Copyright 1998, 2003 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
Plastic toy soldiers run the gamut of figures, from superbly detailed and historically accurate to crude and anachronistic. Keeping in mind that they were originally made as toys rather than models, we must nonetheless examine their attributes to assess quality, appeal and playability. This is not the realm of scale dioramas or conventional miniature wargaming. It's a matter of play - fun - a toy we enjoy having. Matters of plastic type and color are moot, as one never knows what the next batch of recasts will be made of. We need to look at that which remains constant. Here are the factors by which soldiers can be judged:
Poses: the number and quality of poses in a set affects their appeal. A set with 27 different poses outshines one with only three or four. Naturally, the poses must also be realistic and anatomically possible.
Details: the amount and quality of detail in the sculpting of a figure weight heavily in its value. Better detailed, realistic figures are far more appealing then bland, crude "blobs."
Movement: the sculpting also has to show some kind of movement - a blend of poses and details which convey a feeling of action. Even the simple soldier standing at attention, if sculpted well, has a sense of motion. Obversely, figures which look stiff and frozen lose their appeal. Clumsy, stiff, "blocky" soldiers pale in comparison with well-sculpted, active. fluid-moving miniatures.
Proportions: a figure that most accurately replicates the proportions of human anatomy and military equipment is more desirable than one that is disproportionate. Figures with torsos, limbs and heads which are truncated, elongated, bulky or too slim look ridiculous. Likewise, disproportionate equipment destroys the feel of realism.
Weapons: replication of historical weapons is crucial to a good toy soldier. The best miniatures have detailed, realistic weapons based on actual historical prototypes. Poorly cast weapons diminish a figure's appeal, as do weapons that are disproportionate, anachronistic or out of place.
Faces: the faces of figures vary from lifelike visages showing emotion to bland, featureless masks. This is an important detail which had often been looked by toymakers. Facial detail increases appeal.
Size/Scale: standard toy soldier scale is between 2 inch 50mm 1/35 scale to 2 1/2 inch 60mm scale 1/30 scale, with 54mm 2 1/4 inch 1/32 scale being the norm. Troops within the standard scales are described as "On." Many figures are off-scale, being too small or too large. Scale is important as a factor, especially when wargaming or modeling.
| Troops | Poses | Details | Movement | Proportions | Weapons | Faces | Size / Scale |
| Marx Japanese Infantry | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | On |
| Airfix US Infantry | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9.5 | 9 | 8 | On |
| Airfix German Infantry | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 9 | 8 | On |
| Marx German Infantry | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | On |
| BMC WW2 Infantry | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | On |
| Marx Marines | 10 | 9.5 | 10 | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | On |
| Archer/Ajax Spacemen | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 8 | 7 | Big |
| Marx WOW Pirates | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | Big |
| Marx Russians WW2 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9.5 | On |
| Marx French WW2 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | On |
| Tim Mee M16 GIs | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | On |
| Lido WW2 GIs | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | On |
| Imex Civil War | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | On |
| Marx Vikings | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | On |
| Iron Warrior Spacemen | 5 | 8 | 9 | 7.5 | 7 | 7 | On |
| Airfix Cowboys | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | On |
| MPC Pirates | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | On |
| MPC Ring Hand GI | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6.5 | 8 | 7.5 | On |
| MPC German WW2 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | On |
| Timpo Foreign Legion | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | On |
| Payton Infantry | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | Small |
| Red Box Clones | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | Small |
| Imperial / Fishler Clones | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | On |
| Marx Indians | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9.5 | 9 | On |
| Marx US Cavalry (later) | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7.5 | On |
| Marx Knights | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | On |
| Airfix Knights | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | On |
| JoHillco Infantry | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | On |
| MPC Natives | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 9 | Big |
| Ideal Pirates | 10 | 9 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | On |
| Hing Fat Pirates | 8.6 | 8 | 9.5 | 8 | 8 | 9 | On |
Like soldiers, the vehicles included with toy soldiers have shown great variation. From some approaching scale model quality to others which are cute toys, the range of plastic tanks, half tracks and artillery is amazing. Here we examine some of the common - and uncommon - vehicles and guns included with plastic toy soldiers. These criterion differ somewhat from the soldiers themselves.
Vehicle Type: the maker and the particular vehicle in question. Where given, we record the manufacturer's name for the vehicle. Note that these names vary. What was a "tank destroyer" in 1965 might have been a "self-propelled gun" in 1972. The terms used by makers varied and might not always accurately describe a vehicle. Where no specific name was given, we list the closest prototype.
