Airfix 1/72 Coastal Defence Fort - wargaming applications?

[Onebigriver]

I've got an Airfix fort from one of their D-Day sets, and I'm curious if anyone has used one in wargaming as an objective? Looking at the instructions only part of the fort could have a removable roof, so I'm wondering if it's worth assembling.

Cheers,

[Ewan]

One of my favourite childhood wargame toys, before I even new what wargaming was.

[fred]

Is this the twin gun one? It’s the one to me that looks least like any of the actual D-Day defences.

I don’t recall (but this will be from 40ish years ago) that it has that many pieces to put together, so might be worth giving it a whirl, see what you think. But its definitely more toy than model.

[Onebigriver]

Is this the twin gun one? It’s the one to me that looks least like any of the actual D-Day defences.

I don’t recall (but this will be from 40ish years ago) that it has that many pieces to put together, so might be worth giving it a whirl, see what you think. But its definitely more toy than model.

Aye, it's this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airfix-Scale-Coastal-Defence-Modelkit/dp/B00IJZIC5I

Got to admit I'd assumed it was a scale model of an actual fortification!

[robh]

There was a post a while back on Warseer where someone had extensively reworked that model as a Imperial Guard Hill Fortress for 40k. Superbly done with full interior detailing and supporting trenchworks and obstacles.

[has.been]

Aeons ago I used one for a commando raid game, using the (then new) WRG Infantry Action rules.
Great fun, especially when the clouds (diced for) kept covering/uncovering the moon at times
that frustrated one side, or the other.

[fred]

Struggling to find out much about what this fort may be based on, found one note that it could be based on an English fortification, but this was just a note. And a couple of mentions that this and the other single gun kit where not based on any specific fortification. I have found out they are old, about 50 years old! And that the guns no longer come with springs so that they fire, rubbish.

I did find one interesting diaroma, with this fort next to an Almera bunker. The almera one looks exactly like the 75mm gun emplacements seen quite often in Normandy, and the size of if it almost the size of the airfix one, which just shows how small the airfix one is, not least as the walls are so thin.

 

[carlos marighela]

I suppose you could always use it as a, er....... coastal fort, albeit one of a generic, non-specific provenance. That assumes you have 1/72, 20mm or at a pinch large 15mm figures to go with it.

 A ‘Guns of Navarone’ type scenario might be fun.

[Onebigriver]

Thanks guys, you've convinced me to keep and build it!

[Plynkes]

My Airfix commandos must have stormed that fort dozens of times in the 70s and early 80s, accompanied by my tuneless humming of the Guns of Navarone or Where Eagles Dare themes (when it was being guarded by HO/OO Gerbirgsjäger on top of a mountain*).






*One Christmas my dad built me a play table in the attic, it had a beach for D-Day games, a river for A Bridge too Far, and a mountain made from papier-mâché over chicken wire for Where Eagles Dare. I have a great dad. Wish he still made terrain for me like when I was a nipper.

[Etranger]

Those airfix forts must have been fought over more times than Berwick on Tweed....

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

I did find one interesting diaroma.....

Now you mention it, those sets did have a curious smell to them.

[gamer Mac]

Does bring back fond memories
looking forward to seeing what you do with this

[Rick F]

That set, and the other beach fortification one, gave me so much pleasure as a lad over 40 years ago. I blame Airfix for everything that happened to me over the next 40 years

[Captain Blood]

That set, and the other beach fortification one, gave me so much pleasure as a lad over 40 years ago. I blame Airfix for everything that happened to me over the next 40 years

Yep 

Seems to me that the world of wargaming is divided between those who blame Airfix and those (younger) who blame GW. The outcome is more or less the same. A life sentence addiction