The artist who painted all the Airfix box art at that time was Roy Cross. He was fairly famous and according to Wikipedia is still alive and will be 100 on 23 April, in just a few weeks time!
If memory serves me right Roy Cross didn´t paint the toy soldier boxes. I have the name in one of my books. I´ll have a look tonight when I´m home from work
That´s right. Forgot to check yesterday. There´s a great picture of him in one of the books on Airfix, were he´s in his house with a helmet and a broom, taken by his wife. It was to help him get more natural looking "soldiers" on the box art. That photo was the base for the british 8th army soldier on the box of the mulitpose set@@williambooth5769
I seem to remember the boxes were white with a small matchbox size clear window, either on the front or back, I can’t remember as it was in the late ‘60. I mainly had the smaller 1/72, or 00 scale, as the range went from ancient British and the Romans, to Robin Hood, Napoleonic , Boer War, WWI &WWII, and some modern stuff. I always hoped the 00 range would extend to 1/32, as they would have been easier to paint. Unfortunately, I grew up and had to go to work! 😀
@@toysoldiernostalgia l paint historical miniatures to this day specialising in the so called dark age era, could never play with toy soldiers the way l did as a child in the 70s,
@@johncarroll772 I tried playing a few years ago. Doesn´t work anymore. But that´s why board games like Bolt Action and Gaslands is so great. It´s like playing but with rules :) But it´s just nice to have a few sets to display and just for nostalgic reasons.
It would be great to go back and relive those times, as long as I don't have to relive painting my dirty canvas trainers with that white paint or wearing a jumper knitted by my nan.
My younger days (1969 - 1973) were spent saving pocket money and birthday money to buy these sets from Boydells in Gosforth, Ncle upon Tyne. I had many sets. Germans were grey, Africa Corp were beige, Commandos were green. Used to set up dioramas in the back garden. Defensive positions or assault platoons then bombard the positions with my catapult. Hours of fun. Loved them. Strangely, I joined the British Army as an infantry soldier and retired as Platoon Sgt after 10 yrs. Thanks for sharing this video.. Now 64 yrs but I have fond memories of my little platoons.
Same. My brother and I would spend half our summer vacation collecting bottles by the side of the road to pay for "army men", though most of ours were 1:72.
@@PhilHolliday-lb5hh I liked the 1:72 because it allowed us to have literally thousands. I wish I had pictures of some of the grand battles we had setup in our basement - especially the masses of Napoleonic troops with hordes of cavalry charging dozens of guns and carefully arrayed lines and columns of infantry assaulting and defending the farm houses!
I am 57yrs old I loved my Airfix soldiers as a child. My era was the 1973, I had every type, my favourite was The British 8th Army, followed by the Japanese Set. Wish I had them now.
Got them in a huge box in the attic . No boxes unfortunately. Was buying them when I was 7-9. I thought the German and British paratroopers were ace too!
Also 57, still have my 1/32 Airfix soldiers, My son has played with them, he's now 30, my favourites were the Aussies and the Russians, plus the British Vickers gun and mortar set.
I am 62 live in New Zealand so shipments and variety where limited. Used to save my paper run money waiting for the next shipment in my small hometown which had 3-4 stores in town. I'd spend a hour to biking around to all my local stores that sold Airfix models to see what had arrived. If nothing I'd do a 2 hour bike trip or badger my parents so I could check out stores in the neighbouring town.. Africa Korp where probably my favorite, followed buy getting the catalogue book.
Every week we used to go and buy another box, We had British commandos, British eighth army, German afrika corps, German infantry, American marines, Japanese army, c/w flag bearer. We also had, Ww1 British army, Resplendent with puttees . Ww1 German army C/w picklehuber helmets. (both sets had a three piece stretcher team) Others in our box were, Normans, Robin hoods men, English medieval. British guards regiments with bearskins. Ww2 Russian infantry Ww1 French infantry, French foreign legion, Dark blue, Arabs, in white, with camels. U. S. Cavalry, Indians, Union blue soldiers, Confederate greys, Airfixes modeling was stunning, and a real delight.
Back in the 70s we had an enterprising local newsagent that sold the soldiers individually. It was quite handy to replace one soldier, especially if like me you had a habit of chewing off the rifle ends.
My brother and I had most of the same sets minus the Arabs. We also had Gurkhas and WW2Australian infantry & US paratroopers. Spent hours setting up battles with a couple of boxes of guys defending a fort ala Rorke’s Drift against everyone else. Battles were over in minutes. 😂
Airfix the only soldiers who could remain upright on a long shag pile carpet as I recall (except for their japenese running soldiers with bayonet rifle and only one leg on the ground or where they desert rats ? Can’t remember )
The best part was walking into the toy section at a department store and experiencing all the aromas of new cardboard packaging, plastics, paint, etc. Magical. Same - when walking into a grocery store - the combination of fresh fruit and vegetables, maybe peanuts cooking, the non-toxic packaging, and bubble gum used to taste different - they used non-petro chemicals in the ingredients. And that real oily hand-picked tea aroma. Those days are kaput.
@@tanergirgin6569 I still have my original Rupert and Buffalo Bill annuals. The paper and the special inks were non-toxic and as a kid held them close to my face when reading them.
