When the imperial family was exiled in Tobolsk, they took with them many personal belongings including Prince Alexey’s toys. The heir to Nicholas II was especially fond of tin soldiers. When he was not studying, he arranged his toy troops in battle lines and conducted battles and maneuvers.

The set of soldiers that is stored in the Tobolsk Historical and Architectural Museum symbolizes the Turkish and Prussian armies. The Turks are represented by the infantry. The Prussian part of the collection includes various types of troops: cavalry, infantry, and artillery. In addition to the people figures, it also includes miniature cannons and horses without riders. The master reproduced carefully the military uniform and horse harness of that time period including small details.

The first tin soldiers appeared in the 18th century. At that time the most famous master who made toy soldiers was Ernst Heinrichsen from the German city of Nuremberg. He cast tin figures of certain height that later became a standard: 32 mm for foot soldiers and 44 for riders excluding the headdress height. Next, the master painted finished soldiers with a thin brush trying to specify fine details of their uniform and observe the colours and insignia adopted by the armies of different countries. In the 19th century, such toys were called Nuremberg soldiers.