Legions of plastic army men have been bought, played with, and thrown out by children, particularly boys, throughout the last 60 years. Toy soldiers are very popular with little boys, and are still popular with collectors whose ‘inner child’ has not died. I will admit that I sort of fall under this category, and have collected these miniature warriors for almost 10 years now. I have even run a painting service for these toy soldiers, adding a swell look to these sometimes drab miniature models. If you have ever been interested in collecting these figures, than look no further-your guide is here.
Let us first divide miniature soldiers into a few categories. There are the simple plastic army men and cowboys and Indians that many of us guys may have has as children. Then, there are the collectible miniatures popular in many games with somewhat older children, like Attacktix, MageKnight, and MechWarrior. The small scale model soldiers popular in many dioramas and for hobby modeling sets, produced by the companies like Airfix, Revell, and Preiser are a third variety. Finally, the miniature wargaming figures, small figures designed to be used in large armies for wargames on the tabletop, and not some sort of video game, are quite popular, and made by companies like Games-Workshop, Old Glory Miniatures, Foundry, Hasslefree, and others. Four different categories, for some very varied figures.
The plastic army men, those little figures that are generally around 1.5 inches tall, and often molded in green plastic or other colorful varities, are to be found at most toy stores. They are generally quite cheap, and some dollar stores even sell around 30-40 of them in a bag. The modeling and scale of these figures varies immensely, as they can be very detailed, or very poorly made. Most are made in China, and many of them resemble each other in the poses, but vary differently in size and texture. I have heard that most of the figures of these on the market today are copied from the old scale model kits produced many years ago by the British and American toy soldier companies, most of which are out of business now, probably thanks to the influx of cheaper, foreign made copies.
The collectible miniatures are often larger, chunkier, and more complex than your typical toy soldier. These are relatively new additions to the world of miniatures, as they are basically game playing pieces that resemble characters from Star Wars, or other popular series that many children enjoy. They often feature a ‘click base’ or something similar so that young children playing the game with these figures can keep track of their score. Most major retailers sell these. Some of these figures blur the line between ‘collectible’ and ‘miniature wargame figure’ as they may be decently designed, but most are not.
The small scale soldiers are often sold at specialized hobby shops or online. These are often just bought by collectors, or modelers, and not used for gaming, although some people do. The are often H/O scale, or 1/72 scale-roughly 1 inch tall. They are made by a few specialized companies, some of which used to make toy soldiers in bulk, but now only sell a few as the cheaper, less detailed figures are more popular.
Lastly, the miniature wargaming figures are among some of the most detailed, and expensive of the entire group. These may be fantasy, sci-fi, or historical, and range from small fantasy dwarves to gigantic Space Marines and alien creatures. Most colletors of these pieces will pay a heft price for each one, and use them in a wargame, in which they and other players follow a set of rules to stage battles-similar to chess, but with prettier pieces, a battleground not restricted to the chess board, and more ‘advanced’ rules. These are generally sold in big gaming shops and hobby shops, and all over the Internet.
Collecting toy soldiers, from whatever type, can be a fun and enjoyable hobby. Find a type that you like, and find the best bargain for them, be it online or in a dollar store.
