Toy Soldier Hobby Glossary

The purpose of this Page is to introduce words and phrases that are commonly found in the hobby.

3D Printing

The process whereby a three dimensional item--such as a figure, vehicle, building, or piece of terrain--made out of either resin or plastic is created using a 3D printer.

Alloy

A substance or figure composed of two or more metals.

Base or Plinth

Bases enable a figure to remain upright or in a formed position. A base may be made of metal, plastic, resin, or wood. Bases are generally flat on the bottom. Important information--such as maker, country of origin, year of manufacture, set number, et cetera--can be found on the bottom of the base.

Brick-and-Mortar Toy Soldier Retailer

A term referring to toy soldier retailers that sell toy soldiers at a physical location open to the public. A list of Brick-and-Mortar Toy Soldier Retailers can be found on this website.

Bust

A head--or head and shoulder--casting of a subject mounted on a base or plinth. Generally well detailed and cast in plastic, resin, or plastic.

Catalogues

Catalogues are sales tools used to promote products. Originally toy soldier catalogues were hard copy. Today some toy soldier catalogues are digital. Toy soldier maker William Britains was an early proponent of catalogues and placing catalogue numbers on their boxed sets.

Composite

A figure composed generally of organic materials bonded with a glue.

Conversion

Where an original manufacturer's creation has been physically altered to include extra detail or represent something different. A conversion normally involves repainting.

Copyright

Dealer

Dealer refers to a person or entity selling or trading toy soldiers. An authorized dealer is an agent or representative for a toy soldier manufacturer.

Dimestore

A reference to North American retail outlets that sold inexpensive toy soldiers for a dime or one-tenth of a dollar. During the 1930s and 1940s toy soldier makers including Manoil, Barclay, Breslin, and Grey Iron made dime store figures.

Diorama

A miniature replica of a scene that often uses three dimensional figures.

Flats

Flats are two dimensional figures that can be highly detailed to give the appearance of three dimensional figures. Flats can be viewed as the forerunner to three dimensional solid cast figures that were orginally made in Europe where they are still widely available.

Home Casting

The process by which figures are cast in molds by individuals. Figures that are home cast are made by individuals for personal use and generally not mass produced.

Interior Packaging

Materials inside toy soldier packaging has evolved throughout history. Interior packaging has included straw, compartmented foam, tie-in, wood shavings, shredded paper, acid free paper, tissue, cotton, et cetera.

Lead Disease and Lead Rot

This refers to the negative health effects of the oxidation of early hollowcast figures made out of lead. This results in lead oxides on the surface of the metal as a greyish-white powder.

Lead Toy Soldiers

Prior to the 1960s toy soldiers were often cast in lead or alloys containing lead. In the United Kingdon, the manufacture of toy soldiers containing lead ceased in the 1960s.

Molds

Molds are designed to be used in the process of casting figures. Molds can be made of metal, rubber, silicone, or slate.

Online Retailer

An Online Retailer is a person or entity engaged in the selling or purchasing of products on the internet. A list of Online Toy Soldier Retailers can be found on this website.

Packaging

Packaging is the material used to ship toy soldiers. Packaging protects the contents from crushing, moisture, or light. Often packaging for toy soldiers contains important information. When purchasing toy soldiers the buyer can increase the market value of the figures by retaining the original packaging.

Paint

Some figures might be painted by the owner of a toy soldier. Figures can be painted to highlight details, shadow or depth. Types of paints are generally water, alcohol, oil, or lacquer-based and are sold as enamel, acrylic, oil paints and these finishes are referred to as gloss, matte, flat, or satin.

Plastic figures

Toy soldiers are often made out of plastic. These figures are more inexpensive than metal figures. Plastic figures are known for size variation, detail, bendability, and ease of conversion. Some plastic figures, vehicles, or pieces of terrain that are plastic may be 3D printed using a FDM printer.

Resin figures

Some toy soldiers are made of resin. Resin figures are 3D printed using a resin printer. Resin toy soldiers are more inexpensive than metal toy soldiers.

Scale

Scale refers to the size of a figure, vehicle, building, or piece of terrain. With respect to figures, they are measured from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head. Amongst toy soldier collectors the most popular figures are 54 mm (1/32nd scale) and 60 mm (1/30th scale). Anyone who owned a GI Joe had a One-Sixth figure. Scale is not an exact measurement. A 54 mm figure from one toy soldier maker might be smaller or larger compared with a 54 mm figure from another toy soldier maker.

Solidcast Figure

A solidcast figure is cast of a solid alloy and typically weighs more than a hollowcast figure.

Spincast

A spincast figure is one where a material is poured into a rubber or silicon mold that is spun in a centrifugal machine.

Toy Soldier Show

A toy soldier show is an event catering to toy soldier enthusiasts where members of the public can purchase toy soldiers and related items. Toy soldier shows often hold competitions where toy soldier enthusiasts exhibit dioramas. It is common for an organization to host a toy soldier show each year. This website publishes a list of toy soldier shows.

Wargame

A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a simulation of an armed conflict. Some wargamers use historical miniatures to wargame.

Whisstock Labels

Fred Whisstock, a British commercial artist, designed box labels on behalf of William Britains Ltd., from 1908. Whisstock label designs were used until late 1940s by Britains.