Mike Tarantino's Toy Soldier Collection (2 Viewers)

[ucla1967]

The next four sets that Imperial produced were Highland Mounted Infantry; the first two sets had dismounted figures, the third set had three mounted figures, and the fourth set had one mounted figure.


Set No.15. HIGHLAND MOUNTED INFANTRY 1896 Dismounted, standing firing with signaler

Set No.16. HIGHLAND MOUNTED INFANTRY 1896 Dismounted, running at the trail with bugler

Set No.17. HIGHLAND MOUNTED INFANTRY 1896 Mounted on cantering horses

Set No.18. HIGHLAND MOUNTED INFANTRY 1896 Officer

The officer is the first figure on the left with the red tunic and khaki pants in the fourth photo.

 

[ucla1967]

The next three mounted figures were sold as single figure sets, from left to right, set No.18. HIGHLAND MOUNTED INFANTRY 1896 Officer from the previous post and...

Set No. 19. FIELD MARSHALL LORD ROBERTS, 1900

Set No. 22. AIDE-DE-CAMP, BRITISH ARMY, 1900

 

[DMNamiot]

I have Lord Roberts as well it's a great figure and I usually mix him into my Durban display. Got to love imperials figures!

Dave

 

[ucla1967]

I have Lord Roberts as well it's a great figure and I usually mix him into my Durban display. Got to love imperials figures!

Dave

I guess one could say that we both are very fond of them. I believe that I have about 500 Imperial figures in my collection plus several hundred more for resale at the West Coaster. However, every time we have an earthquake, all my mounted Imperial figures go down since they don't have bases. The foot figures fall over too, but I now have them tacky waxed, so maybe they will be ok.

 

[ucla1967]

Here are the last three mounted sets with an individual figure in each.

Set No. 21. GENERAL, BRITISH ARMY, 1900

Set No. 27 KING EDWARD VII, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF, 10TH HUSSARS, 1900

Set No. 20. KING GEORGE V, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF, SCOTS GUARDS, 1910

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Mike,

Earthquakes would be really hard to deal with. I don't envy you having to put them all up with tacky wax.

I only have a few Imperal sets but do enjoy seeing them a lot. Hope to add a few more one day especially one of the heirloom square sets.

Dave

 

[ucla1967]

Hi Mike,

Earthquakes would be really hard to deal with. I don't envy you having to put them all up with tacky wax.

I only have a few Imperal sets but do enjoy seeing them a lot. Hope to add a few more one day especially one of the heirloom square sets.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Tacky wax is a nightmare to work with. If I decide to move a figure even slightly it leaves a hard to remove and clean residue that is now visible. I have gone through five or six tubs of tacky wax so far and I am barely half way through the process. I have both Heirloom 40-figure sets on display with HS2 in a diorama with the Camerons in a square being attacked by Sudanese Mahdists and Fuzzy Wuzzies also from Imperial. FYI: Imperial only made 408 HS1 sets (marching) and 268 HS 2 sets (in action), but they show up fairly regularly at auction or on eBay.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

I finally put together in one display all the sets I have from Frontline Figures 1914 Parade Dress Range of the AUSTRIAN HOCH UND DEUTSCHMEISTER REGIMENT. They include three sets of PD.1 Six Marching, one set PDS.1 Standard Party, and one set PDO.2 Officer and NCO. The 1914 Parade Dress Range was all done in glossy paint before Frontline switched over to matte paint.

 

[thebritfarmer]

Here are the last three mounted sets with an individual figure in each.

Set No. 21. GENERAL, BRITISH ARMY, 1900

Set No. 27 KING EDWARD VII, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF, 10TH HUSSARS, 1900

Set No. 20. KING GEORGE V, COLONEL-IN-CHIEF, SCOTS GUARDS, 1910

Great figures.

 

[Al Fisher]

Must admit that the AUSTRIAN HOCH UND DEUTSCHMEISTER REGIMENT is one of my favorites and looking at them en masse is a treat!
Bosun Al

 

[jazzeum]

I finally put together in one display all the sets I have from Frontline Figures 1914 Parade Dress Range of the AUSTRIAN HOCH UND DEUTSCHMEISTER REGIMENT. They include three sets of PD.1 Six Marching, one set PDS.1 Standard Party, and one set PDO.2 Officer and NCO. The 1914 Parade Dress Range was all done in glossy paint before Frontline switched over to matte paint.

These are exquisite Mike.

Brad

 

[ucla1967]

Great figures.

I agree. The single figure Imperial Productions personality sets are very well done.

