The kind gift by Tony Adams of a bag of Airfix OO/HO figures from the 1960s has pushed aside a few other units of the painting table (poor old Peter Laings).
To make space for more units of the Miniature Wood Screw Army, Tony sent me a mixed bag of bashed and sometimes damaged 1960s Airfix plastic https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/a-1960s-airfix-owl-pellet/
I was intrigued by some of the colour schemes and set about repairing some of the American Civil War figures first. Hats of reddy brown, yellow and blue as painted by Tony many years ago were kept, refreshed or patched where needed. On a ragtag Confederate Unit, who would notice a bit of patching?
I had in mind a scratch unit that could be Confederates but with a different sunrise flag could pass as Angrian units in my ImagiNations refighting of the Bronte ImagiNations of Glass Town, Angria and Gondal. https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/gaming-the-bronte-family-imaginations-of-glasstown-angria-gondal-and-gaaldine/
A mixture of penny bases and square mounting card was used. I started mounting them on pennies as part of an email chat with Tony about Flocking and Basing then remembered looking at the Battle of Pine Ridge ACW Skirmish that all my other vintage Airfix were on card: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/airfix-acw-battle-of-pine-ridge-river-crossing/
I had run out of pennies anyway.
So there we have some new life breathed into some old figures, along with a few repaired rifles. I bet they thought in their tiny increasingly fragile plastic heads that their fighting days were over forever.
The spare Foreign Legion and Japanese in the box and that I have stashed away could well become more Zouaves or Militia,
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/confused-by-zouaves-some-airfix-acw-paint-conversions/
although in my mind they might be needed as ‘Japanese’ as I have ideas for an updated Gondal or Gaaldine type Bronte ImagiNations Pacific based island which is invaded by Japanese style troops 100 years after the Bronte’s 1830s / 1840s ImagiNation settings. A chance to use my spare Airfix first version Eighth Army figures as defenders (they are wearing shorts – perfect for the tropics) or use the ACW figures above as the Island militia.
I have more vintage Airfix ACW from a previous tin gift and ‘blue box’ charity shop finds to paint and add. Packaging I remember as an Airfix child.
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/vintage-airfix-tin-hoard/
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/16/another-vintage-airfix-hoard/
Not sure which side or nation these hoard figures will eventually represent.
The duel flag system works well. For the cost of one figure, you get a whole new unit or regiment.
More vintage Airfix nostalgia posts on the way in a bashed old 1982 Airfix catalogue that I kept.
Posted by Mark, Man of TIN, 28 August 2019.
Man of Tin blog 
Mark, you have certainly breathed new life into these plastic chaps. They have come out really well indeed. I like their potentiality to serve in the Acw and imaginations. The rag tag look of them is charming. Recently l found some very early Airfix ww2 Germans l had popped onto pennies which made handling them better. Currently l am sticking my Infantry combat group chaps onto some Warbases mdf Square bases with rounded corners which l bought as a trial very reasonably. For some reason the rounded corners make them very pleasing to my eye ,make the figures more stable and being smaller allows the figures to stand closer than my pennies. I was using 2. Pence coins with some 54mm figures until l discovered a nearby power tool building merchant place nearby which sold over hundred washers for under a pound. I wonder what future archaeologists will make of the pennies in my garden with glue and paint upon them from previous basing schemes? Ritual?
A new Airfix catalogue was always a treat when l was growing up,something to be poured over and savoured. Somewhere in the loft l have a ear 1960s Britains trade catalogue my father got me from somewhere. In it are pictures of the Britains model garden l collected as a boy which was used as terrain in toy soldier games as was the farm stuff. I have a wall or two left which l use in games. I loved the way you had a wee plastic tool ,shaped like a spade handle , to plant plastic flowers in plastic flower beds.
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I have yet to find a local supply of washers. The penny bases do add some weight and heft to plastic figures, especially the very light early version Airfix. Penny bases at the time of the 1970s and 1980s weren’t feasible as I was still counting them up for pocket money to buy figures and the steep postage.
Definitely “ritual”.
These little early version hoards are extra special because there were so few ACW, AWI WW1 or historic and first version Airfix in our family collection that they were a special elite. I remember sales or wants adverts for such OOP figures in modelling magazines for what seemed steep prices. Hence the padding out with conversions of WW2 figures.
I remember we had some few scraps of plastic Britain’s garden and the card crazy paving. Recently somebody relaunched a the idea in the form of the weird and short lived “Olivia’s Garden in a box” of make and ‘plant’ your own garish plastic flowers. Perfect for alien planets …
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Mark
I never imagined you would have such fun or be so creative with these figures when I sent them to you. It is a delight to me to see how much you have made of these figures that frankly I saw as old tat, how wrong I was. I am very taken with the imagi nation elements, you have opened my eyes to some amazing possibilities in this area which I intend to pursue and will report on in my blog at some time. As for the basing, I think it adds to the overall effect when different bases are used, especially different shapes. The finishing of the bases is first class too. The idea of using washers I actually like, I am sure that cheap washers can be had on line, perhaps in quite large quantities. How ever there are plenty of “fixings” sellers out there, I know from my efforts to source old style screws, and they are often fairly local which gives a good excuse for a day out and may yield cheap washers in more reasonable quantities. Very much looking forward to the next instalment ………..
Regards. Tony
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Thanks Tony, it was a pleasure restoring them to life. I shall have to keep an eye out for suitable 1p and 2p sized washers. Luckily I have a fair amount of scrapped art mounting board / card.
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Fantastic to see these wonderful old figures given a new role. Great stuff Mark.
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Thanks MJT. Vintage Airfix classic figures, always a pleasure to see.
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Always enjoy a Bronte post. The mixture of basing seems to fit perfectly the ragtag army anyways. I use pennies for certain lines of figures but otherwise I use 2mm thick plastic vinyl card, scored and snapped into shape.
Happiness is a plastic organiser box filled with old figures.
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I am aware that I have neglected the Bronte’s ImagiNations in favour of scouting.
Each project, form an orderly queue …
Your plastic card is probably the thickness of the mounting card that I recycled from an exhibition at work which was due to be thrown away. Happiness is a plastic organiser box filled with old figures! Wise words – I am lucky to have this Tony Adams box/ bag, the tin box gift from a colleague (another 60s time capsule) heady with the smell of decaying plasticiser when opened, and my blue box charity shop horde to draw on and bulk out the few surviving vintage Airfix ones I have from my family / childhood.
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