I hope everyone is doing well these days. It has been a while since my last post. We had been busy searching for a house, we purchased a house and now are in the process of moving. Earlier this month I closed the website store. After I have the new workshop setup to start production again, hopefully in September. We will be at the Gettysburg Toy Soldier show on August 24th, 2025. More information about the show can be found here, The Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show 2025 ~ Sunday, August 24th..
Because we have been busy it has been hard to get new products created. But it has not stopped the designing of new products. I have been working on a lot of new medieval miniatures. Mainly Saxons and Normans. So far, the Huscarls are in production and now we are bringing back the Saxon Spears sets. A few of the old models are mixed with new models. Some of the old models had been changed a little too with new helmets.
I will have some sets of Saxon Spears Set #1 with me at Gettysburg.
Saxon Spears #2 will be released at the end of September.
The Saxon Huscarls set will be added in September. I will also have some of these sets at Gettysburg.
The Viking Raiders set will be back too. There are 7 models that are great for a raiding scene. Most are in motion. We added the “Head Taker” model to the set. I am reworking some of the older models and will have a bunch of new models coming late fall or in the winter.
Over the last few months of the year, you will see more Saxons, Vikings and then Normans. Plus, some WWII American Paratroopers and finally the French & Indian War British & French. I reworked some of the poses and have new ones too.
We hope to see you at the Gettysburg Toy Soldier show on Sunday August 24th. It will be the last show of the year for us. Next year will be attending the Chicago Toy Soldier Show.
Hi everyone, a couple of weeks ago we were at the New Jersey Toy Soldier Show. There were around 70 tables set up. They had some vintage toys, historical items, models and military books besides the toy soldiers.
We will start with Eddie Gries tables. He usually has a bunch of vintage toy soldiers. Both plastic and metal.
Here are some of the books available at the show. Mainly Osprey books.
Matt Murphy of Hobby Bunker was there. He and Joe had a whole row of tables set up with just about everything the toy soldier hobby is made of. I picked up a few Toy Soldier Collector magazines from him.
Here are some random pictures of different tables.
Here are some of the military items available to purchase.
Here are some of the models available at the show. There were more tables set up like this at the show.
Some more random pictures of different tables.
Here are some pictures I took of the show about an hour after the doors opened. The show was busy the first hour & a half, then it died.
Here are some of the vintage plastic toy soldiers available at the show.
Here are more random pictures from different tables.
There were also a bunch of die cast tanks and vehicles at the show too.
Plus, some foam terrain foam pieces too.
Here are some pictures of the vintage or collectible toys for sale.
Here are some pictures of some nice old toy soldiers.
Here are my tables set up for the show. We have started putting most of the sets in boxes. I will still have some items in the plastic bags with the header card. We had a nice time talking to collectors and looking around. I saw a few rare items and there were some good deals. We will be back next year.
Here are some of the toy soldiers I picked up. I picked up the W. Britian German Paratrooper for $30.The Airfix Indians was $8, and the lot of vintage plastic figures was $4.
The next Show Eddie has is on December 7th, in Annandale, Virginia. There will be numerous shows next year in New Jersey & Virginia.
That is, it for the show. I will be addingsome items to the website in a day or two. I will have some news in a future post. Thank you for reading.
In remembrance of Memorial Day, we Americans honor all of those who have died in service to the United States during war and peace.
In the beginning of the month, we attended the 81st Annual MFCA Show & Mart. It was over two days. This show is not like the toy soldier shows we attend. The competition is the highlight of this event. The mart is just part of it. The cost of the show was $20 for both days. It is more expensive than toy soldier shows. It includes the competition too. You will find a lot of unpainted metal & resin figures. Some painted metal toy soldiers and a few plastic toys soldiers. But you can find some nice items. That being said let us begin the review.
Aaron Elson was at the show again selling military related books about WWII veterans, including his Father. The stories they had to tell about their experiences from the war.
Digital Realms Models and Toys was selling vintage toys, model kits and books.
