Favorite toy soldier related holiday gift....... (1 Viewer)

[Warrior]

I've got two that come to mind. When I was a kid, I was into Airfix ho/oo soldiers and asked for the Waterloo Assault set from my aunt and uncle. I remember they were the last ones to show up that year for Christmas dinner and I nervously waited for them to show up and when they finally did, in walked my uncle with the set tucked under his arm, what a splendid set that was. I still have it in my collection today.

The second was my other toy soldier passion as a kid; Britains ACW figures. I asked my parents for "a" Britains set for Christmas one year and I discovered on Christmas morning the following; a union and confederate gun with crew and limber for each, a set each of infantry and cavalry. What a terrific surprize that was................

 

[Leadmen]

My favorite was a metal set of Britains ski soldiers-four figures in box. Also any Marx set. Battleground and Fort Apache were favorites. Nothing survived from the sets.Also my BB gun. unfortunately many figures sucumbed to accurate BB gun practice. Leadmen

 

[Alexdakar]

I remember receiving the Guns of Navarone playset. I would spend hours everyday playing with that set.

 

[OzDigger]

When I was a kid (1960 to early 70s), metal soldiers were very scarce in Australia and I suspect the only collectors of metal figs downunder back then were old fuddy duddy types reliving their tin toy soldier boy-hood days.

I can't actually recall receiving any toy soldier as a gift as a child so I usually bought any plastic soldiers I wanted out of my own pocket money. I had a number of Matchbox military vehicles such as the Saladin Armoured Car etc passed down to me from two older brothers. However even back then my main interest was WWII and my Airfix WWII troops seemed happy enough to use British military vehicles from a later time period.

I recall building a Foreign Legion type fort out of matchsticks that the Airfix Afrika Korps guys took over and used as a base of defence against the surrounding Brit and Aussie forces. I suspect it was those cool baseball style caps the AK soldiers wore that first attracted me to the Axis side.

 

[gk5717]

My favorite was the early Marx Davey Crokett at the Alamo, this early version had the Ft. Dearborn cavalry & pioneers. I remember wearing out the Sears catalog prior to Christmas looking at it.
Gary

 

[noli-poli]

A 500 piece Marx Toy Soldiers (D-Day Set...complete w/ LCVPs , bunkers, tents, etc.). My brother got the Fort Apache set, complete with the pallisade fort and Indians. The season then was magical. We couldn't sleep for the next 2 weeks. We slept with our toy soldiers in bed.
...and now it's K&C! (no, I dont' sleep in bed with them anymore. I simply surrounded my home office with WWII KC stuff).

N-P

 

[Louis Badolato]

When I was a kid my favorite Christmas presents were the Guns of Navarone playset and Bandai 1:48 scale pinpoint precision series models.

As an adult, my two favorite Christmas presents (one from my first wife, one, this year, from my present wife0 were and are: K&C Long Range Desert Group Chevy 30 cwt Truck and K&C Aichi Type 99 "Val" bomber.

 

[DMNamiot]

I think I would have to say my favorites were the Britains Swoppets I received from their Knights and ACW series. I also got a really cool castle to go with the knights and a fort one year for the 7th Cav to ride out to do battle with indians and other outlaws. I also had a bunch of GI Joes. I wish I still had access to my old house because under the floor of the attic area where we played is probably a few hundred swoppets and other britains that feel through the spaces and we couldnt get them back. Oh well someday some one will find a treasure trove.

Dave

 

[bsager]

Louis,
The Guns of Navaron set was what got me back into collectin. I was on the web about 6-7 years ago looking for that set and came across the K&C line from a dealer website. I purchased a WS12W set to take a look and I was hooked from then on and the rest is history.

By the way, I still do not have that Navaron set

Bill Sager

 

[kilted vampire]

If you include Major Matt Mason, he would have been a favorite of mine. After all he was in the military. Yeah I know he is a space toy. But astronauts are in the military.