(detail of 21st Royal North British Fusiliers)Company Information
Leddy & Slack, a home-based business located in Mineola, New York (Long Island), was founded by Christopher Rotter in Brooklyn in late 1998. Sara Simmons, Christopher's long-time partner, soon joined him to assist with painting and packaging. Shortly after the birth of their daughter in 2000, Leddy & Slack relocated to upstate New York but returned to the NYC metro area in 2005.
Chris and Sara share interests in history, art and literature. The two met in 1990 as students at the New School for Social Research, where Christopher also studied fine art at Parsons School of Design. Their occupational experience includes theatre and film production, teaching, publishing, marketing and museum science. Both worked for a time at Iconoplast Designs in Brooklyn (now located in Toronto), where Chris learned sculpting and mold-making from master plaster craftsman Francois Furieri.
Operations are completely in-house: Chris develops the product ideas, conducts historical research, sculpts the original figures, creates rubber molds, and casts and cleans the figures; Sara paints the figures, designs and prints labels, assembles the packages, assists with research and handles the administrative work.
(detail of 21st Royal North British Fusiliers)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the figures made of? How big are they? Leddy & Slack fine tin soldiers are made from an alloy of 95% tin and 5% copper. The paints are oil-based enamels and artist acrylics. The metal and paints are lead-free. The figures are 1:32 scale, also measured as 54mm or 2-1/4 inches.
When did you start making tin soldiers? Christopher Rotter formed Leddy & Slack in October 1998 in Brooklyn. Shortly after, Chris' longtime partner Sara Simmons began assisting him. A lengthy sabbatical followed the birth of their daughter, and Leddy & Slack moved to upstate New York in fall 2001. They began operations again in earnest with a 2003 commission from the Saratoga National Historical Park. Leddy & Slack returned to Long Island in 2005 but maintains close ties with its upstate clientele and mail order customers.
How did you become interested in making tin soldiers? Christopher's auntie brought some British figures back from the 'old country' when he was a boy. By early 1960s standards they were unusual toys, and the excitement and color of them has stuck in his imagination. It wasn't until the late 1990s, however, upon hearing a young Scottish boy recite Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry on the radio, that Chris was inspired to make his own tin soldiers. After some research into the process and a trip to the Forbes Collection in Manhattan, Chris purchased a pound of clay at a local art supply store, and Leddy & Slack was born. The first molds were made using automotive gasket rubber, and early casts were made with ordinary plumbing solder.
What are the steps in making a soldier, and how long does it take? After research into the proper uniform and kit, the original figure is sculpted using wire and Milliput. A master mold using RTV rubber is created from the sculpted piece, from which several cast pieces can be used to create a multi-piece production mold. Sculpting an original figure and making the mold takes 1-2 weeks. The rubber mold can then be used many times. While many Leddy & Slack figures are still individually gravity-cast in the traditional manner, increased demand calls for more multiple-piece molds. Molten tin is poured into the mold and allowed to cool. After inspection and cleaning, each figure is hand-painted, so no two are precisely alike. Each piece also comes with a regimental history or brief biography. Each cast metal figure receives approximately an hour's attention between filing and assembly, painting and packaging. The simpler Christmas Soldier is finished in about 20 minutes.
Do you do special requests/commissions? Yes. Special commissions have been created for the Lexington Historical Society, Saratoga National Historical Park, Rogers Island Visitors Center, the New York State Military Museum, Grant Cottage State Historic Site, the Lexington Historical Society, and the Hingham Historical Society. We also do commissions for individuals or re-enactor groups under certain circumstances.
Where did the name Leddy & Slack come from? Our colorful ancestors Patrick Leddy and Uriah Slack provided the surnames, and the combination of the two is evocative of a small, 19th-century business embodying the ideals of personal integrity and quality craftsmanship.
Why do your figures make good gifts? Leddy & Slack fine tin soldiers are classic Christmas presents, and they make great birthday or Father's Day gifts for the history buff, militaria collector, re-enactor, or the proverbial 'man who has everything.' Several of our pieces also have a local or regional interest, as well as a genealogical interest for descendants of members of the regiments. Our Christmas sets harken back to the Victorian era when many a boy's eyes lit up on Christmas morning as he lifted the lid off a new box of tin soldiers.
What is the history of tin soldiers? Military miniatures, tin or otherwise, have been collected and enjoyed for more than four thousand years. Figures in wood, bronze, terra cotta or lead have been found at numerous archaeological sites of ancient Rome, Egypt, Greece, and China. Toy soldiers were extremely popular throughout Europe and Great Britain from the 16th-19th centuries. 20th century collectors included Sir Winston Churchill, who credited his 1500-piece collection with inspiring his military career, and Malcolm Forbes, whose collection included over 10,000 pieces.
