Toy Soldiers of San Diego - Toy Soldiers

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.

TSSD US Infantry

A nice set of GIs. Definitely can mix them up with Conte's as the size matches just right. Similarly to Conte, they also came up with their own version of the gutsy Sgt. [on the left]. The medic defending himself is a nice touch, probably more appropriate for the Pacific Theater of Operations where no quarter was given, even to medics.

TSSD US Infantry Heavy Weapons

A heavy weapons squad. Nice two piece MG and finally, a mortar guy who actually has a mortar.

TSSD US Infantry Long Coats

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 called them elite troops. I guess some folks have reservations about using the Waffen SS label. 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.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II

This picture is showing the second mounted figure, including a different horse. Same MG Team, just painted in fall cammo color scheme.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part III

Some more nicely sculpted poses. The guy on the left 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 three of the same figures from the spring set from a different angle in fall cammo color scheme.

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 - Part II

Another picture of the log coats, containing the last two poses -the guys at the two ends.

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

As with the other sets, nice sculpting, and good 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.

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Timpo - Toy Soldiers

Timpo was a British firm started in 1938 and in production until 1978. Its name stood for Toy Importers. Their figures were famous for having detachable weapons and parts, aka swoppets. Some were manufactured with similar techniques as the Britians Super Deetail, using plastic of different color on the same figure. Timpo made a wide range of figures but only a small set were focused on WWII. After bankruptcy, its assets were purchased by Toyway.

Timpo British 8th Army - Part 1

As you can see, these guys have nothing to do with the more typical Timpo swoppet figures. I suspect these might have been made before they switched to that stayle. These guys remind me a bit of the Cherilea guys, particularly the machine gunner. They are also on the taller side of 54mm figures. This set contains who appears to be one of three Monty guys in my collection.

Timpo British 8th Army - Part 2

These guys are not my favorite figures. There are two things that I don't quite like. They are standing too upright and their facial expressions could have used a bit more work. Some of their faces look more like skulls.

Timpo British 8th Army - Part 3

Here are a few vintage figures with some original paint still on them. Notice how they were also cast on a darker plastic color, which I actually like better than that of the newer recasts. 

Timpo French Foreign Legion - Part 1
A set with very few poses. The poses are actually fairly acceptable, although in terms of detail, the faces are not the best. They seem to have been sculpted by the same hand that made the B8A figures. Not sure wha period they were meant to represent, but I like the fact that they have equipment which could pass for WWII era, including the white kepi. WWII legionnaires fought in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. They even fought on opposite sides in the Syrian campaign of 1941.

Timpo French Foreign Legion - Part 2

This is a vintage figure. Apparently they came factory painted and you can still see traces of the original colors on this figure. Unfortunately this legionnaire seems to have lost his rifle, but he is still ready to throw a grenade.

Timpo / Lone Star ANZAC Infantry - Part 1

Again, these are not typical Timpo figures. In fact they were originally produced by Lone Star and today you can buy them under the Timpo name. The sculpting on these figures is a bit coarse, but it's nice that they provide a bit more variety and poses. Luckily they are also wearing a tropical uniform. I am sure that once they are painted they will blend in acceptably with the Airfix guys. This set includes an officer with a cap, which looks a bit more official than the Airfix commander that comes with the Australian guys.

Timpo / Lone Star ANZAC Infantry - Part 2

This other set contains a bazooka guy, which is a welcome heavy weapon addition, as well as a radio man, which is also not present in the Airfix set. These  guys are sold in a blister pack which is branded as both Lone Star and Timpo, so if you look for them you might find them under either brand but as I mentiuoned earlier, they were originally released by Lone Star.

Timpo / Lone Star British Naval Infantry - Part 1

These are recast figures of the Lone Star British Naval Infantry. They are pretty much the same poses, except for the fact that they do not have any factory paint on them, and that they are made of a more resilient plastic which does not break. Now that I have found these guys, I will not paint my original/vintage Lone Star figures and paint these newer recasts instead. 

