don't even make that pretence.
Take the collectors of toy soldiers, who enjoy nothing better than admiring their collections of small World War I infantrymen, medieval swordsmen or Napoleonic guards.
According to Sydney's major dealer, Peter Nathan, the typical collectors are professional men in their 50s and 60s, who enjoyed playing with lead, tin or plastic soldiers as tots.
And there are more than you'd think. Nathan has a mailing list of more than 1000 people - most of whom like to keep their hobby quiet.
Craig Pearse, the co-owner of Bendigo manufacturer Wilson Edward Toy Soldiers, says collectors tend to be "a little embarrassed" about their hobby. "They tend to be closet collectors because there is a stigma that goes with it."
Take Illawong collector Stuart Campbell, whose son used to give him a hard time: "He'd say 'are you going to the nerd club tonight, Dad?'" says Campbell, who is the retired superintendent of Sydney's Silverwater jail.
But he is unconcerned by criticism of his hobby: "Some people collect dust and rubbish - I happen to collect toy soldiers."
Another collector, Bob Metcalfe, believes that "deep down most of us are collectors.
"How many adults saw The Lord of the Rings and went out and bought their kids the action figures?" says Metcalfe, who is a schoolteacher.
"I have met television producers, church ministers, mailmen and real estate agents from Vaucluse who collect toy soldiers."
Like most collectors, neither man "plays" with his soldiers, instead keeping them in display cases.
There is a separate subculture that stages mock battles called "war games", but they collect cheaper and smaller figures which generally do not appreciate in value.
There are several types of toy soldier, although the standard sizes are 1:32 scale models (54 millimetres in height).
The most collectible - if not the most expensive - are the traditional lead soldiers, which went out of production about 40 years ago. The major manufacturer was United Kingdom company Wm Britains, whose lead-painted infantry and cavalry sets made between 1893 and 1966 are highly sought-after.
The catalogue of Pittsburgh dealer Ray Haradin, for instance, lists a set of Britains prewar Coldstream Guards in mint condition for about $18,700.
The mid-1990s saw the sleepy toy soldier market rejuvenated, with the upright figures in repetitive stances replaced by soldiers in striking - and sometimes gruesome - action poses.
Nathan says the market responded well, with his business growing and more younger people collecting.
The most ornate examples of the action-style figures come from St Petersburg. Nathan describes these as "works of art on metal". These are painstakingly decorated, often using the technique damascene, which involves inlaying gold or silver into metal. These usually cost hundreds of dollars and, over time, are expected to appreciate steeply in value.
Most contemporary pieces are cheaper, costing between $30 and $50 each.
Nathan stocks about 10,000 figures in his York Street, Sydney, store, with soldiers from 2000 years of history represented, up to World War I and II. He says the most popular figures are the Napoleonic armies.
Elsewhere it is possible to order toy soldiers depicting the first Iraq war and even the US war against the Taliban: English company King and Country even makes a "captured Bin Laden" figure.
Several small local companies make Australian soldiers from major 20th century conflicts. Wilson Edward makes a Ned Kelly, set at the Siege of Glenrowan, with requisite body armour and shooter.
My collection
Bob Metcalfe
When Princess Diana died in 1997, the English-speaking world witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of grief. Sydney toy soldier collector and maker, Bob Metcalfe, expressed his reaction by making a meticulous 1:32 scale model of the funeral cortege.
His diorama was copied from video footage and photographs of the funeral procession - down to the blazes on the horse's heads. It included five mounted police, a gun carriage (containing the coffin) drawn by six horses, with five Welsh Guards on either side of the carriage, two Welsh Guards officers carrying swords, followed by four mounted police. It took him two months, working "about 10 hours a day."
Metcalfe, a high school teacher at Fairfield, mainly collects two types of figures: medieval soldiers and ceremonial figures, such as marching bands.
Although he did play with toy soldiers as a child, Metcalfe says his hobby is today more about world history than his own.
"Collecting keeps history alive for me," he says.
"As a kid I actually melted my lead soldiers for fishing sinkers. It chills my blood to think how many hundreds of dollars' worth of figures we melted down."
Metcalfe is also attracted to the old-fashioned nobility represented by the figures: "They represent times when your raw materials were your physical strength and your depth of commitment. These were people who had one life to give and they gave it in such a dramatic way."
STARTER GUIDE
$30*
Standing, loading and firing French Old Guard foot soldiers These are made from a lead/tin composite metal (similar to old pewter) and hand-painted in acrylic by Hong Kong company Front Line.
*$30 per soldier or $179 for a set of six.
$600*
Highly collectible traditional lead toy soldiers, made by iconic English manufacturer Wm Britains, circa 1930. These particular soldiers are the King's Royal Rifle Corps and are handpainted with lead paints, which are no longer used.
*For a set of 8 infantrymen.
$900
Prince Wishnevecky of Poland, carrying an exquisitely detailed banner - probably into battle against the Ottomans in the 17th century. Made by the Grenada studio in St Petersburg.
All figures courtesy Peter Nathan Toy Soldiers, Sydney.
© 2004