Scale: vehicles more properly are the province of model builders, so we prefer to use the conventional scales. Most common are 1/48. 1/35, 1/32 and1/24th. Less common but not rare are 1/64 and 1/25. These scales loosely equate with the scales of model railroading: 1/48 = O gauge, 1/32 = G Scale. 1/64 equals S scale.
Detail: the quality of detail and where appropriate, its faithfulness to the prototype.
Proportion: how well a model replicates the various dimensions of a vehicle: true to size, elongated, truncated, etc.
Complexity: how complex the toy is, insofar as parts and assembly. One would assume that greater complexity means greater detail, but this is not always the case.
Quality: the vehicle's design determines if it looks more like a scale model or a toy. S means it is close in design to a scale model, T means that it is either crude and toylike or includes design features that relegate it to toy status. The higher up the scale, the more the realism. Thus T+ is borderline scale, having a couple toy aspects that prevent it from ascending into the scale category. The appearance is crucial here.
Prototype: the real world vehicle or gun on which an item is based. Some vehicles made by toymakers have no actual prototype.
| Vehicle Type | Scale | Detail | Proportion | Complexity | Quality | Prototype | |
| Tim Mee M48 Tank | 1/48 | 9 | 9 | 3 | S | M48A2 | |
| Marx M46 Tank | 1/48 | 8 | 8 | 3 | S- | M46 | |
| Auburn M46 Tank | 1/48 | 7.5 | 8 | 4 | T+ | M46 | |
| Auburn US Half Track | 1/35 | 7.5 | 7 | 4 | T+ | M3/4 1/2 Track | |
| Tim Mee Jeep | 1/32 | 7 | 7 | 2 | T+ | Jeep | |
| Marx Jeep | 1/48 | 8 | 9 | 2 | S | Jeep | |
| MPC Jeep | 1/32 | 8 | 7 | 5 | T+ | Jeep | |
| Marx Howitzer | 1/32 | 8 | 8 | 2 | S- | 155 Howitzer | |
| Marx light towed gun | 1/32 | 7 | 9 | 2 | S- | 37mm antitank gun | |
| MPC "Tank Destroyer" | 1/32 | 7 | 7 | 5 | T | no known prototype | |
| MPC Personnel Carrier | 1/32 | 7 | 7 | 5 | T+ | "Alligator" amphibious tractor | |
| MPC "Weasel" Carrier | 1/32 | 7 | 7 | 5 | T | no real prototype | |
| Marx Half Track | 1/32 | 8 | 8 | 2 | S | M3/4 1/2 Track | |
| Lido Centurion Tank | 1/48 | 6.5 | 7 | 2 | T+ | Centurion MkIII Tank | |
| BMC Higgins Landing Craft | 1/32 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 4 | S+ | Higgins Landing Craft | |
| Marx LandingCraft | 1/48 | 8 | 7 | 2 | T+ | Small Landing Craft, WW2 | |
| Imex Gun and Caisson | 1/32 | 9 | 9 | 6 | S+ | Civil War Caisson and field gun | |
The policy of many Asian toymakers is to copy the figures of better-known toymakers. Unlike recasts, which are figures cast from the original molds, clones are copies for whom new molds have been made. They are generally smaller than the prototype and often suffer flaws in detail, molding or manufacture. The figures most cloned today are Airfix US Paratroopers, US Infantry, German Infantry, German Afrika Korps, British Paratroopers, Cowboys and Indians. Occasionally one finds Marx clones, as in the popular "Bravo Squad" playset.
The best clones we have found are those sold by Imperial and Fishler. They tend to retain most of their size and detail. This applies to all figures. The worst include Jaru's Cowboys and Indians, which have more flash and molding stubs than would be acceptable, and Rec Box, whose clones tend to be smaller and lose much of their detail. The current Cowboys and Indians marketed by Tim Mee are clones, probably from Red Box.
The Marx clones in the Bravo Squad set, distributed by Justen's, are smaller and have lost some detail.
Clones will remain a big part of the toy market. They're a good way to get plenty of troops cheaply, so long as the figures are of the better quality. Of course, recasts are the way to go for the very best figures. Recasts cost more, but the dividend is having scale, full-detailed figures of the highest caliber.