Timpo / Lone Star British Naval Infantry - Part 2

Out of the original nine Lone Star figures Timpo recast 8 of them. The guy who is missing is the helmsman, however I did not really have much use for him as part of a raiding party, so it's not like I will be missing him much, 

Timpo US Infantry - Part I

These are the nicest among the Timpo figures that I have seen. There are quite a few poses for this set -probably close to 20- Unfortunatley I only have a handful. They are hard to find. I found this guy going through a big toy solider bin at a Toy Soldier Show. 

Timpo US Infantry - Part II

Here are two more guys that I managed to get by chance when I bought a lot of mixed soldiers. They used to be factory-painted but as you can see, most of the original paint is gone.

Timpo US Infantry - Part III

Here is another batch of Timpo GIs with some more color on them. I find the sculpting quite good in terms of the poses. The level of detail could be finer, but they are still quite well done for their time. For instance, take a look at the man running with the sub mg. That is a very nice pose. 

Timpo US Infantry - Part IV

And a few more. Note that the radio man is also featured here. I could have removed the other pic, but since it is a close up I figure it's worth leaving it there. I should also point out that these figures were later reissued but a company called UNA. You can tell them apart because the UNA figures have the company name stamped underneath.

Timpo US Infantry - Part V

The latest Timpo GI. Not a very exciting pose. He seems to be carrying a suitcase with a blanket roll attached to it. The strange thing is that it also has a backpack with a blanket roll on the back, so I am not really sure what the suitcase is or why he would have two packs. The paint quality on this figure is still very good. And BTW, note that this paint color scheme is different.

Timpo US Infantry - Part VI

Here is yet another Timpo guy. He looks like a mortar or artillery crew member. I don't think Timpo made any artillery sets, so most likely he is the former, but then again, I would expect him to he holding a mortar shell in that case. So I am not really sure what he is supposed to be operating. He came in a large batch of mixed figures, so I don't have any other context to guess from. If you know, leave a comment!

Timpo US Infantry - Part VII

This is an interesting pose. It seems to have been made in slightly different variations over quite a few versions of the Timpo GIs, boing back to the day in which they were still made in metal. This one is one of the more recent ones. Unfortunately I do not have the stretcher bearers.

Timpo US Infantry - Part VIII

Here is the rest of the stretcher team, with a good amount of the original paint still on them, which is nice so that we can still see the armbands designating them as medics.

Timpo US Infantry - Part IX

A couple of heavy weapons guys a kneeling rifle man. I was lucky enough to find the mortar to go along with the figure.  

Timpo US Infantry - Part X

Two infantry men and an MP guy (in the middle). Note how some of these poses are repeated in the Reisler figures, like the guy on the right. He's actually one of the Timpo guys displaying the most movement, which I always like.

 Timpo Divers
Not sure what nationality they represent. These type of subs were mainly used by the Italians, but it's possible that they also represent British divers, after all, Timpo was a British firm. A decent set. The mini sub is made of a pretty light plastic, and it is hollow, which makes it feel even lighter. The oxigen tanks are removable, but the rest of the figures is one piece. The colors are not painted, but is the plastic's original color, which suggests that this was an item made in their later years. 

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British Artillery

British Artillery is an interesting niche in terms of Toy Soldiers. I have not seen anything in recent years, but apparently during the 60s or 70s, they were a topic that received some good level of attention from British manufacturers. Unfortunately that means that to add some decent guns into your collection you need to buy some old collectibles which is not necessarily cheap. Thus, this is one area where some new production would be very welcome. The two main suppliers of these guns were Crescent Toys and Lone Star, although between the two, I like the Crescent guns a lot more. Let's see what we have available to us.

Crescent 5.5 inch Medium Gun

The 5.5 inch (or 140mm) gun went into service in 1941 and first saw action in North Africa. It was operated by a crew of 10. Its firing range was between 16,000 to 18,000 yards. Each shell weighed 100lbs. The firing angle went from -5 to 45 degrees. This model by Crescent has a wheel on the side that can be loosened/tightened to adjust the firing angle. It also comes with a lever on top that controls a spring and it allows it to shoot actual rounds. Unfortunately none came with the gun, so I will need to improvise some ammo.

