The History of W. Britains Toy Soldiers
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
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We really hope you enjoy this very special video, which will be our last of 2018.
Can't wait to see you all in 2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Father visited the UK in the 1970's to meet extended family. He brought me back some Britains Royal Guard as a souvenir for me. I really loved them, because they were so different than the army men I had collected up until then. A cherished possession now that my Father has passed. Great video as always and your dedication in especially touching to me. Thank you for all the great work that you do.
My Mothers first job in Britain was painting toy soldiers, but that was well before I was born.
What a great little video. My long retired father James is a lifelong collector and author of Britains toy soldiers hence my interest here.
I know it's 5 years old but thanks so much for this video. Discovered Britain toy soldiers in the 1980s on a family visit to UK World Showcase at Disney's Epcot Center. My parents bought me a couple metal and plastic sets and I loved them. Had a hard time finding any more when we returned home. I wish I still had them but like many of us my toys were handed down or donated when I "grew up". 😁
I have been collecting toy soldiers for 10 years.I have over 4,000.Half of those i have painted,Airfix,Timpo,Italeri,Britians deetail.My favoriet military period was the Napoleonic wars.
A Guatemalan here, my grandmother use to buy me those soldiers as a gift. Early 80'S
You had an intelligent loving grandmother
Hello from Italy. I had some when i was young, too much years ago. We, the boys, loved them a lot...
I've been into toy soldiers since I was only very young and then again when I was 13 and have not looked back. I have thousands of soldiers now, even some aluminium ones too! I've got the games by the late 3DO, Army men!
Just great!
Thanks for sharing
Well made video just like the soldiers 👌 that took me back . Interesting too 👍
Einige von denen habe ich auch gehabt, der kniende MG Schütze WH usw. Danke !
I love it how you associate your passion for toy collecting hobby with your dad's. How it inspired you to be a collector yourself all makes sense in the world that it has turned into what you are today. A truly passionate and dedicated vintage toy collector. Good job mate👍
Nice video guy. As a child I had a few military and farm equipment models. But we were not a well off family so anything new was pretty much birthdays and Christmas. However there is one thing made by Brittians. That I remember. And the reason I remember it was when you mentioned blue Peter. Now it was either blue Peter or Magpie did a number of projects with the old egg boxes etc but they used garden kits from Brittians. The mowed grass sheets and the stone walled flower beds with dirt pieces that you could plant plastic plants and small trees and the like with a small dibbed. But the thing I remember most was the green house and tool shed and all the garden tools that you could get .ie wheel barrow lawnmower with catching box and shovels spades rakes and others that you could hang up in the shed. What ever happened to them and would it make an interesting video. ???? I personally would love to see one. As my mother used all the garden sets that my sister and my self had to plan out how she wanted to replant our garden.we helped by using plastacine to make what we didn't have in kit form. . Even if you don't do a video thank you for digging up a very happy part of my childhood. With remembering that part when my mother and father were still with us.
Damn, that tribute at the end really touched me. My father and I were very opposed, but we bonded over collecting Ertl tractor toys. Full circles indeed.
Great memories of going to my local independent toy shop called Sheriffs and seeing all the Britains soldiers and vehicles, i still have my Fiat 90-90 DT Tractor and attaching machinery still in box from my childhood and ive put a nice collection together of boxed & loose Britains Motorcycles such as the MV Agusta & the Norton 850.
Another Great video Tony.
My parents used to buy me these toys soldiers every year we went on holiday to potter heighemNorfolk Broads boxed. Wish I still had them and boxed.
i came for the toys and not to be hit in my feels but the last couple of minutes you did it, you hit me right into my feelings when you mentioned your dad,
I loved this video, it was very informative. Thank you for taking the time to make it.
Brilliant stuff! I can vouch for just how good even the very old figures made by Wm.Britain are. About twenty years ago, I worked in my local museums, doing holiday relief work - I was only meant to work for three weeks in May, but stayed until early November - it was a lovely job. One of our museums is a large mansion, set in a vast park. When the Curator was showing me round, he showed me the storage areas in the loft. One was full of old toys, from the 1600's to almost present day. In that room was a chest of drawers, which contained box upon box of mint condition hollow-cast lead soldiers by Britains. I think that I said "Bloody hell!", or similar, as the Curator laughed. He let me look through them, but said if I wanted to look at the loose ones, I'd have to put gloves on, not in case my now sweaty hands would damage them, but their lead paint and construction would damage me. I said that I cast lead figures and fishing weights at home, and had done so for years, and any damage was probably done. He bemoaned the fact that the public would probably never see them, due to the lead, and that special hermetically sealed cases would have to be used to show them, and keep the public safe, and they were incredibly expensive. To this day, those beautiful figures are still probably where I last saw them, locked away in an airtight, secure room, and that still makes me rather sad, and I feel privileged to have seen them in their bright, beautiful glory.
