Imperial Productions (New Zealand)

The miniatures depict mostly soldiers from the British Army in Napoleonic times through to World War II, as well as Māori and Victorian civilians.

Born in Lower Hutt, Cowe was the youngest of three boys, and received their hand-me-down pre-WWII lead toy soldiers to play with which sparked an interest in model making and military history.

[1] He later completed a diploma in graphic design and moved to London in the 1960s to attend Saint Martin's School of Art.

[1][2] While living in Greytown with his family of three daughters, he noticed toy soldiers advertised in a UK magazine and decided to try making his own.

[3] The company produced more than 1000 hand-cast and hand-painted figurines a year;[1] since 1998 Cowe's daughter Lisa Cowe-Kirk has painted the soldiers in traditional gloss enamel colours.