How Airfix Created a Hobby

Comet / Authenticast Panzer IV wit hbox

There is no doubt that Airfix (and ROCO) changed the hobby. Prior to them, the only small scale vehicles and figures were metal castings. Comet / Authenticast and Denzil-Skinner produced military identification models in the 1/96 to 1/109 scales, Authenticast also produced three ranges of figures about HO size: US , German and Soviet infantry. Each sets had a prone rifleman, kneeling rifleman, charging rifleman. charging submachine gunner, 2-man prone machine gun team, and small anti-tank gun with 2 crewmen. German set had one extra charging rifleman and a kneeling panzerfaust man. The US had a bazooka man.

Authenticast US Army

About this time, Britains also offered a “Lilliput” line about this time which was about 20mm scale. These were miniature copies of the Herald  post-War khaki infantry.

There were a few companies making unpainted 20mm figures. These were close to HO size. Most were Civil War figures.

Size comparison: Authenticast M4 (left). Airfix Solider, ROCO M4 (right)

At the time, most miniature figures sold via hobby venues were model railroading figures scaled for O (1/48 to 1/43) and HO / OO (1/87 to 1/76).

Original Airfix Box, circa 1961

When Airfix launched its initial run of small figures, it caused a stir. They were imported into the US. There were model railroading sets (Civilians, Farm animals), Marching troops (Guardsmen, Colour Guard Party) and combat troops (Infantry Combat Group, German Infantry). Introduced with the first run of ROCO Minitanks, these were an instant hit. They were attractive, affordable, and allowed for dioramas and battle games. Model railroaders were also pleased to find a good set of civilian figures and animals at a low price.

Airfix did not rest on its laurels. Following quickly after its first offerings were Civil War infantry and artillery, cowboys, wild Indians, the 8th Army, Afrika Korps and US Marines. ROCO also  began expanding its line. Small scale military modeling and Airfix went mainstream, unlike earlier makers who purveyed onto to the niche elements among hobbies.

Airfix US Marines, original series

It did not take long for wargamers to latch onto the small plastic figures and tanks. Previously, small-scale wargamers relied on cast metal figures from a handful of manufacturers. These were not widely known beyond the small wargaming communities in the US and UK. The wide availability of Airfix took wargaming from a limited, specialized hobby to the mainstream. Wargame proponents such as Featherstone, Morschauser and Grant used Airfix figures to illustrate games in their books. Had it not been for the affordable, widely-available Airfix soldiers, wargaming might have remained a small hobby for many years,

ROCO M47 (first version)

Indeed, Airfix was dynamic. Its next series of 1/76 figures were more detailed and covered a wider spread of history. Starting with the Russian Infantry, Japanese infantry and Arabs, Airfix’s figures made a large leap in realism. They also spread into other genre. Already established in World War II, the Wild West and the Civil War, Airfix expanded into World War I, Ancients, Medievals, the Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolution. Cheap, available figures were met enthusiastically by hobbyists.

1/32 Man-at-arms

Airfix also expanded its line of model kits to meet the needs of the toy soldiery. 1/76 scale military vehicle kits appealed to wargamers, military collectors and diorama makers. The original kits were very basic, but more vehicles were added. Most were World War II-era tanks and support vehicles. A few Cold War era vehicles were added, as well as vehicles for dioramas. Just as it pioneered the popularity of small-scale soldiers, so Airfix was the catalyst that launched 1/76 - 1/72 scale military vehicle kits. (This was followed in the 1970s by Matchbox, Fujimi, Hasegawa and other makers) Without Airfix, this may never have happened.

The next coup by the British hobby maker was to enter the 1/32 field. Their first set was make by pantographing their 1/76 Paratroopers into 54mm scale. They were nothing spectacular. Not content to try that again, the company issued all-new figures. The first set I saw was the British Commandos (29 figures for about $3.00). Soon after came the Russian and the German infantry. The detail and realism exceeded that of the toy manufacturers. Airfix took plastic army men to a whole new level.

Airfix 1.32 - 54mm British Commandos

Several of the early HO / OO were upgraded soon after the introduction of 54mm figures. The German Infantry, Infantry Combat Group, US Marines, French Foreign Legion, 8th Army and Afrika Korps were replaced with more detailed figures. Several of the figures in each 1/76 set were copies of the new 54mm figures. These were supplemented with new poses. The 54mm sets themselves were mostly limited to 7 or 8 poses. Additional new poses were not added to them.

Airfix 1/32 -54mm Russian Infantry

To its credit, Airfix kept making new sets. Modern soldiers entered the inventory. These were 1980s-style US (billed as NATO), British, West German and Soviet troops. There were also Sci-Fi figures, and 54mm US cavalry, Indians and Cowboys. Soon afterward, the introduction of new sets stopped. Airfix ran into hard times. Heller, the French model kit company, bought the molds. Lately, Hornby took over and moved production to India.

