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Some old friends of mine. These model soldiers are almost certainly ~85–100 years old, placing them roughly in the late Weimar Republic Period. Hausser-Elastolin 7 cm (2.75″) Hand-painted Sawdust + glue mixture over a wire armature of a type collectors call ‘Composition.” Marked “Germany” (in English) on the bottom of the base they are typically export pieces made before or up to WWII.

Hät 8013 French Horse Grenadiers (nicknamed the “Big Heels.”) BeFunky filter. https://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=132

Various 54mm Makes

Another family holiday photo: populated by AirFix/Dapol Half-Timber Thatched Cottage and Bachman vintage 1/87 railroad figures, joined by a rubber toy found face down in a city gutter, representing the first family AI.

Marx Toys pressed tin (steel) lithographed castle c. 1951 defended by Britains Deetail Knights of War of the Roses c. 1971. BeFunky filter.

Schrieber Paper Mansion. 1/32 scale 1910 Hudson from Cowland & Cowland 1956 kit. Two unknown maker (Britains?) early hollow cast Sailors. Befunky watercolour filter.

‘Great War’ ACE Models 1/72 Austin Armoured Car (likely Mk. III/IV) alongside an Emhar 1/72 Mark IV Female German captured tank.

“No One Noticed”…Back Garden Medieval Morality Play performed by 1/12 scale Imai Knights and a bargain shop angel. The Imai Knight series of the 1970s were excellent in their own right, and filled that nostalgic longing for AirFix and Aurora larger scale chivalric models.

1/32 Revell T‑34/85 (the vintage one from the 1970s) compared to the real-deal…like many of you, as a popcorn munching youth I looked forward to seeing models appearing in films and still photos.

Home-cast figures were often made using molds from companies like: Prince August (Ireland) Crescent Comet Zinnfiguren (Germany) Hobbyists would pour molten lead or alloy into rubber or metal molds, then hand-paint the figures…solid home-cast, hand-painted. The figures are roughly 1/32 scale, which was standard for many home-cast molds. The Primary Era: 1930s–1970s…still a niche hobby today.