Elastolin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elastolin is a trademark used by the German company O&M Hausser (O&M Haußer) for the toy soldiers it manufactured from composite material.
True Elastolin figures are made from sawdust, a glue such as casein, and clay (kaolin) molded on a wire armature and hand painted at the factory. The technique was developed by the brothers Otto and Max Hausser in 1912. Collectors often use the term Elastolin to refer to composite figures made by other companies, such as Lineol, but Hausser figures always have an oval base. Hausser also used the term Elastolin for the unpainted soldiers it began to produce in 1955 from a hard polystyrene plastic.
Elastolin figures came in 40mm, 65mm, 75mm, and 105mm scales. The World War II, Medieval, and Wild West lines were popular, and Hausser had exclusive rights to produce figures for the works of Karl May. Hausser stopped manufacturing figures from composite materials in 1969.
