Old toy molds (1 Viewer)

Scott

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I got these as a kid back in the 60s and at various times cast some figures to sell in my parent's gift shop. In college I sold enough soldiers and pewter spoons to pay for a week in Bermuda. I put them away and just pulled them out last weekend after 40 years. I have a scrap box of pewter and Britannia metal so I'm making two armies of figures from molds based on the Herald Civil War figures. I have the Marx based cannon mold but the wheels rarely come out. I may paint them "Toy Soldier" style in glossy paints. Cleaning the flash is going to be tough.

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Cool!

You mentioned Herald Civil War - as in Britains/Herald plastics but cast in metal??? That would be awesome. Herald figures are wonderful.

Can't wait to see the final results
 
I made mine from plaster of paris. NOT good for high production.
 
Dang I don't remember. Something-co.

Meanwhile..here's the Union force. Because details had to be sacrificed to account for draft in the mold, the backpacks are small on one side and the rifles are a bit misshapen on the charging figure.

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Those molds are available now from Castings, Inc. The company is a direct descendant of the Rappaport Brothers' legendary Home Foundry. You can see their catalog online at http://www.miniaturemolds.com/index.htm.

Along with the Civil War molds, they have a line of 54mm figure molds, made of metal, to cast figures that are copies of some of the old King-White/Reeves Napoleonics, as well as molds for the old Gebr. Schneider toy soldiers. They also have molds in silicone rubber to make knights, chess sets, and classic toy soldiers (Coldstream Guards and Highland infantry, which look like they were originally copied from Britains and other classic British hollowcast makers' figures).

I had some of the King-White molds but gave them away; the detail was a little too soft for my liking. But I still have some of the silicone rubber knight molds, which had decent-enough detail to them.

The also sell mold-making supplies and tools, but I haven't bought anything from them for years. The last time I did, they gave me a bait-and-switch on a mold clamp. They told me that the one I had ordered was discontinued, and they sent me a different style of clamp, very impractical in its design. I would rather they had just given me my money back.

Still, it's worth a look at their website, to see what they carry.

Prost!
 
Go for it!

Next the Confederates. The original Herald figures were generic Civil War-ish. There were some units of Confederates that had a uniform with the tunic rather than the short jacket or frock coat. These troops can serve as early Texians. I don't think there was ever a unit that had the "official" Confederate Uniform with blue trousers, tunic coat with colored cuffs and colar, and kepi. I made them nondescript as possible.

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Very nice, Scott!

I had some plastic copies of those Herald figures when I was a kid. They were in a "Fort Apache"-style playset carrying case, a la Marx. Someone was copying them back then, probably in Hong Kong :rolleyes:

Thanks for reviving the homecasting content, too, we've been quiet for a while.

Prost!
Brad
 
2-3 hand casts to get a good one and hrs. of filing the flash.

It reminds me of why I had soldiers spun cast in "rubber" molds when I was selling figures.

I just found another stash of pewter and Britainia I forgot I had. I thinl I'll do some semi-flat Mexicans. I have an old mold of a dancer and a guitarist.
 
The dancer and guitarist were from Junior Caster, I think. I think that mold was called "South of the Border". So many great molds from back then! I'd like to get the Buck Rogers molds sometime.

Prost!
Brad
 
The dancer and guitarist were from Junior Caster, I think. I think that mold was called "South of the Border". So many great molds from back then! I'd like to get the Buck Rogers molds sometime.

Prost!
Brad

I would like to see that myself!

Having too much fun painting. No room for the melter.:eek:
 
South of the Boarder! I'm skipping the Mexican with the knife. Maybe I'll cast the US Navy Band I have to go with the Mexicans and do Vera Cruz 1914. haha!
 
Those look great, Scott! I've never seen these in finished form, very cool!

Prost!
Brad
 

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