Crescent 25 pounder Field Gun

Also known as Ordnance QF 25 pounder, this was a 87.6mm caliber gun. Introduced shortly before the war, it was the main howitzer in the British Army during the War and many years thereafter. Its maximum range was 13,400 yards with a HE shell of 25 pounds (hence the name). This is another nice model by Crescent. The rivets on the gun shield make it look very real. Like the 5.5 gun, it also has a lever that allows it to shoot rounds. 

Crescent 25 pounder Field Gun - from above

This picture shows the circular platform that these guns used to have which enabled them to be rotated to point in the right direction more easily. When the gun was deployed, the platform would be placed underneath the wheels of the gun. Unfortunately, most of the models that you find today are missing this part, as it is relatively easy to detach it.

Lone Star Anti Tank Gun

This is an under-scale gun by Lone Star. Rather than 1/32 it seems to be 1/40 or 1/43. Based on its size it can probably be used as a 6 pounder or even the 2 pounder anti-tank guns. Like the Crescent guns, it also comes with a lever-controlled spring that allows you to shoot rounds with it. 

Lone Star Anti Tank Gun - Desert Version

This is the same gun as the previous one. I don't know if Lone Star released it in this color scheme, or if a prior owner spray painted it this color. In any case, I just got three of them in this style and they provide much needed artillery support for the B8A guys. 

Lone Star 25 Pounder - Front

Here is another under-scale model by Lone Star. Given their 1/32 figure range, I just wish they had manufactured these sets to match those figures. BTW, this one also lets you shoot with it. 

Lone Star 25 Pounder - Back

Here you get a good idea of the size of the gun relative to some actual 54mm figures. I guess it could be used to represent a smaller caliber gun. But definitely, if you are undecided between the Crescent 25 pounder and this one, the Crescent one is head and shoulders a much better choice.

Crescent 18 Pounder

As you might suspect, perhaps from the wooden wheels, this is a WWI gun. At the beginning of WWII some British units were still equipped with them. Anecdotally, I have also heard -although I have not verified- that they were also used at the outset of the war by the Soviet Army, hence I staffed the gun with a Soviet crew for this picture. This model comes in metal and as other Crescent guns, has a spring-based firing mechanism. The only thing to criticize is that it is a bit underscale. This particular model is well used, so the gun barrel drops below horizontal, which is why I had to place a small twig to support it.

Britains Deetail L6 'Wombat' 120mm recoilles Antitank gun

The Wombat is actually a weapon developed in the1950's. I suppose this is why it looks so much like a WWII artillery piece. At any rate, since I don't have many other British anti tank guns, I have decided to accept it in my WWII collection. Plus it has a nice, heavy caliber!

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Bonnie Bilt - Toy Soldiers

Bonnie Bilt apparently was an American toy manufacturer based out of New York. I don't know much about their history or when they went out of business. I am only familiar with one of their sets. I am not sure when these figures were originally manufatured, but it must have been in the 50s or 60s. The material is actually hard plastic and I have seen it in different shades of green. Later in the 70s they were still made -probably cloned- in soft plastic and came in three colors: red, yellow, and green, so you could have different color armies fight each other. If you ever 'shot' at these guys using marbles, then you know how hard they were to hit given how thin they are.

Bonnie Bilt US Infantry - Part I

This is an interesting set. Not very realistic as they are flat figures, but unique in the sense that they are made out of plastic, but are flat like many lead soldiers used to be. The stretcher guys are quite special. The carriers have two small holes on their hands where the handles of the stretcher fit in. 

Bonnie Bilt US Infantry - Part II

 Here are the rest of the guys. The prone man on the right was supposed to have a maching gun, but I suppose those were easy to lose. Probably there are not many left. Without the machine gun he could be used as a forward observer, or simply a guy who is taking cover.

Bonnie Bilt US Infantry - Part III

Here are the same four figures as in the previous picture, but in a different shade of green. Note also that because they are made out of hard plastic, they can break more easily, as illustrated by the bayonet of the second guy on the left.

