Interview with Ivan Kostenko from ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕК or “Little Man”, Plus Review of the Ancient Aryans & The 2019 East Coast Toy Soldier Show.
Warhorse Miniatures
Earlier this year I read on Stad’s Stuff about the Russian company called ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕК or “Little Man”. They released a limited edition set of Tlingit Natives. In September they released two more sets of figures. This time the subject of the miniatures was Ancient Aryans. The figures are historical based. They are 1/32 in scale and cast in a hard type of rubbery resin.
I had ordered the two sets of the Ancient Aryans. I have been communicating with the owner of “Little Man” recently about his products and then setup an interview with him.
Warhorse Miniatures:Hi Ivan. Thank you for taking your time to answer some questions. Here is my first question. Can you tell the readers something about yourself and your Company Little Man?
Ivan:My name is Ivan. I am 30 years old. Since childhood I really love soldiers and enjoy history and ethnography. I really like to study the life of various tribes of the planet. A year ago, I took the first step towards creating a workshop “Little Man”. The goal of my project is through the contemplation of “Little Men”, through the game, to convey as much as possible the originality and colorfulness of historical cultures and ethnic groups born in the process of forming a single human race. In my project, I acted as the creator of the idea, historian and sculptor. It is very important for me to create exotic tribes that are little known to the world, in order to encourage people to study the history of the planet and take a wider look at humanity. I also focus on creating figures of ordinary residents, artisans.
Warhorse Miniatures: The first set that Man released was Tlingit Natives. Why did you start here?
Ivan: The Tlingits were my first set because their culture shocked me when I visited the Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg. It houses the richest collection of their artifacts. These are the most dissimilar Indians to those that we are used to seeing in pop culture. In addition, the history of the Tlingit people is closely related to the history of the colonization of the Russian Empire by Alaska.
Warhorse Miniatures: I recently received the Ancient Aryans sets that I purchased. I am really impressed with the amount of details, subject matter and the choice of poses. Can you tell us about these sets?
Ivan: The second set I dedicated to the tribes of central Eurasia – the ancient Aryans. In Russia there is an unusual archaeological monument called Arkaim. It is also called “Russian Stonehenge”. This is a fortified settlement which was built by the Aryans 4 thousand years ago. I was very inspired by this layer of history and for six months I studied all the possible information in order to maximally convey the real face of this people. I was a pioneer in the reconstruction of men’s suits and I had to consult and approve sketches from leading archaeologists in this area. In my sets I depicted the first chariot in the history of mankind, the first wild horses (tarpans) used for riding, the ancient breed of shepherd dogs (tobet), the early cults of fire worshipers. The ancient Aryans made a great contribution to the history of ancient Persia, India and the Scythian world.
Warhorse Miniatures: What are you plans for the future?
Ivan: In the future, I will pay attention to each continent in turn and not focus on one topic. The tribes will be different, ranging from the Stone Age to the century of great geographical discoveries. The next set will be dedicated to the people of Asia, but more specific information will remain secret until the release of the set.
Warhorse Miniatures: I have some collectors message me about how they can purchase your sets. What is the best way?
Warhorse Miniatures: The sculpting is really nice. Besides the sculpting do you also do the casting?
Ivan: Thanks for the rating. With the second set of Aryans, I personally began to master the art of casting.
Warhorse Miniatures: I think you told me that you will have more of the Ancient Aryans sets available soon. Is that correct and when?
Ivan: I pour on pre-order. From the moment of ordering, the kit is sent in about two weeks to its customer. First I accept the pre-order, after about two weeks I inform you about the readiness of the set and we agree on the purchase.
Warhorse Miniatures: Also are there plans to recast the Tlingit Natives again?
Ivan: The Tlingit – War set will be reissued, but so far I can’t say when. A set of Tlingit-Potlach will also be created, in which all the figures will be dedicated to the peaceful life of the tribe (fishermen, woodcarvers, dancers, etc.).
Warhorse Miniatures: Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?
Ivan: I recommend that all readers study the history of our humanity, because by studying history we become more tolerant of each other. After all, we all have one roots and one future in the universe.
That concludes the interview. Now we will start my review of the Ancient Aryans by ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕК or “Little Man”. There are two boxed sets that complete this collection. Ivan was kind enough to give us a description of the figures in these sets.
In the first box is a Chariot. They used a hard type of liquid plastic/resin to make the Chariot and the idols.
Leader. Armed with a bow with bone plates, a bronze arrow, a stone mace as a symbol of power, bone lamellar armor.
Chariot driver. In the hands of a scourge, a wicker shield is covered in finished leather. There is a bronze ax on the belt. Each miniatures has the “Little Man” stamp on the bottom of the base.
Two tarpans with bear skins pull the chariot.
Potter. A woman with a pot raises her hands to the sun. Jewelry: Front bronze pendant, mantlet, bronze spiral bracelets and a ring.
Caster. An ancient metallurgist pouring bronze into a mold.
A small idol made of stone.
Weaver. Woman weaving a cloth on a primitive loom. From the jewelry: nakosnik, spiral bronze bracelets, ring, temporal rings.
A carpenter. There is a leather flask on the belt. In the hands of bronze adzes and logs. Dressed in leather pants stitched veins. There are two bear fangs on the neck.
Priest. In the hands of a bone spatula and a bull horn with the hallucinogen Soma. Woolen cape and belt as a symbol of status. Behind the belt is a bone rod in the form of a horse’s head. There is a felt cap on his head.
Hunter. Felt hat, leather bracelet, bow with bone overlays, quiver with a wolf tail, a bronze dagger.
Warrior. A hide hat, leather armor, a bronze ax with a striker, a wicker shield covered with hide, a reinforced bow, a quiver, a bronze dagger.
A tall wooden idol.
Also a shepherd dog of the Tobet breed.
Shepherd. A young man playing on a shepherd’s horn. In the hand is a bronze spear and a wicker shield. On the shoulders of the skin of a bull. There is a bronze dagger on the belt. There is a leather hat on his head.
I was really surprised with the amount of detail that these miniatures have. Plus the mixture of craftsmen and warriors. The subject is unique. I also like the poses selected too. These are more like a collectible than toy soldiers because of the price and limited amount of sets being cast. The scale of these figures is advertised as 1/32 scale, but they really are 1/30 in scale.
I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Next Sunday is the 37th Annual East Coast Toy Soldier Show. I will attend this show and have a review most likely on Monday. Here is their website, http://eastcoasttoysoldiershow.com/.
The 37th Annual East Coast Toy Soldier Show will be held Sunday, November 3’rd 2019 at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s 40,000 sq. ft. Rothman Center, 100 University Plaza Drive, Hackensack, NJ 07601
That is it for now. Thank you for reading. See you next weekend.
