American Toy Soldiers Made in Germany

[Proud Kraut]

The writing on the front of the Panther is "Dies ist ein ein dienstlicher Gegenstand. Missbrauch ist strafbar." (This is an official item. Misuse is indictable).

 

Awesome topic, thanks for posting these outstanding toys. I haven´t seen many of these "foreign" ones before.

[manayunkman]

3 minutes ago, Proud Kraut said:

The writing on the front of the Panther is "Dies ist ein ein dienstlicher Gegenstand. Missbrauch ist strafbar." (This is an official item. Misuse is indictable).

 

Awesome topic, thanks for posting these outstanding toys. I haven´t seen many of these "foreign" ones before.

Thank you for saving me from translating that marking.

 

It was really bothering me but I hadn’t the time to get to it so I really appreciate your help.

 

Here is a very rare German toy that made its debut in 1938, the electric Panzer 1, made by Bohmer Hoffman who used Tippco Pz 1 body parts with some slight modifications, married together with their own electronic parts.

 

It came with a transformer, control and a long length of wire.

 

You can see the whole works in the period ads.

[Dirk]

Pete wanted to throw my only composition figure into the thread as an example….it’s obviously a Lineol 

[manayunkman]

26 minutes ago, Dirk said:

Pete wanted to throw my only composition figure into the thread as an example….it’s obviously a Lineol 

Looks like a large 10cm.

 

Very nice.

[Ronnie]

8 hours ago, manayunkman said:

Ronnie,

 

Love the job you did, it looks more like a manufacturers desk model.

 

Peter

Thank you Manny. Just got a little bored. 

[manayunkman]

18 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Thank you Manny. Just got a little bored. 

When I get bored I fall asleep!

[manayunkman]

Here is a Lineol trench mortar all composition with a Lineol man on the sights and an Elastolin loader.

 

Note that Elastolins have an oval base and Lineols have a square rectangular base.

[manayunkman]

Small group of aviators.

 

Note that the Elastolin aviator with the propeller is 7.5 cm tall.

 

The 10 cm figure is made in Japan, they also made composition figures that sold on the US market before WW2.

 

The pilot who clearly looks German does not have a name on its base and I’m not sure who it’s made by.

 

It could be a Lineol figure that was farmed out to a company that made toy airplanes.

[manayunkman]

I never planned to put together a marching band thinking that I would have to buy each piece separately and I didn’t need those plans in my head.

 

But as favor would have it this collection included a nice oompah band.

 

You can see the German musicians swallows nests on their shoulders.

 

The swallows nests are part of the casting so US band members have them. 
 

You can see they are painted gold and one band member has them painted in silver.

[manayunkman]

Here are 2 German Officer figures that now have French heads and paint.

 

The figure in the back shows you what happens when there is too much moisture, the wire inside has rusted and split open the composition material.

 

[manayunkman]

If anyone wants to correct something I’ve said or has anything they want to ad, I for one need the education and I want to see what you have.

[manayunkman]

Made from German sailors now US sailors.

 

 

[Dirk]

Never seen composition US sailors before!

[manayunkman]

5 minutes ago, Dirk said:

Never seen composition US sailors before!

There is a US Navy Band too amongst other figures.

[manayunkman]

Belgians on a motorcycle and yes all German repainted with new heads.

 

 

[manayunkman]

A German 88 with a US crew.

 

 

[manayunkman]

Thanks to a new toy collector friend I have this more modern photo of the transformer and control.

 

 

[manayunkman]

Collecting German composition figures and vehicles can take you down many different roads and it’s been hard for me to establish a collecting plan because to be honest I want it all.

 

Its always been the vehicles with the airbrushed tri color camouflage that drew me in.

 

They also come with printed camouflage and when the war started in 1939 they went to dark gray with dark brown spots as the pre war colors went off to war.

 

I try to stay in the 7cm to 7.5cm scale but some vehicles only come in 6.5cm scale such as this Luftwaffe prime mover and 88 with American crew 

[manayunkman]

A few years ago I had the chance to buy a small toy soldier collection that had mostly composition American figures in it.

 

Since then it’s been mostly a quest for US soldiers but I do have a few other allied and some Germans.

 

Here are a couple of Germans that came in this last bunch.

[manayunkman]

This is a great figure of a mounted US flag bearer with a marksman's lanyard and a standard bearers gorget.

[manayunkman]

Here is a Lineol gun loader for a field gun which was available on the US market, notice the German gas mask.

 

 

[manayunkman]

The flame thrower.

[manayunkman]

The last time I collected toy soldiers was in the mid 80s when prices were going through the roof.

 

Things have changed dramatically since then and prices have dropped considerably.

 

I don’t know if it has stabilized yet as this last collection I bought, at auction, went for the lowest prices I’ve ever seen.

 

Its mainly for this reason that I’ve started collecting them again because with hardly any patience you can find good figures cheap.

 

Toy soldiers of all types have had huge price reductions and with some patience can be found cheap.

 

Many people are still asking high prices but their soldiers don’t sell.

 

My forecast is that prices continue to fall and my collection continue to grow.

[manayunkman]

No army is complete without a gas alarm.

 

 

[manayunkman]

When you’re barking out orders all day it can get a little hard on the throat.

I love the German gas mask.