Around 1997 the Dragontooth sculptor Tom Loback perceived and executed a range of American Civil War figures in the Britains toy soldier style. I know very little about the range however have attempted to collect as many pictures as possible for posterity. I have contacted Tom via his Flickr account and hopefully will get some more information. It seems like 4 ranges were released; Infantry (ACW), Flag Bearers (FB), Drummer Boys (DB) and Famous Officers (FO). The flags themselves have been engraved with Tom sculpting the figures in his inimitable style. Please pass any other information you have so I can collate it. These ranges must not be forgotten!
The generic base stamp
Sample box showing address which was close to the old Dragontooth address (150W. 26th St. No. 502 NYC, NY 1001)
DB1 Drummer Boy 69th New York Vols. Iron Brigade
FO1 Colonel Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts 1863
FO1 Colonel Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts 1863 box
SB1 Irish Brigade 69th NY Regimental Color
SB2 69th New York Flag Bearer
SB4 2nd Wisconsin Iron Brigade
SB5 Iron Brigade 6th Wisconsin
SB6 Iron Brigade 6th Wisconsin Regimental Color
SB7 Iron Brigade National Color
SB8 Iron Brigade 7th Wisconsin Regimental Colors
SB9 Iron Brigade 24th Michigan National Color
SB11 Iron Brigade 19th Indiana Regimental Color
SB12 Color Bearer 1st Texas Hood's Brigade
SB13 4th Texas Hood's Brigade Flag Bearer
SB14 Color Bearer 5th Texas Hood's Brigade
SB15 Color Bearer 3rd Arkansas Texas Brigade
SB17 Color Bearer 1st New York Fire Zouaves
SB19 Garibaldi Guards 39th NY Italian Color Bearer
SB25 Bucktails' 42nd Pennsylvania National Color
SB26 Orrs' Rifles 1st South Carolina Color Bearer
SB26 Orr's Rifles 1st South Carolina Color Bearer
SB27 Coppen's Zouaves 1st Louisiana Color Bearer
SB28 16th North Carolina Color Bearer
SB29 Irish Brigade 28th Massachusetts Regimental Color
SB30 Irish Brigade 28th Massachusetts National Color
SB31 The Irish Brigade 69th New York Vols 2nd Irish Color
SB37 69th New York State Militia Irish Color
SB39 Irish Brigade 9th Connecticut Regimental Color
SB40 9th Connecticut National Color
SB41 Virginia Military Institute School State Color
SB42 1st Virginia
SB43 8th Virginia Battle Flag
SB44 Semper FI Marines National Color
SB45 10th Tennessee Irish National Color
SB45 10th Tennessee Irish National Color
SB47 33rd New Jersey Zouaves State Regimental Color
SB48 Hawkin's Zouaves 9th New York Presentation Color
SB51 5th US Heavy Artillery Colored Troops Regimental Color
An excellent US auction source is Old Toy Soldier Auctions US. There are far more aspects to this hobby than you realise! They also publish a quarterly magazine; details here.
I have borrowed 4 pictures off their past auctions and am awaiting permission to use them but will post them here in the meantime
ACW4 Panache Figurines Louisiana Tigers 1861
ACW22 Iron Brigade 2nd Wisconsin Regiment
ACW 23 Iron Brigade 6th Wisconsin Regiment
Various color bearers
If you have any information please contact me on enquiries@deartonyblair.co.uk
In reply to Anonymous below (for some reason I can't comment on any blogs in that section for some reason) unfortunately Tom passed away in March 2015.
5 comments:
Dave, a nice tribute!
Thanks Joe.
I was one of the co-owners of Classic Toys, a toy store that specialized in toy soldiers and operated from 1988 to 2005 in NYC.
We carried Tom Loback's 54mm figures and they always sold very well, especially the flag bearers, which are exquisite. We could never get enough.
If I remember correctly, all of the production and painting was done in NYC.
There was one very short lived additional line of figures in 54mm, a line of (I believe) French colonial figures. I remember this range as having only a handful of different sets. These had flimsy plain white boxes not the nice heavy blue boxes Tom eventually adopted for the Civil War range.
Thanks Francis. I was actually sent a set of French Foreign Legion figures just before Xmas. Once I'm up and over the usual Christmas bug I will get around to posting pics.
I would like to be in touch with Tom Loback. Any chance?
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