When did you start collecting? (1 Viewer)

[Peter Reuss]

I know many of you have soldiers as kids...but I'm wondering when you 'got into' this hobby as an adult (or teen, if you're still one!)

After voting, I'd be curious to know how you found out that toy soldiers exist. Most people in the world don't!

 

[jazzeum]

It all started when we went to Normandy in 2004. When I got back I had this desire to have a few things to remind me of or illustrate what we had just seen so, to my son's consternation, I put a few FOV things in my "study." Not thinking that was really enough I took a look at ebay and bought a couple of Britains sets. However, I wanted more and found a dealer in my town who sold K & C. I was blown away by the quality, bought EA 01 and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[lenswerks]

I happened on your WEB site by accident one day. At that time I was collecting Dragon armor.
I was unaware TS existed in the quality they do today.
I purchased my first set early 2007 - BBG004 and was amazed by the detail and paint and so the adventure began.

 

[Leadmen]

I started collecting in the 1970's early 80's? when a friend told me about a show starting in Chicago that was showing just toy soldiers. I went to the first one and was hooked. Leadmen

 

[Harrytheheid]

For me it started in 2004 when I bought my first FOV items on a visit home to Scotland. Loved the vehicles but was disappointed with the figurines. Happened across treefrog by surfing the web looking for compatible figures. Been hooked ever since.

Best Regards
H

 

[gk5717]

As most baby boomers, collected Marx etc. as a kid in the fifties.
In 1989 seen an add for plastic soldiers in some magazine, sent for pricelist, bought some, been an adult collector since.
Only collected plastic until I bought my first K&C set in 02, been K&C hooked since.
Gary

 

[damian]

I came across the Warrior Toy Museum when I got lost in Cape Town during my exams in 1996. Percy had Britains sets. I started buying and then did market research. Military Modeling Magazine had a page on toy soldiers. I found out about Trophy wrote to them and K and C UK and I wrote to them.
Regards
Damian

 

[Alexdakar]

I was looking for some 1/35 stuff on the web and ran into King & Country's website. Well back then the website was called something else.

 

[Louis Badolato]

I started collecting when I first graduated from lawschool in 1992. I suddenly had some money in my pocket, and one day I was shopping for a valentine's day card for my future first wife, when I saw a window display on the corner of 5th Avenue and 16th Street in NYC with victorian style Valentine day cards. The place was called "B.Shackman's Toys and Novelties". I walked inside and they had an entire showcase full of W.Britains glossy toy soldiers, just like the ones I had always wanted but never been able to afford as a kid. I bought a set of 15th Ludhiana Sikhs and never looked back . . .

 

[Currahee Chris]

I put myself in the 95-99 bracket though I can EASILY recall buying Britains Deetail figures when I was in elementary school in the early 80's.

Peter- this is a great thread- glad you started it. I am going to open up a bit so please bear with me:

I started collecting Deetails figures and Hordes of plastic Atlantic Egyptian (and Roman ??) figures in 79-82 when my dad was stationed in Nuremburg (628th MEDDAC I believe it was) and we went over with him. Being so young an impressionable at that time, I was naturally overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of Medieval Germany- Neuschawnstein (sp??) and the like- especially Rotenburg. Then my parents took us to Rome in 81 and we went to the vatican and saw Pope John Paul II give his Christmas Day Blessings to the masses on Christmas Day 81. My dad bought me a Kewpie style Vatican guard and I bought a set of Atlantic OD Green US Army Paras. My parents, especially my mother blessed me with a curiousity for history.

A year or so later we moved and we moved near a shop which carried the Rocco plastic vehicles and I would loiter in that poor mans shop for hours looking at his stuff. He was very kind to tolerate me.

So then, Summer of 82 dad gets orders to be a recruiter in Albany NY. We move there and, well, I'll never forget the first day of school, 5th grade, my teacher goes "Class, welcome Chris- he is from Germany" no, I wasn't German, just came from there. Anyway, there was this Kid, Kurt W who just beat the living crap out of me for like a month or so afterwards- calling me "Little Nazi Boy", Seig Heil, all that good stuff. He was supposed to be in 7th grade but failed twice and was just huge!!! I was 5'8" at the time and weighed 95 pounds!! Of course, my last name starts with a Y so we had every freakin class together and he and a lot of his friends would catch me after school and just beat me mercilessly. I mean, I have been in my fair share of scraps but this kid and his "pack" was just ruthless, I'd fight till I couldn't breath anymore and just collapse on the ground and cover my head and face while they kicked and spit on me. I figured I'd cover my face and neck from getting hit so that my parents didn't know what was happening. The bruises to the ribs and gut were easily covered with a shirt. Fortunately, this kind of nonsense isn't tolerated in the schools anymore. So much for the glories of alphabetical seating!!!

Like I said, he did that for about a month and just moved on. I threw away most of my stuff like little diecast tigers and panthers in fear of him catching me with them. I even chucked some of my Matchbox SeaKings Battleships (which I LOVED).

So, fast forward to sometime in the late 90's- I am a grown man (for the most part) and was at an audit client in beautiful Stroudsburg Pa. Run into "Stockade Miniatures" and the rest was history- Mike and Noreen, the proprietors have watched my family grow from 3 members to 5 and they always treat us like family when we are there.

 

[maloyalo]

At about age 11

When my neighbor showed me some Britains Swoppet civil War pieces.