Eugene Hanin of DVH Design or Tin Toy Soldiers, was at the show this year. He had a bunch of metal casted miniatures from Russia. The details were really sharp and at a good price.
Foggy Bottom Miniatures had casted metal miniatures from brands like Sanderson, Monarch, Rose and other brands. He is getting more Sanderson molds and from other brands. The castings are really nice.
Next, we have Hobby Bunker. Matt had his mobile store with him again. There were vintage plastic toy soldier sets, new plastic & painted metal toy soldier and everything else the hobby offers.
Military Matters was there with a bunch of military reference books.
George from Minutemen Toy Soldiers had painted medal toy soldiers from all the major brands.
Northern Warden Gaming had a bunch of plastic bits so you could build custom miniatures.
Dr. Christian Keller of Old Toy Soldiers had a bunch of antique toys and toy soldiers.
Here are some pictures of random vendors.
The Patriot of Lake George store had some nice military weapons and items. Plus, some nice toy soldiers too. You can see more at their website over here, http://www.patriotoflakegeorge.com/.
W. Britain was present too. They had some of the latest products and previews of what was to come. I took the opportunity to rejoin the Collector’s club. They are my favorite brand of painted metal toy soldiers.
We did well at this show. Warhorse Miniatures is a medium between a toy soldier and a military miniature. We try to be historically accurate but have some characteristics of a toy soldier like the bigger heads and hands. We had our latest products from the Plains Indian theme and French & Indian War theme.
I was only able to take a few pictures of the competition.
Our friend Steve Pyle won a few more awards again this year. Congratulations Steve!!
The Artist Keith Rocco was here also. He had some of his work available.
We added some new products to the web store this week and have acquired some of the Butternut & Blue Civil War products recently too. You can check out all the products available right now over here, Warhorse Miniatures Store page.
We wrap up another post. Over the next few months, we will be releasing new products and some of the older sets will get updated or re-run into production again. We are starting to use a new resin mixture that is stronger, more flexible and looks better too. The best part is the price has stayed the samefor our products.
See you in August at Gettysburg. Thank you for reading.
In a few weeks we will be attending the Midwest Toy Soldier Show in Lafayette, Indiana. As usual, we will be bringing the latest Warhorse Miniatures products, Barzso Resin Toy Soldiers and some vintage toys. The Room Trading starts on Friday, March 15th and then continue on Saturday, March 16th. The show itself will be on Sunday, March 17th from 10am to 3pm. For more information about the show click on the link here, http://www.mwtoysoldier.com/.
The past few months we have been busy testing things and filling orders. Plus making things for the next show. The main theme of this year will be the Wild West.
I am having different Plains Indian tribes created. The first tribe will be the Sioux Indian tribe. The Plains Indians will be scaled to match the TSSD Plains Indians with is around 57mm. Also, later on they will be made to match the Barzso & Airfix Indians with are around 54mm. The 57mm set with be $48. The cost for the set in 54mm will be $40.
I am creating a Plains Indian village with different teepees and villager sets throughout the year. The cost of the “Buffalo Skinners” will be $25. It will consist of 2 Native Women and 2 different Buffalo skin props. I am still working on things, so some things might change. Like in the “Open Teepee”, I am thinking of adding a few miniatures to go with it.
Here are some more different variants of the teepee. Some are made out of canvas and others with Buffalo skins. The sizes vary from 155mm to 165mm. The price for the teepees will be $45 a piece.
We are also continuing to work on the French & Indian War theme. There will be a new Huron Indian set, Marching British Grenadier & Foot sets, Canadian Militia set, Prone Canadian figure, wounded Natives and more. There will be more British & Natives in a couple of months.
Lastly, here is an update on the long-term project of the WWII US Paratrooper. We have spent a lot of time on this project. Things are coming along nicely. I hope to have a set or two ready by the fall of 2024.
Time is flying by this year. When we get back from the Midwest Show we will be attending the Gettysburg show about a month later.
