Somewhat later than we had hoped, we are now beginning to publish the material we promised earlier this year. This has proven a more difficult task than anticipated, and we thank all those who have provided financial and other support to get this up and running again.
Our new front page provides an indication of how we plan to move forward and what the focus of the OTSJ will be. It features a marching Doughboy band by one of the lesser-known toy soldier makers (Reka). This will be featured in a forthcoming article.
When the magazine first started it had a strong focus on the toy soldiers of William Britains (led by Joe Wallis), as well as American Dimestore (a name coined by Don Pielin). However, it has always covered a much wider range of figures(both military and civilian) produced by other manufacturers such as CBG Mignot and Heyde. Steve and Josie Sommers were often champions of the latter, while Roger Garfield with his wide-ranging interest in all things military, and his artistic talents as a cartoonist, completed the original 5 founders of the Old Toy Soldier Show and magazine.
In 2000 the magazine element was taken over by Ray Haradin who brought in his encyclopaedic knowledge of rare toys, especially toy soldiers. This encompassed connoisseur models as well as toys. Ray appointed Norman Joplin as Editor of the magazine, which ensured that the focus would not just be on the big makers but also the myriad of smaller makers that Norman has researched so intensively over the years. Since I took over as Editor in 2000, I have endeavoured to continue in this tradition, aiming to cover all aspects of the hobby.
Now under new management, Harry Kemp and I aim to ensure that the OTSJ will continue to be a key hub, where collectors will find everything they need to know about what is going on in the hobby. Our prime focus will remain on collecting old toy soldiers, especially those made of lead or tin. However, we will also cover figures, both military and civilian, made from other materials, including plastic. The boundary between toy and model soldiers is a grey one, and we know that many of our readers have an interest in models made for the connoisseur such as Courtenay, Stadden, Berdou, Fouille and many more.
We will continue to feature articles on such makers as well as traditional toys. Future content will depend on material submitted to us for publication, so if there is a gap you think needs to be filled why not try “putting pen to paper” and send us articles about your own special interests. We can help you turn rough ideas into a polished article that others will be pleased to read.
Over the next few weeks, we will be publishing a series of exciting new articles here. These will include a speculative piece by Robin Forsey (a regular contributor to the OTSJ in recent years) on early American made “Camp sets”, portraying military camps in the second half of the 19th Century.
Well known author James Opie also provides a fascinating piece on one of the first, so called, “New Toy Soldier” makers that began operating in the last quarter of the 20th Century. Better known for his comprehensive works on Britains, James focuses here on the soldiers produced by Blenheim, drawing on his personal knowledge of the Scrobys.
Will Beierwaltes, another regular contributor has put together a fascinating piece on models of the British State Landau. While his main focus is on the models made by Corgi, he also covers the efforts of a number of other makers.
We start off the process today with an article by Bill Anderson on Britains giant Set #131. Bill has produced many articles for us over the past few years, and a number of others are in preparation. These will be published over the next few months. This includes follow-ups to his recent Boer War and Royal Navy articles, as well new pieces on Pirates and Cowboys and Indians. Keep up the good work Bill! Other articles in the pipeline include a piece on British Hollowcast Bands, which will feature the Reka band shown on our new cover page!
Other regular features of the magazine, including the Reconnaissance section will help to keep you up to date on what is going on in the hobby. This will include features on two other rare giant Britains sets that have emerged in the past few months, as well as much more.
Rob Wilson, Editor OTSJ, September 30th 2026