Greater York Toy Show Review 2018

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Today I went to the Greater York Toy Show for the first time. Located in York, Pennsylvania. I heard about the show before but have never been able to attend because it takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am usually busy or too tired to make the trip there. I heard that there were a lot of vintage toys and there were deals to be found. The show boasted of over 850 tables. I some found deals and it appeared to be 850 tables, but I didn’t count.

I got up at 6:30am and left my house about 7:00am. It took me around 2 hours to get there. As I was parking my car, the doors had just opened. I could have spent $20.00 to get the early bird access, but chose not to. I spent $5.00 for the regular time admission. They also had early bird admission the day before the show as the dealers were setting up. 

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When I got out of my car I saw the line. There were at least 300 people in line and it had started moving already. There must have been easily over 600 people within the first hour. Maybe more. At times it felt like stampeding cattle, lol. The aisles were small and sometimes they got smaller. It was times like this I wish I had spent the extra money and came early or the day before. For most of the show I was on the move. I only stopped if I saw anything of interest to me. I wanted to be in front of the herd of people. 

The show was in two different sections. In the second section the aisles were larger. It was really hot also. Even though it was uncomfortable at times the show was worth the trip. I did find some good deals and fair prices on other things.

Marx Cape Canaveral1Marx Cape Canaveral2

I found this playset within the first 15 minutes. At first the set was being pieced out. The dealer was selling mainly new toys. I noticed the Marx figures at first for $10.00. The the man told me that the other items belonged together. A bag of rockets and space items. Then the metal Cape Canaveral building. All for $25.00. I got him down to $20.00. Then he said he had the box which he had under the table. He threw that in 🙂

Marx Japanese

 

Next I came across a table that had boxes of toy soldiers. I spent about a half hour picking through boxes. I liked the way these vintage Marx Japanese figures looked. I got these for $20.00.

Armymen

 

Most of these are Auburn Armymen. The first figure marching in the second picture is by Bergen. They appear to be 60mm.

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Here are two Marx western figures. I think the first one is a farmer. They also appear to be 60mm.

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These two Indians are 45mm. I think they are by Marx.

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These Cattle are 54mm and I think they were made by Marx.

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Two more animals that also are 54mm and made by Marx.

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Here is one of those Hong Kong Elastolin clones made in plastic. The Viking figure appears to be about 60mm.

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I got this Marx Robin Hood figure for free because he is missing a hand.

Sailors

Here are two sailors that appear to be 60mm. I don’t know who made these. I got all the figures above for under a $1.00 each from the same seller of the Marx Japanese.

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I also got these Marx figures of General Grant and Jefferson Davis for under a dollar each.

Britains Americans

Playmobil

I got the Britain World War II American Infantry and Playmobil figures from the same seller. The Britain set was $9.00. The Playmobil sets were $2.00 each. 

While fast walking through the show I bumped into Paul Stadinger of Stad’s Stuff. We would continue to bump into each other through out the show. He helped me find a few of the figures that I got. 

Herald Indians

I got this Herald Set for $30.00. These are the best kept Herald figures that I have found so far.

 

I picked up this Britains Cannon for $10.00. I had the figures already.

 

Here are some western or Civil War related figures in different scales that I also picked up for less than a dollar each. I usually bundle things together and then haggle on the price. 

FP Fireman

I got this Fisher Price Fireman for 75 cents. I had this when I was a kid.

Britain MotorcycleBritain Motorcycle1

This Britain World War II German Motorcycle is one of the toys that I wanted when I was a kid. It was something that was out of my reach when I was young. When I saw it today for $20.00 I had to get it. The missing rifle I will get from seller in the future.

Bulldog

One of the favorite things that I got today was this Bulldog. For less than a dollar this dog is great. It looks like it is 1/32 in scale. I think it was made by Marx.

All in all the show was good. I liked the fact of finding some good deals because you had some sellers that were not toy soldier sellers. There was a greater chance of finding some steals. But for me it was too crowded. I might have to either go the early bird way next time or get there a few hours before the show ends. That is it for now. Thank You for reading. 

 

 

Latest News!!! November 23rd 2018. Black Friday Deals!! Plus some Hobby News……

Black Friday

I hope everyone didn’t eat to much turkey this year. Now that your stomach has settled it is time to find some deals on toys!!! I have a few places to go that I noticed had sales for Black Friday or the holiday season. I hope you guys make out like a Bandit. So lets us begin in alphabetical order.

 

 

AIP logo

AIP Sale

We begin at Armies in Plastic

 

 

ATS

ATS Sale

Next is ATS Toy Soldiers.

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CTS Sale

Next we visit Classic Toy Soldiers.

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LOD Sale

Check out the sale at LOD Enterprises Toy Soldiers.

MTS 

MTS Sale1

MTS Sale2

Next we head over to Michigan Toy Soldier Co.

Latest News

That is it with the sales. We will head over now for some hobby news. 

W Britain

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Besides collecting plastic figures I also collect some of the metal painted miniatures too. The past few years I have been buying mainly W. Britain “Wrath of the Northmen”. I also belong to the W. Britain Collector’s club.