Britain's were the best. I also liked the Airfix toy soldiers. Many good poses and detail. Good fun to paint. Good video again. Keep them coming.
Back watching for a second time after I watched it when you first released it. No wonder your channel has been so successful. Your research and editing is second to none . Your enthusiasm always shows through as well. I’m off to watch your Lone Ranger videos now
At the age of 12 I got as a gift a Model Soldier book. I realized it portrayed many Britains' examples... and the brand's prestige, not easily available in my country. Some years later I received my first Britains Horse Guard. It remains one of my most cherished childhood treasures. I loved your video.
My dad collected these since he was a young boy. It was the only thing he'd really collect. They're really amazing
I know this is off topic but is that your Halo 3 Spartan as your avatar?
@@jamsanator0511 it is
I love how speak of your father. It's heart warming as dad.
Great video thank you very much. i have always been aware of these tin soldiers but never knew all the history of them, i never had any of these myself but there was a hobby shop me and my father use to go to in the early mid 80s when i was collecting and painting lead D&D miniatures, and we would always look at and admire the painted tin soldiers that were in the display case. great memories.
Aaahhh..toy soldiers. My parents are from the UK, but I grew up in Canada. So, my Dad and grandparents bought me British toy soldiers for Christmas and my birthday, but I discovered American ones in the Sears and Bay and Eaton's catalogues... still have my Swoppet Knights from the 60's, and the Rev War, and the modern British infantry. Didn't even lose the mortar shells yet...)
Great job Tony! Loved your informational video. I too grew up in the 70's in the USA in Boston,MA collecting Britians Detail Series..I especially liked any Scottish Highlander. Thanks again, TONY now living in Florida.
Great video! I'm from South Africa and vividly remember my mom buying these for me as a kid. I'm sure I still have a few sets still in their boxes.
Great video, Tony! I really like the homage you paid to your father, too. I just started collecting Britains again, after 10 year hiatus. I like the “new” old toy soldier range. The hobby is a good fit with my long-time interest in military history...
Those are beautiful pieces, such briliant color, and they can last a looooong time!
That's awsome that you're father was a collector man,that was a cool memory you shared. I always thought toy soldiers were awsome, I still have some cowboys and Indians from childhood but never collected them. I still like to look at the old Benton figures online, and the Marx and MPC figures and playsets. Cool stuff
Great video. Retro videos like this make me realise just how military heavy my childhood was, toys, comics, films and models. Modern kids are missing out
I used to have quite a few of these as a lad. I had some neat ones, the ones that stand out are some French Foreign Legion troops, U.S. Civil War, and IIRC, an Australian 2 pounder gun and crew, with Land Rover, and the gun actually fired. Try that today!
great video took me right back as well as telling me stuff i didnt know,i still have a fair bit of the britains space series..
Do you mean the ones with the weird multi sided feet that attached to bases and the ships and things? I had a bunch of those.
green flying saucer types that could take plug ins and yellow space craft, and suited guys that were similer..
www.bing.com/images/search?q=britains+space+toys&id=B256215347D6B85BA5CF1EB69DDD60C87F3CE2E5&FORM=IQFRBA
Thanks for sharing your story behind the scenes on these awesome toys. I love hearing the personal history as much as the factual history of Britains. The metal soldiers were hard to find in my area of the U.S. in those pre-internet days but I did collect a few. Great stuff.
Excellent video again, Tony.
I have been a wargamer for about 36 years. I started with Airfix, Matchbox, Atlantic and some Britains from about the age of 8. Didn't start gaming till I was about 16. 8 Years later. About 1983. Though I always kept my Britains as the Best of the Best! Some great memories of buying specific pieces. Especially when I went to Walsall in the West Midlands with my Dad. Also on holiday in Rhyl in Wales. Loads of great toy shops in the 70's. I have got some recently from toy fairs. Though they seem a much lesser quality than those I remember. Paint not as good. Or is it the mist of age? Thanks for the great video.
No they are made overseas now and they are not as good. I love original Britain's figures.
Malc R,you mentioned buying toys in Rhyl.Must have been my favourite childhood shop Lightfoots,sadly no longer trading.
