"Airfix fail" Topic

Just happened across this Airfix box art for a 1/76 set…

Play "spot the fail" and see how many inaccuracies you can spot, starting with headgear… ugh.

Cheers

w.

Obviously, the pickelhaub and the peaked cap are both early war period and not mid-to-late war, when you'd actually see tanks.

And the accoutraments (belts cartridge boxes, etc) don't look right, but I'm no WW1 expert.

Rob

We should be thankful kids can pick up sets like that rather than the latest skullz-studded chaos whatever …

One could always argue that they were veterans guard type troops wearing old style infantry uniforms that were overrun by tanks?

I once met someone who had made a really, really nice large scale diorama (90mm? 120mm?) of an American doughboy in 1918 sneaking up on a German sentry. Lovely painting, wonderful bit of home-made trench system.

The sentry wore a pickelhaube.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

As the tank in question is a Mk I (and whilst it has accuracy problems its a 40 + year old kit) it would be fair to say the box art depicts 1916. IIRc not all German regiments had received steel helmets by the time of the Somme, many were still wearing pickelhaubes at Verdun.

Lets be honest here, we are talking about 40 year old plastic toy soldiers that have been nicely re-packaged as starter sets. Bit silly to get pedantic or declare this a some sort of failure.

I have a feeling that many of my old Marx sets from my youth were not.historically accurate, but I sure loved them!

This proves that the lack of knowledge can be bliss! Just think of how many people have enjoyed those products and maybe even became historical gamers because of the "fun" they had in using those models.

Now its a good thing YOU can tell the difference and I doubt you would use them in your games, but that, of course, is your choice.

Now if your point is that the pictures do not accurately represent what is in the box; that's a different matter!

Does anyone really care? Get gaming I say :)

But, but… It's Airfix! Where's your sense of nostalgia?
Such negative vibes! It's a Mother luvin' beautiful set. And it's by Airfix.;)

Looks a lot more accurate than most Wargames armies do really. Where on he tabletop are the mismatched equipment, the stains, rips, walking wounded, casualties littering the battlefield, logistics elements, etc?

Not to mention he ridiculous out of scale trees, land contours, buildings, etc…

Figure scale, ground scale, and scenic scales never agree, usually not even close.

To me, the Brits look more like Japanese troops from the Russo-Japanese War.

I think the artist was given the Airfix Brit and German infantry, both helmeted for early war, and told to make it work.

I bought many boxes of those germans, great poses and so useful for conversion.

My Mum bought me all three Ww1 boxes (inc french) for Christmas in 2010. She thought it was a great present and I as the loving son, laughed and thanked her for her kind present.

The boxes sit in a storage box virtually un-touched :-)

Well, the first proper use of tanks was July 1917? So it should all be Steel helmets.

Pickelhaube Covers are green, usually tan, as well as not featuring any of the characteristics of a cover such as the vent slit at the back, stitching etc, plus the spike is uncovered.

No ammunition pouches on the Germans or any field equipment really.

Gasmask can/bag is fictional, S98/05 bayonet has no frog, Mauser rifle is wrong at the action area, as well as having a cut out for a bent bolt.

Sure there is plenty more there somewhere. But i bet people still had fun with the kit :)

I agree with OldGrenadier I was wondering when the Japanese made it to the western front.

Then again who didn't have fun with Airfix as a kid it was only later I found out about er…. the history issues with some of their stuff.

I think that criticising this model and it s artwork demands satisfaction..behind the Carmelite convent at noon you cad…

Well, the first proper use of tanks was July 1917?

Depends what you mean by "proper". Tanks were used on the Somme in 1916.

And they are not all covered in mud.
:)

What's wrong with spikes?The Germans have to have somewhere to put their sausages when they pick up their rifle…:)

That Airfix tank… IIRC someone somewhere once told me that it was inaccurate, as in being the wrong model of British tank, being a Mk. III training vehicle rather than an actual combat model…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Ignorance is bliss!

I remember when my 1/72 Fokker Einedecker 'flew; in the same squadron as my DVII's and I didn't bat an eyelid!

Now I get in a funny mood if someone dared used the same combination in Wings of war or the such!!!!

Sometimes it should be remembered we play games with toy soldiers!

- The British soldier on the left is wearing contact lenses.

- The German soldier slumped on the right of the trench is sending a text message on his iPhone.

- The tank on the left is following incorrect GPS directions, "turn right now."

- The German soldier in the front is wearing a Kevlar helmet.

Airfix always marketed their 20mm soft plastic figures as 'toys' rather than wargame models – which was ironic, as those little fellows probably did more to make wargaming practicable and popular than many products since – hence the unhelpful erratic production schedule and opponents from different phases of the same war.

Even as a teenager, I could never understand why their otherwise good Union and Confederate infantry had webbing ammunition pouches, rather than leather cartridge boxes…
But they fought just as well as more historically accurate figures on many a tabletop battlefield.