Toy Soldier Collector Magazine

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Master Sculptor- Artist-Toy Soldier Genius

A profile of master sculptor Alan Caton, an insight into his views on the current toy soldier hobby and the possible challenges to be faced in the future

All these titles could well be used to describe master sculptor Alan Caton. It is safe to say that if Alan had not gone into the toy soldier manufacturing business some 48 years ago, then the modern toy soldier collecting scene as we know it to today would be a poorer place, definitely very different if not nonexistent!

Alan’s client list during his time in the hobby reads like a who’s who of the toy soldier making world. It would probably be easier to list the manufacturers that he has not worked for during the last 48 years rather than listing those that have enlisted Alan’s help as a master sculptor, artist and/or advisor.

Alan first started out at Tradition, which at that time was known as Norman Newton Limited when he left the Royal Air Force. He started as a painter and during the following years went on to the workshop where he learnt the art of mould making, casting and animation. While looking after the military antique shop at 44 Dover Street he assisted in the production of the magazine ‘Tradition’. After 17 years Alan left Tradition and went into partnership with Derek Cross to form All the Queens Men producing a range of 80mm figures of the British Army. Seven years later he branched out with his own ‘Squadron’ range of 54 mm figures of the British Army combined with an 80mm range of figures depicting worldwide subject matter, he eventually sold these to Tradition when the range got too large to handle without major expansion plans.

It was at this time that he turned his attention to freelance master making – making master figures for numerous companies that have included most of the major manufacturers of toy soldiers and model figures, not just in the United Kingdom but worldwide. Not to mention the special commissions for sets from such organisations as the RAOC and the Dutch Army Museum, which when completed have been destined for a royal home. Such sets have over the years been presented to Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales among others.

So what process is involved when creating a master sculpt for a client? The first stage is I suppose rather obvious when a new figure is commissioned. Discuss with the client exactly what is wanted, for example infantry private c.1900. Do they want the jam pot cuff or pointed? Do they want the Lee Metford rifle or the Lee Enfield? What order of dress, marching order, drill order, review order etc. Once that is established Alan selects a dolly figure according to what figures they have had before. Some companies prefer the true 54mm, such as Toy Army Workshop, Yeomanry Miniatures, Asset or Lancer. Others want a slightly larger figure, ATS, Little Legion or Tradition. He has dollies in each size, plus other scales as well, which enables him to produce constant figures and allows customers to collect and mix figures from different companies.

The dolly is then cut into pieces, separating the head, arms, and legs and cutting the torso in two. The torso, head and legs are then soldered back into the desired position, running, standing, sitting or whatever. The figure is then dressed by using fuse wire as an edge and then filling with solder, shaping, filing and polishing step by step. So, on the 1900 private for example, the boots are done first, then the gaiters overhanging the boots, then the trousers overhanging the gaiters, then the tunic overhanging the trousers and then finally the equipment. The last thing to be done is the arms, after they are attached and all the final polishing done the figure is sawn apart, drilled and pinned ready for the mould. Most people cannot understand why he doesn’t use Milieu or Duro, the answer is that when he started in this game nothing like that existed, and he therefore carried on using the same methods as Charles Stadden, who Alan considers was the best sculptor in the business. Another advantage is that as soon as he finishes a figure it is ready for the mould, a Milliput master usually has to have an RTV mould made which can take up to another week. A good example of this was when he was with Derek Cross at AQM, the SAS went into the Iranian Embassy, and within 48 hours they had a figure made, moulded and cast. You can't do that with Milliput!

When talking to Alan I was also keen to find out if he had a favourite type of figure and period that he collected? His answer was a little bit of a surprise to me, if not a shock, given Alan’s standing in the hobby. He is not a collector, and does not have any figures at all. His reasons for this are that spending most of his working day in and around toy soldiers and figures he sees enough of them during the course of a normal working day! Having made thousands of them over the years he wouldn’t in any case have anywhere near the necessary storage space or display area to house them adequately. He prefers instead to collect books on related subject areas, for example, the Yeomanry, British Cavalry and the American Civil War. With a library that currently consists of over 2,000 military titles, this also provides him with a ready made research facility at his finger tips!

Anybody who is familiar with Alan’s work cannot fail to be impressed with the lifelike poses that he manages to sculpt into his horse studies. I was therefore keen to know if he had an equestrian background which had enabled him to study the anatomy of the horse at close quarters and capture their movements so beautifully. Alan’s response was very modest; he has no direct link with the horse world, but has always liked them, apart from having to muck them out, and thoroughly enjoys drawing and painting equine related subjects.

It would seem somewhat remiss of me not to ask such an authority and heavyweight of the toy soldier industry some questions on a number of burning issues that are exercising collectors of toy soldiers the world over at the moment.