Up to then I was a throw rocks at greenarmy-man. But those looked so great an realistic to me, I wanted to get some and collect them for the long haul. Plus 50 cents a figure was pretty steep in those days.

 

[wellington]

I was brain washed and now I'm hooked...


WELLINGTON

 

[maddadicus]

About 1990....As a kid, Grandma had given me Britian's Highlander sets..Did not really collect till 1990 ,when doing the Gettysburg bus tour, we went past Gettysburg Toy Soldier on the main road. After the tour, we went to the shop and I got hooked on Trophy Zulu War and anything Highlander....Never looked back. Michael

 

[OzDigger]

I collected airfix soldiers and kits as a kid, then I collected ammo and firearms. Then of course girls and cars tookover for some time, then I got into collecting military diecast vehicles and soldiers in the mid 1980's. My collection ranged from the excellent (and very expensive) French Dinky Military range to the more basic Solido vehicles as well as a complete collection of Britains Deetail range, I still have most of their WWII vehicles and figures.

I then got into collecting 1/72 scale diecast military Corgi aircraft and Dragon tanks (still do). Then came the larger FOV stuff which lead me down the road to K & C were I began my "crusade" for better tank detail to match their terrific figures.

The later could have only been achieved after I joined the Treefrog Forum in its early days, under another name. Ofcourse I have also managed to pi$$off a few fellow collectors and forum members along the way, as well as one or two company owners. But I think most people know I mean well.........mostly

 

[Harrytheheid]

Ofcourse I have also managed to pi$$off a few fellow collectors and forum members along the way, as well as one or two company owners. But I think most people know I mean well.........mostly

Far better to have opinions and also have the b@lls to express those opinions (in a courteous manner of course), than to have no opinions whatsoever and just follow the flock and continuously agree with other people's opinions.
Just my opinion of course.....

Cheers
H

 

[OzDigger]

Far better to have opinions and also have the b@lls to express those opinions (in a courteous manner of course), than to have no opinions whatsoever and just follow the flock and continuously agree with other people's opinions.
Just my opinion of course.....

Cheers
H

Harry, as you know it's the courteous manner part I sometimes have trouble with However I have started to mellow a bit more lately.

I suspect some of the former hostility on this forum came from me and a few others having the perception that there was some ongoing dispute rather than just a bunch of guys having a fun time, albeit with a good deal of sarcasm involved Sarcasm is great when people "get it" but with forums sometimes things oft go awry and they get offended.

 

[Harrytheheid]

Harry, as you know it's the courteous manner part I sometimes have trouble with However I have started to mellow a bit more lately.

I suspect some of the former hostility on this forum came from me and a few others having the perception that there was some ongoing dispute rather than just a bunch of guys having a fun time, albeit with a good deal of sarcasm involved Sarcasm is great when people "get it" but with forums sometimes things oft go awry and they get offended.

it's the courteous manner part I sometimes have trouble with However I have started to mellow a bit more lately.

I've had the same "trouble" Oz, but I hope that I also am beginning to mellow.
Agreed on the sarcasm comment. Its very close to what we call "The Crack" in Scotland where what we say is not always what we actually mean - in fact what's said can often be the diametric opposite of what we mean, and there's constant leg-pulling and taking the pi$$, but once you "get it", it can be incredibly funny. The majority of the English members here and a good few of the American members "get it" though. So, no worries, as you lot say.
Cheers
H

 

[OzDigger]

it's the courteous manner part I sometimes have trouble with However I have started to mellow a bit more lately.

I've had the same "trouble" Oz, but I hope that I also am beginning to mellow.
Agreed on the sarcasm comment. Its very close to what we call "The Crack" in Scotland where what we say is not always what we actually mean - in fact what's said can often be the diametric opposite of what we mean, and there's constant leg-pulling and taking the pi$$, but once you "get it", it can be incredibly funny. The majority of the English members here and a good few of the American members "get it" though. So, no worries, as you lot say.
Cheers
H

I first heard of the crack when an Irish comedian called Jimeoin started mentioning the term and he later was in a movie called "The Craic" which gave me the impression that the term was Irish in origin. But I have to say I had no idea what the term meant, as did most other Aussies I guess.

I suspect this is another case of those naughty Irish folk adopting and changing something to make it their own For some reason Irish theme pubs are popular in Australia but English themed pubs like "The Pig & Whistle" just don't seem to attract many customers.

 

[Harrytheheid]

I first heard of the crack when an Irish comedian called Jimeoin started mentioning the term and he later was in a movie called "The Craic" which gave me the impression that the term was Irish in origin. But I have to say I had no idea what the term meant, as did most other Aussies I guess.

I suspect this is another case of those naughty Irish folk adopting and changing something to make it their own For some reason Irish theme pubs are popular in Australia but English themed pubs like "The Pig & Whistle" just don't seem to attract many customers.

For some reason Irish theme pubs are popular in Australia but English themed pubs like "The Pig & Whistle" just don't seem to attract many customers.

Well, that's cos they're English theme pubs - obvious innit...???
No (real) offence intended my fine upstanding friends from South of the Border.....

Cheers
H

 

[Harrytheheid]

Come to think of it Oz, there's a so-called Irish theme pub, who's name I can't remember right now, in the departure hall at Beijing Airport. It only sells Tsing Toa, Beijing and Heiniken beer on tap and doesn't offer any Irish grub on its food menu . Now someone explain that one to me?

Cheers
H