- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 13:55 pm Post subject:

I think that the Orion stuff and forthcoming Pegasus French are 1/72 which might make them a bit big for our purposes, a lot depends on the style of the sculpt.....Pegasus 1/72 SS LAH figures are quite petite, bordering on 1/76.

Early war British troops may well be a real problem.....The Valiant set is right out because they are HUGE even for 1/72 scale. We might have to pick and choose amongst the Airfix and MB ranges and use the best selection we can come up with.

All the best

Ratch · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 14:00 pm Post subject:

What about Airfix WW1 Brits, or do they wear caps

If so, could the heads be replaced

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stuzzar · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 14:09 pm Post subject:

Agree, with regard to the Pegasus French Infantry, forgot that they are going to be 1/72.

Apparently the early war Germans were also intended to be 1/72 but due to a production mistake they were scaled to 1/76th from the masters, rather than scrap the lot they simply changed the scale on the boxes

, the same set is due for release in 1/72 so it may be worthwhile grabbing some of the 1/76th ones while we can.

The Orion paratroopers have an average hieght of 23mm, Airfix average hieght is 22mm, if the weapon sizes are not too different we may get away with it.

Think I will buy some Orion figures and do a comparison, they are quite nicely detailed and are all correctly armed with pistols as well as their main weapons. Something that Airfix missed.

Cheers

Stu

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 14:09 pm Post subject:

stuzzar · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 17:31 pm Post subject:

We could of course use 8th Army figures with their shorts increased to full length trousers as in the following article.

http://www.miniaturezone.co.uk/ARTICLES/gluepant/index.htm

This would mean them fighting in shirt sleeve order unless we are brave enough to have a go at building up the sleeves of the battledress jacket.

Most figures in 8th Army sets are equiped with early war weapons and I guess it would be easy enough to sculpt gas mask cases on their chests.

Here are some of the sets (average figure height in brackets), Airfix (22mm), Esci/Italeri/Revell (23mm), Matchbox (21mm) & the original Revell set (24mm)

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=AIR&code=01709

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=ESC&code=207

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=MBX&code=P5005

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=REV&code=02512

May be more work than we want to take on

Cheers

Stu

Ratch · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 17:36 pm Post subject:

stuzzar · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 17:39 pm Post subject:

joe · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 18:31 pm Post subject:

Looks easy enough...

I'd be happy to paint any figures left over etc

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 20:08 pm Post subject:

stuzzar · Posted: Sun 27 Jan 2008 21:43 pm Post subject:

I am off on leave for the next two days, I will dig out some 8th Army types and have a go at a few conversions, see what I can come up with.

Cheers

Stu

stuzzar · Posted: Mon 28 Jan 2008 15:17 pm Post subject:

Whilst rumaging through my plastic figure collection digging out some 8th Army types I came across this lot

They are a few figures from the Revell Australian Infantry set, these are the only figures in the set that have the steel helmet all others have the slouch hat but with a few head swaps and a bit of a trim of the longer battledress jacket they would be pretty good candidates for early war British infantry.

Here is the whole set as shown on Plastic Soldier review
http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=REV&code=02501

This discovery also led me to take a look at the Matchbox ANZACs, in my mind one of the best sets of small scale plastic figures ever released, once again with a few head swaps, cutting away machetes and a bit of the white glue technique here and there and they would serve as good early war troops.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=MBX&code=P5008

The only draw back to all of this is that both sets are sadly out of production and very hard to find

.

Here are some other options from my collection, for size comparison. I have include one of the Revell Aussies in here as he matches quite well to the Airfix 8th Army figure.

Esci/Italeri British Infantry & 8th Army, Airfix British Infantry & 8th Army, Revell Austarlian Infantry, Matchbox British Infantry

If there are any small scale plastic figure producers out there, you can see by looking at this lot that we badly need, not only early WW2 British Infantry, but also a decent set of late war Brits

Cheers

Stu

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Mon 28 Jan 2008 15:22 pm Post subject:

There is some good news Stu.....The Airfix Aussies are available from Hat (I have a box too!

):

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=HAT&code=7016

Hat have also rereleased several other Airfix sets, including Ghurkas, Italians and WWI French.

For what it's worth & all the best

stuzzar · Posted: Mon 28 Jan 2008 15:35 pm Post subject:

Yes I have a few sets of both, but it is the Matchbox figures that I think would be better suited as they have British issue gaiters rather than the US issue leggings on the Airfix chaps (although the white glue technique cold of course be applied to sort this out). The Matchbox set also contains a very nicely posed vickers MG gunner and Mortar crewman. It does appear that both sets were created by the same sculpter.

Cheers

Stu

Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Mon 28 Jan 2008 16:09 pm Post subject:

Sorry Stu,

I misread your post and thought it was the Airfix 'WWII Australians' set.....No wonder they didn't look too familiar!

All the best

stuzzar · Posted: Mon 28 Jan 2008 18:34 pm Post subject:

No problem Sarge easily done they do look very similar

I have had a go at the white glue trouser extending technique today

...I would consider myself a fairly patient chap but this little operation is so time consuming I gave up after doing 3 figures

The time it takes to clean up the figure, trim off rolled up sleeves, shorts and sock turn overs and then carefully apply the thickened white glue is incredible. Unless I can lay my hands on lots of Matchbox ANZAC sets I think it will be back to the drawing board on this one...perhaps we should use white metal figures for the Brits.

Cheers

Stu