Customer Reviews

The war toys 1 Kriegsspielzeug; The Story of/Die Geschichte von Hausser-Elastolin

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David Hawkins' additional text and commentary makes the revised 1991 edition of this book an excellent introduction to Elastolin composition figures. Hawkins corrects some of the numerous errors of the original 1976 text while adding valuable information. The emphasis is on the composition figures up to the end of World War II. Another book in the series covers the period 1945-1983. I do not collect post-war figures so the division works for me. Color photos are a valuable part of the book. So is the full-size (black and white) reproduction of the 1939-40 catalog and the checklist of military and political figures in the back of the book. The side-by-side English and German language presentation is another plus. Anyone interested in collecting pre-1945 Elastolin military and political figures will find that learning a little basic German is not difficult (Note that the book does cover the composition animals and cowboy and indian figures as well as the military and political figures). There are two places for improvement if a 2nd revised edition is printed. Adding a reprint of the 1935-1936 catalog would show the political figures not shown in the later catalog, and some of the military figures that had been discontinued by 1939. Second, two photos of figures on parade (pages 36 and 76) show schellenbaumen ("jingling johnnies") being carried behind marching bands along with the flags and standards. Whoever positioned these figures knew nothing about German custom. The schellenbaum was considered a musical instrument and the schellenbaum carrier always marched ahead of the band -- never behind it. However, when read as an introductio to Elastolin figures, the 1991 revised edition with Mr Hawkins' additional text is an excellent introductory reference.