Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum In Thal (Graz region) 🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️💪💪💪

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in Thal, Austria, is located in the house where Arnie grew up and offers a unique look into his life journey—from humble beginnings to global fame. The museum showcases memorabilia from his bodybuilding, Hollywood, and political careers, including the Terminator Harley, Conan’s sword, and his governor’s desk.

The colonial war in India 🇮🇳🇬🇧

This evocative scene features flat figures produced by the renowned Heinrichsen company of Nürnberg around 1900, capturing the drama of colonial warfare in India. Accompanying the figures is a striking copy of a paper theatre originally issued by the Schreiber publishing house in Eßlingen circa 1893. Both pieces are part of the Otto von Gariboldi Collection and are currently on display at the Regional Museum Maribor (Slovenia).

Otto von Gariboldi Tin‑Soldier Collection – Regional Museum Maribor 🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮⚔️⚔️⚔️

Otto von Gariboldi (1880-1965), an officer of the Austro‑Hungarian 5th Dragoon Regiment who lived in Maribor(Slovenia) until 1945, amassed an extraordinary hoard of about 40 000 hand‑painted tin and lead miniatures. Ranging from late‑17th‑century flats to early‑20th‑century fully‑rounded figures, they depict everything from Roman legionaries and Maria‑Theresian troops to market scenes, Biedermeier promenades and non‑European cultures, proving that tin soldiers were much more than military toys. Today the entire collection forms the core of the Regional Museum Maribor's permanent display installed in the bastion corridors of Maribor Castle. It is the largest tin‑figure ensemble in south‑eastern Europe, comparable in scale to specialist museums in Germany, Austria and France.This impressive diorama shows an attempt to reconstruct the Ottoman siege of Maribor in 1532, with the castle modeled after a graphic by G. M. Vischer (post-1686).  

PME Football/Soccer Cake Topper Set – 9-Piece Plastic Figure Set 🎂🧁⚽️🥅🏟️

A recent and rather fun discovery — this PME Football/Soccer cake topper set makes a quirky addition to any plastic figure or toy soldier collection. Set includes: 4 outfield players 2 goalkeepers 1 referee (each approx. 6.5 cm tall – similar in scale to 1:32 figures) 2 goalposts (approx. 10 x 6.3 x 4 cm) Molded in durable plastic with painted detail.

Visiting Styrian Armoury 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹⚔️⚔️⚔️

Nestled in the heart of Graz, Austria, the Styrian Armoury (Landeszeughaus) stands as a unique testament to Europe's military heritage. Renowned as the world’s largest historic armoury, this extraordinary museum houses an impressive collection of around 32,000 original items—including weapons, suits of armour, and military tools—dating from the 15th to 18th centuries.

Trumpeter Automation 🎺🎺🎺🥁🥁🥁

So-called Trumpeter Automation created by Hans Schlottheim (ca.1544/47-1625) Augsburg, 1582 (Ebony, palisander, gilded silver, enamel, gilded bress, iron). An ingenious clockwork for the musical mechanism and the movements of the drummers and trumpeters is concealed within this tower. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (Austria).

Hausser/Elastolin Catalog 1934

The catalog showcases an extensive range of composition figures under the Elastolin brand, including: 

 -Infantry and officers of various nations 

 -Reichswehr soldiers (Germany’s interwar army) 

 -Military bands both marching and at attention 

 -Flag bearers and drummers 

 -Mounted figures and accessories 

 -Cannons 

 -Armored trucks, searching lights units and supply vehicles 

Notably, the 1934 edition also includes Nationalsozialisten figures, such as SA and SS members, reflecting the political landscape of the time and the growing influence of Nazi iconography in children's play. 

 The catalog is available here (pdf, 11 pages, 9.5 Mb):