Toy Soldier Review ~ Mars German Don Cossack (WWII)

October 31, 2019 / Warhorse Miniatures / 4 Comments

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During World War II, the Don Cossacks mustered the largest single concentration of Cossacks within the German Army, the XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps. A great part of the Cossacks were former Russian citizens who elected to fight not so much for Germany as against the Soviet Union. The XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps included the 1st Cossack Division and the 2nd Cossack Division.

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Mars just released a set of Don Cossack soldiers that served in the German Army during World War II. I recently picked up a set from Kent Sprecher. Here is the link for Kent on eBay, 32023 Mars 1/32 WWII Don Cossacks (German Allies) toy soldiers 15 in 8 poses. You get 15 figures in 8 different poses in 1/32 scale.

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Let’s start the review. I was very happy to get this set. Mars hit a home run in my opinion. I was surprised to find out that the scale of this set about the same scale as the Conte Germans. Now my German forces finally have some Axis Allies in the same scale. They also look nice when compared to Marx Germans too. Even the Plastic Platoon figures are about the same scale. The only flaw that stands out to me is the flash that cuts down most of the figures faces.

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The scale is one of the major drawbacks to most of the other Mars sets. Previous Mars World War II sets really didn’t compare that well with most sets. Unless you were a big collector of MPC figures then you were out of luck. Most collectors will pick a scale that they like to collect. You have 1/35 scale which is what most “Models” are. Then the classic scale of 54mm or the original 1/32 scale which most Marx figures are. Then the “Big” 1/32 scale which came along with Conte & TSSD figures. My favorite is the Conte Scale.

As I was writing my review a few days ago I was sent some pictures of the new Mars WW II German Elite Infantry in Winter Dress. These figures look really nice. I hope that these new figures are also a little bigger than the previous sets. Kent should have them in stock in a few weeks.

The East Coast Toy Soldier Show is this Sunday. I will be there and will have a review of the show most likely on Monday. That is it for now. Thank you for reading.

The Latest News!! 07-27-2019 ~ Mars 1/32 WWII Japanese Paratroopers Update

July 27, 2019July 28, 2019 / Warhorse Miniatures / 2 Comments

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I just got these new pictures that includes all the poses for the 1/32 scaled set of WWII Japanese Paratroopers by Mars. About a month ago I did a post showing the first 4 poses. You can read that post if you missed it here, The Latest News!! 06/30/2019 ~ Mars 1/32 World War II Japanese Paratroopers, MicShaun’s Closet & John Jenkins Anglo-Saxons Shield Wall.

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There are 3 new poses in the picture above. The figure Standing firing the rifle, the figure about to throw a grenade and the Officer kneeling shooting a hand gun.

The newest pose in the above picture is the figure with the anti tank weapon. I was wrong about the figure having an anti tank weapon. He is carrying a flamethrower!!! That’s really cool.

Here are some close up pictures of the other poses. You can see more in the earlier post. I will add more pictures as I get them here and do a review when this set is released sometime in a few months from now.

Kent Sprecher of Toy Soldier HQ just informed me that he will have this set in a few weeks. So take a look at his website soon. He also has the Mars Zombie Pirates & Mars Pirates of the Caribbean in stock now. So check out his site with the link above and see all the vintage items he has in stock. You can also go to his eBay page to purchase toys he has listed here, Kent Sprecher on eBay.

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Just a quick update. I’ll have more in a week or two. Thanks for reading, until next time….

The Latest News!! 06/30/2019 ~ Mars 1/32 World War II Japanese Paratroopers, MicShaun’s Closet & John Jenkins Anglo-Saxons Shield Wall.

June 30, 2019July 2, 2019 / Warhorse Miniatures / 3 Comments

Here is another update about the hobby. We have some news from Mars, MicShaun’s Closet and John Jenkins.

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Sergey shared a sneak peak of the World War II Japanese in 1/32 scale. Here are four of the figures that will be included in this set. The Zombie Pirates, German Panzergrenadiers and Japanese Paratroopers should be released by the end of the summer. An eBay dealer from the Ukraine made a mistake by listing some sets this week that are still unavailable.

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The poses are based on the same poses from the 1/72 set. But they look a little different. I am excited to see this set released now after see this first four figures.

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MicShaun’s should have their big shipment of re-stock figure sets by the end of the week. I will have more information on that when it happens.

