Military History Weekend 2012 W. Britain Collectors Event

MHW figure Military History Weekend 2012 is right around the corner! We’re looking forward to presentations by notable veterans, seeing the living historians and vintage vehicles, and of course The Toymaker of Williamsburg and W. Britain Annual Open House.

In conjunction with the weekend events, W. Britain will host a can’t-miss collectors’ event! The Military Enthusiast & W. Britain Collectors Evening Event will take place on Saturday October 13th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The W. Britain collectors’ event will include dinner, drinks, guest speakers, and a special event figure. This year’s guest speakers are authors Monte Akers and Joe Wallis. The Military Enthusiast & W. Britain Collectors Evening Event gives attendees the rare opportunity to hear about their work and speak with these renowned authors.

Mr. Monte Akers is the author of Year of Glory: The Life and Battles of Jeb Stuart and His Cavalry, June 1862–June 1863 (Casemate Publishers, 2012). Mr. Akers is an attorney practicing in Austin, Texas but his passion since childhood has been American history, particularly the Civil War. That passion has led him to become a collector of artifacts, a relic hunter, a song writer, a re-enactor, a movie extra, and the author, in addition to Year of Glory, of the following books: Flames After Midnight: Murder, Vengeance, and the Desolation of a Texas Community (University of Texas Press, 1999 & 2011); Tales for the Telling: Six Short Stories of the Civil War on CD (Cold Creek Productions: 2005), The Accidental Historian: Tales of Trash and Treasure, (Texas Tech University Press: 2010). He was a featured author at the Texas Book Festival in 2011, and is a frequent speaker at state and national legal conferences, a former Adjunct Professor for Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) University, and is the author of numerous legal papers and articles regarding municipal law, water law, environmental law, utility law and related topics.

It is also our honor to have renowned W. Britain authority and author of Regiments of All Nations Joe Wallis on hand to discuss W. Britain figures from 1946 to 1966. Mr. Wallis’ first published ROAN in 1981 and released a hardback color version of this classic last year. His knowledge of this period in W. Britain’s long history is without peer.

The 2012 Military History Weekend event figure (above) depicts a British Ensign of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot, Regimental Colour in 1815. This special event figure, limited to 450 pieces, is valued at $38.00 and included in the evening event ticket price.

If you are a toy soldier collector or just interested in military history join us for this special event. Tickets for this event are $55 per person (for W. Britain Collectors Club members) and $60 per person (for non-club members) and can be purchased directly from W. Britain at 1-888-771-5576 (toll-free from the USA only) or 1-563-582-2071. This year’s event is being held at the Holiday Inn Patriot, 3032 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185. Special room reservation rate of $89 just mention the show when you call 1-800-446-6001.

You will want to reserve your spot at the Military Enthusiast & W. Britain Collectors Evening Event as soon as possible; this popular event is filling up quickly! If the event has not sold out, tickets will also be available at The Toymaker of Williamsburg and W. Britain Open House as well as at Military History Weekend.

MHW speaker flyer

Plastic Toy Soldiers

Our plastic toy soldier sets are complete play sets for kids. Toy soldier play sets allow kids to re-create history and re-enact everything from The American Revolution to The Civil War to WWII. These colorful plastic soldiers can represent figures from different armies and countries. Toy soldier sets range from a dozen pieces up to hundreds of figures. Some come with specific themes or represent specific battles like our Battle of Yorktown boxed set or our Civil War Soldier Set. Others have a more generic theme and can be used to re-create anything your kids can imagine.

Many of our plastic toy soldier sets even contain accessories like flags, cannons, horses, and maps. See some of our plastic toy soldier sets below or shop all of our toy soldiers for kids on our official site now.

Plastic Toy Soldiers

Revolutionary War Playset

Gettysburg Box Set

Action Figures

Civil War Soldiers

Revolutionary Soldier Set

The Soldiers

W. Britain The 2012 Summer Collection Catalog

W Britain Logo The Toymaker of Williamsburg just received a limited number of complimentary catalogs from W. Britain. Our newest W. Britain catalog is The 2012 Summer Collection and we are happy to send them to our customers free of charge.

W. Britain The 2012 Summer Collection Catalogue contains the newest additions to their WWI, Zulu War, Museum Collection, The War Along the Nile Series, and Napoleonic collections. See these exciting new toy soldiers and get historical information about new figures now.

To receive your complimentary catalog, call The Toymaker (757-229-5660) or send us an email including your name and address to toymaker1@widomaker.com. If you haven’t done so already, you can also sign up for our mailing list and write your catalog request in the “comments” field of the signup form. The Toymaker does not share or sell any personal information including email addresses.

There are limited numbers of these popular catalogs so contact us today!

