"Who uses Airfix Napoleonics?" Topic

I'm aware these do not provide a complete Waterloo army for any nation, and you'd need others to complete units, arms etc. But does anyone here use them?

Airfix nappies were how I started with this period. Even today I think some are quite good.

The best set has to be the RHA, which provides you with a loading crew, a firing crew, recognisable 9-pounders and even gets the limber horse riders' uniform right.

The British hussars are also pretty good although one can't use the lancer, the kettledrummer of the kneeling casualty. Aside from having no carbines and the busby bag on the wrong side, they are pretty good. They were the last plastics in my army until finally supplanted by metals.

The British line are unaccountably missing their canteens. Presumably they have all been stolen and drained by those guys otherwise inexplicably crawling around.

The Highlanders' kilts are too short, they've had their canteens nicked as well, and they're wearing French knapsacks. What's not to like?

The Old Guard look like Old Guard. Likewise the Landwehr.

The French "line" are useless as line infantry but the quirks of their uniforms work as Young Guard.

The French cuirassiers and artillery both suck a55. The artillery does at least provide some useful marching figures that can be converted into Prussians. It is also possible to put British hussar top halves onto line infantry legs to get Guard horse artillery.

So anyone still using? Anyone got any good conversions?

I have a few scattered among my plastic armies. Have gone to 28mm though.

I used to have a few, although I started out with ESCI plastices. The airfix minis always looked too squat imo.

Having said that I wouldn't touch plastics now that I'm and adult (although the new 28s look rather nice).

TW.

Well, I'm quite pleased to say that I'm an adult and happily touch plastics every day. Plastic snobbery is just plain silly especially considering how incredible the new plastics are and the value they provide.

I know that several folks along with myself use various Airfix plastics in their armies. I have some Naps in my armies and my youngest and oldest sons were graciously given some by a kind gent who posts here. My youngest was also given some painted ACW Confedrates to battle his brother and my Yankee's.

Thanks,

John

I used to game with them, using Bruce Quarrie's rules, but have since lost interest in Napoleonics.

There used to be a whole series of articles in Airfix Magazine about how to convert Airfix Napoleonics into the troops of other participants in the Napoleonic Wars.

I may still have some Airfix Napoleonics to sell off for a good price…

No plastic snobbery here John, just personal preference.

I use plastics for other periods mate.

TW.

Sure, I use them.
Yes, I've seen all the info about the uniform discrepancies, but I don't care.
They stand about 20mm high and from a metre or two away they look like a bunch of soldiers from, say England, or France.

Once into 28mm, then I'd say the detail is more important but not at this scale.
I'm pretty happy with my old aifix plastics. light, cheap, easy.
Sean

I still have the original Airfix figures I painted in the early 70s. Over the years they have been dedicated to skirmish gaming on 3/4" bases. I have added Esci, Revell, Hat and other assorted brands, mixing them freely on the table. I've always had a soft spot for soft plastics and no doubt will continue to pick up more.

No plastic snobbery here John, just personal preference.

I also took your first post as pretty snobbish as you seemed to imply adults don't use plastic.
--
Tim

I'd use plastics for skirmish gaming. They give decent visual impact at a less-than-15mm price. 1 box of Brits and 1 box of French and you would have all the figures you need to play SDS…$20 or less!

I used to have thousands (one of our local model shops closed down and sold off their remaining stock for peanuts). Selling them was one of the worst wargaming moves of my life.

Mmm yeah I can't find the energy to relay my meaning accurately at the moment it seems. I meant that now I can afford the metals I prefer for Napoleonics.

TW.

I had a bunch way back when, but since have gone to 28mm and 6mm for my Nappies

Although they, as noted, don't meet muster currently, at the time they were the Bee's Knees

Yes, still using good old bad old Airfix Napoleonics. Most of my Napoleonics are ESCI Russians, but I have a bunch of Airfix French painted up as 1813 Austrians (OK so the uniform is totally different when you look in detail, but with the relevant paint job and from a distance I think they look the part).

I also have some Airfix British masquerading as Portuguese and French artillerymen as Russians (with some head-swappage). (My regular opponent had the actual Brits and French).

I think the reason I've stuck with them is that my painiting speed is so glacial that it would take forever to redo them in 28mm. The new wave of plastics, like Zvezda, are very very nice, and good compatible-sized metals are available to fill the gaps too.

My napoleonics friend is attempting to make all of watterloo (1:20 or 1:25 I think) using plastics from any and all manufacturers including airfix. In the meantime we play Song of drums and Shakos with those that he has single based.

Robert

I had a bunch left over from the 70's, that were put aside when I switched to 15's. I recently dug them out and I'm going to use them as Mexicans, to see if my group would be interested in the Mexican American War.

I still have my original Airfix figures from the '70's and even now if I come upon some figures in internet auctions my interest is piqued.

I prefered the old Revel ones.
The airfix napoleonics never impessed me.. The French grenadiers set was ok, but the British and Highland sets were horible and ANY mounted figue was bad.

