Greetings all,

David (aka lestweforget) has on display some Japanese Infantry figures from the old Airfix 1/32 Multi Purpose Sets and a very nice job he has made of them.

I was wondering if others have used these set and might have other examples of the different kits.

If so, post your pictures here and lets have a look or add a comment on their quality, size etc. I was wondering how well they might fit in with 1/35 scale as size in humans is variable.

Cheers

Al

HI Al

To my eye the Japanese still look larger than 1/35th - I have mine next to the Dragon set and they are definitely bigger. The rifles and personal gear are definitely more chunky (and that goes for all the Airfix Multipose - try comparing the rifles with 1/35th ones).

Quality is very good for the 70s, though there are niggling deficiencies in the gear - no BAR or carbine ammo pouches for a start.

David

Yeah as i told some people who asked, the size of them compared to DML's Iwo Jima Japanese is signifgantly larger, however compared to some DML American figs they are the same.
Though they should generally really be a little shorter than "westerners" i dont really mind.
Cheers

Al
This is one of the eighth Army figures WIP.

and a conversion from the German Infantry set I'm working on for the bend me shape me campaign

Here's a quick comparison shot with some figures

Hi Pat,

Thanks for those pics. They look like they would fit in fine in 1/35 as long as the weapons etc are the same.

Cheers

Al

Would anyone be willing to post more photos of their airfix figures or possibly a link to photos of the sprues. My LHS has quite a few sets and I've been debating picking them up. It seems as if their scale would work with Verlinden's giants. Thanks in advance.

Don't know if this will help.These are 8th army Airfix in front of Airfix 1/32 Grant.

Matt
These are the Airfix British 8th Army, have shots of the japanese set as well (plan on putting together an in-box review one of these days)
Cheers, hope they help!

Thanks for all the pictures guys! They actually don't look bad at all and seem to be pretty good quality. Again thanks for the pics guys....I think I might have to pick up some sets.

Just to correct a little thing:

It's "MULTI-POSE" not "Multi-Purpose." I have several sets.

Matt

Verlinden's giants allegedly share some of their DNA with the Airfix Multipose figures, or at least some of their weapons do

David

Just to add that in their present incarnation you get two sets to a box -enough for twelve figures. They retail here for €10 which is the bargain of the year I think.

Hi Pat,

Figures arrived today, not bad at all. Typical though, only came in a set of 6 .

Still they should turn out to be fairly good troops. The desert troops have quite short shorts through, a bit of variation needed there.

At that price I'm not complaining though.

Cheers

Al

I need to do a swap if anyones up for it. I'm currently working on a big Normandy dio and I need some more MP brassards. I know it's sad putting "monkeys" in a dio but it's a traffic jam :-) . I've used my Airfix ones and they look fine in 1/35th but I need some more. Now here's the sketch. I have a pile of British and German Airfix multipose and would be willing to trade stuff for just the MP brassards off the decals. I'm not bothered about the other decals. Weapons, figures? I'm desperate! I need another four minimum. Somebody help me out here and I'll make it worth your while!

Further to my last, I've had a look in the magic cupboard and I've got 8th Army, German Infantry, USMC and British Infantry NW Europe (lots of) for swaps for MP brassards. Let me know what you need.........

Alan- What figures did you get mate?

Pat- You mustve been lucky mate coz in all 5 boxes ive bought of the re-issued kits ive only ever had 6 figures same as Alan :-)

Cheers

???Got mine off Evil Bay about 3 years ago and it's a dozen squaddies.
cheers for kit math?

:-) Got most of mine from Evil Bay too, a Dozen you say? These arent the one pice "toy soldier" ones are they?

Would it happen to have made its way into some of those garands ;-)

Might have

The number of figures in a box depends on which re-issue you get - the current one which includes the Japanese is a 6-pack (Models for Sale is selling them off cheap at the moment). The previous re-issue which didn't include the Japanese was the 12-pack.

Hi David,

I got the NWE and N Africa sets. I think they will work well given that height isn't a problem for people and that the Tamiya ones all look like a might too thin.

Karl, there is only one MP Brasard in the N Africa kit, but your welcome to that one just PM me you address.

Cheers

Al

Alan, what do you plan on doing with the figures? Any plans yet?
Cheers

Originally issued with 6 figures, back in the land of real teeth, they did a reissue run containing 6 figures. With this run they didn't reissue the Japanese figures, so they became extremely expensive, and hard to find. The latest reissue run went back to the original issue containing 6 figures.




True, as do a lot of other 54mm figures. For years people have posed them, then ground them down to stick figures, usually leaving their hands, feet and heads, then redress them with Milliput, Duro, and many other 2 part epoxy putties. An extremely cheap, and easy source of plastic armatures. You can spot their facial features on many 54mm figures sold today, if you look closely.

The first issue were in a fine white softish plastic, later ones in a harder, grey plastic with the occasional sink mark.

My favourite was the British NWE set, if only there had been a PIAT and some 2" mortar bombs in the box too, it would have been perfect Others were a bit variable, and cutting down 37 pattern pouches to make BAR magazine pouches was a chore.

Wasn't the sculptor Roger Saunders, later of Hornet fame?

Hi David,

The NWE kit will go into ny D Day project and some at least of the N Africa ones will probably end up becoming LRDG troops as I have some plans in that direction and I have an old Desert Dio I want to upgrade so the others may end up there.

No immediate plans at the moment to move towards the Far East but sometime in the very distant future I'll get around to that side of the world :-) :-) :-) :-) India, Burma maybe.

Cheers

Al