Airfix 1/32 - 54mm US Infantry

Will Airfix ever start expanding its line again? That is hard to say. Its variety of models and figures is already vast. Airfix kicked off the small scale military hobby and the raised to bar on 1/32 scale figures. It launched the 1/76 - 1/72 military model genre. The company also produced a vast range of model aircraft, mostly in 1/72 scale, as well as ships and space models. Perhaps a new management might expand things, but that remains to be seen. There is a lot of competition in both the 1/76 and 1/32 scales.  Even at that, Airfix is not likely to fade away. The are still the favorite of many. (That includes this author)

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A sad. part of the hobby is willingness of Chinese makers to copy or clone better figures. The most copied and cloned set of modern soldiers is the Tim Mee Vietnam-era troops. Following closely on its heels are the 54mm British paratroopers and  German Infantry, who have been copied and cloned for over 20 years. In other genre, the Airfix Cowboys & Indians have been pillaged mercilessly by Chinese copyists. Clones and copies tend to be undersized, less detailed, and increasingly disproportionate.

Matchbox figures have also been cloned, mainly by toymaker Hing Fat. These are the US, German (Infantry and Afrika Korps) and British 8th Army sets. Atlantic Japanese were cloned, as well. As the cheap Chinese molds deteriorate ,figures get smaller and less detailed.

The fact is that serious hobbyists should avoid clones, if possible, and get figures made from the original molds. This assured detail and scale consistency. Leave clones to the kids.

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I have seen Airfix from its first sets in `61 or `62 to its current status. I like the product as much now as ever. When I need small-scale figures, that is where I look first. Through Airfix, I was introduced to small scale hobbying and historical wargaming. My original collections of figures and kits was lost over 30 years ago. (Of course, I wish I still had them.) Nonetheless, I have always liked their products.

One thing I miss are the old structure kits. Favorites were the knightly castle, Roman fort, Western cavalry fort and Foreign Legion fort. A smart hobbyist could take two or three of those kits and built a larger fort.

Favorite sets? Hard to say. I will always have a find spot for the original Infancy Combat Group and German Infantry, as these (along with the ROCO tanks) introduced me to a wonderful hobby. Thanks to the hobby, I made a lot of friends and had many good times.



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I remember scrambling to the hobby shop with some change in my pocket, hoping to buy another ROCO tank or box of Airfix soldiers. There would be other boys like myself, looking at the display and trying to decide what to buy next. When you were a little boy in the early 1960s, 25¢ was good money and 50¢ was a major expenditure. We drove the hobby shop owner crazy as we tried to make that decision. Do I want another Sherman tank? A Panther? Or maybe a box of Airfix Marines. Decisions, decisions.*

AirfixInfantry Combat Group, circa 1961

Airfix and ROCO came out with new things every few months, so it seemed. My friends and I were thrilled to see each new set. The Sheriff of Nottingham set was a change because it included knights rather than Western figures, Civil War guys or 20th Century troops.  We took releases of World War II figures in stride....Russian Infantry..Paratroopers...Commandos. The Romans and Ancient Britons were thrilling to see.

While we tried our hand at our made-up games with the small figures, we were not very good at it. A friend lent me a copy of Featherstone’s War Games. That changed everything. We could have little battles for World War II, the Civil War and Romans versus good guys . Half the fun was painting the model tanks. We could also paint faces and details on the Airfix figures.

One big side effect: friends. Lots of them. Building models together, painting figures, sharing modeling tricks. We liked to show off our stuff. People developed all sorts of tricks for making their small models more detailed. Things like “stretch sprue” antennae and handmade bundles made our models look better. That somehow improved the games.

Time certainly have changed. The old model-building and wargaming pals are scattered to the four winds. Adulthood brought other concerns that sent us hither and yon. I lost touch with them long ago.

( Perhaps that is why I could never get into the micro tanks at 1/285 and 1/300 scale. They were too small to make enhancements worth seeing. Kits from the 1/100 Roskopf to 1/76 Airfix were preferred because we could make them look great.  )

1/32 - 54mm Westerm Indian

1/32 - 54mm - US Cavalryman

Popular Armies for Military Miniature Hobbies

What makes a particular genre more popular among toy soldier and military miniature collectors? I have thought long and hard about this. Several trends are obvious.  The most popular genre in the US at this time are World War II, the American Civil War and the American Revolution.  50 years ago, it was the Civil War, The Revolution, the Wild West and Napoleonics. Since the mid-70s, science fiction has grown into a niche of its own, while the Wild West has receded in the US. Napoleonics are common wargame figures these days, though there are still collectors of 54mm and larger figures. The biggest change is the availability of figures from various eras. Compared to 1968, the selection available to hobbyists is overwhelmingly vast.

The most popular armies from these genre include World War II Germans and both sides of the Civil War and the Revolution.

