In my latest video, I take a trip to the House on the Hill Toy Museum, home to one of the largest private toy collections in the world—and, crucially for us, an extraordinary display of toy soldiers spanning decades of history. From traditional lead figures to mass-produced plastics, the collection offers a fascinating glimpse into how generations before us experienced what we now call wargaming. For many tabletop wargamers, the journey into the hobby didn’t begin with rulebooks or organised games. It started with imagination. A handful of figures. A battlefield improvised from whatever was available. Romans fighting cowboys. WWII infantry clashing with medieval knights. It wasn’t historically accurate—but it was creative, immersive, and endlessly fun.
Walking through the museum, that sense of creativity is everywhere. The displays aren’t just about accuracy or completeness—they’re about storytelling. And that’s a powerful reminder that, even in today’s hobby with its focus on realism and detail, the core experience hasn’t really changed. We’re still telling stories. We’re still creating moments. We’re still playing.
The museum itself is more than just toy soldiers. It’s an “Aladdin’s cave” of nostalgia, featuring everything from pop culture exhibits like Star Wars to classic British television icons such as Only Fools and Horses and Doctor Who. It’s unpredictable, packed with personality, and full of surprises around every corner.
But for wargamers, the real value lies in what it represents. This is where the hobby began—not in carefully balanced systems or competitive play, but in imagination and playfulness. It’s a reminder that you don’t need perfect miniatures or terrain to enjoy wargaming. All you need is the willingness to create a story and see where it leads.
If you’re passionate about tabletop wargaming, historical miniatures, or the history of the hobby itself, this is a place well worth exploring.
If you're looking for the ultimate collection of toy soldiers, I think you'll need to go to France, more specifically to the former officers' mess of the Staff College in Compiègne. There, you'll see, among other things, a 10-square-meter pewter representation of the Battle of Waterloo.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.agglo-compiegne.fr/musee-de-la-figurine-historique
https://www.figurart.fr/musee-figurine-compiegne
This will also be an opportunity to visit the Château de Compiègne, where Napoleon hosted his second wife, Marie-Louise, Archduchess of Austria and future Empress of the French.
https://chateaudecompiegne.fr/
You can also visit the National Car and Tourism Museum.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_national_de_la_Voiture_et_du_Tourisme
Finally, you will visit the clearing at Rethondes where the armistices of 1918 and 1940 were signed.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clairi%C3%A8re_de_l%27Armistice
For me, toy soldiers were originally educational tools given to the Prince's son to prepare him for his role as future commander of his armies. I belong to a generation where cavalry officers practiced maneuvers of their armored vehicles first on a sandpit before burning fuel and needlessly wearing down their tracks on the training ground or in open terrain.
While they are now a hobby, toy soldiers, more often made of plastic these days, have lost none of their original purpose, as evidenced by the proportion of retired and active-duty officers who play wargaming. They also provide training in analysis and decision-making, as demonstrated by the leading business, management, and administration schools that incorporate them into their curricula.
Thanks for this topic, sparking so many memories. For me it was Action Man, Timpo cowboys and Britains knights vs saracens until at age 9 my best friend introduced me to simple rules for Airfix 1/32 WW2 battles. Men move 6", rifles shoot to a range of 12" & take out one enemy. Pistols had a range of 6", automatic weapons (SMG or LMG) could hit 2 enemies in a turn. Wish I could remember the rules for the order the models acted in, which were critical to the excitement. Could my commando shoot his officer before the officer got a chance to shoot my commando? Play in the garden with forts made from old boxes.
ReplyDeleteAll swept aside at age 11 by the discovery of board wargaming with Napoleon at Waterloo. Happy days!