Tell me about wargaming in the 70s

[Cubs]

Damn, but that's beautiful. The bold 'toy soldier' gloss paint has a unique charm (plus it wears well) that always brings a smile to my chops.

[warlord frod]

Awesome pictures. Now I want to post pictures of my first Airfix army  Your pictures bring me fond memories of those early days.Thanks for sharing.

[FramFramson]

All looks a tad different from wot we have today, don't it!!!???

Now now, wouldn't want to be a grognard. 

[Harry Faversham]

Good old Airfix, got's to love 'em. The Froggy 12pdrs were minuscule the RHA 6pdrs ginagerous*, so we painted 'em with green trails and bunged 'em to the Guard!

*Their Gulliver Hussars and Dwarf Curryasars were even better!!!

 

[krieghund]

Outstanding Mr Faversham.

[Harry Faversham]

Thank you Sir.

 

[jamie.grinstead]

It's a pity that none of the figures from that era remain (

[dickiegranthum]

People tended be hairier, back then, too. All over. Furry even!

@cubs I’m sure was rather hairy.

[Norm]

Importantly, there wasn’t an internet, so getting involved in wargaming felt like a true immersive journey of discovery, because typically you are in an insular bubble.

Discover books by Featherstone, Grant, Quarrie and Tunstall et al.

Discover the Battle magazine and later the Practical Wargamer magazine

Discover Don Featherstones newsletter

Discover your first wargame shop

Discover bringing your Airfix figures from the floor, up onto the table

Discover wargame clubs and wargame shows

It was all a beautiful thing, a real journey of discovery and the pressing of buttons that would give a life long passion.

[Harry Faversham]

My 50+ year old Airfix Veterans have been badgering me for an outing. Prussians v Froggies, coming up soon!
 

[carlos marighela]

Mostly conducted on my bed or the carpet. Almost exclusively done with Airfix troops and the odd Matchbox figure until a trip up to town showed me the wonders of Minifigs.

Rules beyond the self designed came from the Airfix 'how-to' books and Featherstone.

Terrain was usually a blanket over books, random bits of cardboard painted different colours and the odd bit from toy collections, Lego blocks and whatever else presented itself.

Vehicles mostly Airfix and Matchbox with a few diecast toys thrown in for good measure. Highlight of the era was receiving the Airfix Waterloo set.

Battle and Military Modelling were the chief reason to visit the newsagent.

Disco isn't dead, albeit disco biscuits are.

Alas, there were no flared trousers in my armies and Donna Summer only visited in my dreams.

[FierceKitty]

I think I started wargaming in the 70s, but might have been the very early 80s.

It was all WWII with airfix, esci and matchbox figures. Generally the infantry weren't painted, although vehicles sometimes where, though lots of them came in pretty much the right colour plastic.

I had two 4'x4' pieces of chipboard that could go on trestles as the table - these were really heavy, painted a bright grass green. And hills made from unpainted ovals cut from white ceiling tiles (unpainted). Houses were an assortment of toy ones, I seem to recall made with card long walls, and wooden end walls.

Games were very slow due to having far too many single based figures to move - which being 20mm plastics just fell over at any chance.

Rules were Operation Warboard - we eventually got a bit fed up with the ground scale problems as troops couldn't run the length of a tank! Somewhere I'm sure I have some photos of the games.

Pretty much the story of my first ten years. It's a wonder I didn't just give up!

[warlord frod]

Importantly, there wasn’t an internet, so getting involved in wargaming felt like a true immersive journey of discovery, because typically you are in an insular bubble.

Discover books by Featherstone, Grant, Quarrie and Tunstall et al.

Discover the Battle magazine and later the Practical Wargamer magazine

Discover Don Featherstones newsletter

Discover your first wargame shop

Discover bringing your Airfix figures from the floor, up onto the table

Discover wargame clubs and wargame shows

It was all a beautiful thing, a real journey of discovery and the pressing of buttons that would give a life long passion.

Exactly my experance! Wasent it fun.

[Cubs]

@cubs I’m sure was rather hairy.

I'm a lot hairier now, collar to socks!

[MHoxie]

Five million years ago wargaming was even stranger...

Edit: Oops, that was supposed to be an animated GIF.