 

[ucla1967]

Must admit that the AUSTRIAN HOCH UND DEUTSCHMEISTER REGIMENT is one of my favorites and looking at them en masse is a treat!
Bosun Al

Thank you, Al. It is my favorite regiment from Frontline's 1914 Parade Dress Range. I wish I had been smarter when I started out collecting, since I didn't realize how impressive mass formations are as compared to, for example, that regiment with just one each of the Officer/NCO, standard party, and six marching sets. The two extra marching sets do make a difference. It took me years to find those other marching sets. I had an extra standard party set which I sold to Bob W. for $50, now I feel obligated to look for more of the Hoch und Deutschmeister sets for him although he did not ask me to do so. Since he is not on line, his only hope is at auction or at the West Coaster, unless I help him.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

These are exquisite Mike.

Brad

Thank you Brad, they are exquisite. Somehow marching figures, even in basic blue uniforms like these, look better in glossy paint than they would in matte paint. Again, I would like to point out the similarity of Frontline's glossy figures to those of King & Countries early glossy figures thanks to the late Howard Swales who shockingly passed away, unexpectedly, about eight years ago. I believe that he was only in his 40s. I really liked his stuff and considered him a friend. Our hobby has missed him.

Mike

 

[jazzeum]

Mike,

Agreed. Bands look better in gloss than matte. Just not the same.

I'm sure you know (although might not) that the people who started Frontline used to work for Andy before they went out on their own. They even used the same factory. The late Lawrence Lo even had a K & C figure that was erroneously marked Frontline.

Brad

 

[ucla1967]

Mike,

Agreed. Bands look better in gloss than matte. Just not the same.

I'm sure you know (although might not) that the people who started Frontline used to work for Andy before they went out on their own. They even used the same factory. The late Lawrence Lo even had a K & C figure that was erroneously marked Frontline.

Brad

Brad,

Yes, I knew that Gerard and Howard worked with Andy originally before starting Frontline Figures. I believe that Andy told me that early on, both Frontline and King & Country were using the same factory in China. They apparently got mixed up and produced King & Country sets marked as Frontline. I don't recall how many sets were produced this way or which ones they were, but if I had one, I would keep it.

Mike

 

[lancer]

I finally put together in one display all the sets I have from Frontline Figures 1914 Parade Dress Range of the AUSTRIAN HOCH UND DEUTSCHMEISTER REGIMENT. They include three sets of PD.1 Six Marching, one set PDS.1 Standard Party, and one set PDO.2 Officer and NCO. The 1914 Parade Dress Range was all done in glossy paint before Frontline switched over to matte paint.

A very attractive set and the flag is spectacular. -- Al

 

[ucla1967]

I am continuing to add to my Philippine mahogany World War II warbirds collection. My latest acquisition is a Grumman U.S. Navy TBF/TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bomber in 1/32nd scale. Its wingspan is 16 3/4 inches and it has a length of 12 3/4 inches. The Avenger was also widely used as a carrier based bomber in World II with a capacity of 1,600 pounds of bombs. It had a 1,700 Horse Power Wright Cyclone air-cooled radial engine which gave it a maximum speed of 270 MPH and a range of 1,200 miles. It was armed with three machine guns: a fixed .50 caliber firing forward from the front of the fuselage, a second .50 caliber in a dorsal turret (I have always wondered why not two), and a .30 caliber located under the fuselage which fired to the rear. Grumman produced 2,293 TBF-1s with the 1,700 HP engine while General Motors produced 4,664 of a more capable version with a 2,000 HP engine and improved bomb load which was designated the TBM-3. FYI: George Herbert Walker Bush flew an Avenger in World War II and was shot down late in the war while bombing a Japanese held island. He was rescued by a U.S. submarine; unfortunately, the other two crewmen were killed.

 

[ucla1967]

I am working on my eighth and final curio as I continue to reorganize my collection. Just the two Frontline Figures diorama tables with an American Civil War battle and a Napoleonic battle will remain to be done after this curio is completed. I have more or less completed the first four shelves on this last curio. The top self has four levels of Imperial Productions on display in set numerical order. The second shelf has three levels of Trophy of Wales sets on display. The third shelf has Indian Army sets displayed on one level from Nicholson, Kingcast, Somerset, and Hiriart with Indian building facades as backdrops. The fourth shelf with four levels has sets from Imperial, Beau Geste, Saint George's Cross, and Frontline. I will display as many of the 11 Kingcast artillery sets in my collection as I can on the top level which currently is open.

 

[ucla1967]

This is the Imperial Productions top shelf display on four levels. I tried something different this time in that I tacky waxed each figure down on the tiers (steps) outside the curio. I had trouble in the past trying to set them up in the curio because they were so easy to knock down given the small, round Imperial bases. I hope that if and when the next earthquake hits, all the foot figures will stay in place. I have resolved myself to the fact that the mounted figures, none of which have bases, will all fall over, as in the past.