I do 6mm and 28mm now, though I might be tempted to go back to 20mm IF the used hard plastic and stopped using such a varied selection of poses in one box. Airfix would have to redesign their infantry/cavalry sets for me to be interested.

It was my first Army at 13 in 197***** oh too long ago.

Funny old thing I just bought and modelled the farmhouse it's greta for 15mm.

When they came out, Airfix were the only Napoleonics. I thought they were great at the time--no money for lead figures. I had been converting ACW into Nappies by building shakos of modeling clay and paper--quite a process, I assure you!

Of course, Airfix were HO scale. That's "true 20mm" in today's terms. Today's plastics are 1/72, or "true 25mm."

I use them because I hate waste. And when they are well painted and looked at from arms length they look just fine and depending on skill and luck with the dice do just as good a job at "killing" other tabletop toys as any other chunk of metal or plastic does.

The biggest issue I had was the relative size of French Grenadiers and Cuirassiers, as compared to the healthy looking British regulars and Hussars.

Yes, that was a feature that I always found unsettling; the British Hussars were the bulkiest of all, and the French Cuirassiers were the thinnest. But these Airfix figures (beginning with Highlanders and French Artillery and Cavalry, then as I recall a wait of about a year before French Infantry, then British Cavalry followed by British Infantry and Artillery) were surely the introduction to Wargaming for many of us, and over the years I've seen various examples of their being in use, sometimes in conjunction with metals, sometimes in identities far removed from the original mouldings; in addition to the familiar examples noted above, French Infantry with various modifications to their shako doing service as Russians, Prussians and even Austrians, the British Hussars providing busbies for Garde Artillery, Garde Chasseurs and even Nassauers, I've even seen a battalion of Russian infantry, in greatcoats, made from the Airfix "Arabs" set.

Yes, that was a feature that I always found unsettling; the British Hussars were the bulkiest of all, and the French Cuirassiers were the thinnest. But these Airfix figures (beginning with Highlanders and French Artillery and Cavalry, then as I recall a wait of about a year before French Infantry, then British Cavalry followed by British Infantry and Artillery) were surely the introduction to Wargaming for many of us, and over the years I've seen various examples of their being in use, sometimes in conjunction with metals, sometimes in identities far removed from the original mouldings; in addition to the familiar examples noted above, French Infantry with various modifications to their shako doing service as Russians, Prussians and even Austrians, the British Hussars providing busbies for Garde Artillery, Garde Chasseurs and even Nassauers, I've even seen a battalion of Russian infantry, in greatcoats, made from the Airfix "Arabs" set.

I seem to remember my French Cuirassiers getting drawing pin shields (thumb tacks for the Yanks!) and serving time as Roman cavalry in my ancient army!

I can still remember seeing the Highlanders for the first time when they came out-the sheer exoticness of it all was quite mind blowing.

I use them.

The British artillery is still an extremely good set – usefully supplemented with the Esci and HaT sets. The limber is handy too.

The French artillery crew are useful – not brilliant, but I had spare guns from my Italeri guard artillery sets, so used those with HaT limbers, and that looks good. they paint up really well.

Prussian landwehr are nice, tad small but based they fit in fine. Until a better set arrives they will do just fine.

British infantry – ok, and mix well with other ranges. Bit bulky, but once painted, no issues.

Scots – not much else out there.

French infantry – oh dear. I use the casualty figures and the mounted colonel, but no interest in painting any of the rest. At best, the marching figure maybe as a Rhine regiment.

Cuirassiers – nope

Hussars – ok, but need better horses. They paint up well, and head swaps increase their versatility.

So yep, I use, and they fit in fine with my HaT, Zvezda, Italeri, Revell, Esci, Strelets, Waterloo 1815 (strange name, nice figures) and Call to Arms. Great for massed battles. As an example of plastic figures, try the HaT penisular Brits – approx 100figs for around £8.00 GBP – 8p each.

Oh, and the farm house is still a good looking representation at a sensible "scale down" size.

Mind you, I no longer use my old Minifigs and Hinchcliffe (are these really selling at a £ a pop now – wow!)

The French infantry lie in their boxes waiting for me to decide what exotic imaginary uniform to give the poses I like – the marchers and the runners hugging their muskets, mostly. They'll possibly end up looking not entirely unlike post 1815 Prussians or British.

I haven't looked at them for a long, long time, but what's all the criticism of the "French Infantry" box? Admittedly, thay do all have two crossbelts, which I understand is only really appropriate for the Grenadier companies (and the lack of epaulettes, as distinct from shoulder-straps, and of plumes, as distinct from discs or pompons, is a problem here), but in my view this was a good set of figures. Despite comments on "any mounted figures", the officer was pretty good – not as elegant as the Highland officer, mind you – although as I recall his horse was just the same as that in the AWI "British Grenadiers" box (which provided some figures for Scots Greys cavalry, i.e., the figure loading his musket was converted to wielding a sabre!). Now I think about it, I must have bought a lot of French; I made a regiment of Chasseurs a Cheval from all the mounted officers….