My "Hot" Toys-- Part 2: Airfix HO Soldiers

But even better than the Blue & Gray soldiers were the much smaller, and much less expensive Airfix HO Scale Civil War soldiers which I discovered when we moved to Rolling Meadows, Illinois, in 1963.  When you only get 50 cents a week allowance, this was huge.

The Airfix HO scale soldiers were to go with the HO scale model trains.

They were at the local Ace Hardware right down Kirchoff Road and cost 49 cents for 48 soldiers.  You had to pull them off the plastic runners and file down the stub so they would stand upright correctly.  Now I could make a huge army to fight my wars.

I mostly bought the Union and Confederate soldiers, but they also had soldiers from most wars.  During warmer days, we would go out collecting empty bottles from the neighborhood and we got 2 cents apiece for them.  Get a case and you had another 48 soldiers.  We collected a lot of bottles to say the least.

Recruiting Was Good.  --Cooter