Toy Soldiers of San Diego is an American firm located as the name indicates in Southern California. They began as a dealer -I discovered them in the late 90s or early 2000s- and a few years later, they evolved into having their own line of figures. While they also carry other sets outside of WWII, like cowboys and indians, romans and barbarians, etc. they have done an excellent job covering several WWII participants. Their level of sculpting is very good, with their poses being both dynamic and very well detailed. They are of comparable quality as Conte I would say. They are one of the few companies that currently issues new sets of WWII figures, so we certainly want to give them our business to make sure they continue to do so.
Toy Soldiers of San Diego US Infantry
A nice set of GIs. The sculpting is as good as Conte's. And the size also matches them well. However, we only got 8 poses. Note how they also came up with their own version of the gutsy Sgt. Similar rugged and kicking-ass look. The medic defending himself is a nice touch, although probably more appropriate for the Pacific Theater of Operations where no quarter was given, even to medics.
Toy Soldiers of San Diego Heavy Weapons
The heavy weapons squad. The MG comes as two pieces, meaning the man is not attached to the gun. And it is also good to finally have a mortar guy who actually has a mortar. Then you also get a bazooka, and a BAR man, although the BAR man could have been part of the regular squad if you ask me and it would have been better to have a 4th heavy weapons guy like a flamethrower or even an assistant for any of the other weapons (MG, mortar, bazooka).
Toy Soldiers of San Diego Winter Troops
Back when these guys got released, there weren't many GIs in winter gear. The one that comes to mind is the Matchbox officer with the long coat. So it is good that we got these guys, but for many years, there were not enough poses to have a full unit. Since then we have a few more winter troops to complement them. A good set of guys to have if you want to setup your own Battle of the Bulge. My only complaint is that I would have liked to have a few more poses.
TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I
Toy Soldiers of San Diego also called them elite troops. Nonetheless, they came out with a very good set. First manufacturer that I am aware of to produce mounted WW II troops. The machine gun team is also very well done. I really like how the loader is also helping to direct the fire. The fact that the MG gunner is firing at shoulder level and the guy is relatively tall gives you enough clearance to place them behind many different types of protective terrain.
TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II
This picture is showing the second mounted figure, including a different horse. The rider is wearing a field cap and is firing his pistol while riding. Makes you wonder how accurate his shots would be. Although I did mount him on the horse who seems to be trotting rather than running. The MG team is the same, just painted differently.
TSSD German Elite Troops - Part III
The rest of the set includes 4 more nicely sculpted poses. The guy on the left pays homage to the Conte pose and offers a bit of drama to any scene he participates in. The man with the sniper rifle is wearing one of those tent quarters (Zeltbahn) which could be joined with another 3 parts to make a tent in the form of a pyramid to get some protection from the elements.
TSSD German Elite Troops - Part IV
Showing 3 of the same figures from the spring unit above from a different angle. The man in the middle with the StG 44 is a good pose but in my opinion his body is leaning backwards in a way that seems off-balance. The man with the panzerfaust is a nice, solid pose. Certainly better than Conte's panzerfaust guy.
TSSD Germans in Long Coats - Part I
The opposition for the GIs in winter uniforms. Note how even with long coats, they gave them enough detail in terms of the equipment that they are carrying on their back.
TSSD Germans in Long Coats
This picture has the other 2 guys in the set. The guy on the left with the sniper rifle and the man on the right firing while standing. Note also how underneath the coat you can see a bit of the cammo pattern in the guy who is running. That's the only clue as to which season it might be (fall vs spring). Or maybe they are simply a winter kampfgruppe.
TSSD German Infantry expansion set
These are some recently released German guys that complement the TSSD German 'Elite Troops'. They will paint well as SS guys in cammo gear or as regular landser wearing winter gear, as they go well the Germans with longcoats, with the nice added touch that they come with a different head gear. You can't see well in the picture, but the man on the right is holding/throwing a grenade also. The only thing to complain about is that they only released four poses.
TSSD Japanese Infantry - Part I
Another nice set with some intense action poses. They actually have 8 poses only, but the guy with the flag can also hold a rifle instead - see below.
TSSD Japanese Infantry - Part II
The rest of the pack. As you can see, they also project a good dose of energy. The fixed bayonets very much in line with their tendency to engage in close quarters combat.
TSSD US Marines - Part I
These guys are also a nice dynamic bunch which captures well the nature of the fighting in the Pacific, with the wounded having to defend themselves. Their original color is very similar to the BMC guys, so even unpainted they blend well together.
TSSD US Marines - Part II
The guy fighting with the shovel is quite dramatic. The other men showing a representative variety of weapons: sub machine gun, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) & Garand rifle.
TSSD Soviet Infantry
TSSD gave us 8 poses at the start of this century. It has uniforms that go well with Italeri's for that chilly, but not brutally cold time of the year. Good sculpting detail and good variety of poses. The woman sniper is a good unique touch which pays tribute to the many women who fought at the front lines of the Soviet army. Another unique pose is the man throwing the Molotov cocktail instead of the more typical grenade. And we also get a wounded guy, but not the type that is getting hit in that moment. Note also that this set is one of the earlier ones to use larger, more sculpted bases which are less neutral to the setting in which the figures have to be placed. But still a great set to add to your collection.
Click here to see some TSSD Marines and Japanese figures in action
Click here to see some TSSD Waffen SS in action
Click here to see a post about Conte Toy Soldiers
No comments:
Post a Comment