Toy Soldier - Varieties

Varieties

Different types and styles of toy soldiers have been produced over the years, depending on the cost and availability of materials, as well as manufacturing technologies. Here is a list of some of the most commonly collected varieties of toy soldiers.

• Aluminum - slush cast aluminium, made chiefly in France during the early and middle 20th Century
• Army men - unpainted, soft plastic toy soldiers sold inexpensively in bags or with terrain pieces and vehicles in boxed playsets
• Composition - made from a mixture of sawdust and glue, manufactured in Austria and Germany
• Connoisseur - high quality, collectible figures featuring highly detailed paint jobs
• Dimestore - hollow or slush cast iron, sold through five and dime stores from the 1920s to 1960 in the United States
• Flat - thin, two dimensional tin soldiers cast in slate molds
• Hollow cast - cast in metal, usually a lead alloy, which cools and sets as it touches the mold; the excess molten metal is poured out leaving a hollow figure
• Paper - printed on sheets of paper or cardboard, frequently mounted on blocks of wood
• Plastic - hard and soft plastic, generally painted figures
• Solid - cast in solid metal, usually lead, common in Germany during the 19th and early 20th Century

Prominent vintage toy soldier makers include Airfix, Barclay, Britains, Herald, Elastolin, Johillco, Lineol, Marx, Manoil, and Timpo.