Why are plastic soldiers not collectable (2 Viewers)

[HistoryfortheAges]

i have perhaps 100 britains swoppets and herald figures i bought back in the 60's as a kid. a few are on display, but most are in boxes in the closet. anyway, i always figured they would last forever, or at least as long as me. but a few days ago i dropped a boxful of them onto a hard tiled basement floor and was surprised that about 8 of them cracked like glass, loosing the bases, legs, heads, etc. i glued them with loc-tight, but does this mean that they are so fragile that they can only be displayed, and can no longer be moved freely around in several diorama set-ups ? i mean, are they now to be treated with kid gloves, even more fragile than waterford crystal ? if so, i feel rather sad, and wonder if collecting plastic makes sense, especially if you are considering buying some old civil war swoppets, etc., that are on the verge of falling apart. after all, antiques should be able to be heirlooms one day. do you think modern plastic, like conte, would last longer ? i'd appreciate any thoughts on this from the plastic collectors out thers. thanks.

I have a large collection of Britains ACW swoppets/heralds/eyes right figures (infantry/cavalry/cannon sets/caisson sets). I find that the more fragile ones in this series were the cavalry figures but not all of them. Some of these cavalry figures seem to have been made from a plastic that reminds me of a mix of white chaulk and can be fragile and prone to breakage if not handled with extreme care! Sometimes these particular ones can also just break on their own without being handled! I am not sure when these particular ones were made or how long Britains used this type of plastic resin to manufacture these figures. They seem to be limited only to particular ACW cavalry figures as my other cavalry figures seem to be in fine shape considering that they are about 50 years old now! My Britains ACW infantry/artillery sets/caisson sets don't have this problem of breakage when handled appropriately. I also have a smaller collection of Britains AWI swoppets and these don't have any problems either.

 

[HistoryfortheAges]

Still, 95% of my Britains swoppet/herald/eyes right ACW collection is in great shape considering the age!

This is the last part of my Toy Soldier collection that I would ever consider parting with... All of the metal stuff can go out the door first...

 

[TomB]

Still, 95% of my Britains swoppet/herald/eyes right ACW collection is in great shape considering the age!

This is the last part of my Toy Soldier collection that I would ever consider parting with... All of the metal stuff can go out the door first...

Happy to hear your plastic's are in great shape....I was surprised to read in one of the posts that there are some problems with metal figures...I dont collect really...have a few Airfix figures which I think are very well done and a true 54mm scale...I use them for scale reference when I make a building etc......have a question...Lead figures.....the original figures......I believe Britain made his figures from lead....indeed most figures were made from lead until the health issue came up.....to my knowledge..they are still as good as they day they were cast....do you know anything about Lead figures ?.......TomB

 

[OzDigger]

From what I've read, the manufacturers tried to find a plastic formula that held paint well, not thinking about the longevity of what were kids' toys. I've had Timpo Napoleonics that I bought in the early 60s shatter just sitting quietly in their storage box. This started happening to them back in the 90s.

Mike, I had the same problem about 15 years back and decided to sell all my Timpo figures before they fell apart.

 

[johnnybach]

Well - maybe you have just answered the question that this thread set out to find the answer to. For some collectors - some of the Plsatic variety just don't last, I'm sorry to say.

I have some metal Timpo Toy Cowboys sitting in my cabinet now. Yes - they've had a repaint - so maybe they aren't as originally found. Yes - they are old - some of them, probably older than me - and I'm .....well............."Over 18!".

If you ( as I do) like the look of Timpo Toy Soldiers, then consider perhaps, a longer lasting alternative. Have a look at these little beauties:

Okay - these are not all mine - but I do have a few of them. Usually found at Swap-meets or Toy Fairs almost anywhere ( in the UK, admitedly) - and often the worse for a bit of paint-loss - or even bits knocked off over the sixty to seventy years they've been around. BUT - and it's a big BUT - they are still around because they aren't plastic. Metal CAN BE a bit more durable and lasting. They also paint up beautifully. Most of mine had a maximum price of around £2 apiece - so usually, not all that expensive to own ( if you enjoy a little bit of restoration).

So.............if you like Timpo...............consider the metal alternative??????? Just a thought johnnybach

 

[OzDigger]

Over the years I have collected a wide variety of military based toys etc, as well as the Timpo issue I had some problems with the plastic wheels on my early Solido trucks. The plastic seems to swell in some areas that resemble blisters, not a good look, I ended up replacing all the early plastic wheels with metal wheels that I repainted, but have long since moved on from Solido and other 1:50 scale commercial models, but I had some good times building up that collection and meeting people. Sometimes I envy collectors that never sell anything and keep to one theme, I guess I prefer rollercoasters to the merrygoround, living on the collector edge :wink2: ^&grin