I like the enthusiastic sales blurb (October 2025 / March 2026).
All your poses here “various stances and soldiers … self-standing”, “high quality”, “durable”, “can be positioned however kids want to!” “these high-quality Army Men stand the test of time”
As ever they have enthusiastic product blurb such as “Free-Standing” … “constructed from durable plastic to withstand the rigorous play of any little action obsessive.”
“From intricately-detailed action scenarios to your favorite military movies and stories, the Mini Toy Soldier Figurines encourage kids to develop their creativity and imagination whilst providing hours of fun and entertainment.”
Roger Halverson of the ‘Model Rails and Wargames blog’ has been working on upgrading or giving value to some of those cheap distorted pound store type plastic toy soldiers by converting them into snowball fighters with the help of some Milliput, a bit of ‘faking lead’ and some shiny gloss paint:
The Corps Army Battalion toy space soldiers (sold instore and online by Smiffy’s) are a good source of 40 to 50mm ‘Starship Troopers’ type modern or futuristic figures and accessories.
The lid usefully turns into a helipad / headquarters.
Like all good toy soldier sets, two to three colours of figures or armies are included, the green and tan of classic army men and then a dark red brown colour. Random over or undersized accessories such vehicles or aircraft are included, alongside terrain pieces and very 20th century barbed wire!
Fellow 54mm gamer James JOC O’Connell of the Quantrill’s Toy Soldiers blog over in Australia has a very creative and colourful approach to figure conversions and ImagiNations gaming.
I noticed James had featured a colourful retro paint scheme on his space troopers back in October.
Nicely done. I have also used blue and bronze on different scales of sci fi troopers as an escape from late WW1 and WW2 khaki grey green grunge.
There are no Osprey uniform books for Scifi. This adds to my ongoing exploration based on Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Star Trel, retro sci fi movies “What colour is space?”
Colourful? Grungy? Shiny and futuristic? Streamlined Art Deco?
Trago’s finest Summer 2025 … and now another pack for Christmas 2025 from the Tank Museum shop.
Comparing poses from two bags of cheap plastic soldiers from summer 2025 and then Christmas 2025.
A welcome Christmas present sourced from the Tank Museum online shop, so a donation to heritage charity! I nodded family towards this museum shop link and so I knew they were wrapped and ready waiting under the Christmas tree.
My happy, eternal inner 7 year old is easily impressed by 160 soldiers for under £5.
The Tank Museum website describes them as: 160 Piece bag of Plastic Toy Soldiers.
“A classic toy for children, which contains [80] Army Green coloured soldiers. Each soldier comes equipped with his own battlefield kit and is moulded onto a solid base to stop them failing over.”
“Equipped with his own battlefield kit” sounds so complete, fully accomplished and equipped! Alongside their personal weapon, most of them are carrying a battlefield minimum of personal issued kit, mostly webbing, water bottles, bayonets, helmets and ammunition pouches.
I first wrote about these figures back in June 2025:
These are Matchbox WW2 Infantry copies that are no longer 1:32 scale or 54mm but closer to 40 to 42mm?
Do you get the same number of poses in each bag, like you do on a sprue set?
Unlikely, in my experience of rack store / pound store toy soldiers.
Sometimes you wonder – “How many Rommels does anyone need?”
So I counted poses in both bags.
WW2 American infantry
Bayoneting – 4 and 4
Kneeling firing – 7 and 7
Advancing – 15 and 22
Flamethrower – 14 and 14
SMG Grease Gunners – 10 and 3
Too many of this pose but ripe for conversions into Rifle, BAR or SMG gunners?
Next up are the German infantry and Afrika Korps copies
WW2 German Infantry
Steel helmet firing – 2 and 3
Grenade thrower – 15 and 13
Kneeling firing bergmutz cap – 8 and 7
Steel helmet SMG gunners – 15 and 17
Officer with Pistol – 11 and 9
Officer (Rommels) – 17 and 14
Steel helmet standing firing Afrika Korps
Next up were thinning, semi-flat, slightly warped copies of Matchbox British infantry and Eighth Army:
WW2 British Infantry
Steel helmet, advancing with bayonet – 13 and 3 figures
Steel helmet falling wounded – 14 and 11
Kneeling Bren gunner in beret – 4 and 8
Grenade thrower in beret – 3 and 9
Officer with binoculars – 12 and 17
Troops with berets – Eighth Army copies
Officers and the falling wounded British figure could be used as logistics team, artillery crew, etc.
Mixed bag?
The number of figures in each pose in each bag is fairly consistent for many poses but for some individual poses such as British Bayonet figure varies widely.
