Conte Collectibles - Toy Soldiers

I still remember the first time I laid eyes on Conte's first set of German Infantry figures. I was at a Toy Soldier Show and a vendor had one of Conte's D-Day sets on display. They were the most realistic, action-filled and diverse poses that I had ever seen. I was totally in awe of these guys. I did not feel like spending several hundred dollars for the whole playset which included several terrain pieces, so I tried to buy the figures separately. After a bit of negotiation I was able to get about 80 of them for about $2 a piece. This was several times more than what I had ever paid for a plastic soldier. I walked away with a mixture of guilt, wonder and excitement. This was in the early 2000s and over the next few years Conte delivered several other sets of WWII figures. Luckily for us, he was as excited about WWII and toy soldiers in general that he produced a great number of poses with great level of detail. Unfortunately he seemed to have a rocky relationship with some of his dealers and his business took a bad turn somewhere along the way. But it was a great ride while it lasted. They still seem to be in business so I am hopeful that someday they will resume sculpting new figures. They definitely set a new standard for plastic toy soldiers which has improved the overall output of toy soldiers manufacturers in general. So without further ado, let's take a look at Conte's contribution to the hobby.

Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 1 - Part 1

Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 1 - Part 2

Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2 - Part 1

Note that Conte introduced plug-in arms which allows the creation of new poses by just exchanging the weapon/accessory. This is a manufacturer who refused to yield to the typical manufacturing constraints of his time and decided to make figures in two parts in order to get the poses he wanted. In the case above, the guy with the MG-42 is the same figure as the guy with the phone.

Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2 - Part 2

Again, by using pluggable arms, I was able to create four figures out of two base running guys.

Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 3 - Part 1

The other 4 poses were German SS figures which are shown below: the officer, the man with the grenade, the man kneeling on two knees, and the man advancing cautiously with a sub MG.

Conte Collectibles German Waffen SS - Part 1, Spring Cammo

These guys are not grouped according to how they were released. Instead the picture shows some guys from Set 3 and Set 4.

Conte Collectibles German Waffen SS - Part 2, Spring Cammo

This picture actually shows German infantry from Set 3 painted as Waffen SS.

Conte Collectibles German Waffen SS - Part 3, Fall Cammo

Conte Collectibles German Waffen SS - Part 4, Fall Cammo

Conte Collectibles German Waffen SS - Part 5, Fall Cammo

Again, German Infantry from set 3 painted as Waffen SS

Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 1

16 figures in great action poses... the only guy that I find a bit stiff is the officer standing up firing his side arm, but hey, he could be Sam Elliot (Sgt. Major Basil Plumley) saying 'gentlemen, prepare do defend yourselves!'

Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 2

Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 3

Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 4

Conte Collectibles US Paras - Part 1

I like these guys even more than the Red Devils. The material was a bit different though and some of the men had a hard time standing up. They required some straightening up with hot/cold water.

Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 2

 Conte Collectibles British Paras - Part 3

There is actually one more pose, a casualty, which I did not include in the pictures, for a total of 16 poses.

Conte Collectibles US Infantry - Part 1

This was Conte's most prolific set of poses. GIs meant for the Normandy landing. You can tell that he has a special spot in his heart for these guys. The only thing I did not like was that they were sold in blister cards and to get all 25 poses you had to buy something like 8 or 10 sets of them. Not that I mind buying several sets, but if I am going to buy repeat poses I like to at least get an even number of them. The way the blister cards were organized you could end up with 4 of one pose and 1 of another... again, great sculpting, but unusual business sense.

Conte Collectibles US Infantry - Part 2

Gotta love those touches like the guy holding his helmet. You really get a sense of action and movement with these poses.

Conte Collectibles US Infantry - Part 3

Contains one of my favorite poses overall... and we got a good variety of 'prone' guys.

Conte Collectibles US Infantry - Part 4

Really like the grenade thrower in this set. Making the man who is kneeling looking away is also a nice touch. 

Conte Collectibles US Infantry - Part 5

These guys here are ready to lay down some suppressing fire!

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Click here to see the Waffen SS in action

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21st Century Toys - Toy Soldiers

21st Century Toys began releasing toy soldiers in 1/32 in the early 2000s. They first came out with German Infantry and GIs to complement their new line of vehicles. Their first figures were a bit brittle, with weapons that broke easily. The fact that their figures were factory-painted made them stand out from the regular plastic toy soldiers. Gradually their choice of materials got better and over time their sculpting and design for their bases also improved. Towards the end of their run in the toy soldier industry, they were producing very nice figures as you will see in this post. They even produced a couple sets representing mortar teams. Unfortunately they went out of business a few years back and with them we lost the potential for what could have been several more nicely detailed sets of WWII figures.  

21C Toys German Infantry - Part I

These are the guys that had brittle weapons.

21C Toys German Infantry - Part II

These initial sets came with figures that were glued to the base, which made some of them look off-balance if they had not been glued well.

21C Toys German Infantry - Part III

Some of their bases contained some 'interesting' elements like fences and so on. I did not like that in particular as it makes it harder to place that figure in other settings.