We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The last few months have been really busy.We had to find a new place to live, then pack, move and settle in.I am now ready to start production again with the Warhorse miniatures. I have some new sets in development. We will get to that later in this post.
But first we will look at some new plastic sets coming out next year. Austin Miniatures is going to release a new set of World War II American Marines for Pacific theater. The are 1/32 in scale.
Here are two new sets from the Russian company called Beleriand. The first set is of Crusaders and the second set is of Hussites. They made out of a rubbish type of resin and are in 1/32 scale.
Here are some French, British and Native Indians for the Battle of Snowshoes by Plastic Platoon. They are made out of the rubbish resin and the big 1/32 scale.
And lastly here is “Ivar the Boneless”, the son of Ragnar Lodbrok the famous Viking. Created by Tihon, made in Russia. I like the historical depiction of these miniatures.
I like to get pictures of how the collectors paint the miniatures that I have created. Here are some from a collector named Bruno from Switzerland.
Here are some pictures of the Warhorse French Marines and Canadian militia painted by Scott Campbell.
Here are some new prototypes of some Woodland Indian natives that I have been working on.I made these about two weeks ago in the new workshop. Things will be a little slower with the production because I am limited on the space to do the post prep work. Besides that, I am going to do less testing with different resins and just work with what I have. That will be mainly the grey, brown, green and blue resin mixtures that I have been using. It will be like this for another 2 years until I retire, and we move again.
Besides these figures, I am working on more French & Indian related projects. Plus,a bunch of other stuff that we will see next year.
We will be in Lafayette, Indiana on March 17th for the Midwest Toy Soldier Show, plus on March 15th & 16th for the Room trading too. I will start updating the website again with new products and some of the older sets.That is it for now. Thanks for reading.
I hope everyone enjoyed the summer. We ended it by being in Gettysburg last weekend.
One of Steve Pyle’s displays for the Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show.
We attended the second show in Gettysburg last Sunday. The crowd was lighter than the first one this year. But it was nice to see everyone. There were more collector’s selling things from their collections. Good deals were to be found. I was not really looking to make any major purchases, but I did…
Besides Steve Pyle’s creations, there were other collectors with their own painted figures.
There were different types of old painted metal toy soldiers. I have a few of the old painted metal Indians in my collection.But I really do not know too much the old metal miniatures.
There were some modern painted toy soldiers for sale also. One collector had a bunch of the John Jenkins figures for sale. With and without boxes.
There was a lot of boxes of loose toy soldiers available to pick through. Mainly plastic toy soldiers, but there were metal ones too.
One of the great things about the shows is seeing things that you rarely see or items on your wish list. You can also find them at good or fair price.
Joseph Saine had a bunch of the Barzso Playsets with him. I purchased one from him towards the end of the show. Besides that he had a lot of antique toys. You can check out his website over here, https://www.josephsaine.com/.
Here are a couple of pictures before the show started.
Collector Steve Pyle likes to paint and modify toy soldiers for the displays he creates. He makes a lot of the terrain pieces too.Steve was telling me that he is related to artist & author Howard Pyle.
There were bags of vintage Marx & original Barzso figures at good prices. Plus, some loose figures to pick through.
Here are some more of the old painted metal soldiers.
And more pictures of vintage plastic.
We end with my table, here are some pictures of my Warhorse Miniatures and some of the Russian made toy soldiers. We will now talk about some of the things I got at the show.
Here are some plastic Airfix WWII American and British toy soldiers that I picked up. I have a bunch of these that I have picked up over the years. There was one French Marx soldier painted in grey.They are 1/32 in scale. I purchased this lot for $10. The plastic WWII Airfix figures are some of my favorite toy soldiers in my collection.
I got some more Barzso Redcoats. Here is one compared to one of my Colonial Longhunters.
I picked up these two Marx Teepee. Here is one of the new Native figures I am working on.
I scratched another item off my wish list to join my collection. I purchased this Ron Barzso Daniel Boone Playset for $450. I will take some pictures of everything one day.
