Thread by @jeffs_comics

A celebration of the long running ads for various plastic soldiers

Who needs a Tardis if you've got $2 or so , then you can refight the battles of history!

Many of these toy soldiers ads were games, and came with rules and maps by the Helen of Toy company

That's Helen of Toy...Toy!

(art by Christina Ridgeway)

Order your 126 World War II Fighting GIs and Commandos today!

Plan and fight the famous battles of World War II according to your own strategy - Play alone, or with friends

Send your $1.50 today and we'll rush you your 132 piece Convoy of Terror!

Two complete modern navies compete in a nuclear naval battle game.

Sonar!
Mine layers!
Torpedo runs!
Nuclear Missiles!

This is what your modern navy looks like in Convoy of Terror!

Here is the same Convoy of Terror ad reproduced in more vivid colors.

The 'gyroscopic indicators' were likely little dreidel like spinners instead of dice because....it could easily be made with the same plastic?

Refight the American Civil War battle of Chickamauga!

(between two split log forts?)

Check out the Exploding Bridges!

Send your $1.89 for authentic Blue vs Grey action with Cannonball

Send ye olde $1.50 for Gold Crown!

A fascinating game of medieval warfare

Also suitable for replaying the siege of Minis Tirith in
the War of the Ring for ye olde Tolkien fans

Here is a look at the figures and the map for Gold Crown

Images from Board Game Geek

If you'd like to be one of King Arthur's knights, or play Ivanhoe, send your $1 for The Kings Knights.

Form your battles lines!
Storm the castle walls!
Live in those glorious days of history
when men were men!
(Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again)

Here is another ad for The Kings Knights

A glorious set of plastic toys

The white knights versus the black knights!
(Then why does the ad show red versus green?)

Comes in a treasure chest case
(of genuine Corinthian pasteboard)

Perhaps the most famous Toy Solider ad in all of Comicdom Assembled

Russ Heath's art for 132 Roman Soldiers!

This ad is so awesome it has to have a disclaimer
An imaginary battle scene is shown above

132 Roman Soldiers ad in black and white

2 complete Roman armies (Antony versus Octavian?)

Contains 4 working catapults with ammunition (harmless)

Why wasn't this in Toy Story!

To Rome and Beyond!

Rush your $1.69 (plus postage and handling) for one of my favorites:

Woods Edge

You're poised on a wooded slope overlooking a strange deserted town
It was as peaceful as a postcard until you spotted enemy troops moving in
Now this town will be torn apart
as it becomes an arena

An alternative ad for Woods Edge

I wish I could read the part under "Strictly GI"
It looks like "Essentially Inaccurate"

The guy hanging on the wall over "Helen of Toy" looks horrible

A look at the directions for Commanders age 8 to 80 from the Helen of Toy plastic soldier games advertised in comic books

Do you like your plastic to explode!

Well, have we got a deal for you!

Check out Tank Trap - Astoundingly Real

A tank is a crawling, armor skinned,
fire spitting, man-eating monster
that preys on any helpless enemy

But it can be stopped with courage
and daring

Here are some more images from Board Game Geek showing the Exploding Tanks of Tank Trap

The secret to Exploding Tanks?

Rubber bands and a two-piece tank

Houdini level of magic here

132 Fighting Ships!

Take your strategic brilliance back to the sea
with 3D plastic *classified* pieces

America's Most Exciting War Game - Task Force

Tensions run high as a big full scale battle looms
Locate
Occupy
and Destroy the Enemy

Send $1.50 now for WWI aerial action with Flying Coffins!

A salute to the heroes of a bygone era
when the average lifespan of an active pilot
was 19 days and his choice was
burning or leaping to his death

Which would you prefer

Oddly, the USAF does not use this for recruiting

150 Civil War soldiers!

There are variants of this ad too but I love the Monitor vs Merrimac battle!

Also with hospital nurses! Its M*A*S*H 1864

Another one of the best of these comic book soldier wargame ads

204 Revolutionary War Soldiers

Every piece of pure molded plastic

Here is another version of 204 Revolutionary War Soldiers

Instead of an imaginary scene, we get an actual play scene

Here's is one I've never actually seen in a physical comic book

Dan'l Boones Trek to Ol' Kentucky

Cowboys and Indians were once staples of the plastic toy racks

From the same company as Dan'l Boone comes Viking Attack!

162 pieces ready to recreate the invasion of the British Isles

And the Viking longboats really float

Plastic really is a miracle material

196 piece Blast Off

I have no idea what's going on but here's my $1.98

Here is the map for Blast Off

Adventure through our entire solar system
Thrill as you try to conquer each strange planet
Raise your flag
Blast off for your next conquest

164 piece Astroforce - Space Soldiers of the Future

Why is this not a comic book!

Here is another rubber band powered wargame in

Missile Attack!

Never Before
Never Again value at $1.25

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