I’ve mentioned that I’m an eclectic collector, and nothing proves it more than this post. Walter Merten produced plastic figures from the 1950’s to the 80s, when they were taken over, like Elastolin, by Preiser. Their first figures were made to compliment the newer, smaller scale railway layouts and included tiny N gauge figures as well as HO scale. They also produced historical models in 40mm scale to capture some of the Elastolin market. More about these in a later post, today it’s their HO medieval range, and some similar, later Preiser figures; who sadly never re-issued any of the Merten historical ranges.
As a miniaturist, I am fascinated by these small, very delicate, hard plastic figures that were always sold factory painted in groups of six foot, or three mounted figures in plastic transparent boxes; the earlier ones with scenic backdrops. Beautifully action posed, they depict combatants of a late medieval battlefield or siege. Sadly, unlike the similar 40mm range, no siege equipment was made for them. Happily, I’ve collected a good number of these sets and one day will make a display with a suitable ‘Faller’ or similar German castle.
On the right is a 54mm medieval figure next to a mounted Merten knight, to demonstrate the size and delicate modeling of these figures. Underneath are a couple of boxed sets, the archers are in an older box with the backdrop, the knights in a later one. the compartments in the knight’s box can be adjusted to suite the contents. Click once on each image to enlarge and see the detail on these tiny figures.
I am not sure what the market was for these figures, the other figures in the catalogue were civilian figures that would be used to enhance railway layouts of the late Victorian or 20th century eras. Maybe the cowboys and indians could possibly be used for a period layout, but it would take quite an imaginative senario to fit medieval figures in. They are too delicate and fiddly to play with, so I can only surmise that they were for dioramas. Below are a selection of the mounted knights, They are all as sold, any shields or flags not on the figures, needed to be glued on. Then come the archers, older and later boxes, showing how many different figures they made and different paint jobs. Then the foot knights, again so many different types.
Below, because I’ve mentioned them, a box of wild west indians (native americans). Note the extra larger head-dresses that can be glued on the figures in place of the simpler feathers. And finally an example of the very limited HO historical sets that Preiser issued. They are standard Elastolin types, resized to HO, these their mounted Landsknechts. Elastolin never issued them in this size, and they are splendid. Every now and again they issue other historical figures and sets miniaturised from the Elastolin range.
In the next post I’m showing some of my own figures, I don’t make or paint figures commercially now although I have done in the past. I’ve retained a couple from a range I made on commission in the late 1980’s, however I do still make and paint figures for my own pleasure.
Jim's Vintage Toy Soldiers 