Next weekend We will be setting up as a vendor at the 1st New Bucyrus Toy Soldier Show. It takes place on Sunday September 10th, 2023.Show is 10am to 3pm. Crawford County Fairgrounds, 610 Whetstone St, Bucyrus, Ohio 44820. Inside the Fairgrounds Youth Building. Early Admission at 9AM $5, KIDS FREE w/ adult. There will be dealers from over 5 different states with a variety of toy soldiers, vintage toys and collectibles.
September 24th is the biggest toy soldier show in the world! Over 100 dealers from the USA, Canada, Belgium, France and the UK.
The show is at the Schaumburg Marriott, 50 N Martingale Rd Schaumburg, IL 60173. September 24, 2023 10AM-3PM. Admission $10.00, Kids 12 and under Free. Plus 3 days of room trading leading up to the show. Just walk right in the hotel and browse through peoples sleeping rooms and buy, trade and socialize. Free. Contact: Matt Murphy – Hobby Bunker, Inc. www.chicagotoysoldiershow.com matt@hobbybunker.com Ph. 781 321-8855.
Here is the latest update from BMC. They have a lot of exciting news. A lot of Marx & CTS recasts are coming later this year. You can read more about this over here, BMC Toys Production Roundup September 2023.
I will have some updates and review of the Bucyrus Toy Show in my next post. That is it for now, thank you for reading.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the summer so far. I have been busy working, creating sets for orders and testing things out. I had some problems with a couple of my machines which has caused some delays with things. But I hope to straighten those things out shortly.I have been testing new designs and resin mixtures. I will touch on that later in the post.
Later this month we will be returning to Gettysburg for the 2nd Toy Soldier Show this year hosted by the Midwest Toy Soldier Group. I will be selling my resin Warhorse Miniatures, LOD/Barzso Toy Soldiers and have some storage containers of loose plastic toy soldiers. I am starting to clear out my collections of stuff that I have gathered over the years. For more information about the show, click here https://warhorseminiatures.com/gettysburg-toy-soldier-show/.
A few weeks later we will be setting up as a vendor at the 1st New Bucyrus Toy Soldier Show. It takes place on September 10th, 2023.
Show is 10am to 3pm. Crawford County Fairgrounds, 610 Whetstone St, Bucyrus, Ohio 44820. Inside the Fairgrounds Youth Building. Early Admission at 9AM $5, KIDS FREE w/ adult. There will be dealers from over 5 different states with a variety of toy soldiers, vintage toys and collectibles.
If you are interested in setting up for this show, some tables might still be available. RESERVE TABLES: $40. Call LARRY LOVELY (419) 468-7719for more information.
I have been testing out different resins on some new designs of the British Redcoats that I have been working on. I have been getting different shades of red. It still is a work in progress.
Besides the Red color, I have been testing a Biege color too. This is also a work in progress. These resin mixtures can change quickly because the colors are sometimes different with each batch that I get. Also, there are times where some of the resins that I use are unavailable. The most important part of the resin mixture is the durability for me. I try my best to get close to colors that some collectors want. But at the end of the day, I will use a quality resin over a lesser quality resin because of the color.
I am working on some Firing Line Sets and Marching Sets for both the Regiments of Foot & Grenadiers. The designs for the Officers can be a little different. I am still testing out a few different versions.
Last but not least, the designing of other figures & props continues at different stages. Things have slowed down the past couple of months because of resin shortages and maintenace of the machines. I was testing the British the past month and the Canadians. But not the other things pictured above. So, if you are interested in what I am working on, then stop by one of the shows. I usually have prototypes for sale there.I should have some sets of the British Firing Line figures, Canadians and Wigwams with me at the Gettysburg Show and New Bucyrus Show too. The Officer figure will be sold separately for now.
Last weekend we were in Virginia for the “Heart of the South” Toy Soldier & Military Miniature show. We drove down to Virginia on Friday and checked out a few antique stores. On Saturday we setup as a vendor for the toy show and then went back to Pennsylvania on Sunday. It was an extended weekend getaway. We stopped at a few different antique stores on the way back too.