Many molds from former manufacturers such as Marx, Ideal and MPC have been sold off. The new owners continue to use them, producing figures of the same quality as the originals. These are called recasts, although technically they are distinguished from originals only by nuances of color and plastic type. The recast market is a bit higher but affords a better quality figure than clones. Most Marx, MPC and Ideal figures are available as recasts.
In the 1970s, a separate market developed for standard size toy soldiers. Importation of boxed figures from Airfix and Timpo brought them into the hobby realm. Previously, the only soft plastic figures used by hobbyists were HO 1/87 and OO 1/76 scale figures by Airfix and Roco. The imports brought acceptance of soft plastic by hobbyists. Meanwhile, toy soldiers were moving off the store shelves. Hobby shop toy figures boomed until the mid-80s, with Airfix, Matchbox and Atlantic leading the pack in volume and the variety of available figures. A decline in the hobby military modeling field saw a drop in these imports. Outside the hobby realm, toy soldiers had virtually disappeared from toy stores.
A new market in collectible plastic soldiers evolved, and thankfully, a few new makers joined the ranks of recasters. Most aimed at the specialty market, such as Call to Arms, Accurate and Classic Toy Soldiers.. A few became very specialized, for instance, Barszo figures. These new makers produce high-quality figures that would rival Marx. However, they are limited mainly to toy soldier collectors and some hobbyists. That's fine, because we're hobbyists and we know where to buy them!
In the toy market, few new makers have entered the field. Most toy soldier manufacturers serving the toy market peddle Airfix clones. Tim Mee still sells its excellent M16-armed plastic GIs, but very little has come since. One company, High Fat, produces a few original sets, such as Ninja and Pirates. A new company from New Jersey, BMC, has attempted to produce new figures and playsets based on the favorites of yore. A reconstituted Marx has also begun selling modern-day versions of the old Marx playsets.
BMC's entry into the toy market is something we need to watch. Can this ambitious little company restore the playset to store shelves? Time will tell.
The marketing masterpiece of the 1950s was the playset. Louis Marx mastered it. For years, Marx produced a string of playsets covering almost every era of history. These sets went through an evolution of their own, changing from time to time with new equipment, different names. updated figures, etc. For example, the Civil War set by Marx started like as "The Blue and the Gray" and later appeared as "Gettysburg." Battleground, a WW2 set, had several mutations. "Iwo Jima", "Anzio Beach" and "The Guns of Navarrone" were variations on a common theme. Ideal and MPC countered with playsets of their own.
What separated a playset from buying soldiers by the bag was the equipment. A playset included many different things, and was an all-inclusive "war in a box." Marx's Battleground invariably had two sets of troops, tanks, artillery, plus smaller bits of equipment, terrain pieces, pillboxes and assorted small accessories. MPC's Civil War set contained enough artillery, tents and wagons for a small war! The appeal of playsets were their size and the surprises. Detail was the key. It was having both the big items and the small to make what we perceived as a "realistic" battle.
Playsets have reappeared lately. Fishler and Red Box produce sets peopled with Airfix clones and a variety of vehicles and terrain features. Red Box's sets look good on shelves due to big, brightly colored, illustrated boxes. Fishler's are smaller, but contain a better assortment of soldiers, vehicles and equipment. As clones go, we prefer Fishler every time.
Imperial markets a bagged set of soldiers as a playset. It includes 2 tanks, 2 field guns, a jeep and plenty of troops. Imperial's cowboys and Indians are also well-outfitted. But are they really playsets? Or are the merely well-outfitted bags of toy soldiers?
BMC was a surprise when it started producing entirely new figures and accessories. The New Jersey company offers a less costly, "lighter" playset than did Marx in the 50s and 60s. Current offerings are playsets for the Alamo, Gettysburg, The American Revolution, Battle of the Little Bighorn and their latest, D-Day. BMC's sets do not have the intricate structures and they lack some of the detailed accessories. The troops vary in quality. While Civil War and Alamo Mexicans were acceptable, the Alamo Texans and D-Day soldiers were pathetic. BMC's Alamo structure was a pale shadow of its predecessor, Marx. On the other hand, its bunkers, house, beach obstacles and landing craft for D-Day were masterpieces. Soldier collectors want to see BMC succeed, if just to get original toy soldiers established in toy stores again. But BMC will have to work harder to produce better soldiers if it hopes to compete against recasts and clones.
