Petite Guerre Toy Soldiers New Maker of 1:32 Scale Resin figures from Italy for you to enjoy. Erwin Sell has uncovered this company that is making figure for the French and Indian War. Erwin did an interview with owner Nino to share with you.
Note the name Petite Guerre Toy Soldiers stands for Little war toy soldiers.
Petite Guerre Toy Soldiers New Maker of 1:32 Scale Resin figures from Italy Interview
Nino’s Erwin interview.
1-Are you a collector as well?
No, I am not a collector. Although I have always been fond of toy soldiers and have kept many from my childhood.
2-What give you the idea to start this enterprise?
I have always been interested in military history, with a focus on the 18th-Century. I started sculpting and casting my own white-metal figures as a teenager back in the 1970s. This was at a time when very few miniatures were available for this period of history.
The results were poor enough, but I never abandoned the idea. Throughout my life I occasionally reverted to sculpting and casting, slowly improving my skills. Some fifteen years ago I decided to make some figures to play basic FIW skirmish games with my kids. I ended up with a reasonable amount of white-metal toy soldiers.
However, this activity never went beyond my own family sphere (the hobby of 54mm wargaming being virtually non-existent over her). I soon came at the crossroads decision. Whether I should keep making toy soldiers for my exclusive use and gradually fill the garage with them, or rather try and make them for others to buy and play with.
Having opted for the second alternative, I am now stumbling through the initial phases of setting up a hobby-scale toy soldiers production enterprise…
3-What skills/experiences you have in it as sculptor,artist else.?
I am self-tought in drawing, sculpting amd painting. My educational/professional background is in mechanical engineering. I have been working for thirty years as engineer/manager in the automotive foundry machinery industry).
4-What age range are you !?I was born in 1960.
5-Do you use and use mold hand press machinery per part/figure to do it!?
My masters are scuplted in epoxy-putty, often starting from resin mannequins of my own make. I use RTV silicon rubber for mold making, and a pressure-pot facility for resin casting.
6-What type resin material you use!?
I decided to go resin / hard plastic as opposed to white-metal, and use two-component, slow-curing industrial poly-urethane resin.
Petite Guerre Toy Soldiers New Maker of 1:32 Scale Resin figures from Italy Part Two
7-Is the thematic you are making of great interest for Italians games/collectors and European as well for us here in the US?
Certainly not here in Italy, where the toy soldiers hobby mainly focuses on collecting painted. White metal miniatures. 54mm wargaming is virtually non-existent. Personally I have come to know only one Italian wargamer interested in this period and figure size .(Who, by the way, has helped me a lot in getting my figures known abroad through forums he Particpates in.) Things are certainly better in the UK. Although I understand the US is where the majority of 54mm wargamers are based.
8-Are you thinking to expand production in figures in future?
Definitely wish to expand my FIW range. I am currently draft-sculpting French regular infantrymen, Provincial rangers, Highlanders, as well as a few more Canadians.
I would also like to develop a range of figures for the European conflicts of the mid-18th Century, and have already produced a mounted French hussar.
Much, of course, depends on the reception and encouragement I will get from a wider public…
9-Please explain what fragility OR not had you observe in your figures !?
If the can be play with with out getting broke ,dropped in table else!!!?
Resin is of course more fragile than injection-molded soft plastic. Having said this, the particular resin I use to cast my toy soldiers is at least as strong as, say, Barszo’s. I have occasionally dropped figures from the table with no damage, but certainly some care must be used in handling them, particularly figures with bayonets…
10-Are you able take papal payments per order.?
Yes, I can take Pay-PalAt this stage, however, I operate at a hobby-level only, and deal directly with end-Customers.
11-What shipping method you will use from Italy to US at this moment!?
So far I have shipped with registered mail, which is reasonable enough and safe.
12- I understand your orders require a assembling casting off mold per part/figures time ahead before ship and it is very time consuming plus material that give to add up other expenses increases the price per figures.
Would this may change positive to be less costly to buyers in future if you are able minimize assembling ,making and production plus materials!?
I offer my toy soldiers as un-painted, pre-assembled resin castings.