Overall I counted 160 figures in the Summer 2025 and 161 figures in the Christmas 2025 bag.
Cheap plastic and disposable to many as they are, I enjoy the enthusiastic sales write ups!
Exciting Big Basket Blurb for these figures
160 Piece bag of Plastic Toy Soldiers – A classic toy for younger kids, which contains [80] Army Green coloured soldiers
Made from BPA and Toxin-free, hard wearing plastic, making this platoon of soldiers virtually unbreakable!
Kids can use their imagination to bring their soldiers to life and play out a range of scenes, indoors, outdoors, or wherever their imagination takes them.
Each soldier comes equipped with his own battlefield kit and is moulded onto a solid base to stop them falling over. Each soldier measures approx. 5cm tall. (Source: Big Basket UK)
To be fair most of these are now 40 to 42mm tall base to top of head / helmet.
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, Christmas 2025 / 30 December 2025.
Once was an Airfix WW2 Russian infantryman but copied down to 25cm. I had a small number of these figures as a child …
£8 to £9 for 50 tiny warped flashy Airfix copies doesn’t seem much of a good deal but they are very colourful.
Supposedly 2.5cm tall
Once was an Airfix Eighth Army British Officer
Product blurb –
“Are you looking for a creative and funny toy for your kids? This item will be your best choice. This product is a set of plastic soldier model toys for children. These soldiers figures are designed in different poses, allowing kids to play pretend games on an imaginative battlefield.”
Encourages imaginative play and helps children learn basic military concepts.
Designed in various poses for engaging pretend play.
Ideal for distribution at kids parties; kids will love them.
Size: Approx. 1.5 x 1 x 2.5cm.
Once was that Pointing Airfix WW2 German Infantry Officer … in yellowOnce was that stick grenade throwing Airfix WW2 German Infantry … Once was Airfix American WW2 infantry …
A few more such classic figures can be glimpsed here:
Some classic Airfix figure poses now in colorful mutated form.
All screenshot images from EBay sites, Oct 2025
Whilst I would have enjoyed these as a child, I probably wouldn’t have had a suitable craft knife or Scalpel required to remove the flash.
For this money you are almost paying for a new box of Airfix figures for £6 per 48 to 50 figures, although you wouldn’t have the range of nations – still stocked by airfix.com for £6 , Hobbycraft, model shops etc.
Various other posts on this my blog featured show the slow mutation of Airfix copies, Matchbox figure copies
I enjoy the promised excitement and learning in the blurb that you find selling toy soldiers online:
Unleash endless adventures with the Jumbo Soldier Pack! This ultimate set features approximately 48 meticulously crafted toy soldiers, perfect for igniting the imagination of young strategists and collectors alike.
Features:
Massive Set: With around 48 soldiers, this pack offers a diverse range of characters and poses, ensuring hours of engaging play.
Detailed Design: Each soldier is intricately detailed, reflecting classic military attire and gear, making them perfect for both play and display.
Durable Build: Made from high-quality, durable plastic, these soldiers are built to withstand the rigors of active play.
Educational Fun: Encourage strategic thinking, teamwork, and creativity as kids set up battles, defend forts, and create their own heroic stories.
Whether you’re expanding an existing collection or starting a new one, the Jumbo Soldier Pack is a must-have. Ideal for birthday gifts, holiday surprises, or just because – this pack promises to deliver excitement and adventure to any child’s playtime.
Add the Jumbo Soldier Pack to your cart today and watch as imaginations soar on the battlefield!
Suggested age suitability 3 years and upwards.
Who can resist?
Blog / Blurb posted by Mark Man of TIN, 19 December 2025
I enjoy watching Big Lee (he of the Posties Rejects) on his BMLA Youtube chats.
He talks about dealing with the Lead Mountain and the joys or risks of Shinyitis that should prevent that oft quoted fatal thing – that when their last miniature is painted, then a gamer dies.
Cheap Life Insurance?
The cheapest solution to living forever – rack toy pound store figures!
Look variously online if you have no toy stores or newsagents nearby.
Available in a range of sizes or scales …
Convertible to a range of skirmish games …
Colonial forces versus tribal warriors – all conversions
Range of historical periods from knights and ancients, cowboys and indians, pirates, khaki ‘green and tan’ army man modern infantry …
Little Wars on a Budget …
Which as they slowly de-evolve and mutate, familiar old figures become new?
If you have to live forever, it’s worth investing in a bag or two of interesting and affordable toys to stash in the rainy day cupboard to ensure immortality.
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 