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Tim-Mee - Toy Soldiers

Tim-Mee Toys was an American firm based out of Aurora, Illinois that produced plastic toys starting in the late 40's and into the 80's. I don't relly know if they ever went out of business. In fact, the brand still seems to be in use today, under the company name Processed Plastic, selling slightly modified versions of the figures that were so popular in the 80's. Tim-Mee produced not only soldiers, but also cowboys, indians, farm figures, clowns, knights, and so on. In terms of toy soldiers, they produced a few series modeled after WWII, and later on, came up with similar figures, adapted to the Vietnam era. I must say that I found the latter much better.The fact that I have a few hundred of them and that I have included them in this blog which is technically dedicated to WWII is a sign of how much I liked them.  Let's take a look at them. 

TimMee US Infantry Series 1 - Part I

These guys are actually 60mm figures. I believe that the same figures were later released in 54mm by Ideal. These 60mm figures say TimMee on the bottom of the base. These guys are not the best sculpted figures out there, but they hold a special place in my collection simply by being among the oldest. I'm sure that once they are painted they will look just fine next to the rest of the men.

TimMee US Infantry Series 1 - Part II

The prone guy is actually a Lido figure but he came with this batch of figures when I bought them so he ended up sneaking into the picture. BTW in this set you can already see some of the poses that would evolve into the Vietnam Tim-Mee figures: the mine sweeper, the kneeling radio man, the bazooka man with a straight back, the machine gunner...

TimMee US Infantry Series 1 - Part III

The rest of the gang. Again, you can recognize a few more of the guys who evolved into the Vietnam set.

TimMee US Infantry Series 2

These guys are also 60mm figures. They are a bit bulkier than the Series 1 figures, with better sculpting. The highlight of this set is the motorcycle man. The man in the middle seems to be wearing a German helmet so I need to do a bit more research to find out if he is really a GI. It came with the rest of them, so I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. Also, is it just me or the second guy from the left looks like he could be Japanese?

TimMee US Medical Team

One of the few sets that include a woman. Even though the stretcher is missing, I was still quite happy when I ran into this rare set. I am sure I can scratch-build and improvise a stretcher. Once they are painted, they will go great with the ambulance I just got from FOV.

TimMee Vietnam US Infantry - Part I

TimMee produced 13 poses for this Vietnam era set. You can see that they are definitely Vietnam figures as they are equipped with M16s. I find that most of them evolved from the earlier TimMee WWII poses, but with much better sculpting. The level of detail and the fluidity of the figures' movements are far superior than that of their predecesors.

TimMee Vietnam US Infantry - Part II

This is the other half of the set. If you are paying attention, there are a total of 14 figures in both pictures. By now you have probably realized that one of the guys is featured twice, but with a slight variation. If you like to solve those magazine puzzles in which you get to find the differences, go ahead and take a moment to do so, before I spoil it for you... The guy in the lower picture is throwing a grenade, whereas the one in the upper picture has his hand open. My understanding is that the one with the grenade was the original pose, which was later modified to have his hand open. I guess it gives him more of a commanding attitude, so much, that for years I thought he was the officer leading the men. I did not learn about the earlier pose until much later. BTW, the marching guy, third from the right, is a bit hard to find so if you have any of those, hold on to them. Out of a new bag that I recently got with about 40 guys, I only found one of them.

TimMee 60mm US Air Force - Part I

This is an interesting set. It is supposed to represent a ground crew, a couple of pilots and officers from the Us Air Force. Since I don't really collect airplanes in this scale (or any other) I don't have much use for them, however I think some of these guys would work really well as a tank maintenance crew. Even the pilot, second man from the left, could pass as a tank driver.

TimMee 60mm US Air Force - Part II

In this picture you can see that these figures represent post WWII Air Force guys. The pilot seems to be wearing a helmet with an oxigen mask, the kind that a jet pilot or a high altitude bomber pilot would use. He is not going to make it into my tank crew scene for sure. About the bugler, doesn't he seem like an odd figure to have in this set? 

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