Wendell Snapp with some of his miniature collection Wendle Snapp thinks small. Ever since he was small, he has focused on miniatures. Now the collection of small has become Big - threatening to fill his house to capacity.

"When I was a little boy, one of my cousins had some toy soldiers," he remembers. "I wanted them in the worst way. It took me quite a few years, but I did acquire some later. I've been at it ever since."

This collector's hobby has led him to study history, art, and engineering. Is an antique toy soldier a Flat or Hollow- cast? Is it tin or lead, or plastic? Whether it's spincasting or hand- poured, he has delved into the subject.

Snapp has created a photo- documentary titled "The Art of the Toy Soldier" about some of his pieces.

"In the 1800s, mechanical toys made in England were the rage," he says. "In 1893, William Britain invented the hollow casting process," which revolutionized toy making. This process led the field until 1966 when plastics replaced lead as the material of choice.

A 17th Lancer of the 1854 Crimean War, made by King and Country. "The miniatures made before 1970 are now identified as vintage, while everything since then is Modern."

In 1987, Wendle Snapp and his wife Ann visited England for the first time. While she was sightseeing and touring, he was buried in the "Traditions of Wonders" in London. He found out this was the elite of the collectors' world, with very high- priced and intricate pieces for sale. Having grown up in the era when tiny toys were sold in the literal dime store, he came close to deciding that it was out of his price range but relented and bought his first set, soldiers priced at $6 apiece. Now, of course, such items are far more valuable than in the past.

Among famous people who collected miniatures were Winston Churchill, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., General Eisenhower, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Malcolm Forbes.

Authenticity is the key word for these dedicated collectors. Snapp makes his own castings and pours the lead himself, following it with painting and decorating. Every detail must be authentic for the period, down to the number of buttons on the sleeve or the military emblem on the shoulder.

Left, a horse of the "Vintage" (pre-1966) period. Right, Britain's New Metal, 1973. He created a set of Citadel pipers in authentic uniforms. "I found out I can paint argyle socks," he says. "Never again."

The South Carolina Military Miniature Society draws members from all over the state, meeting monthly in both Columbia and Charleston. "I learn something new every time I attend a meeting," says Snapp.

Meetings are held in members' homes, and the host is responsible for the program, which might be a visiting speaker or a research paper or some new items collected. Every summer the club does a diorama at the S.C. State Museum. The recent exhibit featured the Roman Forum. Next year's show, from June through August, will be built around the Great Pyramids.