Cantigny show features military miniatures
Nick Albanese needed a way to relax.
His job always took him to different construction sites and often into disputes where a bunch of burly guys were pointing fingers at other burly guys.
At night he'd retreat to his motel room, a tired and wired guy in search of a way to unwind.
If he was a drinking man, he might turn to the bottle, but Albanese says he's “an Italian who doesn't even drink wine.”
Instead, he decided to find a hobby.
So Nick Albanese did what any other guy from the rough and tumble construction industry would do.
He started to paint miniature soldiers.
Show time
Albanese will be one of 19 dealers displaying and selling their wares today when the Toy Soldier Show returns for the 11th straight year at Cantigny Park, 1S373 Winfield Road, Wheaton.
This year's show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Visitors Center. More than 2,000 people, many of them children, attended last year's event.
Albanese, who owns Camp Randall Miniatures in Watertown, Wis., and organizes the shindig, talks about it like a man dictating his own press release.
“You can say this,” he will tell you, “or you can say that.”
What he really wants you to know is that the show offers a nice cross-section of toy soldiers, from plastic dime store figures to delicately painted collectibles.
Bring your kids and they'll be able to play with the plastic pieces. Bring your father and he'll be able to examine “the kind of figure a kid gets slapped on the hand for touching,” Albanese says.
Most sell for between $15 and $18, although some are considerably cheaper and some are considerably more expensive.
The toy soldiers represent all eras, from knights in shining armor to Vietnam-period Marines. Napoleonic pieces are especially popular these days, he says, because the soldiers represent so many armies, countries and, yes, colors of uniforms.
Look around enough, he says, and “I wouldn't even be surprised if you find a Samurai.”
Albanese himself favors figures from World War I, partly because of the time period's influence on history and partly because “it's far enough back to not make you sad.”
His favorite set involves a World War I doughboy kneeling at the grave of a fallen comrade. “I call it ‘We Won't Forget,'” he says, “because we won't forget.” Study your history
Nowadays, Albanese has left the road and mostly works on his miniature figures in his basement family room in Wisconsin. He views the annual Cantigny show as a great way to introduce the hobby to the general public and convince some kids to get involved, too.
#8220;I like to chat with the kids and tell them to study their history books,#8221; he says.
Visitors will find most of the dealers are quite knowledgeable about both the hobby and the time period their figures represent.
They'll be able to tell you that #8220;toy soldiers#8221; are usually high-gloss items and #8220;military miniatures#8221; usually have a mat finish and super detail that includes shading that highlights everything from a soldier's cheeks to the fabric of his uniform.
Albanese likes to see people's eyes light up when they look at his work.
But what's his absolutely favorite part of the show?
#8220;Making a profit,#8221; he says.
A perfect setting
It would be difficult to find a more perfect setting for a toy soldier show than Cantigny Park. The home of the First Division Museum is, after all, named for a World War I battle in France.
Albanese says he first visited Cantigny more than a dozen years ago. He looked around the gift shop and noticed it didn't offer anything resembling miniature soldiers.
#8220;I figured, what the heck, and I talked to the shop manager and they gave me a cabinet for my soldiers,#8221; he says.
When they began selling, it got him thinking about possibly putting on a show that also featured other dealers. Eleven shows later, the idea seems to have caught on.
Albanese slips back into his public relations mode. Listen closely and you can hear him arbitrating a dispute about poorly poured concrete or perhaps brick work that doesn't look quite right.
He wants to read you a quote directly from a Cantigny press release to make sure you don't miss the point.
#8220;You can say it like this,#8221; he says, and who are you to argue with somebody who is about to quote himself? #8220;This is an ideal show for people who are curious about toy soldiers and those just getting started. Visitors will see a good cross-section of the hobby, including dealers who make and paint toy soldiers and those who collect them.#8221;
Couldn't have said it better ourselves.