Still have mine. Gave him to my son when he was younger and showed him the ways. He used them with a model train set he got one xmas. Ah the memories. ..😊
From 1970 till about 1983 I had literally 1000's of these airfix soldiers but the smaller scale. In the summer I found sand from a worksite and set up a full scale D-Day invasion. Doing the voices and the gun,bomb and vehicle sounds I had the greatest childhood ever. My favourite set German Paras and German Mountain Troops. Our neighbour was an ardent artist and before I removed them from the stalks he painted them for me using books we got from the library. Kids now just haven't got a clue how to enjoy themselves.
I saw my first Airfix German Infantry in 1972 when we lived in military housing on Fort Hood Texas. I was 6 at the time and was amazed at how they looked. A friend down the street had them. My father got posted to the DMZ in Korea and his tour was without dependents so we lived in south Texas from Oct 72 to Oct 73. When we got back to Fort Hood in late 73 is when I began my search for those German Infantry. In early 74 is when I learned to search in the model section instead of the toy section for the Airfix figures. All my boxes are the Target style and I got them at a department store called Gibson's. I have my soldiers in storage now and every time I see one of your videos I want to get them out.
I had hundreds of 00 scale Airfix. Loved them and had huge battles on the carpet at home with 00 scale tanks and armoured cars. The best toy for any young boy.
I can honestly say the year my brother and I got 3 brown boxes each amongst our Christmas presents was the best year ever. I got German Infantry, 8th Army and Commandos and my bro got Russian, Japanese and U.S. Infantry - Santa (my dad) had stood all the soldiers up in attack formation in front of their respective boxes and our jaws dropped when we first saw them entering the living room on Christmas morning. Played with them so much over the years - some of them still getting dug out of old positions in their garden over 50 years later. Thanks for a great presentation. ❤
I'm from South Africa, born in 1992, and I had literally HUNDREDS of these soldiers as a kid. Never got them in these cool boxes though, they used to be sold in see-through plastic bags with about 20+ figures inside.
I had German infantry, Gurkha, German paratroopers and modern british infantry, my father bought it for me in 1980s .... those were the happiest day in my life and I still remember till now !! Thanks for bringing back all the good memories 😄
These were my favourite toys, I had many of the sets in the 70's by the time I stopped collecting. I remember saving up to buy the "Desert Outpost", I was so excited to get it home and set the soldiers up. Thanks
The German Infantry set was "must have". Such a badass set of figures. Mind you I always loved the Afrika Corps and British Paratroopers set. I was lucky enough to source a Target box set of the Paratroopers recently. Made me feel like a little kid once more. 😂
En France, on les appelait "les minus" (tout petits modèles). Ceux que je préférais, c'était les Australiens et les anglais de Montgomery Les parachutistes allemands et anglais étaient très bien réalisés.
You are absolutely correct about these figures. They are so well sculpted, if not quite accurate, and were hard wearing and not as easy to lose as the 1/72 figures. I had hundreds of them in the 1960s and 1970s, of all periods. All badly painted, but so much fun to play with. My brothers introduced me to skirmish wargaming with them. Happy days.
so glad you still have old friends with you, I am 58 and still have most of the ones I had . I may be silly but I love finding an old toy soldier that has been lying on the ground of some kids battlefield . Simple pleasures .
Airfix toy soldiers were always a big part of my childhood... I can still remember buying the Modern German infantry set from York Train Museum! The British Paratroopers were my absolute favourites though.
I don't know if they were Airfix, but I knew a kid who had British 8th Army and Japanese figures. The Brits were Desert Rat style. The green figures I mentioned were Arnhem paras. There was one with a scoped Enfield. Used to be sold everywhere. They disappeared from over here about 5 years ago. Guess they finally ran out? Over here is U.S.A.
Born in 1952 in the Uk ]. I recall 20mm ( 1/72) figures, pre brown boxes. Eighth Army, Africa Korps , German and American Civil War. I especially liked the artillery sets. Around 40 figures per box which cost pennies. ( Ten pence per box}. Must have been in early sixties. Thanks for upload.
In the early 1960's it was the 1/72 figures and you got about 30 or 40 to a box. I had many, German Afrika Korps, British 8th Army, American Civil War Union and Confederates. Also had the Civil War artillery where you got about 4 cannons and the crews, limber and horses. Happy days!
I just went back 50 years. Brilliant I had the tan Afrika Korps (I was Rommel 😄) Memory is such a weird thing, I now recall the local newsagent that sold a small selection and the actual that hod the toy soldiers and the models If I had birthday or xmas money I would go into town for the bigger selection. Lots of fun I recall. Thanks
I am a German and was a kid in the early 90s. I would have loved to play with those plastic soldiers. My parents always refused to buy them, telling me "war is not a game". On the other hand the whole attic was full of all the WW 2 original stuff from my grandfather's and grand uncles and they didn't pay attention to me playing with these 😂 I like your enthusiasm when showing the figures. The soft classical music score in the end does not match. Seems like sarcasm even.
@@e.r.6039 My paternal grandad was taken prisoner by the Afrika Korps, he thought that outwith when they had to kill each other "German's were ok, a lot like the yanks"
My god! This brings back amazing memories of the 80s for me. Watching A-Team and Knightrider etc while playing with these! I really wish I had kept them!
Great watching the close ups as they trigger all sorts of obscure memories. It might be the smell of airfix paint, the face of a friend or even a long forgotten 1970s tv programme. Thanks.
First set I got was the British paratroops around 75 which meant I had to get the German infantry to fight them. It carried on from there. Still in a box in a spare room btw. Was never throwing them out or giving to some oik brat.
This brought back memories, I had literally boxes of these, I think I bought one a week, and not not WW2, but from a couple of centuries…mostly all British regiments, although I had a few Germans, Prussians etc. great days, thanks for that.