21C Toys German Infantry - Part IV

This was the last of the German series. It is then that they switched to the new base system (the figure came attached to the base) and their sculpting and paint work also improved substantially.

21st Century Toys German Infantry - A conversion

This is a guy that came with along with a building I bought. It's put together well enough that I think it deserves a spot on the page. It's really just the lower body from one guy with the upper body from another, but it turned out nicely.

21C Toys German Infantry PAK crew

These are some nice figures to staff your PAK or most other small caliber artillery pieces in your armies. The sculpting is of the same quality as the later 21C sets, which means that they are well proportioned and detailed. In terms of the poses, I definitely like the guy holding the shell, but the other two are very similar. It would have been good if one of them was posed as if more actively operating the equipment. Anyhow, I am still glad I came across them. I did not know they existed back when 21C was in production. 

21C Toys US Infantry - Part I

Some of the initial GIs. I don't have them grouped exactly in the batches that they were released.

21C Toys US Infantry - Part II

These guys also suffered from soft weapons.

21C Toys US Infantry - Part III

Note how they come on the same bases as the German Infantry.

21C Toys US Infantry - Part IV

21C Toys German Paratroops

Nice figures, but most of them came glued to their bases way off-balance.

21st Century Toys German Afrika Korps - Part I

An early set of AK figures. Fairly decent, but still a few odd things, like the bases. The took the same bases that were attached to the other figures which have cobblestones and other things that feel out of place in the desert. 

21st Century Toys German Afrika Korps - Part II

My favorite man here is the one on the left. I wonder if the one in the middle is asking for quarter or charging forward in a very unusual way? The man on the right seems to be missing a grenade or something in his right hand. 

21C Toys German Afrika Korps - Part III

Here's a later series of German Afrika Korps. Initially I only found two of the six figures, but by now you can start to see the improvements in all areas. Definitely better than the earlier guys.

21C Toys German Afrika Korps - Part IV

Here are the rest of the set. The one thing I don't like is how the paint color varies so much from one set to the next. Primarily that of the boots. I like the colors on the picture above better. The officer's face could have been done slightly better also. Other than that, the figures display a good deal of action, just the way I like them.

21C Toys Italian Infantry

From here on, the sets are all really nice...

21C Toys Japanese Infantry

I don't know if the prone guy required such a big base though.

21C Toys Soviet Infantry

Similar situation with the Soviet figures.

21st Century Toys British Paratroops
I was not aware that 21C Toys had made this set until I ran into it by chance on eBay. They are actually quite nice. I bought 3 sets and the paint job varies from one set to the next, but overall they are nicely finished. The poses are the kind of action pose that I prefer and I also like the variety of weapons that they carry into action. A good addition to the collection!

21st Century Toys Chinese Infantry

This might be the last set that they produced. One of my favorites.

21st Century Toys British 8th Army Infantry - Part I

This set was sold as British Infantry, but from the short trousers, it seems to me like they are 8th Army troopers. This set was produced after the Germans and the Americans, and you can see the new bases and slightly better sculpting, although not as good with the later sets. 

21st Century Toys British 8th Army Infantry - Part II

The guy running is a good action pose. A bit off balance, but nice enough. The guy on the right does not really grab me. There is something about how he is holding his weapon and how he is standing... The man in the center is a nice middle ground.

21st Century Toys British 8th Army Infantry Series 2 - Part I

This is a set that I had totally missed. I wasn't even aware it existed. Chronologically, it seems to be one of their middle sets, with the sculpting being fairly decent at this stage -take a look at the facial expressions-, the bases not yet so bulky, and already integrated into the figures instead of glued to them. 

 21st Century Toys British 8th Army Infantry Series 2 - Part II

As you can see, the set is comprised of all fighting poses with a good degree of action put into the sculpting. The more a guy is leaning the more I like him. Note also how they have given us figures with both short and long trousers. All in all a nice set from 21C.

21C Toys US Mortar Team - Part I

The figures that come with the mortar sets are not as nice as the regular infantry figures, but the set is still quite nice as it comes with a prepared position that looks quite real and no other previous mortar figures come close to looking this good.

21C Toys US Mortar Team - Part II

21C Toys US Mortar Team - Part III

21C Toys German Mortar Team - Part I

This is the German counterpart. The pit is quite nice. I almost like it more than the figures.

21C Toys German Mortar Team - Part II

I feel that the faces of the figures in this set look too much alike.

21C Toys German Mortar Team - Part III

The pit definitely affords them more protection compared to the US mortar set.

21C Toys German Afrika Korps Mortar Team

I think these guys are a mix of the artillery crew set and the mortar team. The standing guy is the same as the one for the regular infantry's mortar team, except for the uniform colors, but the two kneeling guys are different. I have seen those also in the PAK 40 crew. Now, I don't know if the mortar team included thee figures, or maybe the collector who sold them to me mixed the sets. 

21C Toys US Artillery Crew

This set is actually sold by Four Star Military. I have a feeling it was one of the last sets made by 21C before they went out of business, but you can clearly see that the style and sculpting is the same. This is a five man crew to operate a big gun, like the Long Tom in this picture. It comes with a few extras, such as shells and casings. The one odd pose is the guy who has his foot high up. I had a hard time finding a place to put him where he would look like he was doing something that made sense. Overall a pretty nice set, that will help man quite a few guns.

