Despicable metal and versatile plastic
This material has been waiting for its turn to be written for a very long time. Some years. And everything got in the way. Or something was missing. It happens. And then - once, the push and the puzzle is added. Yesterday, such an impetus was provided by an article by the director of the Institute for Social Analysis and Forecasting, Tatyana Maleeva, that Russians react to it very passively during the crisis: they do not try to look for more promising work and thereby change their financial situation, but only cut costs more. It hardly makes sense to discuss why this is so and what is the reason for this behavior (mentality, the consequences of Chernobyl, or all active people have already left the country). This task is beyond the power of not only one person, but, probably, the whole industry research institute. Otherwise … otherwise why this is so, we would have known long ago. The main thing in this case is that many people "do not want to move." And not only those that are aged, but also young. And many of them are elderly people with young children, to whom they have not passed on the relevant skills. They are afraid that they will have to work for the children until the grave, since they themselves … "cannot earn money for themselves."
This is a full-length 1:12 scale figurine of our Minister of Defense that would sell very well all over the world. It takes a little - it's good to make it and … attach this photo to it! Well, and the series itself should be called "Host Parades" and show both Napoleonic marshals and Russian emperors in it. Many people can be shown in it, judging by the photographs.
And here I immediately remembered, and after all, someone had already told me something like this. True, this was not a Russian man, but an Englishman named David Cass. Founder of the Ice Trail company.
And it so happened that a crisis, and a very strong one, hit England in the 80s of the last century. The automobile plant where he worked was closed down, his salary was paid three years in advance (if only we had such a rule!) And he was left alone with his problems. And he decided that he would make figurines of soldiers. He loved this business. I considered it a hobby. And now I thought about it and decided - let it become a profession!
"And the whole of Russia will remember about Borodin's day." The photographs that you now see in front of you are truly unique. Several years ago, and for many years already, one of my readers sent me with a story about how he and his friends made several thousand (!) Russians and French out of plasticine, and in this way they play on the layout of the Battle of Borodino. Who is he and where is he from - the information, alas, was lost. But I think that a person will not be offended when he sees his figures here. There is something to see and something to admire, isn't there? After all, there is skill, and … great work, and patience!
He opened a company and the first thing he did was register his wife as an employee. And in England, if you give a job to your wife, then your taxes are reduced (we shouldn't, huh?). He sits himself, makes figures and casts them, while his wife calls on the phone, looking for partners. A neighbor comes in. “Ay-ay, how interesting! I have always dreamed of such a job. No need to think, sit and pour! They put the figures on this woman. And her nephew … They made him a messenger. This is how the company appeared, which quickly gained momentum because its products were of high quality, and people collected soldiers at all times!
Yes, yes, from time immemorial, in almost every country, people made figures of warriors, which were intended both to emulate military actions in the preparation of battles and campaigns, and to entertain future princes and princes. For the latter, these toys were even made of precious metals, although tin was also far from the cheapest material for their manufacture. The production of tin armies was standardized in two countries: in Germany and in France - at the end of the era of the Napoleonic wars. Around 1840, a certain Ernst Heinrichssen from Nuremberg agreed with the craftsmen from Berlin and Leipzig on a uniform size of tin figures: infantryman - 32 mm, rider - 44 mm, not counting the headgear. Since that time, figures of this size and only slightly outlined volume began to be called "Nuremberg". They looked very beautiful, but only from the side. It was pretty easy to make them, though. In France, a standard was introduced: the height of a full-size figure is 50-60 mm, so that all the details of the uniform and weapons on it could be reproduced quite easily. So the era of industrial production of tin soldiers began, and then aluminum alloys and cheap plastics. True, today large enterprises no longer produce metal figures. But small-scale and piece production of tin miniatures is still in demand among both children and adults. But the latter, of course, have other prices of $ 70-100 and higher. They are collected, and there are quite a few such collectors (despite all the crises!) All over the world, including here in Russia. The reason for this is that many of the people who today have a lot of money, at one time simply did not … "played enough" in what they really wanted to play.
Recall that the cherished dream of any Soviet boy from the mid-60s to the end of the 80s were figures of soldiers from the GDR, especially sets of cowboys and Indians. And then there was the film "Sons of the Big Dipper" with Goyko Mitic in the title role went (fortunately others were not shown then) and interest "in the Indians" jumped right up to heaven. They were clumsy, but six or seven colors were used, which was completely inaccessible for Soviet production. After all, if these were plastic figures, they made them the color of plastic, and metal ones were painted in something like green, and in rare cases boots and weapons were painted black. The face and hands were radically pink. True, I got a "festive" set, in which the figures themselves were blue, the faces and hands were pink, but the banner was red - the ceiling of the tuning of Soviet soldiers, just like in the finale of the 30s film "Battleship Potemkin", where the banner was above before the premiere, the ship was painted red by hand. There was no concept of scale either. Our soldiers have never approached models of military equipment, and vice versa. As, however, and dolls for girls. The beds were of the same size - the dolls were of a different size, and this was observed in everything that I once wrote about in my articles and in more than one magazine.
Here it is - the products of the sovminlegprom.
By the way, I would gladly repaint those soldiers of mine, but … there were no paints! Gouache and watercolors did not fit on plastic, so many of our plastic figures were not painted at all. Therefore, later I came across figures of red, dark green, yellow and even black. Of course, we know that for a native girl in Africa, a forked stick is a doll and she can lull her, but still, a country where all the best was given to children could have tried a little.
Kutuzov with his headquarters.