The new reconstituted Marx has been selling new versions of its classic playsets with varying degrees of success. The Alamo, Fort Apache and Cape Canaveral have been remade close to the originals, but their Battleground is more MPC than true Marx, and it lacks small accessories. Still and all, Marx's sets are worth the cost. They provide a complete battlefield, even if they're not exact copies of the originals.
Between Marx and BMC, the playset has a shot at making a comeback. For toy soldier wargamers, a playset is still the best way to have an "instant battle."
Playset accessories: equipment, terrain pieces, weapons, etc, are part and parcel of a playset's ideal. Here's a brief look at what's out there and how it stacks up.
Name and Item: the brand and the particular item, using the manufacturer's name for it when given.
Proportion: how well and item replicates the original, insofar as proper dimensions. Is it flattened, truncated, elongated, etc?
Detail: the amount of realistic detail included on an item.
Realism: the item's overall appearance and realism.
Quality: as with vehicles, is it closer to a scale model or pure toy?
| Name and item | Proportion | Detail | Realism | Quality |
| Marx Tepee | 8 | 8 | 8 | S |
| Fishler Tepee | 6 | 6 | 6 | T |
| Fishler Canoe | 8 | 8 | 7 | S- |
| MPC Bunker | 8 | 7 | 8.5 | S |
| Fishler Covered wagon | 7 | 7 | 7 | T+ |
| Imperial Horse | 9 | 8 | 9 | S |
| Fishler Horse (Giant) | 6 | 7 | 7 | T |
| Marx Pillbox | 7.5 | 9 | 8 | S- |
| BMC Pillbox | 8.5 | 9 | 9 | S |
| BMC Farmhouse | 9 | 8.5 | 9 | S |
| BMC Alamo | 6 | 7 | 7 | T |
| Marx Barbed Wire | 8 | 7.5 | 8.5 | S- |
| Fishler Barbed Wire | 7 | 7 | 7 | T+ |
| Tim Mee Tepee | 5 | 6 | 6 | T |
| Fishler Corral Fence | 7 | 8 | 8 | T+ |
| Marx Western Horse | 9 | 9 | 9 | S |
| Marx Indian Pony | 9 | 9 | 9 | S |
| Marx Fort Apache | 9 | 9 | 9 | S- |
| Marx West Accessories | 9 | 9 | 9 | S+ |
| Fishler Ocean Terrain | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | S |
| Fishler Std. Terrain | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | S- |
| Tim Mee Terrain Hill | 7 | 7 | 7 | T |
Scale means the size of a miniature in proportion to real-world dimensions. Thus 1/32 means that the figure is 1/32 the height, width, etc of its real-world prototype. Plastic toy soldiers have commonly used the Fraction Scale (e.g. 1/32, 1/35, etc.). Other scales are used in the hobby field.
Miniature soldiers - as opposed to toy soldiers - are usually described by the height of a standing miniature figure. Thus 54mm scale means that the soldiers are scaled so that the average standing figure is 54mm tall.
Model railroading scale uses a series of letter to denote scales, such as "G scale" or "N scale."
54mm, 1/32 and G scale are the same. (G scale can denote miniatures from 1/29 to 1/32 scale; it is based on the width of track rather than the perfect height of the average figures)
Inch Scale relates the height of a figure to the real world, with the "inches" equalling real-world "feet". Thus "1 inch scale" denotes one inch equalling one foot, and thus a figure would be approximately 6 inches tall. a "2 inch scale" figure would be 12 inches tall, etc.
The dimensions of obscure scales are far from perfect! 1/100 and 1 /144 are approximate, based on several sources and choosing the most common - remember that scale is not always absolute. The popular model railroad scales (O, HO, S, N) are the only ones which have standardized all dimensions. The generally accepted fraction or dimensions of a non- standardized scale occasionally differ from the true dimensions.
One cannot make the assumption that every scale item is true to scale in every way. Experienced modelers know that scale can be a matter of interpretation. One manufacturer's 1/35 might not be another's. We've run across this many times. Army men have rarely been paragons of perfect scale. Even the cast metal miniatures tend to differ, with one company's 25mm figures resembling another's 30mm troops. Therefore, this chart is far from perfect. Some of the dimensions are based on the most common interpretation rather than pinpoint accuracy.
The original figures from Airfix (Infantry, German Infantry, Cowboys, Indians, Civilians, Colour Guards, etc.) were closer in size to HO figures than the standard 25mm scale. Starting in the late 60s, the Airfix small figures got larger. This is but one example of "scale / not really scale." The toy soldier and miniature hobby has not made great strides in standardizing scales, which is why different manufacturers and even individual kits can vary.
