An Improvement in Toy Soldiers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Toy Soldiers.
I CHARLES MIDFORTH BEAUMONT of 152 Park Avenue, Hull, Solicitor do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to toy soldiers and has for its object to enable missiles to
be discharged with sufficient force and accuracy to overthrow other similar toy
soldiers at a range relatively considerable so as to provide children and others with
means of representing mimic combat in a more realistic manner than is possible.
with ordinary toy soldiers so as to develop skill and afford amusement without the
assistance of any springs or other adventitious means of storing power for
propelling the missiles, as in toy cannons, which materially increases the cost of
the toys.
The invention consists of a toy soldier in the attitude, whether standing or
kneeling, of a soldier in the act of presenting or levelling his gun, or holding it at
the charge, the barrel of the gun being constructed of a straight. tube open at both
ends and so aligned with regard to the stock of the gun and the arms and head of the
figure that a projectile in the form of a slender rod or dart introduced in the barrel
of the gun may project from the breech end thereof over the shoulder or past the
side of the soldier in such a way that it may be discharged from the barrel of
the gun by a fillip of the finger applied to the rearwardly projecting end of
the missile.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification as applied to a toy soldier in the standing position. The figure a is
cast in lead, pewter, or other cheap metallic alloy or made of wood or paper in the
ordinary way of making such toys, and is provided with a base b of sufficient length
to give the figure the requisite stability, having regard to the overhanging weight
of the gun barrel c. The barrel may be cast with the figure but is preferably
made of thin drawn brass or other tube to lessen the weight, to enable it to be made
more nearly in proportion as regards diameter to the size of the toy, and to provide
a smooth internal surface offering the least possible resistance to the projectile passing
through it. If so made it may be soldered to the figure after casting, or may be
placed in the mould so that the hands of the figure would be cast about and become
attached to it in the casting operation. For the sake of effect a bayonet may be
soldered or otherwise attached to the muzzle end. Instead however of making the
barrel of metal, it might be made of paper and be attached to the hands of the
figure by any suitable adhesive matter, but a drawn metal tube is preferable, both
on account of strength and durability, and for the other reasons above referred to.
The projectile d is a straight slender smooth rod of circular section and uniform
diameter throughout and may be made of metal wire to give it the weight necessary
to obtain the desired effect at the required range, but it may be made of other
materials preferably such as bone or wood, or of rolled paper, if the figures against
which it is discharged are also made of paper. It is of such length that when
introduced into the barrel c it will project from the breech end over the
shoulder of the figure and sufficiently to the rear thereof to enable the fillip of the
finger to be applied thereto, as shown by the illustration, without danger of
knocking over the figure, and yet when so placed for discharge, more than half its
length will lie within the barrel, and by its preponderance of weight will cause the
rod to lie evenly therein without tilting, so that it will pass easily through and be
propelled therefrom when struck with sufficient force on its rear end in the
direction of its length.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1. A toy soldier consisting in the combination with a figure of a soldier in a
shooting or charging attitude, of a tube corresponding in position to the barrel of
the soldier's gun, said tube being open at both ends and not in alignment with
the head or any other part of the figure, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
2. The combination with a toy soldier consisting of a figure holding in firing
position a tube representing a gun barrel open at both ends and not in alignment
with any part of the figure, of a projectile in the form of a long slender rod adapted
to slide through the tube and to be propelled therefrom by a fillip of the finger
applied to the end of the rod projecting from the breech end of the tube, as
described.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1802