Playmobil Fort Wilderness Diorama (18th Century)

Playmobil Redcoats Diorama

I started collecting Playmobil Redcoats a very long time ago, back in the early 1990s, when I received the Harbour Guard set with cannon. That little set was the beginning of a collection that has continued to grow for more than thirty years.

Being a military history enthusiast, I never really stopped at simply collecting the original figures. Over the years I gradually expanded my Playmobil British Army and started modifying the soldiers, adding details to make their equipment look more complete and historically inspired.

By the time I photographed this diorama in 2020, my Redcoats had almost reached their final form. I had replaced the original shakos with tricorn hats and equipped the soldiers with additional campaign gear, including canteens, haversacks and cartridge boxes. I also changed their hairstyles, replacing the short Playmobil hair with the more characteristic 18th-century queue.

The original Playmobil cannon I received in the early 1990s had a smooth bore. Later Playmobil cannons introduced grooves inside the barrel together with matching grooves on the cannonballs, apparently giving the projectile a more controlled path when fired.

These photographs capture one stage in the long evolution of my Playmobil Redcoat army. What began with a single set in the early 1990s gradually became a complete historical force  and one of the oldest parts of my collection.

Playmobil Knights Diorama