Playset
This bunker set includes eight soldiers in various poses in British infantry uniform, as well as two model explosions. This would not have been sold as a complete set, and individual parts would have been purchased separately. The majority of the set was manufactured by O & M Hausser, a well-known German company, although at least one of the explosions was produced by a rival company, Lineol, also based in Germany. The bunker and trench segments are made from wood and cardboard, and the soldiers and explosions from a composite material (for which Hausser's used the tradename Elastolin), produced from mixing sawdust, glue, casein and kaolin. This mixture was placed into a mould around a wire armature, then gently heated and dried before being hand-painted. The set reflects the trend amongst toy soldier manufacturers to mirror the real world in terms of new military equipment and modes of warfare.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 13 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Wood and cardboard, cut, glued, textured and painted, and Elastolin (sawdust, cassein, glue and kaolin composite) pressed into a mould, then dried, heated and hand-painted |
| Brief description | Toy bunker and trench set, with eight British infantry soldiers and two explosions, painted wood, cardboard and wire, and hand-painted composite material (Elastolin), Germany, ca.1920s. |
| Physical description | Toy bunker set, with one bunker and two trench segments in painted wood and cardboard, eight British infantry soldiers in varying poses and two explosions, made of Elastolin and painted. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Object history | This set, consisting of bunker, trench sections and figures was not sold as a complete set. The individual parts have therefore been purchased separately and, possibly, collected together over time. The bunker, trench sections and the majority of the soldiers were manufactured in the 1920s by the well-known German manufacturer O & M Hausser, who used the Elastolin trademark for their composite figures. At least one of the explosions, and possibly several soldiers, were produced by Lineol, a rival company to Hausser, again based in Germany, it is assumed at a similar period. |
| Historical context | These soldiers would have been played with by children. They reflect the trend amongst toy soldier manufacturers to mirror the real world in terms of new armies, regiments, changes in uniform and equipment and methods of warfare, and were manufactured to be an accurate representation of the, at the time, recently ended First World War. |
| Summary | This bunker set includes eight soldiers in various poses in British infantry uniform, as well as two model explosions. This would not have been sold as a complete set, and individual parts would have been purchased separately. The majority of the set was manufactured by O & M Hausser, a well-known German company, although at least one of the explosions was produced by a rival company, Lineol, also based in Germany. The bunker and trench segments are made from wood and cardboard, and the soldiers and explosions from a composite material (for which Hausser's used the tradename Elastolin), produced from mixing sawdust, glue, casein and kaolin. This mixture was placed into a mould around a wire armature, then gently heated and dried before being hand-painted. The set reflects the trend amongst toy soldier manufacturers to mirror the real world in terms of new military equipment and modes of warfare. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.86:13-2010 |
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| Record created | May 13, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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