It began by reading this splendid blog post over coffee-
https://pampersandp.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-further-tarriance-in-hyboria.html
And continued thus-
Looked out these Airfix Ancient Britons from the shed. This is the colour l recall from my youth. Sadly these have plastic rot and will need to be disposed of.
Looked out these from the shed also and took them off their tired thin card bases. Wondered if this broken hollow cast elephant might be deployed with them…
I ordered the Airfix’s magazine below from eBay recently, it arrived pm.
Interesting series of articles from Bob O’Brien on converting Airfix figures.
Some examples of conversions, even mentioning Banana Oil!
An interesting review from the same magazine re WRG rules. The magazine cover below.
Currently getting the Minifigs ready for the tabletop and their newly acquired elephant too. I envisage them to be some sort of desert raiders , a thorn in the flesh of many.
Thanks Alan, you're very kind.
ReplyDeleteThose old articles in Airfix Magazine were really inspirational - Many of Robin Hood's Merry Men were chopped up to provide bits for "conversions".
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteWhat a splendidly nostalgic day! Shame about the plastic rot on the Ancient Britons, but getting those vintage Minifigs rebased—along with that grand hollow-cast elephant—is proper wargaming treasure. Those old Airfix articles really take you back!
All the best, Andy
Old figs and magazines, marvellous.
ReplyDeleteDon't throw those brittle Airfix away, they can be resurrected, used as casualties or other markers or as spare parts!
Best wishes, James
Super gluing and then a light overcoat of PVA or Modge Podge might extend their lives.
ReplyDeleteI have been having fun painting Minifigs S range Devish and Jacklex colonials. I knew that there was a box of them up in the loft.Finding them was the difficult part ! Assembling the Jacklex mountain battery next
ReplyDeletePlastics do age, I seem to recall Charles Grant finding a lot of his Spencer Smith figures falling apart.
ReplyDeleteI have "somewhere" a number of those articles culled from Airfix magazine. Mike Blake did ACW and I recall others covering colonial British (from WWI Germans) and Crimean War Russians (from the Bedouin Arabs!). The magazine during the 60s. Sadly the editor, Chris Ellis, passed away last year.
A search has just produced this:
:https://archive.org/search?query=airfix+magazine
Should find more of the Bob O'Brien articles.
That poor elephant - perhaps someone was desperate for an elephants foot umbrella stand....
Brian
archive.org has some fantastic old Railway Magazines too
DeleteA proper old school sort of day. and thanks for that blog find, it's intriguing. I saw recenrlty that Airfix has reissued some of their old sets, I think the Robin Hood set among others. I've been quite frustrated of late assembling Victrix 28mm figures and am starting to year for those old Airfix figures though banana oil frightens me! I hope that handsome elephant gets to see more life.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Michael the Mad Padre