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Airfix Plastic army men

Army men, or plastic soldiers, are simple toy soldiers that are about 5 cm (2 inches) tall and most commonly molded from green or tan plastic. Unlike the more expensive toy soldiers available in hobby shops, army men are sold at low prices in discount stores, supermarkets, and dollar stores. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... For the plastic toy soldiers, see Army men. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 1. ... Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... 54mm Toy Soldiers by Imperial Productions of New Zealand A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. ...

Description

Army men are equipped with a variety of weapons, mostly from World War II to the Vietnam era. These include rifles, machine guns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, grenades, flame throwers, and bazookas. They may also have radio men, minesweepers, and men armed with bayonets. Their helmets are the older "pot" style that were given to US soldiers during the middle to late 20th Century. Army men are sometimes packaged with additional accessories including tanks (often based on the M48 Patton tank), jeeps, armed hovercraft, half tracks, artillery, helicopters, jets, and fortifications. Their vehicles are usually manufactured in a smaller scale, to save on production and packaging costs. For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... The MP5 is a third-generation submachine gun that is widely used by law enforcement tactical teams and military forces. ... The M40, United States Marine Corps standard-issue sniper rifle. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... German troops use a flamethrower on the Eastern Front during the Second World War A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to throw flames or, more correctly, project an ignited stream of liquid. ... For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ... Hydrema mine clearing vehicle MineWolf tiller-based demining machine deployed in Sudan Digger Mini Flail for Mine Clearance Demining is the process of removing landmines or naval mines from an area. ... For other uses, see bayonet (disambiguation). ... Rushed into service during Korean War, with many initial production problems. ... For other uses, see Jeep (disambiguation). ... M3 Half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... The concept of scale is applicable if a system is represented proportionally by another system. ...

Because army men are considered toys and not models, historical and chronological accuracy are generally not a priority. They are sold in plastic bags or buckets, and often include different colors such as green, tan, or grey, to represent opposing sides. A teddy bear A toy is an object used in play. ... A scale model of the Tower of London. ...

American and German troops made by Louis Marx and Company

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 1. ... Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. ...

History and varieties

Plastic army men are widely available in the United States, where they have been sold since the early 1950s. A popular, early manufacturer of army men, typically sold in "Battleground" playsets, was Louis Marx and Company. One of their last and largest playsets was the multi-level "Fortress Navarone" mountain set, which was available in the 1970s and pitted World War II Americans against Germans. During the Vietnam War, sales and availability of military toys began to decline,[1] though they have made a comeback since then. Playsets are themed collections of similar toys designed to work together to enact some action or event. ... Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

Today most army men are cheaply made in China and do not include the extensive accessories that were common in Marx playsets. They are a little smaller on average, often not much more than 2.5 cm (one inch) high. Most of these figures are generic imitations of model figure sets from such companies as Airfix and Matchbox. They vary widely in quality. A model figure is a scale model that represents a person, either a generic figure of a type (such as World War II Luftwaffe pilot), a historical personage (such as King Henry VIII), or a fictional character (such as Conan). Model figures are sold both as kits for the enthusiast... Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. ... Matchbox Superfast box art. ...

In addition to army men, other inexpensive, plastic toy figures are also commonly available. Toy cowboys and Indians, farm sets, spacemen, knights, dinosaurs, firemen, police officers and other playsets are often sold alongside army men.

Army men in culture

Army men candy

For many American boys, playing with army men and exploding them with fireworks is almost a rite of passage. This cultural phenomenon was represented in Army Men, a popular series of computer games introduced by 3DO in the 1990s. Green army men were also among the characters in the 1995 Disney movie, Toy Story. Gummy army men candy are also available. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2288 × 1712 pixel, file size: 2. ... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rite of passage (disambiguation). ... For the video game series, see Army Men (series). ... Toy Story is an Academy-award-winning CGI animated feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 22, 1995, and Australia on December 7, 1995, as well as in the United Kingdom on 22 March...

Because these toys do not cost much, they are virtually disposable. They encourage a variety of creative types of play, because they can be set up in so many different ways. They are especially well suited for the sandbox, or simple wargames with rubber balls or marbles, which can be rolled or thrown at army men. For other meanings of sandbox, see Sandbox (disambiguation). ... Wargaming is the play of simulated military operations in the form of games known as wargames. ...

Critics have accused army men as being overly militaristic, and they have been banned from schools and daycare programs with zero tolerance weapon policies.[2] Militarism or militarist ideology is the doctrinal view of a society as being best served (or more efficient) when it is governed or guided by concepts embodied in the culture, doctrine, system, or people of the military. ... In the United States and Canada, zero tolerance policies are applied in schools and other education venues. ...

See also

• Army Men computer game series
• Toy playset
• Toy soldier

For the plastic toy soldiers, see Army men. ... Playsets are themed collections of similar toys designed to work together to enact some action or event. ... 54mm Toy Soldiers by Imperial Productions of New Zealand A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. ...

External links

• The Army Men Homepage