So, what's the big deal? (1 Viewer)

[Rob]

For me the reasons i collect K&C are simple and straightforward.Firstly the quality of realism is second to none.I can honestly say i have not seen any other company that makes WW2 Figures as realistic as K&C do.Secondly the choice of theatre and poses.Again second to none.The poses and iconic images of the troops is superb.We can argue as much as we will about Tank tracks,when it comes to figures K&C number one in my book.

Rob

 

[arnhem44mad]

The painting skills, the detail, the sexiness of the figures the friendliness of the maker and other collectors, and loads, loads more!!!!!!!!

 

[Eazy]

The sexiness of the figures?

Has Tony been selling you those Egyptian Dancing Girls to keep under your bed?

 

[jazzeum]

The painting skills, the detail, the sexiness of the figures, the friendliness of the maker and other collectors, and loads, loads more!!!!!!!!

Been collecting those Egyptian dancers, eh, Scott?

 

[Eazy]

Been collecting those Egyptian dancers, eh, Scott?

Snap.

Witty minds think alike!

 

[Rob]

The sexiness of the figures?

Has Tony been selling you those Egyptian Dancing Girls to keep under your bed?

Egyptian belly dancers under the bed.That should take his mind off Arnhem!!!

Rob

 

[Mignot]

Hello everyone!

First let me say thank you very much everyone for responding to my question. I have often found it very difficult to explain why one figure speaks to me and another doesn't, but you have all done an admirable job explaining your passion for K&C. Your devotion to this brand has encouraged me to look closer at the Napoleonic sets (my main collecting theme) and I must say I can appreciate, even from just photographs, the detail and realism of which you speak. I still believe that this level of accuracy and realism is lacking in the AWI sets, but no company can get it right 100% of the time. It seems that the Napoleonic and WW2 themes are by far the most popular, and K&C has done a remarkable job meeting the interests and demands of those collectors.

Just to briefly explain my befuddlement. I remember when I was at the toy soldier shop at the Guards Museum, and I was talking to one of the men who works there, and he told me that he would never display glossy figures and matte figures together. He was a big new Britains collector and fond of the diorama theme. Being that I have always collected Mignot first, I was slightly confused. Since Mignot put out figures in matte and glossy over the years, I had never discriminated between the two. A mignot is a mignot, whether it be glossy or matte (not entirely true, the new stuff is bollox).

As Gideon has pointed out, Mignots are not conducive to dioramas. Though, I have seen it done. The Malcolm Forbes museum has a large Mignot diorama...though it is lacking historically, it is rather impressive visually. But, given the less than realistic nature of Mignot castings, I have never tried to send my toy soldiers into battle. And since Mignot is the main force behind my collection, I doubt I will ever actively collect K&C. But, I do like to have a few figures from each of the major manufactures for the purposes of comparison. I am also an opportunistic toy soldier collector. If I find a toy soldier shop in some corner of the globe, I might bring home any number of figures that dont nominally mesh with my collection. But, who is to say there is something wrong with this! So, in the spirit of the hobby, keep collecting whatever makes you happy!

Cheers!

Cole Jones

 

[Gideon]

Hi Cole,

Just one more point I'd like to make...

The matte super realistic figures will bring in a collector who is a bit more of a history buff.

I cannot tell you how many people I've met who are history buffs and historians who would never have thought of collecting until having seen the newer style figures. It just opened up an entirely different type of collector. A collector who never had a single response to a toy like figure.

The toy soldier hobby is, arguably, in a form of decline due to younger people and children falling out and transforming into more of a middle aged hobby. Glossy figures are taking an especially hard hit.

 

[jazzeum]

Egyptian belly dancers under the bed.That should take his mind off Arnhem!!!

Rob

If so, you can forget the Arnhem series altogether. I can see him changing his Treefrog name very, very, very soon.

 

[Mignot]

Gideon,

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. My own interest in toy soldiers grew out of a keen in interest in history as a child. Or at least I think it is how it happened, sometimes I can't remember which came first, my interest in history or toy soldiers...chicken and egg stuff. But, whichever came first, here I am now a professional historian. I tend to keep my collecting interests to myself when in professional settings because many of my colleagues would look askance at our hobby. It smells of antiquarianism and worse yet....military history!!! My profession is not very forgiving of military history buffs.

I can see the appeal of the dynamic military models, but my first love will always be toy soldiers.

Best wishes!

Cole

 

[jazzeum]

Cole,

I saw you said you were a professional historian. Are you a professor at a college. If so, where and what is your area of specialization?

Years ago (mid 1970s), I went to Vanderbilt, postgraduate, with hopes of becoming a professor of history, specializing in Latin America. Along the way, I realized that maybe I was not god's gift to learning which is why I suppose I am now an attorney.

 

[jrsteel]

Hi Cole,

Just one more point I'd like to make...

The matte super realistic figures will bring in a collector who is a bit more of a history buff.

I cannot tell you how many people I've met who are history buffs and historians who would never have thought of collecting until having seen the newer style figures. It just opened up an entirely different type of collector. A collector who never had a single response to a toy like figure.

The toy soldier hobby is, arguably, in a form of decline due to younger people and children falling out and transforming into more of a middle aged hobby. Glossy figures are taking an especially hard hit.

I think you're right. I think the new collector is more into the history aspect and how accurate the figures are. They're not really into the history of the toy soldier itself. I'm into the history of toy soldiers so I like the older style better. I'm a WW2 history buff but as toy soldiers that era is too drab looking for me.
I think my generation , 30's - 40's, is the last generation of toy soldier collectors. I don't think there's anyone coming up behind us. And I mean that for the old style and the new style. People younger than us didn't grow up playing with toy soldiers.

 

[Mignot]

So, what would everyone call these figures? They are animated and lifelike but they are painted with gloss paint by ATS. I think they would make a great diorama...are they traditional toy soldiers or military models?

Thanks

Cole

 

[Gideon]

Well Mignot,

How old are the figures? They are likely post 1990 - like I was saying, around 1990, some figure producers broke away from the static/stiff type poses and began to produce what you are picturing above. Those figures are very much like Trophy. I wouldn't classify those as "Toy Soldiers".

Look, there are quite a few people who have bought glossy Trophy and Frontline figures from me and display them along with King & Country pieces.

The typical K&C, matte Britains, Frontline, East of India - it is not so much that the history of the toy is so extensive and rich and these are the companies of long standing tradition - it is "these figures look like the things I've read about, they look like what I saw in Zulu or Band of Brothers"..."They feel like the photographs I've seen in history books of what happened WWI, WWII"...

It has nothing to do with Britains first began production in 188X or Mignot produced these sets during this time period...

What drew the majority of these new collectors to the now prominent companies was the action, the drama, the historical accuracy.

Very few of my toy soldier collectors found much use in Frontline, K&C and new Britains. They did have much more appreciation Courtenays and Greenhills.

There is charm, quaintness and history of production and then there is accuracy, drama of conflict - story of pain suffering and sacrifice and the interaction and fluidity of the sculpt.

Let me ask, do you display those ETS figures with your Mignot? Do they look good together?

 

[Mignot]

Gideon,

Yes, they are made post-1990. I bought them while living in London a few years back. I think they are slightly more realistic looking than the Trophys. I bought them because they were colourful and struck me as a good blend between toy soldiers and military miniatures.

To answer your question, I do not display them with my Mignots as they wouldn't blend well. My collection is fairly well divided between new makers and Mignot/Lucottes. That said, I do display matte Mignot right next to glossy ones. I guess for me it is more about the feel of the figure (sculpting style) than the paint job (gloss or matte).

Cheers!

Cole