Toy soldiers and Models Trivia Quiz

Answer: W. Britains

The British toy company founded by William Britains invented a better and cheaper method of making lead toy soldiers in 1893. By 1907, the company, now called Britains Ltd., was the leader in the industry and was also making die cast toy vehicles as well.

The company introduced plastic soldiers, in a product line called "Deetails", in the 1950s. Britains has been sold numerous times since 1984, and the owner of the brand, Tomy of Japan, makes copies of vintage Britains toys for the collector's market.

Answer: Marx

The Marx toy company was also known as the Louis Marx Company after one of the founders. Marx was famous for 54mm, or 1/35th scale, toy soldiers and vehicles. Beginning in the 1950s, Marx produced a series of military playsets, which were complete with soldiers, vehicles, and battlefield accessories boxed in a carrying case.

In 1972, the Marx company was sold to the Quaker Oats company, which also owned Fisher Price toys, but the division was not profitable and was sold to British company Dunbee-Combex in 1976. Marx toys were phased out in the early 1980s, but replicas are available today.

Answer: Airfix

Founded in 1939 to make blow-up rubber toys, Airfix began producing plastic aircraft models in 1953. By the 1960s, Airfix was producing military figures in both 1/72 and 1/32 scale kits, as well as military vehicles, playsets, and diorama kits. The company was sold several times before becoming defunct in 2006, but the original molds for Airfix products are owned by the Hornby company and are produced in India.

Answer: Matchbox

Introduced in the United Kingdom by Lesney Products in 1953, Matchbox made 1/64 scale metal toy cars. Beginning in the early 1970s, the company introduced a line of plastic military model kits and figures in 1/76 (OO) scale in a bid to compete with Airfix. Matchbox kits were known for their high quality but were often considered to be less detailed than kits sold by other manufacturers. Matchbox ceased making plastic models in the early 1990s.

The molds were sold to the Revell company, which occasionally reissues the old Matchbox kits under the Revell name.

Answer: Tamiya

Founded in Japan in 1946 as a sawmill and lumber supply company, Tamiya made wooden models of ships and planes until 1959, when they introduced plastic ship kits. In the 1960s, Tamiya began producing military model kits in the 1/35 scale, which were well known for their high quality and accuracy. Tamiya also produces high quality ship, car, and aircraft models as well as radio-controlled toys.

Answer: Revell

Founded in 1943 in Hollywood, California, the first toys made by the Revell company were HO scale model trains. In the 1950s, Revell began making model cars, ships, and planes and opened a subsidiary company in Germany. The American Revell company was merged with Monogram in the 1980s, making military models and figures, cars, and ships.

The German and American branches of Revell were reunited when the QCP Corporation acquired both in 2018.

Answer: Tim Mee Toys

Founded in the USA in 1948, Tim Mee Toys made plastic dinosaurs, animals, and cowboy toys. Purchased by Processed Plastics in 1965, Tim Mee introduced what was to become their most successful toy line, "Army Men", in 1968. By the early 1970s they had added planes, tanks, and other accessories to their line.

The original company went bankrupt in 2006, but the J. Lloyd International Company bought the original molds and has reissued them from 2011 on.

Answer: ESCI

What would become the ESCI company was originally founded in Italy in the 1930s as an import/export firm. In the mid-1960s, ESCI began selling model kits made by other companies, and started making their own products in 1972. The first products were model cars, which were soon followed by military models in 1/72 scale. ESCI became one of the world's leading manufacturers of plastic models and military figures.

However, by the late 1980s, changes in the toy market hit ESCI hard, and the company was liquidated in 1993.

Italeri bought some of the molds and now makes some of the ESCI line under the Italieri name.

Answer: Timpo

The Timpo Toy Company began as an import firm in England in 1938. The company began making its own toy products in 1946, and the first plastic toy soldiers were made in 1955. Timpo figures were usually 60mm tall, a bit larger than Marx toy soldiers. In 1962, Timpo began using an overmolding process which fused several colors of plastic together, making their products stand out from the others. Timpo's most popular lines were knights and American Wild West figures. Timpo closed in 1981.

Answer: MPC

Founded in Mt. Clemens, Michigan in 1963, the Model Products Corporation began making car models in mostly 1/25 scale in 1965. MPC had an agreement with British model manufacturer Airfix which allowed it to market Airfix cars, figures, and military vehicle models in MPC boxes. MPC underwent several changes of ownership beginning in 1970, and the company went out of business in 2011.

The Round 2 Company bought the rights to the MPC name that year and markets model car kits under the MPC brand.