Old WW soldiers (1 Viewer)

[powi777]

Dear,

There I am again, with another question. I posted a pic with some Crescents knights from most likely the 50's a couple of weeks back.
I'm doing more research. Does anybody recognize these great worriers? They've seen some damage, but they're pretty neat I think, nonetheless... They come from the same collection.



Thank you very much for any info!

 

[theBaron]

Are there any markings under the base or on the underside of the wounded figure? If there are, they can help identify the figures.

Prost!
Brad

 

[powi777]

Are there any markings under the base or on the underside of the wounded figure? If there are, they can help identify the figures.

Prost!
Brad

Hi Brad,
Thanks for looking into. Unfortunately, no markings. Just bare metal at the bottom, pretty rough.
I am guessing, given the rest of the collection, that they date back to the 40's or 50's. And probably, they're British. But that's as far as I got right now...

 

[theBaron]

And they're hollowcast, not solid, right? In fact, it looks like there's a hole in the top of the wounded soldier's head. And what size are they, even roughly, eg, 54mm, or some other size?

Prost!
Brad

 

[powi777]

And they're hollowcast, not solid, right? In fact, it looks like there's a hole in the top of the wounded soldier's head. And what size are they, even roughly, eg, 54mm, or some other size?

Prost!
Brad

Hi Brad,
Yes, there's actually a hole in all the heads.
Most of the statues have a little plate at the bottom (the lying soldier is an exception in that way). And yes, that is approximately their size.
I think they're actually quite well made. But what are they ?

 

[powi777]

Hi Brad,
Yes, there's actually a hole in all the heads.
Most of the statues have a little plate at the bottom (the lying soldier is an exception in that way). And yes, that is approximately their size.
I think they're actually quite well made. But what are they ?

And oh yes, that is approximately the size!

 

[theBaron]

... But what are they ?

The additional info should help make it easier to answer that.

Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

I've been looking first in O'Brien's "Collection Toy Soldiers, 4th edition, Collecting Foreign-Made Toy Soldiers."

So far, I think we can rule out some makers: Britain, Johillco, Charbens, Cherilea, Crescent, Timpo.

The grenade thrower does have a certain similarity to Crescent's toy soldiers, in terms of its style. But there is a Crescent grenade-thrower pictured in the book (p. 201). There were 2 paint versions, but the basic figure is stepping off with his right foot, right arm back to throw, bent at the elbow. Definitely a different casting.

Timpo made a grenade-thrower, too, right arm back to throw. But theirs has a base only under the figure's leading foot, not extending under both feet.

Nothing matching those two figures shows up in any of the other articles in the book, especially not in the section on French hollowcast. But there weren't many French makers of hollowcast toy soldiers, anyway.

I have to dig deeper into my references to see if I can find these. I'm surprised no one else has commented yet.

Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

OK, looking in Norman Joplin's "Toy Soldiers" (1994), I found the grenade thrower pictured on page 72, and the caption identifies it as a French hollowcast figure. Given your location, I'm not surprised that it was made in France. It is not specifically identified as Mignot, who did produce hollowcast figures, but it's possible that it is. Norman noted that the subject is unusual, since the French tended to focus on French subjects.

Your wounded soldier may come from the same maker.

This gives us a better focus for our research, at least.

Prost!
Brad

 

[powi777]

Oh that is amazing info Brad. You actually found one. Thank you very much!
I have now found a couple more friends of his. I will post them here too later this week, just to have your picture complete too.

Quite a large part of the collection is turning out to be French and Belgian (Durso) and some German and so on.