The 2012 Summer Collection

W. Britain The Summer Collection Catalog

Archive Collection

Figures and sets from the W. Britain Archive Collection are made in the style of William Britain figures produced in the early 1900’s. These sets are produced faithfully down to the shades of paint, style of painting and even the classic burgundy Britains boxes with figures tied in. The only variation in these figures to the originals is that they are not hollowcast (for safety reasons) but are lead-free solid cast figures instead.

British 7th Hussars

British 7th Hussars is the newest addition to our figures from the W. Britain Archive Collection. This four piece set is a limited edition of 400 sets.

The essence of the W. Britain Archive Collection is not only the wonderfully nostalgic figures from their 119-year-old archive but the equally captivating vintage boxes. The popular four piece set format returns in this catalog with the never before produced 7th Hussars. The box is finished in the classic W. Britain burgundy with a Fred Whisstock style hand drawn label. Each figure is then hand-tied into the box just like W. Britain did in the early part of the 20th Century.
~ W. Britain The 2012 Winter & Stock Collection

British 7th Hussars

W. Britain Archive Collection

See this exciting new arrival and build your toy soldier collection with our other figures from the W. Britain Archive Collection. Check them out on our official site now: W. Britain Archive Collection.

British 11th Hussars Officer

British Royal Marine Light Infantry Officer Marching

Irish Guards Officer

Union Artillery Set #4 “Running Up” 3″ Ordinance Rifle with Four Man Crew

This five piece set (31148) is from the American Civil War Artillery from W. Britain

The 3” Ordinance Rifle was known for its reliability and accuracy, and was fielded by the artillery branches of both the Union and Confederate armies. Crafted from hammer-welded, machined iron, the ordinance rifle typically fired 8- or 9-pound shells, as well as solid shot, case, and canister. W. Britain’s new model of this ubiquitous gun comes with a brand new Union crew in the process of running it back up into position. Two new single Union crewmen and another generic artillery crewman join the ranks and can be used to crew the Napoleon and Parrott cannons that are sold individually, allowing you to customize and create your very own crews, sections, and batteries.

Union Artillery Set #4 “Running Up” 3″ Ordinance Rifle with Four Man Crew is a 1:32 scale hand-painted toy soldier set made from cast white metal alloy that is not suitable for persons under the age of 14 years.

See this set and all of our Union toy soldiers on our official site now.

Union Artillery Set 4 - W. Britain

Pre-Order Now!

Virginia State Garrison Bass Drummer 1770s

You can now pre-order The Virginia State Garrison Bass Drummer 1770s!

We announced the newest Toymaker of Williamsburg Exclusive W. Britain toy soldier in July and we are now making this figure available for pre-order.

The Toymaker of Williamsburg is expecting The Virginia State Garrison Bass Drummer 1770s in December 2012. We do not, however, have an exact arrival date. Those who pre-order will have the Exclusive Bass Drummer shipped to them immediately upon arrival.

In store, on the phone, or online you can reserve your figure in whichever way is most convenient for you. Pre-order The Virginia State Garrison Bass Drummer 1770s now!

Pre-order by phone: 757-229-5660
Pre-order online: http://www.toymakerofwilliamsburg.com/toy/575-780/Virginia+State+Garrison+Bass+Drummer+1770s+-+Exclusive+-+W+Britain+-+PRE-ORDER+ONLY.html

Don’t miss our other Toymaker of Williamsburg Exclusive W. Britain figures. Click to see our Ensign, Fifer, and Drummer below.

Virginia State Garrison Ensign 1770s

Virginia State Garrison Fifer 1770s

Virginia State Garrison Drummer 1770s

The Toymaker of Williamsburg and W. Britain Open House

The Toymaker of Williamsburg and W. Britain Annual Open House takes place on the 2nd floor of our Merchants Square store. This is a great chance for toy soldier enthusiasts to meet and talk with Richard Walker, general manager of W. Britain.

Visitors can get the inside scoop about W. Britain happenings and a preview of new Britains toy soldiers. Take a look at the Toymaker’s complete toy soldier selection including our very own Toymaker of Williamsburg exclusive W. Britain toy soldiers. Visitors can also preview our brand new figure! The Virginia State Garrison Bass Drummer 1770’s will be joining The Toymaker Fife and Drum Corps and our open house guests will get a sneak peek at this exciting new addition.

Any W. Britain sets purchased during the open house will receive a special certificate of authenticity signed by Richard Walker. There will be door prizes given out every hour. In the past these have been W. Britain figures and military history books and we’re looking forward to seeing what these exciting giveaways will be this year! The first 100 kids to attend the event will receive a free plastic W. Britain toy soldier. The fun concludes at 6:00 p.m., just in time to dine and enjoy the ambiance of Merchants Square!

