Toysoldiers - JohnJenkinsDesign Samnites and Mid Republican Romans

Manufacturer:   JohnJenkinsDesigns

Scale:   1:30 (60mm)

Hi,

just a short post about my newest reinforcements concerning my developing collection of Mid Republican Romans and their enemies. One of their toughest enemies had been the Samnites, a people of hill tribes that fought several wars against Rome at its first expansions in Italy. 

The Samnites also allied with Hannibal. The army of Hannibal must have looked very cool with all its different troops. Carthaginians, Crete Archers, Samnites, Celts, Iberians and Numidian Cavalry. A very interesting mixture and also a very exciting period of warfare. How was Hannibal able to command all those different troops with that many different languages? How did this military genius manage to combine them?

Besides my all time favorite period of warfare of the SYW and FIW the punic wars also excite me very much. There are different manufacturers offering Romans and Celts, but I have not seen Samnites from other manufacturers before. And there is more to come. JohnJenkins also started to increase the ranges of Iberians and Carthaginians, not to mention that the Romans also got more models.

JohnJenkinsDesigns celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and in my opinion the models are one of the best ones comparing the different manufacturers.

So here are some pictures of my current collection of Samnites and their Roman enemies. Of course, I was not able again to resist making some AI versions of the pictures. Hope you like them.

Cheers

Mike

Toysoldiers - Hausser-Elastolin - A small exhibition at the near "Burg Abenberg"

Manufacturer:   O+M Hausser 

Scale:   4cm (1/45) and 7cm (1/24)

Hi,

This post is about a small exhibition within a castle named "Burg Abenberg". This castle is about 15 kilometers from my home. I have often been there and it is a very nice place.

I got informed that there is an exhibition at the included museum about toys like knights, Romans and some other topics. This exhibition also shows sets of Playmobil and Lego, but the main reason to visit this exhibtion had been the showcases of Hausser Elastolin.

The figures of the German manufacturer O+M Hausser had been an important part of my childhood and I always loved them. I don´t have too many of these figures, but looking at them always makes me reminiscing of my father and me visiting my grandpartents in Offenbach, near Frankfurt. We always went to a local toystore there I flattened my nose looking through the glass panes of the showcases. The figures stood there like on parade and looked fascinating. No wonder that my father bought me two or three of those figures every time we have been to this store.

For me the figures of Elastolin had been gems of my toys. I never played with them like I did with TimpoToys, Airfix or Matchbox. These figures had been too fragile to lead them into heavy fightings and so they always got a special place on my shelves. The figures of Hausser Elastolin are for sure the main reason for me collecting toysoldiers.

Some of the following pictures are showing some descriptions of the exponates. They are in German language, but the given information is worth knowing.

So, here are some pictures of the small exhibition. The display I liked the most is shown on the last few pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

Cheers

Mike

This is a showcase built by O+M Hausser for toystores as a loan.

O+M Hausser produced figures of 7cm and 4cm scale. The figures shown
in this picture are 4cm.

An impressive castle by O+M Hausser. These castles are also objects for
collectors.

A short history of OäM Hausser.

There had been a lot of different types of castles.

These posters remind me of looking some of the named movies. :)

The characters of these movies had been a great inspiration for the master
modeler of Hausser, named Max Weißbrodt.

This viking ship was built by Max Weißbrodt from 1963 to 1965. It included a motor for moving the
rowing pads. It never went into production.

Two moulds of Hausser figures.

The comics of Hal Foster also had been a great template for sculpting the figures.

And here it is - my personal highlight of the exhibition. A showcase of maybe one meter with 4cm
figures.

Some closeups.

Finally some advertisements of the company. Oldschool - but still very cool.

Toysoldiers - A comparison of ConteCollectibles to JohnJenkinsDesigns

Manufacturers:   ConteCollectibles, JohnJenkinsDesigns 

Scale:   60mm (1:30)

Hi,

Still in hospital, but I am hopeful to get released on Wednesday. After more than four weeks in hospital I can’t await to get back home. My cool cellar is awaiting me with lots of minis to be painted and some modeling projects that want to be finished.

In order to forget about the cruel temperatures outside and to distract from being here, I scrolled through my pictures on my phone. I have found some photos comparing two manufacturers and their ranges of FrenchIndianWar. ConteCollectibles and JohnJenkinsDesigns.

First of all I have to point out that my absolute favorite manufacturer of toysoldiers is JohnJenkinsDesigns, maybe because of the lots of ranges that caught my interest. The different ranges concerning the FrenchIndianWar are absolutely stunning and the woodland Indians in my opinion are the best sculpted ones from all manufacturers. Maybe FirstLegion could be of more detail , but I like the style of JohnJenkins most. 

But I also like the ranges of ConteCollectibles. The rangers are also fantastic and look like the ones from the movie „Northwest Passage“ with Spencer Tracy.. The small vignettes showing rangers and woodland Indians in hand to hand fight are also very cool.

So here are some pictures comparing both manufacturers.

Cheers

Mike 

A set of ConteCollectibles. A ranger in melee with a woodland Indian.

Another set of ConteCollectibles.

Two sets of JohnJenkinsDesigns. These are my favorite ones.

Again ConteCollectibles.

A comparison of Roger’s Rangers. From left to right -
1 and 2 are Conte, 3 and 4 elder JJD, 5 and 6 newer JJD.

On the left ConteCollectibles, on the right JohnJenkinsDesigns.

Again Conte on the left, JohnJenkins on the right.

Left ConteCollectibles, right JohnJenkinsDesigns.

Just guess.