I love these! About 18 years ago I went on a buying spree and bought about 2000 men, so in original boxes, some in random groupings. I have painted a small number of each of the sets.
Airfix was the best! I still have my entire collection. My son, sadly, never really appreciated toy soldiers like I did. Perhaps they'll make a come-back some day...
Thank you my friend. Brought back many happy memories. I think this was the second set I ever got, after my Auntie bought me the British paratroopers in the mid 70s. They are still in a cupboard upstairs. Once me and my mates discovered 1/72 scale we only played with them. These big boys got left behind.
I think I also played mostly with the 1/72 figures as I had a lot more of those. I only got one or two sets of 1/32 of which I can only remember the British Support group for sure.
Still have virtually every set of the 1.72 scale (not in boxes unfortunately!) Lots I painted.. Most have survived but all my models succumbed to the darts from my Gat Gun and various flammable substances in my early teens 😂😂 Great channel, bringing back great memories 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Yes I remember them. They looked bigger than I imagined. Grey/blue German, Green American, Sand British army desert, Khaki Japanese, Olive green British paratrooper and light Khaki Australian army. Back in the seventies along with Lego these toys turned my childhood into happy days.
I was born in the 90's, but I remember getting a set of these at a garage sale with a pretty large set of the American forces from the same time period, and yeah you hit the nail on the head. These Airfix troopers were, and still are the best models in my old collection.
Yup mine were 1/72 scale plus it was easier to match them with 1/72 scale models. Was an army brat in Germany and remember a model shop in town that had a great selection of armour and vehicles in the same scale. Wish I still had my collection.
This brings back some great memories whether playing with friends or alone. We used to call the more expensive painted figures, iron plates. Many a shoplifting conviction caused by airfix soldiers 😂
Thanks for the memories. The machine gunner an loader I sometimes used for soldiers who were shot, cut the guns away an stand them up. Oh the joy of those figures.
I had hundreds of these when I was a kid. Got a box virtually every week. Had Japanese, Germans, Russians commando the lot. And you are right about realism and the distinctive colors. Never bothered to try to paint them, just took them out and played a child’s version of war with figure hiding behind books and bed posts!
I remember these yes. One box in a 10,000 had the figure of Hitler too. You could pretend it's 30/4/1945 wrap it in a tiny 'blanket', douse it in petrol and burn it. And then spend decades debating whether it was really dead or living in Argentina. There was also the French army set - but when you opened the box and looked at them they all had their hands raised.
As a child in England in the 1970s, it goes without saying that every boy had these, and I was no exception, I had the British Eighth Army figures, Royal Marine Commando's and of course the German soldiers. All had great poses, and thank you for bringing back memories of this for me. After this, I moved up to Action Man of course :)
The German Infantry plastic figures i had in 1969-70 were in grey unpainted solid plastic in very good detail in various action poses but were about 6 inches high. Never saw any others like them. Don't know what make, but high quality.
I'm in UK , as i say don't know maker. I painted a couple of them very carefully. We moved house a lot back then, and being just a kid, my stuff tended to be binned to save space. @@toysoldiernostalgia
I had the paras, US infantry and the German Africa korps. My brother had the German infantry set you have there and the Japanese Infantry. Thanks for bringing back such great memories.
Just love the videos you make they are very informative as iam new to collecting .iam 59 so played with these soldiers in the late 60s and 70s your videos bring back so many memories. Keep up the great work you do.
Me and a friend, who also used to play a lot with toy soldiers as a kid, opened a set that was still mint in plastic. 1973 target box russians. I sliced the plastic and opened the lid and we both stuck our noses in there to get a whiff of that new plastic smell. It was epic.
I want them all back. ALL of them. As they were made back then(material). German soldiers could / should be field grey-ish. What is so difficult about giving the soldiers their main uniform color??
My favourite 1/32 set. I got the original Brown Box Paratroopers when they first came out. When I got the Germans, 8th Army and Strongpoint for Xmas the quality of the sculpts were the first thing that struck me. You qere able to try and emulate the cover picture with the figures.
I loved Airfix. Bought it in the 60s. I owned the small scale soldiers and the big ones. Not to forget all the other Airfix products. This video brought many childhood memories back.
Love your videos because I had these figures as a kid. Is there a resource to find out how many of each pose the boxes had? I'm trying to replenish figures in my old boxes that don't have 29 figures anymore.
I should have put that in the video. This site list all sets made and how many figures of each there was in each set. Just click the years and then the image of the box you´re looking for. www.airfix132.de/index.html@@herbertlum6652
Had them, loved them, played with them for hours. It's interesting because now I have a kid of my own it's fascinating to compare how kids play today vs the 80's. When I told my kid I played for hours with a bucket of plastic soldiers she looked at me like I was an idiot. These days it's all Ipads or smart phones. Roblox, Minecraft or Toca Life World...
I was kinda lucky with my son that way. When he was 6-7 years old (about 10 years ago) I got him to play alot outside with toy soldiers and toy cars. Him and a few frinds would play outside almost every day in the spring and summer.
I had several of these Airfix kits, when I was a kid in the 80s. They were hand me downs, given to me by my parents friends, whose kids had grown out of them. We had countless of hours of fun playing with them with my friends. We used to set them up in my sandbox, and take turns bombing the opposing forces with our golf balls. I also had a lot of the cheaper sets, that used to be sold in them clear plastic bags. Even back then, I realized that the Airfix ones were on a different level, even though I didn't know what they were. I wish I had the sense to hold on to them, but unfortunately they are long gone now.
