"Airfix Battles Overview" Topic

Not a full-on review because I've only played it solo, and prefer to have the other players' thoughts. Still a decisive overview.

It is (4 inch) square based, with 1:1 soldier/vehicle scaling. The game comes with markers to play it like a board game (pressed cardboard tanks and men), and head-nods to using Airfix products instead.
Army-building is card based, and the set only includes German and American units. There is an add-on with some UK units, but most UK-specific tanks are not represented in that add-on.
The set comes with four maps on two double-sided fold-out papers (roughly 16.5 x 23 inches). They are nice maps, but boardgamers that have purchased the set don't like the creases interfering with play. I didn't have a problem with the creases, just needed to show a bit of caution.
Overall, the rules remind me of a mix of Poor Bloody Infantry (square movement, unit cohesion, movement), and IABSM (card activation, shooting), with a little bit of Battlefront (card based army selection).
Only units in cover get a save, everything else dies on a hit. It is "small fistful of dice", coming with five per side, and the most I rolled trying out the first few scenarios was ten.
It is sold as an introductory game, and for that it fits. There is one spot where the scenario says "see this section of the rules, and that section doesn't define what the scenario implies (about objectives – it says see that section to learn about them and victory, the section talks only about placement. You have to infer the rule from a different section of the rules).
It's a fun little game, and fulfills the niche they set out to fulfill. And it is doomed to fail. Here's why:
1. It's labeled Airfix, but it's not Airfix. They made a board game that you could also play with Airfix products, but Airfix introductory sets – like this boardgame – come with models. and this game not only doesn't, it comes with counters instead. The art is shared, that's about it.
2. Remember Operation Overlord? Released under Italeri's name, and actually came with enough models to play? We loved that game, and abused it. But it never got updated for things like other armies. Eventually, the authors created Operation WW2, which was cool, but still came out short of army references. This feels the same. It comes with US and German cards, British cards are available for an extremely limited subset of British vehicles (the infantry rules are generic enough that "Raw, Regular, Veteran" cards with enough duplicates to accommodate a platoon-sized force is sufficient), but that's it. And I don't see people talking up a storm about it, so I don't see sales warranting more investment to make cards for the rest of the vehicles and other armies.
It is fun for the price, and some of the rules are inventive. If you like rules-light, this will fit the bill, But we get about the same kick with far more adaptability out of Poor Bloody Infantry.

Additional cards for other nations and troop types are available as downloads from the relevant FB page.

link

Not being a Facebook user (deleted my account a few years ago and never looked back), I would not have known that had you not pointed it out.
Now I'm gonna have to find a way to get 'em without a FB login :-D.

Of course digital != print, but it's a start.