Why are plastic soldiers not collectable (1 Viewer)

[TomB]

Tom glad to see you getting into plastic figures, and all ready chopping off horse heads!{eek3}^&cool These figures are great for converting and cut up pretty easy with a sharp hobby knife. A bit of pinning, gluing and some 2 part putty and you can do a lot to really come up with some new figure poses or rework them all together into something new. I,ve turned WWII, civil war and Viking figures into Napoleonics. Buy up a few more boxes and give it a try. I don,t think your sculpty stuff will work on them??? but pick yourself up some Kneadtite 2 part putty green stuff from Ebay and give it a try, I think you,ll really enjoy converting plastics and with your sculpting skills you could do a lot!
Post some pics if you do give it a try.

Hi Fish....strangely enough the plastic ...headless horse...when wacked into the frypan for awhile did not melt...tough bit of plastic...sculpey stuck to it okay under heat...paint seems okay too.....have finished two cartoon figs...7 Cav and cowboy...painted and glossed...all appears to be A..OK.....will attempt to send pic tomorrow via this thread....ofcourse if the plastic had melted there would have been a problem...one sticky mess and minis a horse.....I like your rework idea....when I am finished doing what I am at ..I might open the other boxes and have a good look at the figures and work something out....cheers Tom

 

[jager7080]

I've noticed alot of good threads being started in the forum...I collect both metal & plastic...People have mentioned Britains Deetail throughout this thread...Got to say i loved the Britains Deetail stuff as a kid & as a project for myself i have slowly been repainting them & really enjoying it ! So , i am in the camp of saying plastic is collectible & alot of fun to work on...I will attach a few pictures of my Britains Deetail work...You guys can check my profile page got a few interesting albums of models & repaints...

Joe

 

[TomB]

I've noticed alot of good threads being started in the forum...I collect both metal & plastic...People have mentioned Britains Deetail throughout this thread...Got to say i loved the Britains Deetail stuff as a kid & as a project for myself i have slowly been repainting them & really enjoying it ! So , i am in the camp of saying plastic is collectible & alot of fun to work on...I will attach a few pictures of my Britains Deetail work...You guys can check my profile page got a few interesting albums of models & repaints...

Joe

View attachment 107192View attachment 107193View attachment 107194View attachment 107195View attachment 107196

The pics look fine to me...thanks for the post...now I know what Britain's Deetail soldiers are....have seen name mention on this site but had no idea what they were......TomB

 

[jager7080]

The pics look fine to me...thanks for the post...now I know what Britain's Deetail soldiers are....have seen name mention on this site but had no idea what they were......TomB

Thanks , Tom...That very last picture i threw in of four Afrika Korps soldiers is a Tamiya Kit...The Vintage Deetail line was made in England...The pvc plastic figures had metal bases...They had a wide range of figures...ACW , WW2 , Cowboys , Indians & Knights...The vehicles from the Deetail line are metal ! They are affordable to gather up & fun to paint...
Here are a couple more pics !

Joe

 

[TomB]

Thanks , Tom...That very last picture i threw in of four Afrika Korps soldiers is a Tamiya Kit...The Vintage Deetail line was made in England...The pvc plastic figures had metal bases...They had a wide range of figures...ACW , WW2 , Cowboys , Indians & Knights...The vehicles from the Deetail line are metal ! They are affordable to gather up & fun to paint...
Here are a couple more pics !

Joe


View attachment 107250View attachment 107251View attachment 107252View attachment 107253

Hi Jag...The little armored car and the side car on the motor cycle bring back memories....I think the Brits called the armored car a ferret-...go as fast forward as backwards...I was told...got hi jacked into one as a gunner one day (turret version)...that was fine..only I had no idea how to operate the .30 machine gun...the bren gun was my weapon....made me feel big time anyway....use to ride in my uncle's side car as a kid...feft like I was Biggles in a WW1 camel....I got myself a motor bike eventfully...fun to ride but definitely a summer vehicle.....have recently got meself a few plastic soldiers from airfix....I am not a collector...I was impressed by the detail and quality....from my limited knowledge of model soldiers I do not see why the two ...depending on quality....cannot be mixed and collected.....cheers Tom

 

[jager7080]

Hi Jag...The little armored car and the side car on the motor cycle bring back memories....I think the Brits called the armored car a ferret-...go as fast forward as backwards...I was told...got hi jacked into one as a gunner one day (turret version)...that was fine..only I had no idea how to operate the .30 machine gun...the bren gun was my weapon....made me feel big time anyway....use to ride in my uncle's side car as a kid...feft like I was Biggles in a WW1 camel....I got myself a motor bike eventfully...fun to ride but definitely a summer vehicle.....have recently got meself a few plastic soldiers from airfix....I am not a collector...I was impressed by the detail and quality....from my limited knowledge of model soldiers I do not see why the two ...depending on quality....cannot be mixed and collected.....cheers Tom

Ahh a Bren Gunner ! i got an 8th army soldier on my work bench with a bren gun about to start working on...I sadly have never riden in a side car...But i do own a 1984 Yamaha 225 Moto4 which is a four wheeler...got it stashed at my mothers farm in Southern Illinois, great to go mudding in...I collect , build kits & repaint so i geuss i am a hybrid as far as toy soldiers are concerned...So what is your involvment with the hobby ?

Joe

 

[waynepoo]

Nice display of a Airfix collection.
http://youtu.be/DIstNMtWV-U

What a great collection of boxes, one of the best I have seen.........^&grin
Wayne.

 

[TomB]

Ahh a Bren Gunner ! i got an 8th army soldier on my work bench with a bren gun about to start working on...I sadly have never riden in a side car...But i do own a 1984 Yamaha 225 Moto4 which is a four wheeler...got it stashed at my mothers farm in Southern Illinois, great to go mudding in...I collect , build kits & repaint so i geuss i am a hybrid as far as toy soldiers are concerned...So what is your involvment with the hobby ?

