Copyright 2003 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
Any boy reading comic books in the 1960s had seen them countless times. They were ads for an enormous assortment of toys. The list of troops and equipment was always astounding. You might have thought you were getting a legion. The sets included modern "task force" troops with soldiers,. ships, submarines and tanks, "Knights" with a veritable Medieval army, "Pirates" with a fleet of men and troops, "Revolutionary War" with hundreds of troops, and "Romans" wit ha legion of toy men. The largest of these companies was called "Helen of Toy" from Commack, Long Island.
What invariably came was a small box loaded with miniature soldiers. Several sets, such as knights, romans and pirates, were hard plastic "flats" in the 30mm scale. Others had teeny tiny HO-sized figures, or micro-mini ships and tanks. Anyway you went, you got everything promised, but in a very small size.
Here is a find: a set of these Romans came in a lot of old knights I bought. It was a complete set, and it's amusing to see them. They are small and wafer-thin: hardly the kind of toy Romans a little boy would want.
Chariots
Swordsmen cavalry |
Horsemen with aquila standards |
Horsemen with spears |
Spearmen |
Swordsmen |
Men with shield s and spears using slings. |
Archers |
Trumpeters |