On the subject of forts, many were home made just as doll'd houses were. However, I am thinking now of toy castles in the early 1960s. I never had one but the kids next door had a kit to make different castles. As far as I recall there were separate turrets, keep, drawbridge, stone walls etc which were all painted metal parts that could be slotted together to recreate castles of different shapes and sizes. I never did know what it was called, in those days I was busy with Meccano which lasted until I was bought some Lego.
Sticking with soldiers etc they definitely were rather faddy much as I suppose all toys were to a point. My pride and joy were WW1 British Cavalry lead soldiers given to me by my grandfather, there were just five of them in the box as I recall. Until I graduated to Airfix 25mm figures as a young teen they were all the soldiers I had. At the time mediaeval soldiers were quite popular and then cowboys and indians. Of course Airfix models were very much railway, aircraft and WW2 armoured vehicles in the early 1960s and as Tamiya came along with motorised models then popular figures were very much WW2 soldiers. I actually believe the 1960s was the heyday of chidren's toys. By the 1970s it all moved swiftly forward into the beginnings of the computer age, even model railways were becoming technology laden with the Zero 1 system enabling locos to be individually controlled on the same tracks.
I guess what I'm remembering here really is that half of growing up was about role play and imagination using fairly simple toys and while there is no doubt that kids today have imagination I don't think they spend any time with role play, life is so instant to them. Give it time and kids will be texting from the womb given half a chance!

Brian


QT - margaret baker wrote:


Sorry to interupt the boys games talk, I used to play with my
brothers fort, my dad had made it, we had both lead and plastic
cowboys/indians/knights in armour a fantastic cannon that fired
matchsticks, what happy memories you have stirred up of war
games all jumbled up together with cowboys fighting knights lol.