About Me
I’m a Londoner with a career in IT, a passion for photography, and a lifelong interest in military history, models and wargaming. Some years ago, nostalgia and curiosity prompted me to search out some of the ‘fighting’ toys that I dimly remembered from my childhood. Since most of these are long out of manufacture, the most obvious place to find them is amongst the auctions on ebay, and it wasn’t long before I started trading them as a way of generating the funds to pay for my growing collections. As a result, I have been hands-on with more model tanks, planes and ships than I could ever have afforded as a child!
I trade on ebay.co.uk under the userid ‘hexeres‘. Take a look there to see what I’m currently selling. To check out my photos (well, why not?) take a look at my other website: assaysinphotography.wordpress.com.
About This Website
The more I learn about these toys, the more I love them. I appreciate them for the beauty and craftsmanship they demonstrate, but also for what they can teach about the times they were made in, and the subjects they modelled. And oh yes, sometimes – being toys – they are fun!
This website attempts to get at the essence of the ranges selected, and does so via a series of stories. The first story for each range is an introduction to that range, so that you can be acquainted with the basic facts about it. Subsequent stories explore diverse, but hopefully characteristic aspects of a range. Each story is illustrated by, and anchored around, a different model from the range in question.
I hope you find the stories engaging. Perhaps, as a result, you too will find an interest in these models, and feel empowered to start a small collection…
Scope
What ranges do I discuss in this website? In brief, vintage military model toys.
- Vintage: toys that are no longer made, and thus you probably won’t find them in shops. Some may be old, some more recently discontinued. Knowledge about these ranges is likely to be sparse, and to get hold of them you’ll have to visit toy fairs and auctions.
- Military: ranges that cover military subjects – soldiers, military vehicles, warplanes and warships. Some ranges include both military and civilian subjects, so I’m not too strict…but my interest mainly lies in the former.
- Models: items that attempt to represent, or model, real-life subjects. As a result, questions of accuracy and scale come into play. So, no fantasy or science fiction here.
- Toys: things that were meant to be played with, not just collected and displayed. Normally this means toys sold for children, and made to be robust. Play features are important.
Fighting Toy Stories 