Making ready for battle: cleaning toy soldiers

I think it maybe useful to elaborate on the process  I followed for deep cleaning the vintage Britains Deetail toy soldiers. I agree that some may find it a bit exgaggerated and swear by just using soapy water and a brush, but initial testing did show a better result with my method.

After some 40 years of being handled by dirty handed kids, having battled through sand, been bombarded with fake mud explosions, been smeared with Marmite ® and other icky stuff, then being stored in smelly cellars....one might need a bit of a clean up before presenting oneself to the new commanding general.

The first step I take after unpacking the miniatures, the knights and Saracens in this case, is to dismantle the figures. For the infantry this is usually nothing more than removing the weapons. For the cavalry it means detaching the horse housing and rider from said horse and also removing the weapons from the rider. I sort everything in plastic trays -courtesy from the local chinese take away- by type. Mind you, I don't remove the horses and infantry from the metal bases, as I deem these connecting points and lugs to be the weak spots and I didn't want to risk breaking these of.

At this stage I discovered it useful to check for loose parts because some previous owners converted their miniatures. I found some replacement metal parts such as helmet plumes. Also in this stage I try and remove anything resembling all purpose glue, blobs of hot glue or paint. Because of the type of plastic used these blobs usually peel off fairly easy. Some coarse cloth or even sand paper for rubbing and a sturdy pair of tweezers and a hobby knife are helpful tools here.

I further prepare my work space by filling an ultrasone jewelry cleaner (I have a cheap ALDI model) with  very hot soapy water, another basin with hand warm soapy water and one with clean cold water. Have a pair of tongs or any implement at the ready to remove the toy soldiers from the very hot water, a nail brush of an old tooth brush for some scrubbing and a clean towel. Or do none of the above and figure out yourself what you need after burning your fingers and making a wet mess in the kitchen whilst nearly being electrocuted.

- The setup. -

Now the miniatures take their first ultrasone bath, a couple of miniatures at a time, for 5 minutes. I fish them out and throw them in the basin with soapy water and give them a thorough scrub and put them back in the ultrasone cleaner for another five minutes, but this time the other side up, because, well because... Don't be surprised when you take the soldiers out of the almost boiling hot bath the toys feel rather soft and bendy, we'll fix that in just a moment. The process ends with the soldiers or horses and equipment being rinsed in the cold water to remove the soap and the cold water shock helps reshape the softened plastic in it's original moulded form. It's some kind of mechanical property of the plastic with the heat and cold releasing tension and restoring original bondage between molecules, I think...

Before I forget:  remember to regularly replace the dirty water. You'll find, depending on the level of dirt on the toy soldiers, and the size of your ultrasone machine, you can do up to four sessions before the water begins turning dark yellowish brown. Also, their might be other commercially  ultrasone cleaning solutions available, but I didn't look into that. 

The process ends with letting the models dry, take pictures and post everything on your favourite social media to boast about you accomplishments.

- Before and after. -

The soldiers are now ready for the fields of Mars. But there is no reason not to pick up a paint brush and restore some damaged paintwork or embellish the warriors. Indeed, one of the Shiny Knights of the order of Holy Wood elite units will represent the Grand Master himself in gold armour, surrounded by his most trusted retinue of knights represented by the alter ego's of the Forlorn Gamers. Although some of these fine gentlemen are quite demanding regarding the heraldry and this does not go well with my painting skills

Next step is to organise some  basic terrain and teach myself the Lion Rampant rules on the kitchen table. Maybe you'll hear tales of the Charge down the Table Valley and the defense of Dictionary Hill and the taking of Carbor'd Castle. Note to self: I must keep in mind the 19th century Armies in Plastic forces when planning terrain pieces!

Sincerely,

Happy Gaming!

Pjotr