Timpo GI Soldiers of WW2 (2 Viewers)

[johnnybach]

I'm waiting for paint to dry with a few more - and between times have been chatting with Giles Brown at Dorset Soldiers by e-mail. Thought I would pass on the info - to anyone interested in these figures.

He tells me that a few more of the missing ones have been turning up (from other collectors) - and he now has the Mine Detector and Crawling GI to make up. The Kneeling Firing figure is also "on his way" from another collector. These will all eventually be added to the others available as castings - or painted. The first Sailor (with the telescope) , has also appeared - and if there is enough demand - Giles will also add them to the range ( I have let him know that I'm interested).


Giles tells me that he thinks that the Timpo British Army range wouldn't be popular - as the poses are much stiffer than the GI's - so has no intention of making any of those presently. Sorry chum.

His Jeep - and occupants (driver and passengers) is also completed as a prototype - and is awaiting space to make the mould - so should be available in due course. This will fit in nicely with this range - thereby extending the original range somewhat. jb

 

[johnnybach]

Latest update on progress is shown below - added to those seen earlier.

An Officer with shoulder holster and bins - stands behind his mortar team to see fall of shot. His radio man is wisely kneeling and reporting back to HQ. A sitting machine gunner is providing covering fire - whilst next to him a bazooka is about to liven things up for everyone. I was careful not to stand anyone directly behind him - as the backblast from one of these would certainly singe a few eyebrows! Another new entry here - is the GI advancing with bayonet fixed - who is being beconned forward by the crouching Officer - seen earlier.

I usually give my new recruits a day or two to dry off - and then re-visit to add any final details which I might have missed. I can see one or two touches required here - but quite delighted with how these Roy Selwyn Smith sculpts from the Fifties are turning out - nevertheless.

I'll have a couple more to show soon - as they are still painting up quite nicely - and I'm very pleased that I found them. jb

 

[GICOP]

Latest update on progress is shown below - added to those seen earlier.

An Officer with shoulder holster and bins - stands behind his mortar team to see fall of shot. His radio man is wisely kneeling and reporting back to HQ. A sitting machine gunner is providing covering fire - whilst next to him a bazooka is about to liven things up for everyone. I was careful not to stand anyone directly behind him - as the backblast from one of these would certainly singe a few eyebrows! Another new entry here - is the GI advancing with bayonet fixed - who is being beconned forward by the crouching Officer - seen earlier.

I usually give my new recruits a day or two to dry off - and then re-visit to add any final details which I might have missed. I can see one or two touches required here - but quite delighted with how these Roy Selwyn Smith sculpts from the Fifties are turning out - nevertheless.

I'll have a couple more to show soon - as they are still painting up quite nicely - and I'm very pleased that I found them. jb

So am I jb {bravo}}{bravo}}{bravo}}

Cheers

Martyn

 

[johnnybach]

Here's the couple more that I promised. They were nearly ready to show yesterday - but needed a few little tweaks before I was satisfied with them. It's getting more difficult to spot additions now - so see if you can find the extra two. As a hint - they are near the motor-bike. jb^&grin

I have another half-dozen currently on the go - so prepare for more additions to my little GI platoon quite soon. jb

 

[Go for Broke]

JB, great paint job and thanks for bringing Timpo into the Forum. I hardly post, but I wanted to let you know, I always check your painting and repairs with great interest. Martyn (GICOP), I always look at your wonderful and extensive Trophy collection. If I had more $$, I would collect British Empire soldiers too.

 

[johnnybach]

JB, great paint job and thanks for bringing Timpo into the Forum. I hardly post, but I wanted to let you know, I always check your painting and repairs with great interest. Martyn (GICOP), I always look at your wonderful and extensive Trophy collection. If I had more $$, I would collect British Empire soldiers too.

Cheers chum - my pleasure indeed. I have an enduring love affair with some of the older marques - with Timpo being just one of a number of them. I think that I definitely enjoy the TOY element of Toy Soldiers most - and Timpo certainly is one of these old manufacturers that brings this to the fore. As you may have realised from some other threads that I have started - I am constantly searching for (usually) broken specimens to repair and repaint - and NOTHING gives me greater pleasure than finding some in need of some TLC, that I feel I can restore. Maybe my Timpo Cowboys and Injuns show this best? I hope so.

Imagine then, my delight then, in finding these recasts. I had been looking for a number of years for some - and had nearly given up hope - and then - BINGO - there they were! - and brand new too! - no repairs required!

One of my favourite sculptors is Roy Selwyn Smith. I have a growing collection of perhaps his greatest work - The Knights of Agincourt - which I also enjoy adding to with conversions and paint jobs. It was he, of course, who sculpted these GI's around 1949, and worked at Timpo, amongst his other interests and employments. Prior to this, I mostly had to be content with just pictures of them in books.