As a child I had the cheaper Hong Kong and Macau copies you describe. I had the British 8th Army in brown, green and also tan. I also had cheaper copies of the Matchbox US Army and Airfix US Army. These came in a carded set with the Matchbox copies made in grey as the Germans with lots of accessories and larger vehicles. It was still a great set to own as a child. I miss those pocket money sets.
I´m not knocking copies as far as kids go. I quit a bit of Blue Box vehicles that were pretty poor but I still loved them. Airfix figures were a rare luxury for many of us.I mainly got the cheaper HO scale sets.@@TheMasterNo6
The artist who painted all the Airfix box art at that time was Roy Cross. He was fairly famous and according to Wikipedia is still alive and will be 100 on 23 April, in just a few weeks time!
Roy Cross was a true legend whose artwork drew so many into the world of Airfix! So much of his box art is iconic.
If memory serves me right Roy Cross didn´t paint the toy soldier boxes. I have the name in one of my books. I´ll have a look tonight when I´m home from work
Brian Knight did the 1/32 figure boxart. Roy Cross wasn’t so keen on painting people!
That´s right. Forgot to check yesterday. There´s a great picture of him in one of the books on Airfix, were he´s in his house with a helmet and a broom, taken by his wife. It was to help him get more natural looking "soldiers" on the box art. That photo was the base for the british 8th army soldier on the box of the mulitpose set@@williambooth5769
I seem to remember the boxes were white with a small matchbox size clear window, either on the front or back, I can’t remember as it was in the late ‘60. I mainly had the smaller 1/72, or 00 scale, as the range went from ancient British and the Romans, to Robin Hood, Napoleonic , Boer War, WWI &WWII, and some modern stuff. I always hoped the 00 range would extend to 1/32, as they would have been easier to paint. Unfortunately, I grew up and had to go to work! 😀
Airfix provided some of the most joyful childhood memories growing up in the 70s, tbh wish l could relive those times.
You should get a set or two.
@@toysoldiernostalgia l paint historical miniatures to this day specialising in the so called dark age era, could never play with toy soldiers the way l did as a child in the 70s,
@@johncarroll772 I tried playing a few years ago. Doesn´t work anymore. But that´s why board games like Bolt Action and Gaslands is so great. It´s like playing but with rules :)
But it´s just nice to have a few sets to display and just for nostalgic reasons.
@@toysoldiernostalgia l agree
It would be great to go back and relive those times, as long as I don't have to relive painting my dirty canvas trainers with that white paint or wearing a jumper knitted by my nan.
My younger days (1969 - 1973) were spent saving pocket money and birthday money to buy these sets from Boydells in Gosforth, Ncle upon Tyne. I had many sets. Germans were grey, Africa Corp were beige, Commandos were green. Used to set up dioramas in the back garden. Defensive positions or assault platoons then bombard the positions with my catapult. Hours of fun. Loved them.
Strangely, I joined the British Army as an infantry soldier and retired as Platoon Sgt after 10 yrs. Thanks for sharing this video.. Now 64 yrs but I have fond memories of my little platoons.
All those battles fought in back yards :)
Same. My brother and I would spend half our summer vacation collecting bottles by the side of the road to pay for "army men", though most of ours were 1:72.
@@smgdfcmfah 1:32 all the way!! 😁.... Though I did weaken on a few 1:72 sets.... 🙄🤣
@@PhilHolliday-lb5hh I liked the 1:72 because it allowed us to have literally thousands. I wish I had pictures of some of the grand battles we had setup in our basement - especially the masses of Napoleonic troops with hordes of cavalry charging dozens of guns and carefully arrayed lines and columns of infantry assaulting and defending the farm houses!
Japanese and Australian.
I am 57yrs old I loved my Airfix soldiers as a child. My era was the 1973, I had every type, my favourite was The British 8th Army, followed by the Japanese Set. Wish I had them now.
Got them in a huge box in the attic . No boxes unfortunately. Was buying them when I was 7-9. I thought the German and British paratroopers were ace too!
Also 57, still have my 1/32 Airfix soldiers, My son has played with them, he's now 30, my favourites were the Aussies and the Russians, plus the British Vickers gun and mortar set.
Yes! The 8th army was great, fixed bayonets ‘n all
I am 62 live in New Zealand so shipments and variety where limited. Used to save my paper run money waiting for the next shipment in my small hometown which had 3-4 stores in town. I'd spend a hour to biking around to all my local stores that sold Airfix models to see what had arrived. If nothing I'd do a 2 hour bike trip or badger my parents so I could check out stores in the neighbouring town.. Africa Korp where probably my favorite, followed buy getting the catalogue book.
Every week we used to go and buy another box,
We had British commandos, British eighth army, German afrika corps, German infantry, American marines, Japanese army, c/w flag bearer.
We also had,
Ww1 British army,
Resplendent with puttees .
Ww1 German army
C/w picklehuber helmets.
(both sets had a three piece stretcher team)
Others in our box were,
Normans, Robin hoods men, English medieval.
British guards regiments with bearskins.
Ww2 Russian infantry
Ww1 French infantry,
French foreign legion,
Dark blue,
Arabs, in white, with camels.
U. S. Cavalry,
Indians,
Union blue soldiers,
Confederate greys,
Airfixes modeling was stunning, and a real delight.