I had wondered why conflicts such as the Crimean War and Austro-Prussian, Franco Austrian and Franco-Prussian wars were not more popular. They had a wide variety of troop types and uniforms Also, what with the popularity of British Regiments in the hobby, why so few French troops here in the US? The French have an awesome assortment of attractive uniforms and troop types from 1840 to 1925. And what of conflicts such as the Seven Years War?

I have answers:

From the Old Kingdom of Egypt to futuristic Science Fiction, there are figures and people who like to model them. “Niche” is a relative term when discussing any genre of miniature soldiers. Every army and era has its fans. Most hobbyists, myself include, enjoy several eras and armies. Some of the discrepancies can be explained by location. The Seven Years War is mainly a European matter and so is most popular among German, British and French collectors. The facet of it fought in North America and know nas the French & Indian War has a following, but nowhere near as large as in Europe. As a counterpoint, the American Revolution is big in the US but has a small following elsewhere. If you are British or European, ti is the Seven Years War. For Americans, the Revolution.  One might say, “Six of one and half a dozen of the other.”

The American Civil War is very popular in the US. Contrary to the “Blue versus Gray” thing, the uniforms varied and some where quite ornate. There is also a smaller but ardent following in Germany and the UK.

Napoleonics are also a large genre, even if they have waned a bit among US collectors. Napoleonics are popular throughout Europe. Part of that is the fact that most European countries got caught up in that conflict in one way or another.

But why not Crimea or the German wars of the 1860s and 1870s?

For a genre to be popular, a few things are necessary:

1) The war must have lasted more than two years.

2) There must have been a variety of units, troop types, uniforms and equipment.

3) There must be lingering controversies about the war, its conduct (strategies, tactics), or events surrounding it.

4) The war must have been well-documented

You will finds all of these elements in World War II, the American Civil War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Seven Years War and the American Revolution. Things are less controversial with the German-French-Austrian Wars of the 1860s and Crimea. Also, none of the latter wars lasted long enough.

A friend brought up Vietnam,, which is still controversial and lasted over 10 years. However, there is no great variety of uniforms, equipment or troop types. The gear and uniforms on both sides were pretty much standardized. We had M113s, Hueys., Cobras and M48s, green uniforms and M16s. The VC and NVA had PT76s, T55s, green, tan or black uniforms, Ak47s and the SKS. Not much variety. The same can be said of World War I. Though some uniforms in 1914 were ornate, by 1915 they were pretty drab. Tactics were limited mostly to trench warfare. There is not much controversy there as compared to World War II.

The American Revolution lasted eight years, had a variety of uniforms and some aspects are still up for discussion. The Seven Years war lasted seven years, had a wide variety of troops, uniforms and nationalities. Ditto for the Napoleonic Era. The American Civil War lasted four years and had an immense number of units and militias. We are still arguing over its ramifications.

Of course there are a few flukes in there. Nonetheless, it all boils down to length of conflict, variety, documentation and controversy.

One remaining issue is why the British regiments are more popular in the US than the French. France was the oldest ally of the United States. Here I can only speculate. The US hobby was fed by British makers such as Wm. Britains Ltd, Johillco and others. Few lines of French figures were imported. Then there is the matter of language. France never supplied our hobby as much as Britain, specifically England. Had French makers more enthusiastically promoted and exported their miniatures here, I am sure France would be much more visible in the American toy soldier hobby.

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The most popular World War II figures are Germans. That army has the widest variety of everything, from belt buckles to tanks. They remain the most controversial. American, British, Soviet and Japanese armies where much more standardized and had far less variety.

The American Revolution has a wide variety of uniforms and non-uniforms. Different militias that could afford uniforms varied greatly. Consider also the Hessians, who actually came from six different German states. Each group included several different troop types, from fusiliers to grenadiers to jager and artillerymen. It was not a matter of Blue versus Red, but every color in the book. Even the British varied. having Rifle units, Rangers in green and Scottish troops.

The Civil War used standard troop types such as Light Infantry, regular infantry, cavalry and artillery. Each state sent several militia units, and many of these varied insofar as uniforms and equipment. There were standard uniforms for Federal and Confederate national troops,. Militia uniforms were varied, and many were influenced by French military fashion. These included various types of chasseurs and Zouaves.

Medieval and Ancient armies, have large followings, but they are not as popular as the armies from the 18th through 20th Centuries. A most interesting variety are the Heraldic K nights. These figures feature authentic historical heraldry of real warriors. The heralds of old kept great records of crests and liveries.

One French unit that has a following worldwide is the Foreign Legion. There is a mystique to it and a lot of controversy about its many conflicts. Movies, novels and televison series helped popularize the elite French unit.

Among Medieval collectors, the later centuries appear to be most popular, circa 1350 - 1550. The Hundred years wars and Wars of the Roses dominate, thanks to well-documented histories and heraldries.

Ancient Collectors tend to favor Hellenic Greek and Romans armies and enemies, but close on their heels are Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians.

Viking Age collecting focuses mostly on Vikings and Normans. There are fewer Saxon figures. Irish figures from the era are notably absent.