The show started at 9am. A collector named Todd stopped by to chat and purchase some products. I had just finished making another Blacksmith shop a couple days before the show and it lasted about 10 minutes. I will bring a few to the next show.There was a good crowd at the show up until a little past noon. Then it got really quiet. But it was worth it for me to attend. It was nice to talk to collectors like Todd & Carl. Also, to have new collectors discover our resin miniatures.
I like the room that the show was in. It was clean, air conditioned and well lit. There were about 75 tables, so it was a medium sized show. There was a nice selection of painted metal miniatures and some plastic toy soldiers. Gerry Watts was behind us. He had some storage containers filled with loose plastic toy soldiers.
I took some pictures of various vendors around the room. We will begin with AeroArt International. They had an impressive collection of finely painted historical miniatures. You can check out their website over here, https://www.aeroartinc.com/.
There was a vendor that had a bunch of plastic model sets and some plastic toy soldiers. He had a Conte Zulu collection for $225. Not my period to collect, but I did think about purchasing it…
Another vendor had a huge selection of 21st century tanks, figure sets & planes. He said he was going to try to make it to the next Gettysburg Show that takes place on August 27th.
Mike Jones was set up with a bunch of painted metal toy soldiers.
Here was a vendor with old metal painted toy soldiers. I have seen him before at different shows. I will try to get his name next time.
Another vendor had a bunch of vintage toy soldiers and toys. I purchased a metal cannon from him. I was tempted to get the Pork Chop Hill. That was one of the sets I had as a kid. I think it had Airfix WWII British clones, if I remember.He also mentioned about trying to setup at Gettysburg.
“Fast” Eddie Gries had a lot of old toy soldiers sold separately for different prices. He also had a lot of books and different toy soldier collections available.
One of the toy soldier collections of Eddie had all these painted metal figures representing the French Foreign Legion and Arabs from the Beau Geste movie.
Matt Murphy from Hobby Bunker was present too. He had a bunch of tables with just about everything the hobby represents, plastic toys soldiers, magazines, paints, old metal painted toy soldiers, 3d printed walls & house and new painted metal toy soldiers.
Eric Kohl was present too. He usually has some new & old painted metal toy soldiers. He also brings military related books and artwork.
Here are some random pictures of mainly old painted toy soldiers.
More random pictures from the show.
Here are some random pictures of Plastic toy soldiers and playsets. The first picture has some of what Gerry Watts was selling.
Here are some pictures of the show itself.
Some more random pictures from the show.
Lastly, we take a look at my tables for the show. I brought mainly the Warhorse resin miniatures & the LOD/Barzso toy soldiers. Also, some foam houses and Russian made toy soldiers.
I enjoyed the show and will return most likely in December and next in June. They usually have this show 4 times a year. There was a little of everything to see.
We stopped at a few different antique stores in Virginia and Maryland. Here are a few things I saw. I rarely see any Conte or Barzso toy soldiers in the wild. The figure sets were overpriced.
Here are a few things that I picked up at the show and a few different antique places in Virginia. The Barzso Buffalo set is hard to find. I paid about $32 for that. The Auburn Motorcycle I paid $18, metal cannon was $5, Gnome was $12, and magazines were $3 a piece. At a flea market I found D&D miniatures, Warhammer miniature, plastic toys solders and Star Wars toy in a bag for a $1.
I am happy to announce that in the May/June 2023 issue of Toy Soldier Collector magazinethey did a 3-page article about Warhorse Miniatures.
The next show I attend should be the 2nd Gettysburg show this year, which is Sunday August 27th.
Right now, I am working a few things that are in different stages. From just the planning stage to almost complete. Plus working on new resin mixtures.People like to ask about the 3d printing. It is not easy. When everything works it is great, but when everything doesn’t work it is not. A lot of maintenance and the proper work environment is needed.Then sometimes the resin changes or you cannot get a certain type that you are using.It is always a challenge. I hope to be able to finish some of the things that I have be working this year by the end of the summer.
