Some things in life can become a constant backdrop to the planned and unplanned routes that our lives take. An obvious example is music. I can vividly remember songs from my youth in the 1980’s and when I hear certain songs they bring back a symphony of memories from a life long since passed.
Could the same be said for a hobby? Yes, absolutely it can. The trials and successes that impact on us can also be heightened by our hobbies. For the toy soldier enthusiast, it may well relate to receiving a figure in the mail, attending a show or spying the next ‘must-have’ set of figures on the website of a dealer or through the pages of this magazine.
A while back I had a little leave to use up and spent a few days at our country retreat in New Zealand. I was on my own as my wife was away working. I had little to do so I decided, having spied copies of Toy Soldier Collector (TSC) in our study, to flick through the pages of older editions acquired many years ago.
I have been lucky enough to have all the issues produced to date. All neatly filed away and bound. So, in the warm summer sunshine and with beer in hand I started to spend some nostalgic time with TSC losing hours as I re-read old articles.
It certainly brought back memories of my life and collecting habits from the first issue launched in December 2004. Looking back on my life since then I have changed jobs four times, my son has gone from an 11-year-old boy to a young man in his 20s, I have been divorced, re-married, moved houses several times and emigrated from the UK to New Zealand (and now reside in Tasmania). I have made and lost good friends along the way and had my fair share of hard times supplemented by many brighter moments. Through this time TSC has remained a constant companion coming through the mail every two months and providing so much inspiration to expand my collection in new and interesting directions.
Denne historien er fra October - November 2020-utgaven av Toy Soldier Collector International.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra October - November 2020-utgaven av Toy Soldier Collector International.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
John Jenkins Designs
An iconic World War II fighter aircraft and a heavyweight from the annals of military history are among the latest new releases from John Jenkins Designs (JJD).
Surprising Canadians
Guy Elliott looks at the largely unknown military history of his native land.
W. Britain
A leading manufacturer since 1893, Britains needs little introduction to even the most casual of toy soldier collectors. Under the leadership of Ken Osen, the company is still going strong, expanding its existing product lines and seeking opportunities to introduce even more exciting new ranges.
Thomas Gunn Miniatures
Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by George Philips
The Last Sake
Eduardo Fernandez paints a large-scale bust.
The World of Model Soldiers, Part 1
Colin Luxford takes a tour of the world in miniature, starting with Europe and Asia.
King & Country
Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by George Philips.
GNM Miniatures
Hougoumont North Gate diorama
Dressing the Kiddies
Keith Nairn-Munro presents the second part of his study of the uniforms and history of the Scots Guards up to the Great War.
A Family Enterprise
George Phillips speaks to Abram Simon about the past, present and future of New Zealand-based Fleurbaix Toy Soldiers.
