The simple addition of a cardboard hat brim (I sometimes use luggage label roundels) changes these Pound Store copies of Airfix and Matchbox Japanese Infantry into different Imaginations figures. I picked these Japanese up in a Pound Store about fifteen years ago.
I was idly experimenting today with the possibility of making some cheap 54mm Boy Scouts Of America figures for my Scouting Wide Games for the Tabletop Project, although the rifles were a bit of an obvious limitation.
HO OO Airfix WW1 Americans can make reasonable small versions of Boy Scouts Of America: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/boy-scouts-from-airfix-ww1-american-infantry/
I like the 1:32 / 54mm and OOHO Japanese Infantry figures as they are quite ‘old school’ uniformed figures – puttees, rifles, haversacks, ammunition pouches, water bottles. Flags, buglers, officers with swords in the OOHO set. They could all easily have come from a century before.
A change of head or hat and you have a new figure. Infantry, militia, bandit, revolutionary, irregular …
As suggested by the paint conversion into a Confederate type grey soldier (right), this is something that I also did with the OOHO Japanese Infantry as a youngster in the late 1970s and 80s when I had almost no Airfix ACW figures.
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/confused-by-zouaves-some-airfix-acw-paint-conversions/
Airfix OOHO Japanese Infantry were easy to buy at the time and are still available from Airfix, more than can be said for the scarce Airfix ACW range.
Riflemen, Buglers, Flags, Officers – all suitable for 19th Century Wars?
The Japanese Infantry with soft caps also paint up nicely in glossy red and blue as traditional toy soldiers.
My Pippin Fort inspired ‘Trumpton troops’ quickly painted up for play parades (Airfix Japanese 1:32 54mm plastics) photo/ painted: Man of TIN.
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/pound-store-wars/
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 