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The WWI Layout was build around Lionel's number #203 Armored Train Set introduced in 1917 (just at the time America was becoming involved in the War). Lionel claimed that "You can be a General just like the sodiers in Europe...". Lionel said their #203 set was just like the real Siege guns booming on the battlefields of Europe. In truth, they were not close in design to the real Siege guns, but after all this is a make believe toy.
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| The 5 and 10 dime stores sold metal figures (all hand panted) which would provide kids the opportunity to build their own "War Scenes". Barclay, Grey Iron, and Manoil were the most common manufactures of toy soldiers when production was booming from 1924 to the start of WWII. The German soldiers in this picture were made by Bill & Sharon Holt who believed (as I do) that there were not enough German soldiers to counter the number of "doughboys" made... and after all, the battles needed to be realistic.
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So many inventions, both good and bad, came out of WWI, that is is hard to believe to the extent that the Great War has given us the start of many things such as aviation as we know it today. Germany's Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron-80 planes shot down) and America's Eddie Rickenbacker (26 planes shot down) are both flying over the battle field just out of sight in these pictures. Some will say it's bad (by todays standards), but toys would prepare youngsters to develop their minds and strategies that might keep them alive in the next war.
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