W Britain CC

I like the club. You get to pick one exclusive figure every year and are able to purchase other limited figures. Also included are a magazine, catalog and updates. Beside that they have some sales once in a while like the pictures below show.

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BMC Toys

BMC NewsBMC JapaneseBMC Marx Battle

Over at BMC Toys Jeff has been real busy this year with adding a lot of vintage recasted figure sets to their line of toys. They are starting to add some Marx World War II sets and accessories. They have Plans of bringing back the Marx WWII Marines in green and tan early next year.

BMC RussiansBMC Peyton4

We should see the Marx WWII Russians figures, Japanese figures, Axis Ambush playset accessories and Peyton Anti-Aircraft vehicles soon. Some of these sets should be here next week.

BMC Iwo JimaBMC Rough Riders

The news does not end there. The BMC Iwo Jima playset and Rough Riders are available in a week or so. Both of these set have been retooled with new colors and a few other things changed.

Mars Japanese

 

 

I read over at Stad’s Stuff earlier this month about Mars Toy Soldiers is going to release a set of World War II Japanese Infantry. They look crude but might look better painted or converted. I will get a set one day to fill up the ranks of my  Japanese forces. 

 

 

This is my Pre-Black Friday deal. I purchased these Lone Star Harvey Series Cowboys & Indian figures for about $7.00. I had some clones of these figures but never the original ones. I like them a lot. 

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If I missed any sales send me a message and I will update the post. Thanks for reading. Now go out shopping, lol.

 

 

 

 

 

Latest News!!! November 21st 2018. Hobby News. Thor Sheil passed away.

Thor

I am sorry to report that Thor Sheil has passed away. Thor ran many toy soldier pages on the internet for about 30 years now. I first met him online in the mid 1990’s. He gave my first website his “Big Green Tank Award” for recommend pages to visit. After getting away from the hobby for many years I found Thor again with his Facebook page “Army Men Homepage”. He enjoyed talking about history, European paganism and hobby related topics. 

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Thor was a Veteran, a writer and a huge collector of toys & trains. He shared his passions with us on the pages that he ran. We shall meet again in Valhalla Thor.

The Trollwise Press

All Gauge Page and Army Men Homepage Hobby Blog

Army Men Homepage

 

 

East Coast Toy Soldier Show 2018 Review

2018 East Coast Toy Soldier Show

Last Sunday I went to the 36th Annual East Coast Toy Soldier Show. Bill Lango had passed away earlier this year. He had been the promoter of the show for 35 years. The show seemed to be busy. A few times I thought I saw Bill, it was weird not seeing him there. There were rumors that this could be the last show, at least at the current location. We shall see what happens next year. 

ECTSS 2018

I got to the show early and was one of the first one in line to get in. This year the sky was clear and that cold. I talked to a few fellow collectors about different hobby related things for about 50 minutes while we wait for the show to start. When they opened the door there were about a 100 people behind me. I stayed for about 5 hours. One of my co-workers attended the show too. After I ran around and took care of my business, I helped him with a few things. Most of the things I found were vintage plastic western toy soldiers. At the end of the review of the show I will show some of the things that I did find.

I would say that this year the show was about 85% toy soldiers related. The other dealers had some vintage toys, history related items, books or movies, Hess trucks and some art work. There was a mixture of plastic toy soldiers and painted metal toy soldiers. When I walked in I first saw Treefrog Treasures Military Miniatures

Treefrog Treasures1

Next I saw Mike Russo. He had some Barzso sets at the current prices that you will see on eBay. I didn’t get any of these even though I was tempted. He also had some other vintage toys and many painted metal sets.

MikeRusso

When I get to these shows I usually walk around quickly and scan the tables. If I see something that interests me or something that I am looking for I will stop. After I do my walk thru I start again and see if I missed something. Here a few random pictures below. There were a bunch of boxes to go through that had either plastic or painted metal figures.

Another dealer that I saw was George’s Toy Chest. He had some vintage painted metal and plastic figures.

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Next I saw Scott Schleh’s table. He had some nice painted figures and custom display pieces. Scott does not have a website but he can be reached by email. Some of his pieces are amazing. This is what is great about going to the shows. There are small dealers or collectors that just sell their products at the shows. You can see some great things first hand. 

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Look at the picture below for his contact information if you are interested in anything he has.

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Next I saw Crown Military Miniatures. They sell mainly painted metal figures. 

Arley L. Pett Antiques was another dealer of old painted metal figures.

Doug Dearth was at the show with his amazing artwork. He also does commissions. You can see more at his website DearthCo

Francis Turner who used to run the Marx Museum was at the show too. He had loose figures, bagged sets of figures and boxed playsets.

There was Hess Truck Collectors table again with plenty of Hess trucks and information.

Some of the vendors were at different locations from past shows. I think there were less vendors too. Here are some more pictures of various tables.

Rick Eber of Marx Playsets was at the show also. As usual he had plenty of Marx Playsets and figures. He even had some Marx figures in original bags. It is amazing how he finds all of these sets and figures in excellent condition.