I never really knew the name of the shop. I knew it was nearish their town hall. But it was great! As was the Model Shop in Queen street opposite Woolworths, Just drove me crazy I had to make so many decisions with a limited budget.
Malc R that's the one,so much choice and so little pocket money 🤣
My Dad did as well. He bought me hundreds of soldiers. God bless him!
Really enjoyed this. Toy soldiers was never a huge interest of mine but I can remember the Britain's logo in toy shops in the 70s and 80s. Great work.
Wow great video Tony!!! I knew nothing about Toy soldiers prior to this video!!!
Love the different segments you cover friend! 👍👍👍
What a nice documentary you did!
I have just discovered your channel, my friend, and i immediately subscribed.
Thank you for your amazing work, it's clear that you really have a great passion for that.
As a fellow collector i really appreciate this video.
5:59 - I painted those figures! OK, not those actual ones in the video, but the same figures. Back in the summer of '86, I would cycle from Colchester to Maldon to pick up a box of incomplete figures - just the head/body & legs (not arms, busby or rifle) and drop off the ones I had done. The paints smelled like pear drops.
Great vid.
A video double face for me.
Beautiful because it is regar ding my passion.Bad because all my Britains Toy Soldiers have been solten from me 4 Years ago and this is a dramatic shock from which I cannot be out...
When i was a kid, i loved these. They were the best. Now looking back as a miniature painter, i cant get over how bad the paint jobs are. They are still nostalgic though and I think thats the value in them
Great video! I had a few in the 1970s early 80s😎
So Did my dad In the 60s and 70s
Lovely dedication Tony. I hope my son can say the same of me when he’s older.
Appreciate the attention to detail in these videos. Most informative as always. Didn't expect it to catch my attention. Didn't know that lead content was a concern in the 1960s/'70s. These figures definitely seemed meant for diorama displays.
Hope you'll post other new videos soon.
That was beautiful Tony. Kudos to your father!
They had a great space-man and lizard-man sci-fi set in the 80s. I think you would dig them. I HAD (sadly, not "still have") a set as a kid. They are pretty expensive now.
Just like you, My Dad collected vintage toys. I grew up playing with some of his 1950s tin toys, Corgi cars, etc. Now I collect toys from my childhood and generations before, But I miss going to toy shows with my Dad.
Excellent video! I can remember seeing all of these toy soldiers in the display case at the local "Toys By Roy" in Fort Worth, TX. They had hundreds of them in their display cabinets.
This video came up as a recommendation, at more than 2 years old. I remember some of these as a kid, but they were bought for my older brothers. Weirdly I remember metal figures, but would have had to have been in the early 1970's. I don't ever remember plastic figures but there had to be some in the mix based on the years they were made. Strangely, I remember them all disappearing and we never played with them again. Looking back on them I have to assume my parents trashed them due to concerns over the lead content, but again close to 10 years after they stopped making them.
Nice video. Thanks.
Thanks for this, brings backa lot of memories
I love Britains lead soldiers.
Absolutely love your channel Tony. Brilliant having a binge watch over an evening or two. Keep up the great work mate.
Tony Mcevoy thanks mate.
There is a small shop in central london at the wellington barracks. I love going there to look at the small soldiers.
I've never had an education in WBritain toy soldiers, and now I am totally happy that I was able to preserve some of this toys from my youth. In the early and mid 1980s my dad and I would go to Chadwick's Toys in the Vineyard Shopping Center, Escondido CA when I got good grades or achieved something notable. I would always pick out WBritain toy soldiers of the Detail line. Knights, Saracens, Union, Rebel, Wermacht, Tommies...I had tons of them. So sad that so few survive to this day (still have a couple of these marching Germans 3:49 and on my my Yeomen 6:22 stands guard on my dresser with his Guard House.)
Lovely video! I'm helping my father in law slowly sell his collection, and I recognized many of these figures. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face!
If my memory serves me right my first toy soldier was 3 jousting knights by britans that I got from dover castle . I really grew up with britans . Over 4 years . And I'm only 9 years old .
Great video. Britain’s, especially their farm toys, were a large part of my childhood. Thanks.
Great video Tony! Greetings from Finland!
Omg this has brought back memories what a great era.
I collect all sorts of things right up until the second world war. I like the lead toys I also do metal detecting and I find plenty of old scrap lead, I wouldn't mind getting the original molds to make and also to repair old lead toys from the scrap lead I find. Its a shame there's not more videos on lead soldiers & lead farm animals.