Military and toy soldier enthusiasts will want to be sure to attend Military History Weekend, October 13 & 14, at the Holiday Inn Patriot, Williamsburg, as well. You can find all of the details about this event in our MHW blog post.

When:

Friday October 12, 2012 3:00-6:00p.m.

Where:

Highlights:

Meet W. Britain General Manager Richard Walker
Door prizes every hour
FREE plastic W. Britain toy soldier for the first 100 children at the event
Preview the newest Toymaker of Williamsburg exclusive W. Britain figure

W. Britain August Arrivals

Brand new toy soldiers have just arrived at The Toymaker of Williamsburg! Military miniatures from William Britain’s Museum Collection, American Civil War Collection, Archive Collection and American Revolution Collection have just appeared on our shelves. See all of our August arrivals below.

W. Britain is a world leader in the realm of collectible toy soldiers. Their modern toy soldiers have such lifelike features that they are considered to have photographic detail. Each of their metal figures is historically accurate from clothing to weaponry. Their military miniatures come in a huge assortment of ranges from historic battles to literary characters to 20th century soldiers. It is the high quality, variety, and historical accuracy of their toy soldiers that make the W. Britain brand a favorite among collectors.

Start building your toy soldier collection today. See these and all of our William Britain toy soldiers on or official site now.

W. Britain Museum Collection

Black Watch Private Marching #1

Black Watch Highlander WWI 1916

American Civil War Toy Soldiers

Union Iron Brigade Advancing 3	Union Iron Brigade Kneeling Firing 1
Union Artillery Crewman Advancing with Sponge and Bucket 1	Union Artillery Set #4 – Running Up

W. Britain Archive Collection

British 7th Hussars

American Revolution Toy Soldiers

British Royal Irish Grenadier Standing Firing 1	British Royal Irish Grenadier Charge Bayonet 1
Colonial Militia Standing Firing 1	Colonial Militia Standing Loading 1
Colonial Militia At Port Arms 1	Colonial Militia Kneeling Firing 1

Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee is well known for the role he played in the American Civil War, especially for his success in The Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Lee was born at Stratford in Westmoreland County on January 19, 1807. Lee’s father also had military roots. Lee was the child of Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee.

Robert E. Lee attended West Point in 1825. After graduating, he served the US military in Georgia, New York, Texas, Virginia and Mexico. In 1852, Lee was given the job of superintendent of West Point.

On April 18, 1861, Lee was offered the position of field command of the US Army. When Lee learned that Virginia seceded from the Union he resigned from the US Army and took the position as commander of Virginia forces.

In 1965, he was given the title General-In-Chief of all Confederate Armies. Later that same year, he surrendered to Ulysses S Grant at the Appomattox Court House effectively ending the Civil War.

After the Civil War, Lee was almost tried as a traitor. Instead, he had his civil rights suspended. President Gerald Ford eventually restored Lee’s citizenship. Robert E. Lee was also given the position as President of Washington College. Washington University was later renamed Washington and Lee. Lee died on October 12, 1870 and was buried in Lexington.

Can’t get enough of Robert E. Lee? See the miniature version today! Represent this iconic Civil War general in your toy soldier collection. See Lee and all of our Civil War toy soldiers on our official site now.

General Robert E. Lee

General Robert E. Lee

General Robert E. Lee Mounted

General Lee's Belongings

Lee and Stuart

Ever wonder what Lee was like in action? Now you know!

Check out the story behind TOYmaker TALK

Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century

Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century is a collectors’ guide written by James Opie.

This book serves as an update of the author’s successful book: Collecting Toy Soldiers (Collins, 1987; pbk edition, New Cavendish, 1991). In it, James Opie gives the collector the benefit of thirty years’ experience as the world’s leading authority on traditional toy soldiers (as opposed to model soldiers used in wargaming etc.) and a lifetime as a collector himself. The book combines authoritative advice on all aspects of collecting, including price trends and pitfalls to avoid when buying or selling at auction. This guide helps the toy soldier enthusiast address major concerns when collecting like getting started, identifying toy soldiers, judging the condition of toy soldiers, and caring for figures. It even includes informative and often-amusing anecdotes from James’ own experiences.

Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century is 256 pages with approximately 220 color photographs.

Can’t wait to start building or improving your toy soldier collection? See Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century and all of our books on our official website today!

Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century

Toymaker of Williamsburg BLOG

Category Archives: Toy Soldiers

Military History Weekend 2012 W. Britain Collectors Event

Plastic Toy Soldiers

W. Britain The 2012 Summer Collection Catalog

Archive Collection

Union Artillery Set #4 “Running Up” 3″ Ordinance Rifle with Four Man Crew

Pre-Order Now!

The Toymaker of Williamsburg and W. Britain Open House

W. Britain August Arrivals

Robert E. Lee

Collecting Toy Soldiers in the 21st Century