What is that picture on the blog
Didn't think putting a picture on a the blog header would be that complicated, but you have to make the picture fit, there's no handy tool.
What are those guys in the picture? They are W. Britain's Eyes Right Band figures. The top row are from the US Army Yellow Jacket band and the bottom row are from the Marine Band in red jackets. They were made in the 80s, I think, and are available in various conditions on ebay. The arms move and therefore fall off, the heads are replaceable and, yes, fall off, and the instruments tend to break. On top of all that, the plastic is somewhat brittle after a few decades. I have 13 Army bandsmen and 17 Marine bandsmen from the eyes right series. Below is all the bandsmen in a little display box I found in the street. My wife even thinks they're sorta cool.
The Army uniforms have a strange history. The Army Band in Washington, DC had to deal with the great red uniforms the Marine Band had been wearing for years and decided in the 1950s to try "gold" jackets to be as bright and vivid as Marines. Alas, they looked more yellow than gold and the uniforms were known by the Army as the Lion Tamer. They didn't last long and were replaced with a more standard Army dress uniform that is worn today.
The Marine uniforms are patterned after the Marine Bands in Washington, DC. A couple weeks ago I finally went to the Marine Evening Parade held Friday nights on the grounds of the Marine Barracks in DC. I had wanted to go before, even had passes to attend (ordering advance passes is required, as there is limited seating and it is very popular with visitors to DC. There is also a standby line the night of). The Marine Band, at one time directed by John Phillip Sousa, and the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps perform a fair amount of music and regular Marines march about on parade and demonstrate their precision with the Silent Drill Platoon. The music is great, as all the players are pros.
I figured this would be a good picture, as I am a professional singer and am gradually becoming a collector of toy soldiers. Good collector ebay story too. I bought a Marine trumpet player and side drummer a few years ago on ebay at a cheapish price, maybe $5 together with shipping. Then I found all the rest plus some pieces I subsequently sold on ebay by a seller that didn't advertise that these were Britain's soldiers. I got 30+ soldiers for $80 including shipping, not even $3 per guy. Individual guys sell on ebay for 10 bucks, so a nice deal. I had to spend some time gluing guys together as some fell apart in shipping.
I have some other Britain's Marines bandsmen as well as a color guard, but they are metal. What can I say, I live blocks from the Marine Barracks in DC. You see the good uniforms all the time. How do you like the picture?
What are those guys in the picture? They are W. Britain's Eyes Right Band figures. The top row are from the US Army Yellow Jacket band and the bottom row are from the Marine Band in red jackets. They were made in the 80s, I think, and are available in various conditions on ebay. The arms move and therefore fall off, the heads are replaceable and, yes, fall off, and the instruments tend to break. On top of all that, the plastic is somewhat brittle after a few decades. I have 13 Army bandsmen and 17 Marine bandsmen from the eyes right series. Below is all the bandsmen in a little display box I found in the street. My wife even thinks they're sorta cool.
The Army uniforms have a strange history. The Army Band in Washington, DC had to deal with the great red uniforms the Marine Band had been wearing for years and decided in the 1950s to try "gold" jackets to be as bright and vivid as Marines. Alas, they looked more yellow than gold and the uniforms were known by the Army as the Lion Tamer. They didn't last long and were replaced with a more standard Army dress uniform that is worn today.
The Marine uniforms are patterned after the Marine Bands in Washington, DC. A couple weeks ago I finally went to the Marine Evening Parade held Friday nights on the grounds of the Marine Barracks in DC. I had wanted to go before, even had passes to attend (ordering advance passes is required, as there is limited seating and it is very popular with visitors to DC. There is also a standby line the night of). The Marine Band, at one time directed by John Phillip Sousa, and the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps perform a fair amount of music and regular Marines march about on parade and demonstrate their precision with the Silent Drill Platoon. The music is great, as all the players are pros.
I figured this would be a good picture, as I am a professional singer and am gradually becoming a collector of toy soldiers. Good collector ebay story too. I bought a Marine trumpet player and side drummer a few years ago on ebay at a cheapish price, maybe $5 together with shipping. Then I found all the rest plus some pieces I subsequently sold on ebay by a seller that didn't advertise that these were Britain's soldiers. I got 30+ soldiers for $80 including shipping, not even $3 per guy. Individual guys sell on ebay for 10 bucks, so a nice deal. I had to spend some time gluing guys together as some fell apart in shipping.
I have some other Britain's Marines bandsmen as well as a color guard, but they are metal. What can I say, I live blocks from the Marine Barracks in DC. You see the good uniforms all the time. How do you like the picture?
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