Timpo

All miniature figurine enthusiasts would have heard the name of Timpo, a popular vintage toy soldier maker. Most of these toys were made from plastic. Besides military, soldiers and other army figurines, Timpo also produced cowboys, masked bandits, Red Indians, Mexicans, etc. Scaled figures of the military were painted with one-colour such as green or black. However, later, the company introduced toys with more realistic colours. To add to the excitement, these Timpo figurines generally appeared to be in "action". Once the coloured range was available in the market, they were categorised into different groups, according to their appearances. For example, the American War Independence range had black cap, blue top and white bottoms. The set included them in different positions such as crouching, leaning to the left with one leg bent, attacking with the sword, etc.

The one mounted on horses would have firing pistols or swords in the hands. The Timpo horses would generally have the hind legs mounted and the front two up in the air, giving a feeling of motion and action. The cowboy figurines may have a lasso, pistol, rifle or knife in their hands. Interestingly, one would never find a Timpo figurine empty handed. To make it more realistic, the company also created small scenes. For instance, two cowboys hiding behind an overturned wagon or a cowboy stand with rifles and two animals lying in the front, dead. Of course, the Red Indian series would not be complete without the camp fire scene, which has fire toys too.