CHARTERHOUSE large castle
HISTORY
This toy fort was marketed by the firm of Mr C E Turnbull trading as C.E.T. & Co, of London, England, using the trade names CETANDCO and, more commonly, Charterhouse. He was operating from about 1910 to 1930 - not so much as a manufacturer as a producer of elaborate play sets assembled using the products of many independent manufacturers.
It is not known whether he manufactured the toy forts marketed under the Charterhouse brand or not, but it is most likely that another made them to his order. It appears to have been loosely modelled on the Tower of London, but it is unknown if it was marketed as such.
TRI-ANG Castle Series No.5: Harlech
HISTORY
Made by Lines Bros Ltd., Merton, London, UK, 1959.
This is one of their series of large toy forts based on real castles. There were four in the series, numbered strangely 3 to 6 - Harlech Castle was no:5 - and another (Rochester), an enlarged version of No:4 Dover, was added later (1963). It was an amazingly accurate model of the actual fort. It remained in Tri-ang's catalogue until 1965. This particular model was the subject of an article in Old Toy Soldier, Vol 23, No 2, pp 27-29.
by MichToy
on Oct 09, 2009
F-Toys Confect are "Candy Figures" from Japan. In other words these figures are packaged in boxes with a piece of candy. Collecting these figures is much like collecting American trading cards. You have no idea which figure is in the box and you keep buying until you have a complete set. In a slick marketing ploy most series also includes "chase" or secret figures. Randomly included in counter boxes these figures are scarce and very collectible. These figures are manufactured in what is referred to as "disposable molds" which means once the run is done the molds are trashed and no more figures can be produced. These 1:32 scale (54mm) figures are exquisitely sculpted and painted and we sell them in sets from 6 to 10 figures per set. This Hospitaler comes from the series "Historicals" which includes a Roman Legionnaire, Greek Hoplite, English Civil War Dragoon and Henry V, among others. Sets range anywhere from $55 to $200 with this one coming in at $59.99.
Since June 2006, the MSTC staff has been choosing a favourite figure to showcase each week on the site. This one is from March 24- 31 2008. We'll be covering the past two years' worth of these by featuring one a day here on Toy Collector until we've caught up when we'll move to one a week.
by GreenhillMiniatures
on Sep 12, 2009
Christian had asked me to introduce my new book Heraldic Sketchbook. It comes out next month and will contain sketches and notes on mediaeval heraldry and related subjects, accumulated over more than thirty years, for my work as an heraldic miniaturist.
Section Four of the book is much more about collecting than heraldry, but both co-exist in it. I began collecting miniature figures in 1967 after an introduction to the subject by an art-director friend prompted me to make a telephone call to The British Model Soldier Society. A subsequent visit to one of their meetings at Caxton Hall, London, resulted in an introduction to ‘Nod' Faulkner, the Society's president for that year: Mr Faulkner's interests are quite varied, but he has a passion for the mediaeval period and particularly the work of the late miniaturist Richard Courtenay (1892-1963). This section demonstrates my obsessive fascination with the work of Mr Courtenay, especially his design, colouration and extraordinary attention to detail (see alos my earlier blog article on Courtenay).
Courtenay's figures are for the most part 2in (50mm) in height (3in/75mm for mounted figures) and demonstrate a wonderful ability to produce figures of real beauty and elegance that depict the heraldic splendour of fighting knights from the Middle Ages. It is the accuracy of the historical research which endears Courtenay to the committed collector, matched with a comprehensive study of the heraldry of the period and how it was displayed in battle.
by MichToy
on Aug 17, 2009
'Ello guvnah. Put your mead-goggles on and feast your eyes on this medieval matron! Steve's latest pick and she depicts all the charm, grace and elegance that the Dark Ages we're known for. Entitled "Seated Lady #4" shes all lead, all lady and all for only $40.00!