Now they are mine - and I'm so enjoying bringing the ones I have back to life. ( with more to come - I hope). I absolutely loved seeing your collection of them - in their original colours - but wanted mine to be a wee bit different - so am putting my own stamp on them. Glad you approve - and thanks for the compliment of caring to take a look.

All the best - friend - johnnybach :salute::

 

[GICOP]

Here's the couple more that I promised. They were nearly ready to show yesterday - but needed a few little tweaks before I was satisfied with them. It's getting more difficult to spot additions now - so see if you can find the extra two. As a hint - they are near the motor-bike. jb^&grin

I have another half-dozen currently on the go - so prepare for more additions to my little GI platoon quite soon. jb

Maybe these two jb




Cheers

Martyn

 

[johnnybach]

Maybe these two jb




Cheers

Martyn

Them's the boys M! - If I had a coco-nut - you'd win it!. {sm4}



They are Timpo number 9001 - Marching - at the rear - and 9015 - Tommy Gunner, towards the front.

The rear figure has what I think is full marching order with pack and belt equipment - and is also carrying a valise with rolled item attached in his left hand. I think that this figure is one of the nicest in this range( though they are all very nice, of course) - and my chum "Go for Broke" - has a whole squad of originals of this figure marching along - lucky chap!

 

[johnnybach]

They're coming in thick and fast now - four more figures to add to the others in the Platoon. I'll just tell you what they are - and you can identify the new recruits from the description. (Just a few Shoulder Badges to go on these - which I'll do later - when they are perfectly dried off).

First - and perhaps the easiest to ID - is the Prone Firing GI. Next to him is the Standing Firing Soldier - and next to him is the Grenade Thrower. Also present - is a GI who seems oblivious to the mini-battle going on all around him - and remarkably, is Stood at Ease.^&grin

I'm now up to 20 completed figures - and have six left to go, before I finish my mini collection - (at least, for now). Some of the most interesting pieces are to come - which are VERY distinctive - and include the Ceremonial figure carrying - The Stars and Stripes. First one I've ever done - so hope I get it right! Hope there won't be any any Star-Counters looking in!

The Standard Bearer is the only non-standard piece in this recast range, ( again, for now) - as he is wearing a helmet. I'm painting the Standard at the moment - and have started every one of the last six figures - so shouldn't take too long to finish painting the lot. See you soon - and please enjoy these for now..................jb

 

[johnnybach]

"Out of chaos" - I'm quite pleased with my first attempt at the American Flag ( not finished yet, by the way) - but before I mount it on the figure - I thought that I would ask whether I have committed any howlers with it? As you can see - all of my others are also under development - including the iconic "take a knee" types. Lots of tidying up to do with these figures yet.

I have re-based both the Standard Bearer - and the figure "At Ease" to enlarge both. Again, the heavier figure than the original hollowcast version, meant that both were a wee bit more unstable than I would like. This could lead to falls at some point in the future - which could cause chipping - so a simple bigger base will help considerably. Once painted - they will look fine.

I'm working to a deadline - again - as I have a plane to catch soon - so hope to finish these before it takes off! It would help - if you could paint in departures???? jb

 

[johnnybach]

Here's a pic of the non-action figures - which include the latest four crouching/kneeling Timpo GI's - some of whom are involved in every-day chores such as washing in a bucket - and eating a sandwich/holding a mug of joe - and others passing on details from a map - over the field telephone. Note also my Standard Bearer ( pole to paint later) - with the rest of the gang you've seen before.



This is how all 26 of the collection I have to date, look. I've been burning the midnight oil a bit (once again) - to get this far - so will leave them overnight - and come back to them for any finishing touches tomorrow. But mostly complete now - will maybe see if I can take a better pic tomorrow too.

Nite all - Johnnybach

 

[johnnybach]

Just received this pic from Giles Brown at Dorset Soldiers - of his now completed Jeep plus occupants. This is so newly produced - he hasn't had time to paint up the driver, armed guard and Radio Operator, which are shown as castings. As can be seen - the Radio Op is a neat little conversion of the original Timpo piece - made by separating the radio - which can be fixed into the jeep - and the operator connected to it by a piece of wire. Note also the driver and guard - which were converted to look very like the Timpo GI pieces.

The whole thing will look very good with my own collection - so have ordered the set to collect when I next visit, (plus any extra missing pieces from the original Timpo catalogue of GI's that Giles has found to re-cast).

I don't have any details on price - those interested can contact Giles by e-mail for details - but based on my past experience - they won't be expensive as castings. I will show how they paint up - once I have them in my hands, next Spring.

