I don't claim to know the full story of Thomas N. Loback's career. I've seen his work referenced in passing in the toy soldier press over the years, but the biography I'd want to write — dates, education, a complete bibliography of the figures he sculpted — I can't verify firsthand. I'd rather say less honestly than say more and get it wrong.

What I can show you is a Loback set in my personal collection — the 54th Massachusetts (1863), set of five. It's listed at Breagans in our Toy Soldiers Retired and No Longer Available collection because I'm not parting with it; I keep it on display as one of those pieces I won't let go of. It was issued under his Panache Figurines / Thomas' Tin Soldiers label as ACW-1, his first American Civil War set — hand-painted by Loback himself, signed and numbered #113 in gold inside the original box. Four Black infantrymen and one white officer in 54mm, depicting the regiment made famous on screen by the 1989 film Glory.

The detail that struck me most when this set came across my bench: according to a New York Times piece, Loback modeled the figures from Augustus Saint-Gaudens's Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th memorial on Boston Common. That's not a small reference. Saint-Gaudens's monument, completed in 1897, is one of the most important American sculptures of the 19th century — and the figures Loback produced from it carry that lineage forward in miniature.

If you're drawn to the 54th Massachusetts as a collecting subject, the Loback set isn't going anywhere — but W. Britain's Civil War range carries figures that are. The Sgt. Carney and Col. Robert Gould Shaw figures are both in stock at Breagans and represent the regiment in W. Britain's modern matte 1/30 finish.

If you have firsthand knowledge of Loback's career — sets I should know about, where his archives ended up, anything verifiable I can add to this post — email me. I'd rather update this with confirmed information than leave generic praise online.

— Daniel