Toy Soldier & Model Figure Magazine Issue 215 Back Issue

Hayden Hammersmith gets the ball rolling this month with an article titled “The San Jacinto Project.” It’s a very interesting account of how King & Country Ltd. undertook a major commission from a U.S. museum to build a 70-square-foot diorama re-creating 1836’s decisive battle of the Texas Revolution in 1:30 scale.
Andy C. Neilson and his team had to overcome a number of creative challenges to accomplish the complex job. For example, K&C specially produced a large number of new Texian and Mexican figures to animate the action during various phases of the clash of arms at San Jacinto.
The project climaxed with Andy and Chris Munro spending several long but rewarding days installing the epic diorama in The Bryan Museum in Galveston, Texas.
With more than 70,000 items, the newly opened museum is home to the world’s largest collection of artifacts and artwork relating to the Southwestern United States.
New contributor Mike Williams shares details about the World War II Imperial Japanese Army’s “Woodpecker” guns. The nickname stems from the sound made when Type 92 and Type 3 heavy machine guns were fired. Mike researches their history and specifications. He also tracks down and builds 1:35-scale kits of each type of weapon to reinforce his collection.
Matthew W. Adams recounts a story from his family’s history about a deadly Indian raid targeting a frontier homestead in Colonial America. He illustrates the incident with a diorama made by primarily using “Clash of Empires” figures and scenic items from W. Britain.
In “A Blast From the Past,” A.J. Mergenthaler reminisces about collecting figures manufactured by Historical Miniatures during the World War II era. The U.S. company turned out composition figures for a brief time during the 1940s. The writer shares a look at some examples that he has managed to keep in great condition through all the intervening years.