malthoff Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Anyone remember collecting Airfix soldiers. They were plastic and came in 1/32 and 1/48 scale. Airfix, covered many wars; American Revolution,Napoleonic Era, American Civil War, WW1 and WW2, Romans vs Britons, Foreign Legion vs Arabs. My brother and I, had well over 1000 of them, from various wars. We spent hours "setting them up", for the grand battle. Best Christmas ever, my bro got German Infantry(1/32), and I got British Commandos. Played with them all Chistmas Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellros Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I had picked up some in HO/OO scale (also known as 1/76) way back in the early 80's. Brit 8th Army, and German Afrika Corps. Another company made the exact same figs, same scale and everything about a decade later. Ertl or someone I think. ------------------ "Mo matter where you go, there you are" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berlichtingen Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 And 1/72 scale. My first Napoleonic armies were Airfix. The local gaming group still has hordes of Airfix Civil War troops (we replace them with lead (Stone Mountain) as they break (amazing how brittle plastic becomes after 20 years) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I started wargaming with Airfix minis back in the 60's. They were very cheap here in the UK. They also had a vast range covering everything from Romans through to WW2. The company went bust or at least had severe financial difficulties in the 80's and the range was picked up by another company. Ah, this brings back memories, young people these days don't know how to have fun anymore.. grumble,grumble. Oh well it's time for my nap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I'm not sure if they came in 1/48, but they definitely came in HO/OO scale (1/76). My very first WW2 miniatures set was based solely on Airfix! Mace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Mace, Did you ever get the farmyard set with the model sheep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captitalistdoginchina Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I used to buy almost every type of airfix soldiers, all nations and units. As a 10 year old i would bring my armies to my friends house to meet his armies. Now comes the bad part... We would setup our armies across a large bedroom, then take turns to roll marbles and ball bearings into each others army. The one with the most units left standing wins! Trouble is he always had some snipers/soldiers lying down in a prone position - i could never knock em over with the marbles!!! Ahhh the memories! We also used to have the airfix models, tanks, airplanes and so on. CDIC ------------------ "Death solves all problems - no man no problem" J.V.Stalin, 1918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malthoff Posted February 22, 2001 Author Share Posted February 22, 2001 I cant quite remember, but Airfix may have done historical buildings too. I remember a freind who had a model replica of "La Haye Saint" from the battle of Waterloo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanks a Lot Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I recently found all my old 1/72 scale Airfix soldiers. Still have American, British, German, Japanese and Russian infantry. Africa Corps and 8th Army. I even have the German mountain troops with detachable skis. It's a good thing I live alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Yes i use to have thousands of 1/72 scale as well. We use to as kids make forts out of wodden blocks in my mates lounge and roll marbles and ball bearings at each others forces.We then progress to a dice with a ruler and string,we didnt know it at the time,but we were kinda playing it like S\L rules but a lot more simplistic. I had a massive collection from memory you got about 48 to a box.I had japanese,german africa corp,and para's i think close to 800 in germans alone.I bout many boxes of the same type.Back then they were only 99 cents NZ a packet.I think my total would be close to 3,000 odd plus and array of arfix models all painted.I had panthers,a few churchill's and lee\grant tanks.It was fun. Ive still got them in a huge box in the garage gathering dust. ------------------ "Some people don't see the light until they first feel the heat" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malthoff Posted February 22, 2001 Author Share Posted February 22, 2001 Hey Tanks, do you have those British Commandos! Afrika Corps was cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cos Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Originally posted by Ellros: I had picked up some in HO/OO scale (also known as 1/76) way back in the early 80's. Brit 8th Army, and German Afrika Corps. I had the DAK and 8th army figures along with some other ones. Funny seeing this post, I was out and about and found some old 1/72 scale Airfix tank models (Tiger I and Pz Kw IVF) and couldn't resist and picked them up. Now the question is, who's mod should I use for a color scheme to paint them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanks a Lot Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Originally posted by malthoff: Hey Tanks, do you have those British Commandos! Afrika Corps was cool! Yes I got the British Commandos with the 2-man canoes. I think I might test 'em out in the bathtub tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Originally posted by Firefly: Mace, Did you ever get the farmyard set with the model sheep? Why, are you selling a set? Mace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malthoff Posted February 22, 2001 Author Share Posted February 22, 2001 Hey Titan, we used to use a ruler and dice. think 5 was a hit, 6 was a kill. Soldier could take 2 hits and was killed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrullenhaft Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Airfix !!! That was the predominant company of my figure collections/models of childhood. Man I had a whole bunch of those 1/72nd scale figures myself ("had" being the operative word here). Napoleonics, ACW & WWII. Built a bunch of their models: aircraft, vehicles and armor. Most of my "battles" were using their stuff. I was too ignorant to find/use any rulebooks for some accurate gaming. It came down to marbles, steel ball bearings or the "twip!" of a finger to induce casaulties. I made all the sound effects like I was in my own war movie. Being the "war freak" I didn't have any friends to play with other than my oppressed, younger brother. I finally moved on to SL/ASL afterwards. Still couldn't find anyone to play that either - so SOLO it was. Still fun (though you knew what was under that "?" counter). I had those British Commandos too. I forgot all about the kayaks. I remember they had some ladders with them too in the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Well yes, I still play with my little soldiers. Only now they'r made of metal (pewter?), are painstakingly painted and mounted on small metal bases. I don't think I'll ever grow up.... at least my wife doesn't believe I will! Hawk ------------------ Our's is not to reason why, our's is but to do and die! