Polish Knight from Battle of Grunwald: Circa 1410

Were gonna take a little departure on this post. A little history lesson and a bit of diversion from the normal modern day Japanese Toys. Right now were gonna go medieval on your ass. Were talking Medieval Knights from the 13th century. This miniature Polish Knight from the Battle of Grunwald circa 1410 is one of my cherished toys, but one that I haven't got around to photographing since I purchased him last year. This story really began last May when an interesting article on toy photographer David Levinthal caught my attention in the San Francisco Chronicle. His photography inspired me to research these beautiful 1/32 scale toy soldiers a bit further. Not knowing anything about this toy genre, I was blown away when I saw the amazing variety and wonderfully detailed toys this originator of toy cultures had to offer. Click on this link to my other posts related to Sierra Toy Company to see more amazing toy soldiers and toy dioramas!!





Here's an excerpt from an earlier post describing how I discovered this Polish Knight:

Then a funny thing happened, on the other side of the store, with an almost halo effect, a set of knights captured my eye. They were amazing. I couldn't believe the detail in the sculpting but especially...especially the paint. They are the most incredibly painted toys I have ever seen in my life. I was transfixed and I knew my wallet was in trouble. I glanced at a price tag which read: $395! gasp! I asked Mike what these figure were and where did they come from??? "Ahhhhhh, the Russians!" Mike smiled with pride as he explained that these figures are made in Russia by Grenada Studios.

"They are the Rolls Royce of toy soldiers! The best of the best!!" Unfortunately for my wallet, i'm cursed with exceptionally good taste. Grenada Studios produces what could be the finest toy soldiers in the world. To call them toys is a joke. They really and truly are works of art. The mounted knights especially so. Each horse comes with meticulously painted blankets, the knights bear capes, shields and flags with incredible, almost impossible details and rich, vibrant colors. I have never seen anything like these in my life! As I went in for a closer look, Myszka came over to help me out. On one knight, his cape which is less than 1.5 inches tall and 1 inch wide with folds actually looked like patterned velvet! Amazing! She then showed me his helmet which is already detailed enough, but then flipped the face guard up to reveal the knights amazing face with graying beard. To give you an idea of the scale, his entire head including helmet is no bigger than a pencil eraser. His face is about the size of a baby's pinky nail! As I was about to faint, she pulled his teeny, tiny crossbow off his horse which had a braided tiny rope that secured it to the saddle! Mike says it takes weeks of work to complete one of these figures and it definitely shows. I was hooked and as I walked back over to the Samurai figures, I knew what the end result was already going to be. Every other figure including the East of India Samurai figures which I was planning to purchase, just pale in comparison to the Russian Knights made by Grenada Studios. Stay tuned for more pictures from Grenada Studios as well as a special gallery of the Polish Knight made by Grenada Studios that I picked up! I'm also going to include a bit of history about the battle that this specific knight was engaged in.

Whoops! I guess I was supposed to post up this gallery a long time ago!!