Joe

Jag.....Have'nt ridden the 4 wheeler...believe you need to be carefull you dont flip them...I have no involvment with the hobby except that it is very interesting and I like the AFV's and figures.....I like to make the odd figure out of sculpey as a hobby to fill in time, I post some of them here now and again.....I am more into Flight simulator PC game's....the bad news about that is...I cant play my bests game's anymore because Win 7 wont play them....hate PC's.....your style of collecting is as interesting as the usual collecting,,,I am constantly amazed at what I find on the net regarding this hobby....cheers Tom

 

[jager7080]

Jag.....Have'nt ridden the 4 wheeler...believe you need to be carefull you dont flip them...I have no involvment with the hobby except that it is very interesting and I like the AFV's and figures.....I like to make the odd figure out of sculpey as a hobby to fill in time, I post some of them here now and again.....I am more into Flight simulator PC game's....the bad news about that is...I cant play my bests game's anymore because Win 7 wont play them....hate PC's.....your style of collecting is as interesting as the usual collecting,,,I am constantly amazed at what I find on the net regarding this hobby....cheers Tom

Tom,

Have never flipped my four wheeler , usually drive it through mud & fields...I also have had similiar problems with Win 7 , have alot of tactical games that i can no longer play as well...I will be looking forwarded to see any of your sculpts the next time you post...Take care...

Joe

 

[TomB]

Tom,

Have never flipped my four wheeler , usually drive it through mud & fields...I also have had similiar problems with Win 7 , have alot of tactical games that i can no longer play as well...I will be looking forwarded to see any of your sculpts the next time you post...Take care...

Joe

Thanks mate...take care yourself....Tom

 

[4737 Carlin]

I don't collect plastics myself so sold off my collection of Britains deetail last year which I'd had stored in a box since I was kid. I was surprised at the prices they fetched on ebay - better than expected. The real surprise was discovering that a small group of super deetail paratroopers I had were a very rare first prototype issue of the set. They went for over £400 so there must be some serious plastics collectors out there. I was able to get myself some nice K&C pieces with the proceeds which is my thing nowadays.

 

[TomB]

I don't collect plastics myself so sold off my collection of Britains deetail last year which I'd had stored in a box since I was kid. I was surprised at the prices they fetched on ebay - better than expected. The real surprise was discovering that a small group of super deetail paratroopers I had were a very rare first prototype issue of the set. They went for over £400 so there must be some serious plastics collectors out there. I was able to get myself some nice K&C pieces with the proceeds which is my thing nowadays.

That is terrific..glad you one so well with your plastic soldiers ... TomB

 

[jager7080]

I don't collect plastics myself so sold off my collection of Britains deetail last year which I'd had stored in a box since I was kid. I was surprised at the prices they fetched on ebay - better than expected. The real surprise was discovering that a small group of super deetail paratroopers I had were a very rare first prototype issue of the set. They went for over £400 so there must be some serious plastics collectors out there. I was able to get myself some nice K&C pieces with the proceeds which is my thing nowadays.

I played with the Britains Deetail as a kid...Brings back memories , that is why i pick them up on EBay , so that i can repaint them...They don't make toys like those anymore...They also look quite good when they are repainted...I have seen some crazy prices on some of the stuff as you said , but i usually limit a purchase to say $30 or $40 for a motorcycle & sidecar or kubelwagen...The figures themselves a few bucks each i am willing to pay but i also get outbid alot as well ! But it is a good trade off for you to have gotten some K&C out of it...I mainly collect the Afrika Korps line , but do buy sets i like from the other lines...

Joe

 

[canadian baby boomer]

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.

 

[Go for Broke]

I have two boxes of AirFix soldiers (less than 20-years old) that cracked to pieces without even dropping them.

 

[Fort-Stamford]

Manufacturers used various types of plastics for toy soldiers: hard plastic was easier to paint and retain paint, but is inflexible and subject to breakage with age and temperature variations; then soft plastic was introduced, but paint loss became evident on those parts subject to flexing (rifles, swords, arms, etc.), until better primers and coating lacquers where developed.

 

[jac28]

I collect mostly Marx and there are some figure/color combinations that are known to be brittle now.. The one that comes to mind is the light green vikings that were produced in the mid '60s.. Later, "waxier" versions in the same color are not brittle. There are others but, by and large, Marx toy soldiers have aged rather well.. I have many figures that date from the '50s even, that have no problems at all.

Jim

 

[Ragnar]

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.

Don't feel bad,you should se a metal figure land on a hard floor they can crack,dent,bend and break into afew pieces!....and even the brand new ones can do that.
I have no idea how newer figures like Conte will hold up as most of them are only 10 years old so we will have to se in 30 years {sm2}

 

[TomB]

Don't feel bad,you should se a metal figure land on a hard floor they can crack,dent,bend and break into afew pieces!....and even the brand new ones can do that.
I have no idea how newer figures like Conte will hold up as most of them are only 10 years old so we will have to se in 30 years {sm2}

Thanks for the info..I thought mental figure's would bounce when they hit the floor.damage the tiles maybe but not break...I'll stick to sculprey....aint as strong as metal but they dont mind freefalling...cheers TomB

 

[Ragnar]

Thanks for the info..I thought mental figure's would bounce when they hit the floor.damage the tiles maybe but not break...I'll stick to sculprey....aint as strong as metal but they dont mind freefalling...cheers TomB

You can get a good bounce of carpet..did that once but ended up with a bowed musket...no probs though bent it back into shape
then a touch up with the brush good as new!