Two more weeks to go until the Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show. I will setup as a vendor again. Besides all of my Warhorse resin miniatures, I will also be selling the LOD/Barzso resin toy soldiers.The town of Gettysburg makes a nice weekend getaway. There is so much history to explore. Plus, all the shops to check out too.
Every year the toy shows are a little different. There might be a new release that everyone wants or a rare collectible that a collector is letting go. This year looks promising for a few rare pieces that you could pick up. Thomas, a fellow collector is selling some of his collection. “Expertly painted plastic Indians and cavalry, Saxons, Normans, and Vikings. Scenery pieces, the Conte Cog ship, and more…“. I wonder what the other vendors are bringing.
Here are a few of the latest releases by Publius. The Western figures look like new sculpts, but the some of the medieval figures have been available in metal already. The look really nice. I guess you can find them on eBay.
Next are some new miniatures by Runecraft. They usually have some nicely detailed and unique figures. And like their brother company Publius, you can probably find these on eBay.
Beleriand Toy Soldiers, another company out of Russia has a new set. These Apache Indians look fantastic.
And our last preview from Russia is this set of Vandals by Soldiers of Hanomaka. And like the others you will have to search on eBay, unless you know someone who sells them. Most of these toy soldiers are made out of a flexible rubber type plastic. The scales are usually around 58mm. The big 1/32 or small 1/30, somewhere in between.
In my last post I was talking about the new British Infantry that I am working on. I made two prototypes and then did some tweaking to them.The musket was adjusted and a few other things. I am working on a few reposes of the model and some new models. Next will be a firing line set. One of the new models will be an Officer. He will probably be sold separately or maybe in a small group. I was thinking of making a drummer and maybe another musician. We shall see. The first British sets will be the Marching sets, that will be in May. I might have a few sets at the Gettysburg show. And maybe another Marching set too and some prototypes.
That is, it for now. Thank you for reading and I will see you in Gettysburg.
Hi everyone. It is already February and soon it will be spring. Which means Toy Soldier Shows. In my last post we learned that the Chicago Toy Solider show is cancelled this year, and maybe forever. So, if you like the show, then try to make it to ones that are still around. In about two weeks from now is the West Coast Toy Soldier show. If you are near California, then this is the show for you.There will be room trading on February 24th & 25th. The show is one the 26th.
The past few months I have been working on some new sets. All of them are based on the French & Indian War. They should be in production in a week or so.The miniatures are 1/32 in scale or around 54mm. The were made to be the around the same size as the Barzso playset toy soldiers. All these sets were made to be used in the Battle of Monongahela.
The first new set is called “French Canadian & Woodland Indian Raiding Party”. French-Canadian raiding parties made up of Indians and Militia, stormed across the mountains and attacked farms and small towns in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, causing thousands of deaths.The set includes 9 miniatures, 1 French Marine officer, 4 Canadian militia and 4 Woodland Indians. This set will cost $54.00.
The next set is titled “Ottawa Indian War Party”. The Ottawa were part of a long-term alliance, called the Council of Three Fires, with the Ojibwe and Potawatomi, who had shared or similar language, manners, and customs. These three tribes fought the Iroquois Confederacy and the Dakota people. They were also enemies with the Wyandot because of their ties to the Iroquois.They were allied with the French against the British.The set includes 8 Ottawa Indian warriors in 8 different poses.The scale is also 1/32 or around 54mm. The price for this set is $48.00.
The last set is titled “On the Warpath”. The ‘war path’ was the literal ‘path to war‘ taken by native Americans when travelling to an enemy’s territory to engage in battle.This set includes 8 different Woodland Indians. 1/32 in scale or around 54mm. The price for this set is $48.00.
Over the next few months, I will try to release one or two new sets that will also be related to the French & Indian War.That is it for now. Thanks for reading.