The model railroad hobby has done tremendous work in standardizing N, HO, S and O scale. Initially, these scales only denoted the "gauge," which is the distance between the tracks. As the hobby grew, it eventually developed an "establishment" which set to standardizing everything else in the years following World War II. With the backing of large organizations such as the National Model Railroading Association, the popular scales were given a very tight set of standards, right down to millimeters per scale feet! Less popular scales such as Standard, TableTop (TT) and OO had fallen through the cracks. They were not given the intense degree of scale accuracy and standardization that had been showered on N, HO, S and O. Indeed, because toy trains like Lionel and K-Line use the O track width but do not adhere strictly to 1/48 scale, they are commonly called "O gauge." "O Scale" denotes trains which are a perfect 1/48 scale in all dimensions.
G Scale, a relative latecomer, is somewhere between 1/29 and 1/32 scale, depending mainly on the individual manufacturer. The model railroad establishment has standardized G's track gauge and related dimensions, but not the precise scale.
For years, hobbyists using the 1/72 - 1/76 scale have filled in the gaps with HO scenery and models (i.e. ROCO MiniTanks and Roskopf's 1/87 - 1/90 scale vehicles). Model soldier scales have never been standardized, so as to allow across-the-board availability of perfect scale scenery and accessories. The same is true in larger scales. For instance, it was common for diorama makers in the early 70s to mix 1/32 and 1/35 scale vehicles, troops and accessories. I have seen 1/35 scale kits that are virtually indistinguishable in scale from 1/32 kits!
Our chart reflects this, insofar as those scales which do not have strict, regulated standards. Only the N, HO, S and O railroad scales are strictly determined. 1/100, 1/144, 1/76 - 1/72 and others tend to fluctuate. In effect, one company's 1/144 is not another's. Mininature soldier 30mm scale is not always perfect 1/64. (It coule be anything from perfect 1/72 to perfect 1/60th!) Keep that in mind as you use this chart. At best, non-standardized railroad scales are an approximation rather than an absolute.
Note: MM = 1 Scale Ft means that so many millimeters in a given scale would equal one scale foot.
| Scale | MM =1 Scale Ft | Millimeter | Railroad | Inch Scale | Inch height |
| 1/32 | 9 | 54 | G | 3/8 | 2 1/4 |
| 1/35 | 8 | 50 | G | 2/6 | 2 |
| 1/24 | 12 | 70 - 75mm | 1/2 | 3 | |
| 1/48 | 6.5 | 40mm | O | 1/4 | 1 1/2 |
| 1/64 | 5 | 30mm | S | 3/16 | 1 1/4 |
| 1/72 - 1/76 | 4 | 25mm | OO | 1/6 | 1 |
| 1/87 | 3.5 | 20mm | HO | 1/8 | 3/4 |
| 1/100 | 3 | 18mm | TT | 7/64 | 5/8 |
| 1/144 | 2.5 | 15mm | 3/32 | 1/2 | |
| 1/160 | 2 | 10mm | N | 1/16 | 3/8 - 1/2 |
| 1/6 | 50 | 300mm | 2 | 12 | |
| 1/12 | 24 | 150mm | 1 | 6 | |
| 1/18 | 15 | 90 - 100mm | 4 |
Here's a list of our favorites -
Marx soldiers: we have always found them to be best, and have yet to find any set of WW2 figures to match their excellent US GIs and US Marines. In our opinion, the troops of choice.
Fort Apache - best western playset, especially the version with hard plastic fence. We prefer the Boonesboro or Dearborn pioneers over the later cavalry figures, however.
BMC D-Day boats and accessories: best bunkers, bombed out house, landing craft and beach obstacles.
Tim Mee M48 tank - the "everytank" that's been part of our games since forever.
Fishler Infantry and Wild West sets: dollar for dollar, the best current starter sets - start playing Sandpit Showdown or Operation Sandtrap right out of the box.
Imperial Army Men and Cowboys and Indians - as with Fishler, play right out of the bag!
Marx Vikings - best figures for many eras - we love them!
Warriors of the World Pirates - even molded in soft plastic, they have character!
IMEX Caisson Sets (Union and Confederate) - best soft plastic artillery sets we have EVER seen!
Archer and Ajax Spacemen (recast by Glencoe) - we love them because they're the first spacemen we had - never saw a spacemen since that equalled their appeal!
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