Airfix British Infantry

The great refurbishment project continues, with a small selection of the Airfix British Infantry (click here for PSR review). I only have a small selection of painted figures from the set - fortunately I do have a much larger selection of the unpainted figures - but since they still retained their paint jobs, I figured I would touch them up, wash them, base them, varnish them, and then post them!

Almost a Battalion's worth!

I have based them up as a 1943 CD3 British infantry battalion - sans the supporting stands and vehicles and a missing infantry stand in D company. Since there wasn't a suitable painted figure to act as the battalion command stand - and the officer figure from the set is more a figure to put on a command infantry stand - I decided to paint up one of the figures from the Matchbox British Infantry set. I also painted up a hard plastic Airfix gunner to put onto a stand with the orphan painted Airfix gunner that I acquired at the same time as the infantry. I painted these two additional figures using Vallejo English Uniform as I didn't want to try and match the original painters uniform colour with a complete figure as I didn't think I could get a close enough match to make it look right.

A patrol stand and two stands suitable for use as FOs or Staff Radio stands.

Each Rifle Company is meant to consist of one command infantry stand, and two infantry stands.I decided to use the same figure combinations (out of a very limited pool of painted figures) to create the stands for each company.

A Company. The command infantry stand is the stand on the right. The two stands with Bren guns are infantry stands.

B Company. same poses, different figures, different angle. 

The figures had been painted - much like the other sets by this painter - with enamel paint, that after a number of years of poor storage had begun to crack and flake, but after a few touch ups and a brown wash come up quite nicely.

C an D Companies. D is lacking an important element.

I didn't have enough painted figures available to make up a command infantry stand for D company, so when I start painting up the support elements for this battalion, I will paint up an additional command infantry stand.

The replacement Battalion command stand, and the gun crew stand for the Six Pdr.

I did paint up a battalion command stand, as having one makes the unit a great deal more playable, plus it gives me an excuse to paint up an officer from the Matchbox British Infantry set. I have always liked the figure, and should I paint up some RAF types I might just add one of these painted in blue into the mix.