Dave
You are so lucky to have that set. Is Errol John still in business?
Here is what I found about him online.
Errol John Studios
3 Field Avenue
Tydd Street
Wisbech
Cambridgeshire
PE13 5U
Toy Soldier | Web Article - [Cached Version]
Published on: 5/23/2003 Last Visited: 5/23/2003
PHOTOS BY: Errol John Pace & Steve Gilbert.
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Later, at his home and manufacturing base in the Victorian centre of Strood, North Kent, Errol gave me a brief resume of his ‘model history'.Briefly, he has been involved with all aspects of model soldiers since the age of about eight.He continued, "I have been an officer in the Victorian Military Society, an officer and Kent area representative for the BMSS and I belong to the well known Gravesham Military Modelling Society.While living in Canada from 1974 to 1984, I served as president of the Quebec Model Soldier Society in Montreal, and helped to encourage the development of the hobby in Quebec."Errol also served with the Royal Army Medical Corps Territorial Army for 12 years reaching, as he put it, "the exalted rank of Sergeant."
Errol began producing models in 1992 and has expanded his range over the years via the acquisition of small model soldier businesses like Ensign Miniatures (not be confused with Ensign Historical Miniatures of Lancashire, U.K.) and Phina Figures - both now coming under the Errol John Studios banner.
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When this is done Errol will be happy to sell these as castings, connoisseur painted figures in oils and acrylics or in traditional style gloss finish as he does for the other figures in his ranges.None of these lines are ever deleted and if ever anything is out of stock it can be painted up or cast as required.New 54mm sets are introduced every eight weeks or so, a new Christmas set is due to appear in time for the Chicago show and will be available at the London show in December.Prices are approximately £ 12.50 to £15 depending on the complexity of painting.Boxed sets vary in price.
A partiality for the Victorian era and in particular the Indian army of this period is evident from recent releases, but Errol tries not to be to restrictive in his choice of periods.
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Errol is unsure of the exact number, cheerfully admitting that he had never bothered to take an inventory.Any attempt to produce a printed colour catalogue to encompass the whole range would, Errol thinks, be a waste of time, it being obsolete in a few weeks .In any case, collectors tend to be specific in their requirements and would not want details of large scale models if they only collect 54 mm figures as I suspect most readers of these pages do.Lists of any particular range are available and are currently being reformatted.Errol will supply these bound in loose-leaf form and can also provide photographs.
Finishing the first cup of tea in Errol's dining room gave me time to absorb the piles of moulds and stacks of boxes vying for space with the furniture.However, when I descended to the ‘engine room' of the business - the cellar - the scope of his involvement became clear.The walls on the stairs were filled with racks of boxes of component parts, and if the dining room was cluttered with moulds, the cellar was jammed floor to ceiling with them!Errol does his casting here and all available wall space was utilised by shelves each seemingly with it's own mini-parade of figures in various stages of completion.
Errol proudly showed off a quartet of camels waiting for finishing on his work desk."Each one is in a slightly different pose," he said pointing at the legs.When complete the camels will make up a Bikiner Camel Corps battery set, circa 1900 onwards.The camels will be further utilised as mounts for individual cavalry figures in the future.
As for the figures themselves, many of his 54mm ranges are unique because of their casual poses.Errol told me he enjoys portraying aspects of a soldier's life away from the front line.
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My positive comments on the diversity within his Indian ranges drew Errol to give vent to his feelings about recently published opinions."A major manufacturer recently made some inane comments about the lack of imagination by manufacturers.While I abhor political arguments especially involving our universal hobby, I have to speak in defence of the cottage industry manufacturer, especially those in Britain who do exhibit imagination, charge a very reasonable price for their products and utilise a local work force contained within a framework of workers' rights and minimum wage restraints."Errol also said that he didn't feel it was fair to try and encourage customers to part with hard-earned money on ‘limited editions' as virtually all manufacturers only produce a limited amount of any set.
Errol deals directly with many of his customers and some offer ideas for future figures but, sadly, the limitations of economics means not every idea can be realised.A further expansion of Scottish regiments (of which Errol is particularly fond) is planned.Tartans, Errol told me, are not the easiest of items to paint and require a particular dedication to study and research.Errol has built up a respectable following both here and in the U.S. for his ‘Famous Regiments of Scotland' series introduced in 1992.
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Considering the true cottage industry nature of Errol's business, his output mirrors that of some large manufacturers.
Not that Errol confines his output just to figures.
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"It stretched the width of our garden," recalled Errol.
Several dioramas, including one of a French Napoleonic ‘Larrey' Ambulance, (Larrey was the surname of the French surgeon who invented the ambulance) have been supplied to one of the partners of Henley Model Miniatures for his personnel collection.Errol seems to have gained an enviable international reputation among his peers, American retailer, The Toy Soldier Shoppe of the North, has used the statement, "The painting on these figures is of the highest quality and the attention to detail is exceptional," in their advertising.
Errol sees no chance of early retirement.This is his full time job and, in any case, he believes, "This hobby and business is not something you can easily retire from, there is always a new idea to consider, a new figure to produce, a new line of research to follow up."He went on to say that he has "accumulated a modest personal library of files and information, and when in doubt many well-researched people are only too willing to help.
