I’ve collected toy soldiers of one type or another all my life and my current collection contains a few figures retained since the 1960’s. During the 1970’s and 80’s like many collectors I bought via mailing lists; plastic figures from George Kearton and Metal figures from Norman Joplin, Shamus Wade and others. Following the example of luminaries of the British Model Soldier Society, I began to scratch build my own figures from plastic or metal, but not for competition. This lead to teaching myself to make rubber moulds to cast in lead/tin metal, later pewter. I got to know Norman Joplin quite well and when he inaugurated the London Toy Soldier Show I agreed to attend and sell surplus figures. At that time most stands were selling vintage figures, new toy soldiers were just beginning to become popular. I began sculpting and casting a range of simple, old school 50mm toy knights, foot soldiers and Robin Hood figures, alongside a set of Victorian firemen. I took these along, with some scenic backdrops to try to enhance their appeal. I chose 50mm scale because it was and still is my favourite. By the end of the day I’d sold many of the figures that I’d taken as well as vintage figures and the back drops. The following two years I did the same, but didn’t having the inclination, or ambition to put much time into it. When one collector began ordering dozens of mounted knights, all of which had to be cast, soldered and painted by hand, and a well-known American distributor wanted to put in a large regular order my interest began to wane. My usual occupation was exciting, sometimes dangerous and well paid, so the commercial side of toy soldiers was not for me and I called it a day. I enjoy the relaxation of simply collecting, painting and making figures for my own pleasure; indulging in historical fantasy.

         I’ve retained only a couple of the toy figures I used to make to order. Below is a duplex of Simon de Montfort and a young squire helping him arm for the Battle of Lewes. They could be ordered in matt or gloss finish.

I have a fascination of the bronze age era; particularly the 2nd millennium BC and the movements of people that led to the downfall of the Mycenaean cities and the Hittite empire. When one reads the exploits of the Heroes of Greek mythology; Homeric warriors, and others, their conflicts expand to cover most of the geographical areas surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This is supplemented by Egyptian history and other contemporary myths. One myth that has come down to us from as late as the early classical era of Greece, is that of the Amazons. Now much archaeological research has been done across the Russian steppes that give credence to these myths; that such female warriors did exist on those vast steppes and burials seem to show that women fought alongside their menfolk in the constant warfare waged between their nomadic tribes and large combined raids that took place on neighbouring settled territories. Most of these burials begin from around 900bc but the myths go back to the era of the Trojan wars; myths of raiding parties of young women warriors. One prominent Russian scholar has likened the Scythian, Saka, Sarmatian tribes of the steppes to the American indigenous tribes and the warrior societies that existed in many of them, composed of youths and men keen to prove their martial prowess. Burials of young steppe girls and women with fatal and healed battle wounds have been uncovered along with the weapons they used. These young women were expected to fight and would have been as skilled with a compound bow as any of their brothers, especially remembering that these tribes are regarded to be the earliest to ride horses. Nor is it beyond imagination that they may have formed female warrior societies.

Early classical Greeks were obsessed with the concept of Amazon warriors; they sculpted and adorned their vases with them. Those who travelled to the Black Sea areas returned with lurid tales of such female warrior societies. For classical Greek women, these tales conflicted with their own highly constrained lives; the notion of female warriors as exciting as it was impossible for them to imagine.

Below is my take on a group of Amazon warriors, shown individually, I’ve mixed archaeological evidence with myth, homage to stories such as that of Penthesilea during the Trojan war, depictions from classical Greece and archaeological evidence. They are scratch-built 50mm figures, made primarily of metal with other materials added. The horses are heavily converted from commercial, mostly resin kit figures. Many weapons are removable. It’s an ongoing project. For comparison the Stadden Greeks in image three are 54mm, commissioned as a primed piece from Norman Newton in 1970.

If you like my figures, see the News page. I have a new range, Off World Miniatures, soon to be in production in very limited numbers. Please get in touch via email if you are interested.