For me, the new toy soldier year begins with the Gettysburg show. I drove the 45 minutes to G'burg on Sunday with a very focused shopping list, and I came home with every item on it. The prices were great and often came with discounts for multiple purchases.
As usual, it was held at the Eisenhower conference center on the outskirts of Gettysburg. It was very well attended and the room was packed with vendor's tables.
[The show is a very nice mix of old and new.]
[very beautiful, and very expensive, field artillery.]
I was looking for the last two Union cavalrymen (Britains) to finish off my 21-man 7th Michigan Cavalry, and three sets of Marx Battleground dragons-teeth to complete my Navarone setup. Mission accomplished.
It was good catching up with friends and seeing if there was anything new from previous shows.
My two cavalry guys were from a vendor just opposite the front door, so that was taken care of right away. His prices were great with Britains cavalrymen - new in the box - for $30.00 a piece. Because I bought two, he knocked-off another ten dollars...fantastic; similarly for the dragons teeth, multiples brought a nice discount.
[inexpensive plastics were plelntiful at the show]
[the motor pool]
[The holy grail for nerds such as I]
[Some of the set-ups were marvelous.]
So, the big milestones for the early spring have be met - finishing off my third Confederate infantry regiment, and building to completion my cavalry troop. The size of my cavalry unit was determined by the size of the shelf in the display case...in this manner the collection doesn't grow beyond available space. As with my helmet collection (combathelmets.blogspot.com) I don't like to have things in storage, rather, I like having everything out where I can enjoy it.
[As always, original, boxed, playsets were in an abundance.]
[A beautiful high-density WWI trench system]
As with previous shows, I saw no children; this is a commentary, I think, on the future of the hobby. Play today involves screen-time "run and gun" games rather than the tactile manipulation of toy soldiers. It's almost as if I can see the end of the hobby on the horizon as the older guys die off and take the hobby with them. I don't find that sad, rather just a reflection of changing tastes. One wonders though, what will happen to all of our collections when we, and general interest in toy soldiers, have passsed away.It was ever thus.
The Gettysburg show is a good regional show, and I highly recommend it. They also hold one in August which is slightly smaller, but equally well-attended.
With that, toy soldier season has begun; and with school ending in two weeks, I'm ready to get back out into the studio to push little men across a tabletop.
Stay tuned and...
Soldier on!
Mannie
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