16th/17th Century

This page shows toy soldiers depicting characters from the 16th to 17th Centuries or therabouts!

These three musketeers are by GUILBERT of France. To overcome the limitations of two part moulds the hats and feathers have been moulded separately, the earlier figures were made in acetate and the later ones in hard polystyrene. The majority of French plastics were made in these rather brittle materials and as a result damage is common, particularly swords which are often repaired (as here) with a piece of wire.

The musketeer on a rearing horse is an early figure by CYRNOS who utilized the same horse with different riders in their wild west range

Sir Frances Drake finishes his game of bowls before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, a character figure from a boxed set made by CHARBENS in England.

Three conversions of conquistadors made by MONARCH which was a short lived offshoot of JOHILCO. So far as I recall, there were only two sets of figures ever made by MONARCH, six conquistadores and three highland clansmen. When JOHILCO went into liquidation the moulds were bought up by CHERILEA who reissued the conquistadores and sold them in large quantities through Woolworths stores in the UK. Eventualy the moulds were sold for scrap but were rescued and put back into production, these conversions were made from the late remouldsand are just simple changes of head and arm positions.

This rather gruesome scene is the CHERILEA Elizabethan execution set. A Priest offers the last rites while a Yeoman of the Guard from the Tower of London stands watch suported a halberdier and his officer.

I don't know who the intended victim is, possibly the Earl of Essex who was executed for treason after failing to quell the Irish and staging an abortive coup against Elizabeth I. Sadly I'm missing the executioner and the block, but everything turns up eventually!

Three Landsknecht made by DOMPLAST of Germany, they have seperate weapons which are invariably missing. They were originally produced unpainted.

Another two (from the set of six) DOMPLAST Landsknechts as above

More Landsknecht, this time conversions from CRESCENT WW2 and CHERLEA cowboy figures, made by modeller Ian Walden

Austrian Cuirassiers from the 30 Years War, conversions of medieval knights made by JEAN of Germany, on BRITAINS DEETAIL horses. This pair and the two that follow are more of the handiwork of Ian Walden

Another Austrian Cuirassier of the 30 Years War, this time firing his pistols en caracole.

The Cuirassier trumpeter to accompany the figures above

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