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Hofbauer Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I remember the gerbiljägers had all those skiing, non-fighting soldiers. I also didn't like my british soldiers, they came with all those seperate machine gun and mortar pieces that of course got lost immediately, so I had a bunch of ex-Machine Gunners sitting there, and ex-Mortarmen holding a mortar grenade. I also remember that the thin front barrels of the M1 carbines on my american soldiers broke off so they would be holding all those stump guns. I didn't like the small airfix soldiers though. I also remember you could buy soldiers in the same gestures but done really bad (copied molds) in italy reeeal cheap. The highlight of my holidays back then ) ------------------ "Me tank is still alive me churchill's crew must be laughing there heads off." (GAZ_NZ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massimorocca Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Airfix, my god! At my best I had over 7 thousands Napoleonic, 5 thousands ACW, No idea how many WW2 I made battle at 1 figure= 60 men 1 gun= 1 battery of four 1 tanks =one platoon up to the whole Leipzig Gettysburg and Stalingrad battle, with rules and dice. The floor of my room a big 5x4 meters was littered for weeks, with Lego structures for the ground features. What times they were! Then came the computer. Massimo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepitis Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Ah,the memories.My favourite Airfix 1/72 scale soldiers were the ones which came with "special" items,The British commandos and their canoo's,the American Marines and their rubber dinghy,the British Paras and their weapons pod and Para making up his chute,the Russian infantry with the little Machine gun on wheels,etc etc etc.The Annual Airfix catalogue was also a must have item,as the box front illustrations which were reproduced in full colour were superb works of art in their own right.Thats it,Im going searching for any Airfix nostalgia sites,before mum calls me in for my tea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepitis Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Here it is for anyone interested http://www.djairfix.freeserve.co.uk/oindex.htm have a look the memories will come flooding back.Also http://www.zyworld.com/davejen/Airfix.htm [This message has been edited by crepitis (edited 02-22-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Steiner Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Hi all another nostalgia thread are lot enjoying making me feel old ! Airfix I truly believe to be 'responsible' in large degree for the foray into realm of Wargames for vast majority of UK Miniatures gamers I cant think of any (at least of those 25yrs +) who did not start out with the little affordable plastic hordes My 7yr old now has his mitts on my collection of HO/OO (or 'midgies' as we knew them) & 1/32nd Airfix stuff. Anyone remember the original British & German Infantry with really naff poses. The Krauts had a sort of little Pupchen included. I remember getting mine in one of the 'boxed' sets that Airfix produced 'The Gun Emplacment' which included plastic Patton Tanks and an M113 with the WWII figs ! Heres a nostalgia test for the 30+ somethings.........anyone own or remember Johnny Seven ?? Cheers ------------------ Sgt Steiner Belfast NI UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Airfix have been re-releasing the old kits, soldiers and even playsets over the last few years. Check out the link. http://www.airfix.com/ All the stuff I couldn't afford when I was a kid is back out, and now I don't have the time to make them. Did get myself a pontoon bridge the other day though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crepitis Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Hi Sgt Steiner,I inherited a slightly beat-up Johnny seven from an older cousin.Apart from its huge size(The gun,not my cousin!) the thing I remember best about it was the "ratchet"(bolt?)on the right hand side which I pulled back with some difficuilty, but the resulting noise when you pulled the trigger more than made up for the effort.Thanks for reminding me of the Pupchen thing from the 1/72 Airfix Germans.If memory serves me well there was a little guy to sit on a kind of seat attached to it.Other favourites were the "dead guys"you got with some sets,flat on one side to make them lie realistically on your dining table/battlefield!I remember having the gun emplacement with a revolving field gun in a turret,which could be used to fire lethal matchsticks at the enemy.I think most kits had an "officer" figure,the commandos had a guy with a dynamite detonator.Possibly the most reviled set was the "civilians"which came in a pale yellow colour.They were supposed to be used to add realism to model railways but to us bloodthirsty seven year olds they were worse than useless(except for the cool little guy on the Lambretta scooter!)There must be thousands of these little soldiers lying around in attics/cupboards.Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to finish reading my "Commando". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horncastle Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 My grandad gave me a load he had hundreds of these little chaps. I remember having a load of romans ( I think you could remove their shields) some Egyption types. Commandos with little canoes, some germans dont know what type and british Paras I think, as they came with a little base that you put them and their parachutes on to stand up I bet no one here used to have the MatchBox Bridge assualt set that I had. It was wicked it was this large piece of cardboard and you folded one end up slightly to make the background sky. Then it cam with all these plastic houses ( with pock and shell marks on) and two landing craft and a big missile launcher and you pressed these buttons and they shot off. It also came with an excellent bridge, plastic bushes, tank traps, telegraph poles and a few old matchbox vechiles. Me and my mate created an excellent game involving this and the airfix men and some dice. It wasnt too advanced you used to roll first to see how many bullets a chap fired and then how much chance it was to hit(which we both guessed and then agreed upon), dont know why we rolled for the number of bullets as it only needed one to kill someone. All rather good fun though when I was 8 or 9 though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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