Sheer XTC by Anna Martin, from an unidentified "Sunday Supplement" circa 1989

If XTC's eloquent vocalist Andy Partridge had had his way, the quintessentially English pop groups' ninth album Oranges And Lemons would have happily remained a colourful figment of his vivid imagination. Not that this singer / songwriter is one to abandon his musical inclinations, it's just that he finds the idea of music coming between him and his other passion - collecting toy figures - almost too unbearable.

Over the years, Partridges collection of war toy figures has grown so extensively that he's had to specially adapt the attic in his Swindon home. "It used to be in the living room," he says, with an understanding chuckle, "but the kids (Holly, 3 , and one year old Harry) were getting the idea that it was a great idea to mountaineer and get them down."

On war-gaming days the collection - thousands of individual figures - is proudly set out on a huge table.

The his record company rang up to enquire about the new album. "I had this terrible dilemma over whether to smash up the table, in order to get the amplifiers and keyboards up there, or carry on wargaming," he says. "But I realised which one paid the rent. It was a sad day, but I went for the easy way out and wrote an album!"

The obsessive interest in toy figures dates back to his childhood when Andy would spend hours in the garden hiding his soldiers in the rockery. "And detecting them through a telescope like some kind of scout," he adds. "God, I lost a few like that..."

Then, about 10 years ago, he spotted a couple of old metal military figures in a junk shop, and began to relive his childhood with renewed enthusiasm. "All the sensations of owning soldiers as a kid came flooding back to me. And I've been totally addicted ever since.

"We'd go off on tour and I'd be eating scraps off other peoples plates and spending my 'living' money buying toy soldiers! It's just become a total thing. These days though, I just dream about finding rare ones."

A man like Andy Partridge, who's been busy making music with a close-knit unit like XTC since 1977 must be able to rely on understanding friends and colleagues. Luckily, bassist Colin Moulding and guitarist Davy (!) Gregory have learned to live with his preoccupational pastime.

"They have their things...," Partridge says, in his defence. "Colin likes to fish and Dave's into trains. And the only difference is that Colin can't stick fish in an album, and Dave hasn't got room in his living-room for a steam train."

Partridge has obviously become something of an expert. But that's not saying he collects by way of investment - the very suggestion bores him. He's interested in toy soldiers as an art form. A while ago he wrote to a firm, in search of a range of thumbnail miniatures for historical re-enactments.

"They wrote back saying that they didn't have any, and was I who they thought I was, as they were big fans of the group and felt terribly ashamed that they didn't have what I wanted. Then a couple of weeks later this shoe-box arrived, with all these samples they'd made. And they said, did we mind - it was a bit cheeky - if they called then the XT range? So now you can get the XT 1 to 55, and I'm very flattered."

The price of a toy soldier can range from as little as a few pence for a discarded, battered child's toy found in a junk shop to as much as thousands of pounds for a rare item of historical value. Although Andy Partridge may only have spent about £15 on an individual piece, his vast collection is nevertheless impressive. He is able to stand proud alongside other fanatical figure collectors including, says Partridge, Please Sir's Derek Guyler, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr and H. G. Wells - who wrote book on the subject.

"I'm a bit of a bookworm myself," Partridge admits. "And if I'm researching certain uniforms - wooh, double heaven! I'd much rather be painting a feather on a Busby than indulging in all this rock 'n' roll stuff."

"It'd be so nice to get back to soldiers, to disappear into the attic and have my dinner passed up on a tray. Then I can put my cassette of battle noises on - yeah, I made it myself - and get those soldiers trampling over the hills again. But then, I'm just a typical Englishman," he concludes, with a hearty chuckle. "I've got bad teeth and collect something."

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