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Introducing the Italian Paratroops

Italy raised a few airborne units, but to my knowledge it did not carry out any airborne operations during the war. At some point, an airborne invasion of Malta was considered, but later the plan was dropped. The different airborne units were La Spezia, Nembo, Ciclone and Folgore. La Spezia, formed in 1941 and originally intended for the Malta operation eventually fought and surrendered in Tunsia. Nembo was formed shortly before the 1943 armistice and then it was crippled by malaria before it could see any action. A new unit on allied side was later formed with the same name. Ciclone was also being formed when the armistice was signed and did not see any action. The Folgore division was the most famous of them all. It in North Africa with distinction. During the second battle of El Alamein in the fall of '42, it held back the allied attacks of more than 5 divisions for about two weeks, inflicting heavy casualties to the Commonwealth's infantry and tank units, fighting on until it was out of ammunition. Most of the Italian men were either killed or captured by the end of the battle. The survivors were organized into an independent battalion and fought on in Tunisia until they were also captured by mid 1943. In terms of toy soldiers, we have a couple sets from Waterloo 1815 and one from Atlantic. Let's take a look.

Waterloo 1815 Folgore Division

A good set for the West Desert campaign. I like how they reflect the relaxed dress code that existed in the North African desert. Note however how most of them retain their para helmets. The only thing I don't quite like about these guys are their bases, which make them a bit wobbly.

Waterloo 1815 Folgore Division Light Artillery 1942 - Part I

These figures are manning a heavy machine gun. The man with the bullets does not quite get to feed them into the MG, but he's still useful to have close by. The spotter with the binoculars is doing a good job. I might just try to remove the plastic that joins the cap to the hands which looks a bit odd. The machine gun itself looks like it could take out more than just infantry. It could easily knock out soft-skin vehicles and maybe even some lightly armored ones, but probably not very effective against some British 8th army Grant and Matilda tanks.

Waterloo 1815 Folgore Division Light Artillery 1942 - Part II

These other guys are the crew for the small howitzer. I am not sure about the caliber of the gun. I thought it might be a 37mm which is what was often issued to the paratroopers as it was easier to drop along with them during an airborne operation. However a reader recently commented that it's likely a 47mm Bohler gun. Apparently the wheels were detachable and it could be mounted on a tripod. It might not be clear from the picture, but all these figures come without a base, but they still manage to stand well on their own. One thing I don't quite like about the gun is that you can't change the elevation without messing around with the peg that inserts into the wheel carriage. All in all a good addition to the Folgore infantry.

Atlantic Italian Paratroops - Part I

This is an interesting set from Atlantic. The poses show more action than their average set. I am not a big fan of the guy jumping over the tree stump, or the guy who is just standing straight, but overall it is a very decent set.

Atlantic Italian Paratroops - Part II

It's good that they gave them an anti-tank weapon. I don't know however about the guy dragging the parachute since they did not really take part in any actual combat missions. I guess you can use him for a fictitious operation or some training scene. When you buy these guys, be aware that they come in a couple different boxes. The blue box only has 6 figures. The yellow box contains all 10 poses.

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New Figure Sets from CTS and TSSD

It had been a while since we had had some new figure releases, but today I learned of two vendors with new sets:

Firts, I got an email from CTS about a new German Medical Set. It looks well done. Not great for gaming but a good set to have if you like setting up scenes or dioramas. Here is a link with some pictures: http://www.classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/ctsc6/rtl/phd.cgi?Autoincrement=005150&tag_rf=54mm

I also found out today that TSSD is enhancing their WWII figure line with some mini-sets of 3-4 figures for the GIs, Marines, Germans, Japanese and Soviets. Here is a link to the announcement and some pictures of the figures:  http://www.sdsoldiers.com/very_new_products_and_hobby_news.htm

Here is also an excerpt from their page:
"ADD-ON MINI-SETS" OF 3 OR 4 FIGURES IN NEW POSES, THAT WILL COMPLIMENT (sic)OUR ORIGINAL SETS:
....WE ARE STARTING WITH WWII GERMANS.
.... THEN, WE WILL RELEASE A SMALL SET OF U.S. GI's.
THESE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY U.S. MARINE AND JAPANESE INFANTRY SETS.
WE WILL ALSO HAVE SOME WWII RUSSIANS."

Definitely a good day for the hobby!

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The Aftermath?

Recently, while working on a post about casting soldiers, I took this picture to illustrate how the result looks when things don't go quite right. Later though, it struck me that this image could also be an allegory for the aftermath of war, whether it is physical, psychological, or even metaphysical.

What about you, what do you see?

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UPDATE: One of our readers with a keen eye commented on the Facebook page: 'instantly reminded me of a book i once saw, by Ernst Friedrich, which displays soldiers horrendously maimed during WWI'. I looked up the pictures -the book is called War against War- and I have to say that his observation was right on the mark. Definitely adequate for the physical consequences of War. A reminder that there are worse injuries and wounds than losing an arm or a leg.