You just did!:smile2:
Martin
Article on Alan Caton from WE website:
Master Sculptor Alan Caton: An article by Martin Ainscough
It is safe to say that if Alan Caton had not gone into the toy soldier manufacturing business some 48 years ago, then the modern toy soldier collecting scene as we know it to today would be a poorer place, definitely very different, if not nonexistent!
Alan’s client list during his time in the hobby reads like a who’s who of the toy soldier making world. It would probably be easier to list the manufacturers that he has not worked for during the last 48 years rather than listing those that have enlisted Alan’s help as a master sculptor, artist and/or advisor.
Alan first started out at Tradition, which at that time was known as Norman Newton Limited when he left the Royal Air Force. He started as a painter and during the following years went on to the workshop where he learnt the art of mould making, casting and animation. While looking after the military antique shop at 44 Dover Street he assisted in the production of the magazine ‘Tradition’. After 17 years Alan left Tradition and went into partnership with Derek Cross to form All the Queens Men producing a range of 80mm figures of the British Army. Seven years later he branched out with his own ‘Squadron’ range of 54 mm figures of the British Army combined with an 80mm range of figures depicting worldwide subject matter. He eventually sold these to Tradition when the range got too large to handle without major expansion plans.
It was at this time that he turned his attention to freelance master making, making master figures for numerous companies that have included most of the major manufacturers of toy soldiers and model figures, not just in the United Kingdom, but worldwide. Not to mention the special commissions for sets from such organisations as the RAOC and the Dutch Army Museum, which when completed have been destined for a royal home. Such sets have over the years been presented to Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales among others.
So what process is involved when creating a master sculpt for a client? The first stage is I suppose rather obvious when a new figure is commissioned. Discuss with the client exactly what is wanted, for example, infantry private C.1900. Do they want the jam pot cuff or pointed? Do they want the Lee Metford rifle or the Lee Enfield? What order of dress, marching order, drill order, review order etc. Once that is established, Alan selects a dolly figure according to what figures they have had before. Some companies prefer the true 54mm, such as Toy Army Workshop, Yeomanry Miniatures, Asset or Lancer. Others want a slightly larger figure, like ATS, Little Legion, Tradition and Wilson Edward. He has dollies in each size, plus other scales as well, which enables him to produce constant figures and allows customers to collect and mix figures from different companies.
The dolly is then cut into pieces, separating the head, arms, and legs and cutting the torso in two. The torso, head and legs are then soldered back into the desired position, running, standing, sitting or whatever. The figure is then dressed by using fuse wire as an edge and then filling with solder, shaping, filing and polishing step by step. So, on the 1900 private for example, the boots are done first, then the gaiters overhanging the boots, then the trousers overhanging the gaiters, then the tunic overhanging the trousers and then finally the equipment. The last thing to be done is the arms, after they are attached, and after all the final polishing is done the figure is sawn apart, drilled and pinned ready for the mould.
Most people cannot understand why Alan doesn’t use Milliput or Duro. The answer is that when he started in this game nothing like that existed, and he therefore carried on using the same methods as Charles Stadden, who Alan considers was the best sculptor in the business. Another advantage is that as soon as he finishes a figure it is ready for the mould wheras a Milliput master usually has to have an RTV mould made which can take up to another week.
A good example of this was when Alan was with Derek Cross at AQM, the SAS went into the Iranian Embassy, and within 48 hours they had a figure made, moulded and cast. You can't do that with Milliput!
Alan is not a collector, and does not have any figures at all. His reasons for this are that spending most of his working day in and around toy soldiers and figures he sees enough of them during the course of a normal working day! Having made thousands of them over the years he wouldn’t in any case have anywhere near the necessary storage space or display area to house them adequately. He prefers instead to collect books on related subject areas, for example, the Yeomanry, British Cavalry and the American Civil War. With a library that currently consists of over 2,000 military titles, this also provides him with a ready made research facility at his finger tips!
So what is next for Alan, and what new and exciting projects are currently in the planning process or taking shape on the drawing board? As he was quick to point out this very much depended on his clients and of course the commissions he subsequently receives. Some companies like Asset, Alexander’s Toy Soldiers and Wilson Edward of Australia give him a subject and a general idea of what they want, i.e. Australian Light Horse Trooper at ANZAC, and leave the composition and finer detail up to him. Others are much more specific, for example, they want an Irish Guardsman at slow march, with eyes right, with sloped rifle and bayonet fixed.
He will also, I am sure, continue to collaborate with the likes of Tradition of London, Little Legion and Alexander’s Toy Soldiers etc on new and exciting sets and figures.
I have no doubt therefore that as long as there are dedicated and talented individuals such as Alan involved in the production of toy soldiers, in all their many guises, then I am sure that the hobby will survive. With the likes of Alan and other like minded people being involved in the production of figures, I feel sure that toy soldier collecting will ultimately survive the challenges that it currently faces. It will continue to flourish and be around for the enjoyment of generations to come, even if it does have to adapt and branch out in a different direction to take account of new collecting trends in the future.
Martin Ainscough
Article written for Toy Soldier Collector Magazine