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Right now they have this NEWRAY BIG COUNTRY WESTERN TOWN in stock. Check it out at https://micshaunscloset.com/products/new-ray-big-country-western-town

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George of Minutemen Toy Soldiers shared some pictures of John Jenkins latest theme today. These are unpainted prototypes. These range should be released sometime next year. Check out George’s site at http://www.mmtoysoldiers.com/

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“John Jenkins Designs previewed a new range yesterday at the June London Toy Soldier Show; figures from the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings………………they will begin to appear in September, hopefully in time for the Chicago Show……..”

http://www.johnjenkinsdesigns.com/

I can’t wait to see these.

That is it for now. Thank you for reading.

Banzai!!! World War II Japanese Plastic Toy Soldiers Project.

December 25, 2018December 25, 2018 / Warhorse Miniatures / 4 Comments

When I was in my early teens I picked up some Airfix World War II sets. I got a few of the WWII Japanese Infantry and it is still one of my favorite sets that I have. I put two videos above mainly just for the sounds of the Banzai shouts.

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Ever since I picked up those Airfix WWII Japanese I have been looking for more plastic Japanese figures to go with them. The first set few sets that I got were the dark green figures. Later on I started finding the beige colored Airfix figures.

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This is a project that I started many years ago. I am putting together different groups of figures to be used for a Japanese Army. I have found other brands over the years that are nice too. The Japanese figures by TSSD blend very well with the Airfix figures. I like the TSSD WWII Japanese figures too. They capture the “Banzai” attack with their set. There are action poses of running, shooting and charging with bayonets fixed on the rifles. The bayonets look really nice too. Plus the different pieces of head gear. Right now TSSD & Airfix are my favorite combinations to use.

This year BMC released recast figures using original Marx molds. These figures are really nice and seem to have not lost much accept some extra flash. I like the Marx figures too. They are a little taller and thinner than the Airfix Japanese for the most part.

Mars released a set of WWII Japanese figures this year. They match well with the Marx in scale. They are crudely made. I only like 4 of their poses. They are the running and shooting figures. I am going to try to customize a few of the figures to make them look better.

Next year Austin Miniatures is going to release a set of Japanese Infantry. From the prototypes they look really good. The Austin US Marines are really nice too. I will get a few sets when they are released. These figures should mix well with the TSSD & Airfix figures.

I will get some foam bunkers in the future to set up a nice display one day. Right now I have the BMC Iwo Jima playset and an old Playmobil piece to use. The BMC terran piece is really nice and so is the whole set. This is probably the best priced playset being produced today. You get a quality set at a great price.

The BMC Iwo Jima Japanese figures are nice too. They are a little bigger than the TSSD and Marx figures.

Most of the poses that I look for are the ones that will join my “Banzai” attack. This was the Japanese tactic they used to try to overrun their opponents. They would rush against an enemy as a suicide attack. It was used mainly as a last resort.

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Tenno Heika Banzai!!!

Thank you for reading. Take Care for now.

A Tribute To Bill Lango. The East Coast Toy Soldier Show, Sunday November 4th 2018. & Weston D-Day British Infantry Toy Soldier Review.

October 29, 2018October 29, 2018 / Warhorse Miniatures / 2 Comments

It is less than a week for one of the largest Toy Soldier shows. On Sunday November 4th in Hackensack, NJ starting 9am over hundred dealers will be met by hundreds of collectors looking for treasures. Here are few pictures below from last year. If you want you can read my review of last years show here East Coast Toy Soldier Show 2017 Review.

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This show has alot of plastic figures, metal painted figures and all kinds of other toys too. There is something for everyone. Last year I was there for about 4 hours.

This will be the 36th year for the show and maybe the last one. As many of you know Bill Lango passed away this year. There has been talk that the Lango family will not continue running the show after this year. So attend if you have not been to the show in a while or never went to it.

You can read more about the show at their website East Coast Toy Soldier Show.

I remember Bill used to publish the Toy Soldier Review. Here is a Toy Soldier Review of my own. I picked up a set of the Weston D-Day British Troops earlier this year. This set came out about 5 years ago. I have been looking for some British Infantry that would fit with my Conte figures. These guys fit the bill. They blend with the Conte British Paratroopers very well. The set has 12 figures in 6 different poses.

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It looks like there are 6 poses of Infantry men with no officer. I like that there are different styles of the helmets. Some are plain, others with a cover on it and then some with camouflage. I will try to customize a few by just swapping helmets.

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These figures have a resin type feel to them, like the LOD Revolutionary figures. I am going to paint half them and hope they will look like something in the picture below.

My last picture shows a comparison of the Weston and Conte figures.

If your not tied up this weekend, head over to the show. That is it for now. Thank You for reading.