Producing my figures in separate parts (usually the body and the arms) allows me to reach a good standard of pose realism and detail, but requires two, sometimes even three molds per figure (and even more for mounted figures.). Trimming the parts and assembling them requires time, as also cleaning the various molds involved. This obviously has an impact on my productivity, and on the cost of the figures.
This said, I am currently experimenting with different rubbers and mold making techniques, and if I can reduce mold cleaning, then the cost of producing my figures will also come down…
13-Where do you get the poses ideas and clothing uniforms reference from !?
Although I rely on the many excellent uniform books available today. I always try to cross-reference the information found there with primary sources. That is 18th-Century extant specimens found in museums, period paintings, prints, drawings and eye-witness accounts.
Over the years, I have put together many books on the subject matter. I have also collected a vast amount of pictures from the Internet, depicting 18th-Century military and civilian subjects from Europe and all over the World.
I also find that re-enactor pictures be extremely useful. They show dress and equipment details in a way that period paintings, and even modern illustrations, seldom do.
As to the poses of my toy soldiers, I try to think of my figures as part of a group acting together toward a common objective. Therefore, I try to avoid poses that are too extreme or acrobatic.
14-What last words you may like add to us.
Well, I wish to conclude with thanking you for the fantastic opprortunity you gave me to present my toy soldiers on Stad’ Stuff.
As an outsider, I am very much open to the advice and constructive criticism that may come from such a great community of toy soldiers enthusiasts.
Petite Guerre Toy Soldiers New Maker of 1:32 Scale Resin figures from Italy Final Thoughts
These figures should go well Rogers Rangers set from Barzso Collectibles. The figures retail at 5.40 Euro $6.75 not including . Check their web site out for more information. You can go here for more information.
If nothing else, I like his last name…………;)…………always good to see a new player in the hobby, I wish him well.
These figures look really nice. These should go well Barzso figures and some other companies. Thanks for spreading the word about them Edwin and Paul.
Excellent figures , well thought out, extensively researched. The duplication of the facial expressions is a bit off-putting, perhaps he might produce some replacement heads at some point to give each figure more individuality.
I will like add that Nino and me had been in communication for some time now and others information question that would be expose here responded already to me.
Yet…
The following interview was made with solely purpose of give general exposure and space to write for himself for all you folks to see and help advertise in our fellowship hobby it.
Nino had created a new personal enterprise that I found out is very great news and well done executed.In my opinion is very allike the way Don Ducote(HTS) produce his figures by multiparts body mold part then put together assembling.
His enthusiasm and charisma surprise me and I had decide to buy first batch figures from him with soon close up photos review along other brands for all to see/compare in a week or so from this post .So far i can see very match with Barzso ,yet his figures do not suffer the bubble/missing skin as that of Barzso so far and are more flexible than Barzso as well.
I strongly like to suggest the support by interested and able order/buy to help another new maker in our limited hobby .
My thoughts
best.
Excellent interview. Good questions, followed by interesting, informative answers.
And the figures themselves are very impressive. They seem to be perfect add-ons to the French & Indian War playsets introduced by Ron Barzso, and the FIW blockhouse and front gate introduced by CTS.
I totally agree Don!!They will be a great add on on a poor covered thematic of US/Canada early wars ,they may match as well with AIP sets too
The indian and most rangers soldiers could be used for war of independence as well some up to 1812/15 war too.The soldiers will be great for many european war and future highlanders else for UK jacobites wars too .
The french rangers- militia have a good sailors /marines or up pirates use too in many periods too i think.
Best
very nice !
Very informative post.
Always nice to see a new maker in the hobby, Not my era of collecting but good luck to the bloke and I hope he does well.
When I see these figures for the first time I have a great emotion for the thematic age and for the amazing sculpture of the pieces. After came the English Army, new emotions and again great figures. Nino of the Petite Guerre (no guerrero), is a real master and I am conquer from his enthusiasm and passion for this work. I have many set Barzso, and I love them, but The Petite Guerre Production is more definite and resistent, again, this collection is in progress and I wait new Amazing figures for my games.
How does one go about purchasing these figures?
Lynn,
You can email me at:
info@petiteguerretoysoldiers.com
and I will come back to you with ordering information.
Thank you for your interest!
The price per figure is still a little too high for toy soldiers but I understand why.