Wow that was a lot :)
Back in the 70s we had an enterprising local newsagent that sold the soldiers individually. It was quite handy to replace one soldier, especially if like me you had a habit of chewing off the rifle ends.
I had literally the same, long long gone now sadly@@toysoldiernostalgia
My brother and I had most of the same sets minus the Arabs. We also had Gurkhas and WW2Australian infantry & US paratroopers. Spent hours setting up battles with a couple of boxes of guys defending a fort ala Rorke’s Drift against everyone else. Battles were over in minutes. 😂
Airfix the only soldiers who could remain upright on a long shag pile carpet as I recall (except for their japenese running soldiers with bayonet rifle and only one leg on the ground or where they desert rats ? Can’t remember )
The best part was walking into the toy section at a department store and experiencing all the aromas of new cardboard packaging, plastics, paint, etc. Magical. Same - when walking into a grocery store - the combination of fresh fruit and vegetables, maybe peanuts cooking, the non-toxic packaging, and bubble gum used to taste different - they used non-petro chemicals in the ingredients. And that real oily hand-picked tea aroma. Those days are kaput.
Oh I "loved" the smell. I can still feel it filling my nostrils.. :) Also, the little piece of paper you can fill in and send to them..
@@tanergirgin6569 I still have my original Rupert and Buffalo Bill annuals.
The paper and the special inks were non-toxic and as a kid held them close to my face when reading them.
I had them in 1/72 scale .... LOVED those little guys !
Also more poses
You sure?
1/72 was the scale for most starter spitfire etc kits.
The pilots in those kits were tiny.
Still have mine. Gave him to my son when he was younger and showed him the ways. He used them with a model train set he got one xmas. Ah the memories. ..😊
yes in 1/72 bet you can look and you can still find them ..@@fryertuck6496
Yes Im sure and I bet you could still find some on line in 1/72 scale @@fryertuck6496
Airfix should be renowned for creating some of the best sculpture and art ever
Agreed 😀
From 1970 till about 1983 I had literally 1000's of these airfix soldiers but the smaller scale. In the summer I found sand from a worksite and set up a full scale D-Day invasion. Doing the voices and the gun,bomb and vehicle sounds I had the greatest childhood ever. My favourite set German Paras and German Mountain Troops. Our neighbour was an ardent artist and before I removed them from the stalks he painted them for me using books we got from the library.
Kids now just haven't got a clue how to enjoy themselves.
With you on the German Mountain Troops and FSJs
These take me back. Back in the mid 60's many a brave soldier lost their lives battling for possession of dirt hill in our back garden.
I'm 56 and my mum still digs them up in the rockery in her garden from time to time. 😂
I pulled these out a few years ago and played in the dirt with my son, he loved it.
@@robin6797 yes some of my soldiers are buried in my old battle grounds M I A and are more than likely still there. Time has stood still for them.
I had generous parents and lots of toys but the most fun was a bag of toy soldiers.
I saw my first Airfix German Infantry in 1972 when we lived in military housing on Fort Hood Texas. I was 6 at the time and was amazed at how they looked. A friend down the street had them. My father got posted to the DMZ in Korea and his tour was without dependents so we lived in south Texas from Oct 72 to Oct 73. When we got back to Fort Hood in late 73 is when I began my search for those German Infantry. In early 74 is when I learned to search in the model section instead of the toy section for the Airfix figures. All my boxes are the Target style and I got them at a department store called Gibson's. I have my soldiers in storage now and every time I see one of your videos I want to get them out.
You should go get them.
@@toysoldiernostalgia absolutely. A few on display look great. Officer and a few men.
@@cyberleaderandy1 keep it simple 😀
I had hundreds of 00 scale Airfix. Loved them and had huge battles on the carpet at home with 00 scale tanks and armoured cars. The best toy for any young boy.
I can honestly say the year my brother and I got 3 brown boxes each amongst our Christmas presents was the best year ever. I got German Infantry, 8th Army and Commandos and my bro got Russian, Japanese and U.S. Infantry - Santa (my dad) had stood all the soldiers up in attack formation in front of their respective boxes and our jaws dropped when we first saw them entering the living room on Christmas morning. Played with them so much over the years - some of them still getting dug out of old positions in their garden over 50 years later. Thanks for a great presentation. ❤
Wow what a christmas morning.
I'm from South Africa, born in 1992, and I had literally HUNDREDS of these soldiers as a kid. Never got them in these cool boxes though, they used to be sold in see-through plastic bags with about 20+ figures inside.
yeah was about to post a comment that I recognise all those models but didn't recall getting them in illustrated cardboard boxes.
@@willc1294if sold in plastic bag, they were probably cheap copies but still good to play with of course !
I had German infantry, Gurkha, German paratroopers and modern british infantry, my father bought it for me in 1980s .... those were the happiest day in my life and I still remember till now !! Thanks for bringing back all the good memories 😄
Loved these troops as a boy...Happy memories 😂😂❤❤
These were my favourite toys, I had many of the sets in the 70's by the time I stopped collecting. I remember saving up to buy the "Desert Outpost", I was so excited to get it home and set the soldiers up. Thanks
The German Infantry set was "must have". Such a badass set of figures. Mind you I always loved the Afrika Corps and British Paratroopers set. I was lucky enough to source a Target box set of the Paratroopers recently. Made me feel like a little kid once more. 😂
En France, on les appelait "les minus" (tout petits modèles).
Ceux que je préférais, c'était
les Australiens et les anglais
de Montgomery
Les parachutistes allemands et anglais étaient très bien réalisés.
