Tag: army men toy soldiers

Toy Army Men Buying Guide

Plastic toy army men are a must have element in any army toys collection. They encourage a variety of creative types of play, because they can be set up in so many different ways, depending upon the imagination.

Critics have accused army men toys of advocating violence and militarism, banning them from schools and daycares. However, it’s important to remember that these toys are just that: toys. They don’t pose a threat to anybody and are really just an inventive way for children to express themselves. Generations prior to ours have played with plastic army men toys and turned out just fine. Who are we to argue with that?

Although they are relatively cheap to buy, so are virtually disposable, you should still give some thought to which sets to buy. They range from small figures bought by the bucket load to 12″ GI Joe figures so here are some pointers to consider when browsing possible sets:

Quality v quantity

You will get a lot of fairly small and standard versions for not much money or one larger figure. Which will your child be happier with?

Size

How tall do you want your army men toys to be? 2″ tall is a fairly standard size. Anything much larger than that is going to be harder to find other than in action figure form.

Detailing

The molding on cheaper sets is pretty basic and you will not find much, if any, variety in the collection. Try and find sets where the detailing on the face and uniforms is at least varied to some extent.

Stances

Some cheaper collections contain soldiers all molded in the same pose. This does not make for a very realistic battle scene. Try and ensure whichever set you go for has a collection of army men in different poses.

Articulated

Most toy army men sets are not going to include articulated figures. You will need action figures to enjoy this level of detailing.

Kits

Will your child want to get straight down to the battle or will they enjoy building their army through one of the many kits available?

Character based

Most plastic army soldiers are not branded in any way. The exception to this rule are the Toy Story green army men toys or the GI Joe figures. Which route you choose will depend on whether your child is an army toys fan or a movie fan.

==> Click HERE for a great price or to read customer reviews <==

Enemy figures

Battles are not battles without enemies. As such you will really need to ensure that your army men toys are distinguishable somehow into at least two separate armies. Most sets have figures in varying colors to allow for this play battle experience.

Vehicles

Vehicles are a key part to any army and so sets that include a few will allow for more realistic play. Sometimes it can be better to buy a separate army vehicles set in addition to a soldier figures set – just make sure the scales are the same on each one.

Which war?

Most children will probably not be interested in which war their toy soldiers represent, but if you are after figures from the Civil War or WWII or you are even after medieval army toys, make sure you choose a relevant set.

Who would have thought there was so much to think about with such a cheap toy, but nobody wants to waste money so a little planning never goes amiss. Please read our other article for our top picks on plastic army men toys.

What Kids Army Toys Can You Buy?

If your children are into kids army toys then you will not be stuck for choices when it comes to buying them presents. The range of army related gifts is very varied and includes soldier action figures, army vehicles, role play toys such as guns and costumes and even board games.

Build up your collection with army, navy and air force figures and send them into battle in their army toy tanks, boats and airplanes for lots of army toy action fun.

Photo by supernova3688.

Plastic Army Men Toys

You can buy army action figures quite cheaply in various sized sets. They are typically small, green toy army men who are posed in fixed positions so children can arrange them in their imaginary battles. A smaller set of 40 pieces will cost about $7 while larger collections of 1,000 army toy soldiers of less quality sells for about $25. Anyone who has watched the Toy Story movies will know these little green army characters are often found helping out, so you can also buy buckets of Toy Story army men or a 90 piece Toy Story Army Legos set which includes figures and an army Jeep. Also staying with the movie theme, GI Joe toy army soldiers are hugely popular following the movie in 2009. This range includes larger scale army action figures which are highly detailed and articulated. These cost upwards of $10 per figure. Finally, for kids who are more into the whole model scene, you can buy Airfix soldiers in two different sizes which can be built, painted and then played with.

Photo by John-Morgan.

Army Toy Tanks & Other Vehicles

There are various toy army sets of vehicles that seem quite good value for money. You can get 100 items including toy army tanks, jets, trucks, flags and more for around $25. You can also buy larger scale, more detailed models individually. Unimax do a good range of authentic vehicles made from die cast metal and plastic. They are 1.72 scale models and include many battle tanks, a cargo truck, helicopters and airplanes costing from around $16. You can also find MegaBloks ProBuilder sets covering many army vehicles such as the 545 piece Navy Destroyer battleship for $35 as well as many other army boats. Remote control helicopters seem to be a particular favourite with kids today as well.

Photo by Jerry.

Kids Army Toys & Costumes For Role Play

Moving onto role play toys, you can find army camouflage helmets and many toy guns. These guns come in various forms such as machine guns, some of which have rotating bullets and sounds, pistols, shot guns and even a pistol and knife set. Dressing up wise there is a large range of costumes costing around $25 covering the army, SWAT and Special Forces. Some even come with a helmet and walkie talkie.

Board Games

For children who are more into army strategy than role play, there are a few board games available. A version of Monopoly has been made for all areas of the armed services including the army, navy and air force. The game play is similar to what you are used to although the board is a custom design. You travel from basic training to HQ collecting troops and equipment cards as you go and you fortify your properties instead of building houses. For $17 it is well thought of. Perhaps the most well known military game is Risk where you employ strategy and hope for some luck as you attempt to persuade your attackers to move on somewhere else. Of course there is always Battleships to keep you busy seeking and destroying your enemy.

With such a collection of games and army toys for kids out there to choose from, there is plenty to satisfy your child’s interest in the armed forces.