So I was interested to hear Alan’s views on the future of the hobby, given the current economic climate and the loss of certain manufacturers recently. What did he think the future held for the hobby, given some of the high profile closures that had been announced during 2007?

Alan’s immediate thoughts were that it did not look very promising. Attendances at shows are down and as a consequence traders takings are also down. Over the last few years a number of traders/manufacturers have gone under. Some people would say that this doesn’t matter; the figures are still available from whoever takes over that particular range. Alan would argue though that the range is then dead, there will be no new additions. Only one company that he is aware of, Alexander’s Toy Soldiers, has taken over another range – Lancer and continued to expand it, and this he feels is a real worry to the long term viability of the hobby.

If too many companies disappear there will not be sufficient tables sold at shows and if they too are not profitable in the long term they will also become a thing of the past. All that will be left will be the Internet! This is of course Alan’s worse case scenario and I am sure we all hope that these things do not come to pass. It will though, take a massive surge of public interest to reverse the present trend and Alan doesn’t know where that will come from.

So given this rather gloomy picture of the possible future for the hobby, what did he think needed to be done to ensure that new, and especially young, people were attracted to toy soldiers to ensure that the hobby continues to grow?

He was not very optimistic that any initiatives or measures that might be introduced would make a significant difference to the attendance at shows, or for that matter the numbers actively collecting toy soldiers or model figures regardless of the scale or ranges preferred. He sighted as the main reason the boom in electronics and the explosion in computer games which seems to have seized the interest and imagination of youngsters today to the point that they appear no longer interested in making things or collecting anymore. As he suggests, maybe if some of the computer and electronic games contained more of an historical element then interest might once again be rekindled in the figures and personalities from these periods. Films such as Gettysburg, or the swashbuckling adventures of Sharpe, do have some effect at the time of their release but this does not count for much in the overall scheme of things and interest soon dies down again.

I next sought Alan’s views on the argument – gloss v matte and which finish did he think would prevail? He commented that when he first started out in the business this was the difference between toys and models, but today’s so called ‘toys’ are so detailed that they can now be painted as models. Some companies such as Scale Link, Shenandoah and Tradition have produced models of outstanding quality but now paint them in gloss to take advantage of the toy soldier market. Alan’s personal opinion is that if a figure is painted in a matte finish it requires far more care in the painting process. However, he thought that many of the matte figures produced today just look like very badly painted figures. The Chinese painters are very good at copying. If they are given first class examples they will produce first class figures. However, if on the other hand they are given rubbish they will produce rubbish? Something that could never be attributed to an Alan Caton sculpted master!

So what is next for Alan, and what new and exciting projects are currently in the planning process or taking shape on the drawing board? As he was quick to point out this very much depended on his clients and of course the commissions he subsequently receives – some like for example Asset, Alexander’s Toy Soldiers and Wilson Edwards of Australia give him a subject and a general idea of what they want i.e. Australian Light Horse Trooper at Anzac and leave the composition and finer detail up to him. Others are much more specific, for example, they want an Irish Guardsman at slow march, with eyes right, with sloped rifle and bayonet fixed.

He will also, I am sure, continue to collaborate with the likes of Tradition of London, Little Legion and Alexander’s Toy Soldiers etc on new and exciting sets and figures.

As Nik Biberovic at ATS was quick to point out, “Alan has produced all of the masters in my range and continues to be a well respected and a constant source of information and advice to the company.”

Steve Hare at Tradition had this to say about Alan’s contribution to the company’s success, "Alan has made a large number of masters for Tradition over many years, and has recently been making figures to replace the range of Tradition's Charles Stadden 54mm 'animated' figures - which were discontinued a few years ago.

Recent additions have included 54mm figures of the Crimean War as well as the Royal Navy and Royal Marines of the Trafalgar period. The British cavalry of the Napoleonic period is being extensively covered and recent releases have been the British Heavy Cavalry, namely the North British Dragoons (Scots Greys), the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and the Household Cavalry.

Shortly to be released are ten new figures of the British Light Cavalry of the Napoleonic period, namely Hussars and Light Dragoons.

Alan will continue to add to the Tradition range as well as making additional figures for the ‘Squadron’ range, an extensive range of British and Indian Army subjects that were purchased from him some time ago."

I have no doubt therefore that as long as there are dedicated and talented individuals such as Alan involved in the production of toy soldiers, in all their many guises, then I am sure that the hobby will survive. With the likes of Alan and other like minded people being involved in the production of figures, I feel sure that toy soldier collecting will ultimately survive the challenges that it currently faces. It will continue to flourish and be around for the enjoyment of generations to come, even if it does have to adapt and branch out in a different direction to take account of new collecting trends in the future.

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