How is the quality of your recent purchase? Is there a link we can use to order overseas?
@tanergirgin6569 Box quality was average for its age. All the figures were in good condition. I found mine on eBay.
@@iankingsley2864 Thanks!
You are absolutely correct about these figures. They are so well sculpted, if not quite accurate, and were hard wearing and not as easy to lose as the 1/72 figures.
I had hundreds of them in the 1960s and 1970s, of all periods. All badly painted, but so much fun to play with. My brothers introduced me to skirmish wargaming with them. Happy days.
So good 😊 I am now 60 and still have all my figures 🎉 it was hours of fun, good times 👌
Cool. I am 50 and still have all of my 5600 1/72 soldiers. As a Dutch, regards from the Belgium Battle of the Bulge area.
Well done you! Wish I had been sensible enough to keep mine.
so glad you still have old friends with you, I am 58 and still have most of the ones I had . I may be silly but I love finding an old toy soldier that has been lying on the ground of some kids battlefield . Simple pleasures .
A cross between the amazing sculpturing of the figures an an 8 year olds imagination made these incredible.
Airfix toy soldiers were always a big part of my childhood... I can still remember buying the Modern German infantry set from York Train Museum!
The British Paratroopers were my absolute favourites though.
The only set I ever saw with a sniper.
British Paras and German Bundeswehr were among the best ...
I don't know if they were Airfix, but I knew a kid who had British 8th Army and Japanese figures. The Brits were Desert Rat style. The green figures I mentioned were Arnhem paras. There was one with a scoped Enfield. Used to be sold everywhere. They disappeared from over here about 5 years ago. Guess they finally ran out? Over here is U.S.A.
@@nomadmarauder-dw9re
Airfix did do both British 8th army and Japanese infantry. I remember the Japanese officer was holding a sword above his head.
My favorit set : the brish commandos ; with all the separat arms . I still have all my big scale airix soldier sets .
So many great poses in this set, really enjoyed these as a kid in the late 1970's - early 80's!
Airfix German Infantry are embedded in my DNA. They look like they can conquer continents. 👍🏻
Born in 1952 in the Uk ]. I recall 20mm ( 1/72) figures, pre brown boxes. Eighth Army, Africa Korps , German and American Civil War. I especially liked the artillery sets. Around 40 figures per box which cost pennies. ( Ten pence per box}. Must have been in early sixties. Thanks for upload.
Romans v Ancient Britons !! Loved those things 😊
i was also born in 1972 and me and my brother had these.
In the early 1960's it was the 1/72 figures and you got about 30 or 40 to a box. I had many, German Afrika Korps, British 8th Army, American Civil War Union and Confederates. Also had the Civil War artillery where you got about 4 cannons and the crews, limber and horses. Happy days!
Started collecting the early 1/72 sets. Going to do a whole series on those as well.
The Napoleonic ones were great as well, fantastic cavalry! although getting the horses to stay on the bases was troublesome.
I remember aged seven ('75) being fascinated by the German figures - such detail. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I had that very set as a young child in the 70's. In a target box...Happy Days :-)
These were my favorite “toy” soldiers.
I just went back 50 years. Brilliant
I had the tan Afrika Korps (I was Rommel 😄)
Memory is such a weird thing, I now recall the local newsagent that sold a small selection and the actual that hod the toy soldiers and the models
If I had birthday or xmas money I would go into town for the bigger selection.
Lots of fun I recall. Thanks
I am a German and was a kid in the early 90s. I would have loved to play with those plastic soldiers. My parents always refused to buy them, telling me "war is not a game". On the other hand the whole attic was full of all the WW 2 original stuff from my grandfather's and grand uncles and they didn't pay attention to me playing with these 😂
I like your enthusiasm when showing the figures. The soft classical music score in the end does not match. Seems like sarcasm even.
@@e.r.6039 My paternal grandad was taken prisoner by the Afrika Korps, he thought that outwith when they had to kill each other "German's were ok, a lot like the yanks"
My god! This brings back amazing memories of the 80s for me. Watching A-Team and Knightrider etc while playing with these! I really wish I had kept them!
Great watching the close ups as they trigger all sorts of obscure memories. It might be the smell of airfix paint, the face of a friend or even a long forgotten 1970s tv programme. Thanks.
It´s the same for me. Just a flood of happy memories some of them real clear others just obscure and not realy tangable.
First set I got was the British paratroops around 75 which meant I had to get the German infantry to fight them. It carried on from there. Still in a box in a spare room btw. Was never throwing them out or giving to some oik brat.
I had 3 sets Infantry plus 1 of Afrika Corps and 1 Mountain Troops. Great days!
I've still got my box of the German Mountain Troops.
Those mountain troops were superb. Whenever the film 'Where Eagles Dare' came on they would be out.
that officer was my FAVORITE.
And the MG34 gunner and the loader. They looked amazing!
This brought back memories, I had literally boxes of these, I think I bought one a week, and not not WW2, but from a couple of centuries…mostly all British regiments, although I had a few Germans, Prussians etc. great days, thanks for that.
I love these! About 18 years ago I went on a buying spree and bought about 2000 men, so in original boxes, some in random groupings. I have painted a small number of each of the sets.
Airfix was the best! I still have my entire collection. My son, sadly, never really appreciated toy soldiers like I did. Perhaps they'll make a come-back some day...
Countless hours of fun with these. Thank you for bringing back some great memories. I still have mine in the box from over 40 years ago!