Well, of course, any army in the world, even a toy one, needs an enemy. But in Soviet times, it was impossible to even think about it. There were no "kappelevtsy" who went to the psychic on Chapaev, no "samurai" who crossed the border by the river, but the damned fascists were just an absolute taboo! True, there were Teutonic knights from the time of Alexander Nevsky. Most likely, over the years, the censorship considered that "these are possible."Actually, it's amazing how it could happen that a country in which 90% of the economy worked for "war" paid such little attention to the military theme in children's toys. Although other children's toys were neither fiction, nor a special variety, and most importantly, their quality did not differ much.
Then, for some reason, they began to make soldiers "for gold" … I wonder what positive emotions these freaks can cause in a child? In my opinion, only negative!
But these figures, I remember, was very surprised in my childhood. And why are they in white? However, green, red, blue monochromatic figures were even worse …
Now you can't even explain to my students why it was like this, as well as why the norm for the release of metal lids for canning was, for example, 20 pieces per one hand, and even in line for them it was necessary to stand. So what can we say about some kind of soldiers … However, even then there were people who knew how to make them on their own. Moreover, they created entire plasticine armies and played with them. Figures from the countries of "decaying capitalism" were obtained by great pull, plaster molds were made from them, and metal figures were cast in them. For example, the journal Nauka i Zhizn wrote about this, and there, I remember, my big article appeared about figurines made of “plastic” (an analogue of Western modulite), which was molded like plasticine, but after firing it hardened and painted. My figurines made using this technology have been exhibited for a long time in the Samara Regional Museum of History and Local Lore named after P. V. Alabina, and large - 25 centimeters - in the museum of the city of Kamyshin.
Miraculously preserved figurine made of plastic, which my wife blinded back in 1982 for our daughter. Plastic was a capricious material, it was difficult to mold from it. In addition, due to some specific features of the chemical composition, before painting such a figure with nitro paints, it was necessary to cover it with a thin layer of epoxy resin, otherwise the paint on it for some reason did not dry at all! But on the other hand, she turned out to be such a lady of the Elizabethan era, who later found herself even on the color tab of the Science and Life magazine. I think that after that article, the stocks of plastic in Soviet stores fell sharply. Because I received a lot of letters then and all their authors wanted one thing - to learn how to work with her as soon as possible, and some other special revelations, because, they say, you can't say everything in the article. Funny, huh ?!
But you can collect figurines made of plastic, gluing them together and painting, or maybe made of metal. There are bronze figurines and, in principle, you can not paint them. And there are figures from "white metal". It is customary to paint them. Even purely game soldiers have become incomparably more complex. There are mythical characters with exactly the same mythical technique for games like "Warhammer", for which dozens, if not hundreds, of updates are released every year. And since hundreds of thousands of people around the world are passionate about this game, then here's your business: cast such figures (and after gluing they must also be painted, which is also very difficult, since the size of figures for "Warhammer" is no more than 2, 5 cm) and sell online.
Marshal Murat with his staff.
Today, a large number of unpainted tin figures are offered on the market quite cheaply, but they are given to the masters to paint them. There are very high-class "specialists" who charge from 400 to 1000 euros for painting one figure. And they do pay! And then they show off to the guests and store them in an oak cabinet. Of course, becoming such a master is difficult. But … where and from whom is it written, that this path was ordered specifically for you?
Russian cuirassiers are attacking!
At one time, for example, namely in the 90s of the last century, I tried many types of activities. And one of them was just the production of figurines. There were several of us, and we were made of plastic figurines of a Viking with an ax and a shield, a Roman infantryman of the era of the decline of the empire and a Celtic in plaid trousers. Everything is on a scale of 1:12. Then there was the "Night Witch" also 1:12. After the bath! In one tunic, combing her hair. Legs from the shoulders, which was not very typical for girls of that time. But there could be exceptions. One of our Penza firms specialized in 1:35 epoxy resin figures. And what funny sets she released! Frontal love, for example. He, on her, under his greatcoat, on a bed with curls. The "white metal" bed was a masterpiece. Everything, like the Japanese, is decent, but everything is understandable! And next to it is crumpled underwear, boots … Shine, not a set. One could, of course, continue this topic. Let's say, "soldiers for need" and further by type of troops - infantry, tankmen, pilots. At one time it was somehow not customary to lay corpses on dioramas with soldiers. But why? War is war! It was possible to play on this. Show all types of injuries and evacuation of the wounded. The same topic “Damn Service at the Mesh Hospital” could have provided a truly inexhaustible material, but then just hands did not reach everything, and even with market experience it was a little tough. And then we had to do everything ourselves. Both faces and hands. And now there are heads with a ready-made facial expression, and hands with fingers … - take it and use it.
Life Guards Hussars
Personally, I really liked my own set of Loyal Soldiers of Pancho Villa (1:35 scale) of three Mexicans from 1910, picturesquely wrapped in ammunition bands, in a sombrero and holding rifles. Moreover, one had a Mauser, the other had a Mondragon rifle, and the third had a Winchester with an under-barrel magazine. All from the photographs. For special gourmets, they added three candle-shaped cacti and "Pancho Villa's armored car", which was made by another manufacturer. It is a pity that the photographs of all this have not survived, only articles in the old issues of the Standmaster magazine. Then these were the first steps of our nascent modeling industry, and Penza in those years was called the "capital of rubber kit" - "resin kits".
The French Marshal Leads the Attack!
So all this I mean is that the production of original figures of soldiers at home is not a bad business at all. The main thing is to have good eyes and skillful hands, and over time the experience will come. Yes, but what about advertising - there, in the West, it is very expensive, some "expert critics" will say now and … will be greatly mistaken. She, that is, advertising "there", sometimes costs nothing at all. You just need to know where and how to give it. However, it is possible not to get involved with the "decaying West", but to establish a business for oneself in Russia. And also on the soldiers. But we will talk about this next time.
The French attack …
