"Airfix ACW Wargaming (Pt1) " Topic

The start of a Project for ACW wargaming using Airfix figs and rules

The idea behind it and a couple of scratch built houses for the Project here;
link

Excellent work- I don't wargame the ACW any more but I painted up a couple of units of these for a friend who does – I was very pleased with the results – basic figures but they look good !

Looking good!

oooh that's tempting…

Flash back 50 years or so. Looks like it will be a lot of fun.

Now that takes me back – those were my first minis ever!

Superb!

They look really good.

Not a period I've ever gamed, but those are really nice.

I hate to be critical but…

you'll need a copy of this :

PDF link

And you'll need to convert this into a western bar:

and this into some clapboard shops:

And this is quite obviously going to be….

A southern Mansion. Well, what else could it be ?

I really like your buildings! And the figures, of course, that rather goes without saying !

Will you be converting French Foreign Legion to Zouves as per Terry Wise ?

Terrific, I've always loved the Airfix figures and I had hundreds of the ACW figures.

Wow, those ugly ol' figures look stunning.

A good paint job will make even bad figures look good, but a bad paintjob will ruin even the best of figures.

Oh yes! This takes me back to my youth. Airfix ACW was my first true wagaming period. I now have ACW armies in 15mm,20mm a few 28mm for skirmish and working on 10mm.
I brought my son a load of Airfix ACW (both sides) at a small show some years ago. He is now at collage and they are in a box on my shelf, so……..

…so paint them up and get playing

Yep, really cool and shows how old figures can still make great wargaming pieces. I have a big bag of these in the loft so maybe…

My first set of rules, purchased in a sale at WHSmith in Staines in 1978. I think they were 30p and I still have them.
And yes, I did convert FFL into zouaves and use RHA guns for Napoleons.

Good link 20th Maine. I always had a lot of time for Terry Wise. When I was about 15 I wrote to him at Military Modelling and he wrote a couple of pages back. A top fella.

Thanks
@ 2oth. I will be getting the Terry Wise rule book, as soon as I find a copy not going for silly Money on Evil-bay (why did I ever give my copy away!!!!?)
I might make a southern style mansion but I won´t be spending Money (or as Little as possible) on it or any of the Terrain. Plan is to Keep the Project along the lines of "what sort of pocket Money did I get back then and how inventive did I have to be get what I wanted?
@Tim..if you don´t want to paint them up..I know someone who does :-D

Will I be converting French Foreign Legion to Zouves as per Terry Wise? Definately :-D

PS…Until I get hold of a copy of the book, can anyone tell me what size the basing was (as Per Terry Wise) for the different troop types? Width and depth, how many figs per stand? I´ve got a few finished and they Need basing.

Paul

12.5 x 10mm, or two figures to a base 25mm wide.

See, I still have it to hand!

Thanks Jef :-D
The cavalry and artillery stands must be wider/deeper ?

Cavalry are 25 wide and as deep as necessary, artillery are based on triangles with the front depending on the battery size: 82mm for 6 guns and 55mm for 4 guns.
If you can get a copy of the Airfix Magazine annual 7 from 1977 it has an article by Terry Wise on converting figures for the ACW. You just need 10 packs of Wagon Train…

Just checked – there's one on eBay now for £4.50 GBP.

Those Airfix trackside buildings are now (mostly) available from Dalpol

link

If I recall correctly the western saloon requires a signal box and some lineside fencing…

Terry was a building model hacker of incredible talent.

Amazon UK has a copy of the book for £4.00 GBP + post !

Thanks again Jef.
Only 10 packs of the wagon Train!!!!I´ve been looking around for the western sets and seen some of the Prices offered.. to get 10 sets of the wagon train might mean taking out a second Mortgage :-D
And thanks Jef and 20t for the Amazon idea but I should have checked in earlier..I ordered a copy of the book yesterday evening..for slightly more than 4 quid..roughly 4 times more than .. …DOH!!!. Still, not as expensive as some of the copies on offer..200 pounds plus!!!

Airfix rereleased the Indians, Cowboys and wagon train a few years ago to much derision from the perfectionists on plastic soldier review. Obviously, they have never tried converting plastic as the early Airfix figures were a doddle. I grabbed a few boxes of each for my on/off pony wars project and you can do wonders swapping bodies, legs and arms with loctite super plastyx (or whatever it is called).
If you can get the Airfix annual it also has an article by John Sanders on refighting El Alamein. Lots more converted early Airfix goodness!

Surprised the Wagon Train is so expensive – it was back in production – alongside the Native Americans, US Cavalry, and Cowboys – only a few years ago, would have thought there'd be lots of the modern "Red Box" Airfix figures knocking around still.

The Imex wagons are still available as a possible alternative.

I´ve searched but found no redbox Versions..old boxed Versions for a fortune or loose sets (possibly the Red box masquerading as antique sets ?) also going for a tidy sum.
There´s a couple of toyfairs coming up which always have loads of airfix on offer ..so here´s hoping

possibly the Red box masquerading as antique sets ?

Sadly, you may well be right.

Some of the earliest wargaming I was involved in was with these figures and Johnny Reb first edition rules back in the early eighties.

Given their ahistorical twin-pouch belt and horseshoe blanket-roll equipment, over the years I've occasionally thought about using them for some sort of late 19th century South American or Balkans stouch with troops in French-inspired uniforms, whether historical or fictional – for which I think they'd be ideal.