Still got a lot of these figuresnice to see always
A box of soldiers what a treat that was.
I collected these as a kid. It was always a joy when you could find a set you didint know existed :)
No need to run so quick my friend, I could watch you & your boxes for ages!
👍🏻👍🏻🇬🇧
Thank you my friend. Brought back many happy memories. I think this was the second set I ever got, after my Auntie bought me the British paratroopers in the mid 70s. They are still in a cupboard upstairs. Once me and my mates discovered 1/72 scale we only played with them. These big boys got left behind.
I think I also played mostly with the 1/72 figures as I had a lot more of those. I only got one or two sets of 1/32 of which I can only remember the British Support group for sure.
I loved playing with these when I was a kid. Great memories 😊
Such a beautifully sculpted set. Always been my favourite and still love painting them today 50 years later. Iconic is the perfect word for this set.
Love this
Still have virtually every set of the 1.72 scale (not in boxes unfortunately!) Lots I painted.. Most have survived but all my models succumbed to the darts from my Gat Gun and various flammable substances in my early teens 😂😂 Great channel, bringing back great memories 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Great vid! I had these ones too! My favorite was the rifleman "leaning into the recoil" as you so perfectly put it.
Another great video as i has a "bullseye" box set of these as a kid. Really looking forward to more videos about these sets 😊
So iconic, I wanted to cast a set in silver as a dinner table ornament. Dads could play either them when they ran out of conversation 😮
Yes I remember them. They looked bigger than I imagined. Grey/blue German, Green American, Sand British army desert, Khaki Japanese, Olive green British paratrooper and light Khaki Australian army.
Back in the seventies along with Lego these toys turned my childhood into happy days.
I'm sure the Japanese were sand coloured
This brought back some memories! Totally forgot about all the toy soldiers I used to have! Great vid mate!
I was born in the 90's, but I remember getting a set of these at a garage sale with a pretty large set of the American forces from the same time period, and yeah you hit the nail on the head. These Airfix troopers were, and still are the best models in my old collection.
These are nice. I was more into the 1:72 scale army sets because you got more guys in them. Love your videos!
Thanks man :)
Yup mine were 1/72 scale plus it was easier to match them with 1/72 scale models. Was an army brat in Germany and remember a model shop in town that had a great selection of armour and vehicles in the same scale. Wish I still had my collection.
Yeah, it was always quantity over quality.
Wish I would have kept all of my sets.
This brings back some great memories whether playing with friends or alone. We used to call the more expensive painted figures, iron plates. Many a shoplifting conviction caused by airfix soldiers 😂
I got caught shoplifting Humbrol paints when I was about 11-12.
You have just brought back so many memories. For that thank you
Absolutely brilliant.
So many memories of paying with these in garden 😊
Keep filming 🎥
Thanks man :)
✋️ I did! I used to play with my Dad. Good days! Thanks for the memories.
You´re welcome 😀
Thanks for the memories.
The machine gunner an loader I sometimes used for soldiers who were shot, cut the guns away an stand them up. Oh the joy of those figures.
You´re very welcome :)
Did have a set of these boxes,the German infantry as shown in your video, and British commandos.so much years of fun and joy.🙂👍
I am 64 and i played hours with soldiers of Napoleonic period. I am 50 years back in the past wonderful
Loved them, except the Old Guard figure holding his musket upside down, didn't like that one
So many memories. They are identical to the set I got in my combat pack in the early eighties. Great channel 👍
Thanks 😀
I agree 👍 growing up in the 70’s, one of the best Christmas presents I had was the Airfix pontoon bridge set 👏👏
had many of this soldiers but in a smaller scale. you could never have enough of them :)
The Paratroopers from the UK,US & GER always my fav
Me too! And the Napoleonic's were the best to paint when I got a little older.
Great to see the target box again
Oh my god...i had so many boxes of these...50p a box. 2 for £1... brilliant to open up and place all the figures lined up. I was in my happy place
Just spent an hour on the phone with my brother reminiscing about the great times we had with these.
Time well spent :)
Nice video bro. Took me back to my youth. Boy these figures were fun!
I had hundreds of these when I was a kid. Got a box virtually every week. Had Japanese, Germans, Russians commando the lot. And you are right about realism and the distinctive colors. Never bothered to try to paint them, just took them out and played a child’s version of war with figure hiding behind books and bed posts!
Thank you Airfix for a great boyhood
I remember these yes. One box in a 10,000 had the figure of Hitler too. You could pretend it's 30/4/1945 wrap it in a tiny 'blanket', douse it in petrol and burn it. And then spend decades debating whether it was really dead or living in Argentina. There was also the French army set - but when you opened the box and looked at them they all had their hands raised.
Never heard of Airfix doing a Hitler figure?
@@toysoldiernostalgia :o)
*Bwahahahaha*
The Hitler figure made me break out in laughing.
But the french soldiers killed me.
Thanks for that mate :DDDD
Thanks so much for making this. You just made me remember part of my childhood I had completely forgotten. Airfix and Commando comics!
No problem glad I could help out :)
As a child in England in the 1970s, it goes without saying that every boy had these, and I was no exception, I had the British Eighth Army figures, Royal Marine Commando's and of course the German soldiers. All had great poses, and thank you for bringing back memories of this for me. After this, I moved up to Action Man of course :)
I had Big Jim if you heard if those.
We used to paint the helmets camo colours...in later years they all got blown to pieces with french bangers..
