Army Men, Toy Soldiers, and Military Miniatures - Real Combat, Plastic Men

[millais]

I wish there were more miniatures and army men for the Korean War era.

Yeah, the American G.I.'s and British troops can easily be represented using World War II figures but the same cannot be said of the North Koreans or Red Chinese.

Although, I suppose you could use WWII Soviet troops as an impromptu stand-in for the North Koreans and Chinese in a Korean War scenario.

Moreso for the North Koreans than the Chinese. The North Koreans were almost entirely outfitted with Soviet manufacture war materiel and equipment, but the Red Chinese had very little standardization even among frontline units, with a very heterogeneous mixture of American Lend-Lease, Soviet surplus, interwar European imports, and domestically produced unlicensed clones of all the above.

 

[neverendingmidi]

My dad inherited some German lead soldiers that my Grandfather picked up in Germany during WWII. They were walking in a bombed out city and he saw them scattered and picked them up.

 

[snuffleupagus]

Check your local hobby shop and ask if they know of any local historical wargaming groups. There was one group at my local game shop for years but they’ve all died off or gone to home, it was the back corner table of grumpy old men. It’s sad but it’s not as common as 40K and is seriously dying out.

I always think of this song when people talk about little soldiers. I don’t know why but it tears me up when I hear it.

 

[millais]

Check your local hobby shop and ask if they know of any local historical wargaming groups. There was one group at my local game shop for years but they’ve all died off or gone to home, it was the back corner table of grumpy old men. It’s sad but it’s not as common as 40K and is seriously dying out.

I always think of this song when people talk about little soldiers. I don’t know why but it tears me up when I hear it.

I think the huge glut of virtual wargaming simluations in the past two decades have really diminished the historical wargaming genre. The video games can be just as hardcore and unforgiving of a simulation as that offered by the most complex tabletop wargaming ruleset (if not more), so that steals away some of the grognards, and at the less hardcore, more gamey end of the spectrum, they can steal away a whole bunch of the casuals and dilettantes. Especially nowadays, there is guaranteed at least one or more hardcore real-time or turn-based tactics simulation of every notable military conflict from antiquity until present day. Add in the fact that multiplayer still lets you play with/against friends and no need for lengthy setup or physical preparation of terrain/figures, it probably makes the time and money investment required for old school wargaming look like a huge barrier for entry compared to the virtual wargaming equivalent

 

[Crispeacock]

I have in the past done dioramas and vivnettes using a great deal of knowledge from shep pain and rich windrow amongst others for the local museum. Last i did was a really fuckery sort of one for a museum about cowboys but i almost didn't complete due to Epic 40k sized Indians. Also enjoy doing busts and have been painting my doom boardgame for years.

 

[Syaoran Li]

Sorry for posting in an old thread, but I just bought a whole bucket of Civil War army men, complete with accessories such as cannons, wagons, tents, horses, and scenery stuff like trees and rocks for $20.00 USD plus shipping and handling from Amazon and I'm pretty excited to be adding a new bucket of troops to my collection and from my favorite era of military history no less!

Best part is that even though this is an Amazon purchase, the Confederate flag is not censored either.

(I guess Amazon makes an exemption for historical figures or anything that can be passed off as educational)

I used to have a small bag of Civil War army men when I was a kid back in the very late 90's, bought them during a trip to Appomattox when I was about five or six years old with my allowance money and it was cool and all but was one of those small cheap bags that was just some blue and gray troops, no cannons, horses, or any other extra goodies. So, I'm excited to not only be buying an entire playset with a fuckton of troops but also some cool accessories for the battlefield and for a good price at that!

*cue the period-appropriate victory music*

Although between myself and my younger brothers, not to mention my uncle before me (who also loved army men and G.I. Joe toys when he was a kid in the 70's and 80's), we had so many military toys when we were kids that there is a good chance that there are probably more army men buried in the backyard of my childhood home than there are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

[TiggerNits]

I mained Tan back in the day

 

[TurdFondler]

I spent time in eastern Europe as a kid and they had these fuckin rad tiny army men. They must be 1/10th scale compared to regular green army men. Their detailing was phenomenal too. I had a squad of honest irl plastic Nazis.

The micromachines vehicles were kickass too, tons of details.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

What if standard (Staunton) chess pieces count as army men?



Also here's an idea: use army men as chess pieces (if there's 6 different kinds of enough of them, and they're in 2 colors)?

 

[TiggerNits]

What if standard (Staunton) chess pieces count as army men?



Also here's an idea: use army men as chess pieces (if there's 6 different kinds of enough of them, and they're in 2 colors)?

Yeah, I've seen sets like this

 

[Wraith]

I mained Tan back in the day

Green inferior. Tan / brown superior.

 

[Android raptor]

I've gotten some 1/6 scale military shit for my dolls. There's a toy con near me that started as a G.I. Joe con and you can get great shit for cheap. They also showcase some awesome dioramas.