Toy Soldiers 5: Greeks

I got these Ancient Greek Warriors at the Estate Sale a couple of years ago.  I always thought they looked great, but didn’t try taking them off the plastic frames for quite a while after I bought them.  Maybe I had second thoughts about buying any more toys, but I thought they’d be great as Dungeons & Dragons figurines.  Eventually, I decided to liberate the figures and have a little fun with them. 

 

I should explain that all of these toy soldiers sets I got came in little boxes with all the figures attached to plastic frames to keep them all together in the package.  Usually, you’d just have to twist the figure a little to pull them loose.  There might be a little excess on the bottom that you’d have to cut off.

Judging by the box, these appear to be of Russian manufacture.  I can vouch that they were built to a communist industrial ethic.  I could not get the damn things off the frames.  They wouldn’t twist off.  Graphite scissors didn’t make a mark on them.  I tried a small, sharp knife, which didn’t penetrate the plastic.  I had to put them back in the box and stew in frustration.  Finally, a desperate plan came to me in a dream later (like a year later).  I took a pair of wire cutters to the frames.  That was a risky, dangerous maneuver, because it would have been very easy to accidently chop the figures up.

 

As you can see, it worked.  It was a nervous operation.  However, the post-surgery was even worse.  There were knobs left on the bottom of the figures.  I had to meticulously file them down to get the figures to stand evenly.  That took a long time given the number of figures.  Attaching the spears and shields was pretty easy and have held up well.  (Unlike those traumatizing Zulu figures I had.)  I can thank the industrial toughness of the figures for that. 

 

More than any other army of figures I have, these actually tempt me into wanting to paint them.  These would look good in color.  Judging by the box cover, you could go nuts individualizing them.  (I still have no clue how you’d paint something this small.)  As is, they’re cool.  You’ve got swords, spears, archers, slingers, Alexander, and a flute player.  I’ve got to use these guys in a game someday.