I have been collecting WBritain’s since I was young and I’m 21
Great video
Thanks for a great film.
Very good video, And the music!thumbs up!God bless your dad
Good videos, Ive been going through your stuff and really enjoy it. Good for you wanting to follow in your dads collecting footsteps
Definitely had a load of these from the early 80s. My favourites were the cowboys and indians... hours of fun with those. I also had the Scots guards / bagpipers.
I am in my late 50's now but as a boy, I was always fascinated by the display case of Britains Deetails in our local neighbourhood toy shop. Of particular note, the colour used for the WWII German infantry was intriguing to me. Does anyone know the history behind why that particular blue/grey was chosen ?
This is a great video.
Just Subbed and really enjoy your Channel. Thanks,Tony.
Very interesting, I've just started collecting toy soldiers.
Love collecting britains also timpo and airfix nothing like them now great video as always
Excellent work!
Very cool. Although the not as detailed I had matchbox soldiers.
Thank you for posting, I am sculpting as I write, a piece for William Britain and have been sculpting masters for them since 2011. I live UK and the only direct link now to U.K.
Not really, I’m British ( Liverpool born and bred ) and I sculpt for them even now ( 2024 )
I only found this video yesterday ……but sculpting for Britains since about 2008
Since when first gear took over to be exact .
@@AlanBall-tt6bz You did indeed, but whenI posted you were in gap year!
Don’t be funny over a 4 year plus post!!!
I’m a bit confused here , what exactly is the problem ?
Fantastic video!
Great Video, any plans to cover a video looking at Britains Space Toy series Star series and Aliens?
I would love too but I need to get some first!
I never saw them on sale in my life, and I was a child in the 60s.
They are gorgeous!!
Another excellent video!
I had the British toy soldiers. The old fashioned ones in red with the funny hats. And I had also books about those.
If you'd read those books you might have learned the names of the uniforms and those "funny hats"
Nice one, much appreciated
So very interesting especially as I'm a lover of britains models
When I go to london toy soldier shows I see these short catologs for Britans .
I remember Britain’s toy soldiers every year I got a different range one year got American civil war there were 6 infantry figures and 6 Calvary only difference between both sides was the colour scheme the union stuff mixed well with the Wild West range also collected the tempo range of Wild West they did a nice train set as well as a fort the last Britain figures I brought were the modern para figures 4 poses only they did a repaint for sas and Royal Marines big difference being the beret colour I started collecting but moved on to Star Wars and action force figures but still have fond memories of the toys in particular the dinky German 88
I like the matt painted figures Britain's started producing, especially the modern "Elite" series that includes the Falklands, Iraq and the SAS from operation Nimrod; just recently bought the Stretcher Bearer set , Iraq, 2007 on eBay for a fraction of it's original cost.
About 10 years ago I met one of Britain's sculptors at a toy soldier convention. He told me that one of the figures was being delayed because of a painting "mistake" at the factory in China: it seems that they are instructed to copy the painting on the master exactly - so if there is a "mistake" (such as crossed/misaligned eyes), guess what gets copied?! They had to go back and correct many if not all of the figures!
I had some commandos of some sort that were Britains, but mostly airfix toy soldiers.
I collect toy soldiers and I'm 9 years old I go to london toy soldiers shows and collect every war I play with toy soldiers every day and my dad collects them aswell and my dad did have a britans catalof when he was a boy my age my other brothers don't care a bit about toy soldiers . I've collect a bunch of britans figures and grew up with them since I was 3 years old my first britans were lifeguards and knights jousting . Ive collected armies in plastic toy soldiers and a call to arms series . And lastly britans . 😇👑🔫🔛👢💂
Good on you Nathaniel, keep collecting my friend!
There's a gaping hole in this history, to be fair; no mention at all of the invention of the superb Swoppets range or the absorption of Herald into the company.
I'm wondering, what ever happened to the old action man S.A.S. video? If you're willing to answer, I'd love to hear it
I'm keeping the video private. Next year I will be starting a Patreon Page and the video will available on there!
I still have loads of these I am glad to say,
Very interesting; thanks.
I should dig mine out, have dozens of them in a box, somewhere.
Good collection 😁😊
I buy this toy soldiers 😌
You could totally use these for tabletop battles
If You Can Show Interest In Britains You Soldiers As A Collector So Can I
SAS emblem on your shirt?
Yes I collect them as well that's where I got Michael interview toys and through dad ion collect all kinds and even paint them myself do you collect Doctor Who is well?