 

[johnnybach]

Whilst e-mailing in some extra bits required to add to my next order - I received the following pic from Giles Brown at Dorset Soldiers - which shows some updated "extras" he is producing for this range of Timpo GI figures. You may recall that these were "missing" from his original line-up - but he has received these from kind donors who would like the whole set to be made available to others.

Needless to say, I have also ordered these to add to my existing figures. Just a few to go now - and the complete set of GI's may once again be available.

 

[Leadmen]

Nice painting of the Timpo figures. Some of my favorite sets. Looking forward to your future figures. John

 

[johnnybach]

Nice painting of the Timpo figures. Some of my favorite sets. Looking forward to your future figures. John

Hi John - Cheers. I'm also looking forward to adding to my little collection of them too - especially with some that were never actually made in the original set. I also took a few liberties with the painting of mine - so glad you like 'em too.

I know that these are old favourites with many collectors - so wanted to let some of them know, that if they are missing one or two - through omission or maybe damage - there is a solution possible. :salute::jb

 

[Chrisnl42]

I wonder if Dorset is moulding these replica's of Timpo, as solids or hollow casts. I understand a lot of collectors want figures of these excellent moulded old Timpos, I just saw on the last Vectis auction the Mortar team selling for a substantial sum of GBP 320 exclusive of auction cost of 23 % so nearly 400 pounds Sterling. I really hope Giles Brown of Dorset puts some mark on his replicas so fraud will not to be blamed on him. By the way this tread started with old 1950 catalogue pages of Timpo used by me for Catawiki a Dutch but International Collectors site. It would have been nice from Mr Johnnybach to mention where his copies came from. See the C in blue on the bottom. The Timpo page on Catawiki URL is: www.catawiki.nl/catalogus/speelgoedsoldaatjes/merken/791693-timpo-toys There you find a lot of old Timpo figures as issued in the early fifties including the Knights of Ivanhoe and Round Table.
I sincerely hope to hear from Giles Brown that he will do anything to prevent collectors of real old Timpos to protect them from fraud by his mouldings.
Greetings from Holland
Chris

 

[johnnybach]

Hi Chris.

All of Dorset Soldiers models are solid - as they are produced by the centrifuge method as castings. As such, they are substantially heavier than the original hollowcast figures produced by Timpo back in the 1950's - so I doubt whether fraud would be an issue to those willing to pay the sums you mention. I assume anyone willing to pay out hundreds of pounds for a few figures, would know a hollowcast from a modern solid reproduction.

As to showing the pages of the old catalogue - as stated on the same forum page - I found these by chance on the Internet. As usual, there was no mention of where these came from - though as they can sometimes be found on e-bay, I didn't think that they are all that rare. If they were indeed yours, then I freely thank you for posting them - and if I had found some mention of your name, or where they were first posted - I would indeed given you a mention as the owner. From memory, I think that I found them posted, (and unattributed), on Google Images. I assumed that whoever the owner was - he or she had posted them as a useful guide to these wonderful old Timpo figures. Sorry if any offence was caused - which was completely unintentional - but thanks again for originally posting the pages - wherever you did .

All the best - Johnnybach

 

[Go for Broke]

Hi Chris.

As to showing the pages of the old catalogue - as stated on the same forum page - I found these by chance on the Internet. As usual, there was no mention of where these came from - though as they can sometimes be found on e-bay, I didn't think that they are all that rare. If they were indeed yours, then I freely thank you for posting them - and if I had found some mention of your name, or where they were first posted - I would indeed given you a mention as the owner. From memory, I think that I found them posted, (and unattributed), on Google Images. I assumed that whoever the owner was - he or she had posted them as a useful guide to these wonderful old Timpo figures. Sorry if any offence was caused - which was completely unintentional - but thanks again for originally posting the pages - wherever you did .

All the best - Johnnybach

Hey JB, you're a good guy. I salute you:salute::

 

[johnnybach]

I have recently added to my Timpo collection with another small set of castings. This time, however, they aren't really Timpo - but original castings from Dorset Soldiers - made to look like the original Timpo GI's of the 50's. As promised - here's a few pics.

The three figures are made to be able to sit in a Jeep. I found a Dinky version - which had had a few re-paints in it's lifetime - though Giles also does a kit to make up into a Jeep for those who can't find one to restore. The three figures to fit are - Driver, Radio Operator and Guard. Here they are - as they arrive before painting - in my second-hand Dinky Jeep:



After assembly and painting this is how they look now. I have posted the pic - along with some other memebers of my squad - in order to show how well they fit in with the other members of my Timpo GI squad. I have also just realised - after seeing my stretcher guys in the background - that another possibility, might be another Jeep - done as a Stretcher carrier with Red Cross marked vehicle. I'll have to think about that a bit! Two views below: jb

 

[Hazebrouck]

Lovely job on that jeep JB.