The German Infantry plastic figures i had in 1969-70 were in grey unpainted solid plastic in very good detail in various action poses but were about 6 inches high. Never saw any others like them. Don't know what make, but high quality.
Maybe they were Marx? You in the US?
I'm in UK , as i say don't know maker. I painted a couple of them very carefully. We moved house a lot back then, and being just a kid, my stuff tended to be binned to save space. @@toysoldiernostalgia
I had the paras, US infantry and the German Africa korps. My brother had the German infantry set you have there and the Japanese Infantry. Thanks for bringing back such great memories.
Just love the videos you make they are very informative as iam new to collecting .iam 59 so played with these soldiers in the late 60s and 70s your videos bring back so many memories. Keep up the great work you do.
Thanks so much. If you need any help with collecting you can always email me.
I have an email adress on my channel page :)
I remember the smell of the new solders.
Me and a friend, who also used to play a lot with toy soldiers as a kid, opened a set that was still mint in plastic. 1973 target box russians. I sliced the plastic and opened the lid and we both stuck our noses in there to get a whiff of that new plastic smell. It was epic.
I remember the brown boxes! A+ SHOW!
Thanks 😀
Wow takes me back. I’d almost forgotten but when you showed the individual soldiers it all came back to me. Thank you
Happy you enjoyed it :)
Loved toy soldiers as a kid brings back fond memories, thank you so much for this video and you earned a new subscriber
Nice :)
Same for me: the german color will always be bluegray. My favorite figure is the Afrika Korps grenade thrower from Airfix. It's simply perfect.
I totaly agree on the DAK grenade soldier. It´s in my top 5-10 figures
I want them all back. ALL of them. As they were made back then(material). German soldiers could / should be field grey-ish. What is so difficult about giving the soldiers their main uniform color??
I have a box full of boxes of these I should look for them as I have not see them in years. Fun times!
Your video took me out of today and back to a happier time for me for a few minutes; thank you❤
You´re welcome :)
My favourite 1/32 set. I got the original Brown Box Paratroopers when they first came out. When I got the Germans, 8th Army and Strongpoint for Xmas the quality of the sculpts were the first thing that struck me. You qere able to try and emulate the cover picture with the figures.
I have a complete set on the first Paras that cost a sweet penny lol. I have a video on my channel on that set.
The africa korps came with a Rommel like figure and were basic yellow
I call it tan but we both mean the same thing 😀
I loved Airfix. Bought it in the 60s. I owned the small scale soldiers and the big ones. Not to forget all the other Airfix products. This video brought many childhood memories back.
Great :)
Great video thanks. I had these and also had the Afrika Korps soldiers.
I wish Airfix would go back to the better softer plastic!
It would be cool if they did the sets in soft plastic more for collectors then today in hard plastic for modellers.
Great channel, brings back special memories❤
totally agree and the original colors . The original plastic loses its pliability and become brittle over the years
Love your videos because I had these figures as a kid. Is there a resource to find out how many of each pose the boxes had? I'm trying to replenish figures in my old boxes that don't have 29 figures anymore.
I should have put that in the video. This site list all sets made and how many figures of each there was in each set. Just click the years and then the image of the box you´re looking for.
www.airfix132.de/index.html@@herbertlum6652
Had them, loved them, played with them for hours. It's interesting because now I have a kid of my own it's fascinating to compare how kids play today vs the 80's. When I told my kid I played for hours with a bucket of plastic soldiers she looked at me like I was an idiot. These days it's all Ipads or smart phones. Roblox, Minecraft or Toca Life World...
I was kinda lucky with my son that way. When he was 6-7 years old (about 10 years ago) I got him to play alot outside with toy soldiers and toy cars. Him and a few frinds would play outside almost every day in the spring and summer.
I didn't realize I needed this. We used to play "war" all the time. And you're right about all the different gun sounds.
The funny thing is I think they sounded pretty similar no matter what country you were from. We all saw the same movies :)
I had several of these Airfix kits, when I was a kid in the 80s. They were hand me downs, given to me by my parents friends, whose kids had grown out of them. We had countless of hours of fun playing with them with my friends. We used to set them up in my sandbox, and take turns bombing the opposing forces with our golf balls. I also had a lot of the cheaper sets, that used to be sold in them clear plastic bags. Even back then, I realized that the Airfix ones were on a different level, even though I didn't know what they were. I wish I had the sense to hold on to them, but unfortunately they are long gone now.
Don't forget Civil War blue and grey
Two hands raised i had the originals and the cheap chineses copyes sokd in the plastic bags with fiekd guns,flags and barb wired fences
I have some Matchbox copies but never had any Airfix. Use them as fun minitargets at the range when we shoot AR15.
As a child I had the cheaper Hong Kong and Macau copies you describe. I had the British 8th Army in brown, green and also tan. I also had cheaper copies of the Matchbox US Army and Airfix US Army. These came in a carded set with the Matchbox copies made in grey as the Germans with lots of accessories and larger vehicles. It was still a great set to own as a child. I miss those pocket money sets.
I´m not knocking copies as far as kids go. I quit a bit of Blue Box vehicles that were pretty poor but I still loved them. Airfix figures were a rare luxury for many of us.I mainly got the cheaper HO scale sets.@@TheMasterNo6
@@TheMasterNo6 exactly those
@toysoldiernostalgia heck seems Sweden got better gun laws that illinois 🙄 lol
Wow, I had those. I picked them during a trip to England. I never saw them for sale in Canada. Great mrmories.
Wow, forgot about these awesome figures. Great memories. Thanks. 🥰