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Next I met Steven & Shelby from the Armchair Emperor. They offer a painting service for toy soldiers and 28mm Warhammer figures. They also are developing a war game for historical 54mm miniatures. They were real friendly. Check out the website for more information.

John Stengel Jr the Marx-Man was at the show too. He had plenty of plastic toy soldiers. I got a few Barzso figures and some other things. If everything goes right he will have his World War II German Paratroops next spring. He said he should also have the marching American Civil War figures too. John produces figures because of the passion he has for the hobby. He has many other responsibilities and life tends to get in the way with many of his projects. His figures are a limited run  production and you will have to find him at one of the shows he attends if your interested in his work. 

Paul Stadinger of Stad’s Stuff was at the show too. It’s always nice to see him. We talked about the show and other hobby related topics.

Paul Stadinger

Paul and his wife Laurie were at Gerry Watts table. Gerry had a bunch of vintage plastic figures. I spent some time digging through a few different boxes. He had different prices on his boxes. Some where $2 a figure, $5 a figure or $10 a figure. Gerry does not have a website but sells at the shows.

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I saw George Guerriero of Minuteman Toy Soldiers. George always has great displays of the different painted metal figures that he sells. I don’t buy many painted metal figures but when I do it is from George.

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The next table I saw was some of the Russian painted Military Miniatures. These are amazing and the price reflects that. For more information check out Aero Art International.

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Another dealer named Josh had a bunch of vintage plastic figures and toys. He had boxes of figures at different prices also.

Josh

Here are some more pictures of the show.

There were some nice custom made toys made out of metal at table belonging to Remsons. For more information go to Remsonsec.com

Philip of Lord Tankervilles Knights was selling some Medieval themed toys. He had some castles, figures and books for sale.

The last dealer that I went to was Hobby Bunker. They always bring both vintage and current products. Both plastic and painted metal sets.

Hobby Bunker1

I saw a Barzso Conquistador playset that was going for $1,200. That was way too much for me and I think anyone else at the show. I forgot to take a picture of that but I took a few pictures of some other vintage playsets. There was a Barzso Lexington Green playset for $450 which I would have purchased if I didn’t have it already.

Playsets3Playsets1Playsets2

I was not really looking for anything in particular except for some Airfix Paratroops that were recasted from the last batch they made. Here are a few Armymen that I did get. I picked up most of these for a dollar or two. There was a 60mm Auburn Soldier, a Conte painted American Paratrooper, 45mm Marx Marine, 3 60mm Marx Academy Cadets and a 60mm Timmee Soldier. 

Aurburn Army1Aurburn Army2Aurburn Army3Conte AirborneMarx 45mm MarineMarx West Point Cadets 60mmTimmee SoldierTimmee Soldier1Timmee Soldier2

I picked up a big bag of mainly BMC Plains Indians from the Battle of Little Big Horn set for $20. There were some recast Marx Indians too. Even through the figures are not the best sculpted, I like them. Most of the figures are about the same scale as Airfix Plain Indians.

BMC Indians

Here are some of the vintage Marx figures that I found at Gerry Watts table for $2.00 each.

I picked up a few Barzso figures, some accessories and some split rail fences from the Marxman. Some were Pirates. One was of Robert Rogers.

Barzso Camp PiecesBarzso PiratesBarzso Roger RogersBarzso Roger Rogers1Barzso Split Fences

I also picked up a few Britain figures.

Britain Detail Indians

I found some Crescent Cowboys & Indians at Gerry Watts table. They were also $2.00 each. The last Cowboy is made by Jean Hoefler of Germany.

Cresent CowboysCresent Cowboys1Cresent IndiansCresent W German Cowboys

Here are some 45mm Marx Indians that I got for about $10.00. These figures have a certain charm. I have a few of them in my collection. 

Here are some Marx recast Indians that were part of the lot of BMC Indians.

At Francis Turner’s table I found a bag of Reisler Western figures. I paid $20.00 for the bag. It had Cowboys, Indians and Mexicans. I really like these figures. The poses are filled with action. These figures are 1/32 in scale. They are hard to find.

Reisler Cowboys

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Reisler Indians

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Reisler Mexicans

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Here are some other vintage figures that I picked up.

I picked up a box of the Expeditionary Force Celtic Barbarians. They look like they are about 65mm. I will have to put them together and then compare them to some other figures that I have. The details on the figures look great. I wanted to see if I could convert them to look like Vikings or Saxons. They appear to be bigger than Conte Viking figures. I will have a future post on these guys soon.

X Force CeltsX Force Celts1

Here is a figure that Paul Stadinger had commissioned for himself. He gave it to me at the show. It looks like a pioneer or western woman shooting a pistol. It is pretty cool and will fit nicely in my western collection. She looks to be about 54mm. Thanks again, Paul.

Stads Frontier Woman

I hope they continue to have this show. There is something for everyone. I didn’t find what I was looking for. But I found things that I didn’t think would be there. That is it for now. Thanks for reading.