Airfix Ancient Britons

[Cubs]

Why do we flit from project to project? Who knows. This time, it was a combination of coming to the end of a sticky tape roll, then grabbing the old Ancient Battles book for 'bathroom break' reading matter, seeing the 'how to build a Celtic hut from a used sticky tape roll', then remembering I had an old tub of Airfix Ancient Britons on top of the shelves. And yet another time-wasting side project with no clear direction was born.

Thus, I decided to try to trim the worst of the flash off (easier said than done) and paint them up to bring out the best in them. Yes, they have some odd poses, yes they are of ... questionable historical accuracy, but through a combination of imaginative painting and minor conversions I reckoned I could do something with them. There might even be a magazine article in this if enough old farts like me are hypnotised by the nostalgia of beloved childhood toys.

First up, the contortionist spear throwers (the only spear armed infantry in the box!) balancing their spears atop their decorative helms. I've trimmed the bizarre fin off one of them to turn it into a leather cap.

[Cubs]

Next the axe-armed infantry we always labelled 'fanatics' in our games. In my brothers' painted versions, these guys had huge goggle eyes staring madly out in different directions. They were always special. Although I'm planning to base the completed models up in a mix 4 to a base, I may keep a couple of these types back to use in a small all-fanatics unit. There are too many guys wearing helmets in the Airfix box, so I just painted the helmet of a couple of these guys as hair and it seems to have worked. The dude on the right has lime-spiked hair as well.

[carlos marighela]

You have done a fantastic job on those. Poses aside I wouldn’t gave believed they were Airfix if you hadn’t said so. That said the French Old Guard were exquisite little figures IIC.

[Cubs]

You have done a fantastic job on those. Poses aside I wouldn’t gave believed they were Airfix if you hadn’t said so. That said the French Old Guard were exquisite little figures IIC.

Thanks! The restrictions of the mould and durability of thin bits must have been frustrating for making what were kids' toys back in the day. You can see there I've left a lot black undercoat in place to hide lumps of ugly plastic or try to suggest a better shape in places, but those caveats aside, whoever the original sculptor was they seem to have had a great grasp of anatomy and how to depict movement.

[Harry Faversham]

Cubs, you iz di' man!
Airfix from the dawn of time given the Cubbins touch!!!

 

[jambo1]

Super project, really good start on it. Hard to believe these are the old Airfix boys. Mine never got painted, always in the grey plastic they came in but they fought well on many occasions!

[Bloggard]

You have done a fantastic job on those. Poses aside I wouldn’t gave believed they were Airfix if you hadn’t said so. That said the French Old Guard were exquisite little figures IIC.

+1

I doubt others of their ilk have ever been graced with better paint-jobs.

*I'd go so far to say the incredible painting has revealed just how good (some of?) the sculpts were in terms of overall anatomy etc - modern sculpting could certainly learn something from it, z-brush etc or not.

[Roo]

They are incredible… :(WOW 

[Captain Blood]

Marvellous project. I loved these figures (about 50 years ago  )

Super project, really good start on it. Hard to believe these are the old Airfix boys. Mine never got painted, always in the grey plastic they came in but they fought well on many occasions!

Grey plastic? Wow. Mine were in a kind of orangey-brown plastic (as was the Wagon Train). I wonder when / why they switched colours.
The weird, wonderful and changeable colours of Airfix polythene figures of yore is probably the subject of somebody’s doctoral thesis somewhere 

[Ranthony]

Simply stunning, what a skillful hand!

Leaving the black undercoat was a great idea, I wouldn't have looked if you hadn't said and now I notice the way you've worked around the sculpt - artistry.

Cheers

Ry

[Fremitus Borealis]

Really great painting!

[Rick F]

Lovely painting, thanks for bringing back some good memories. Are you going to do the chariot with horrible solid wheels?

[Cubs]

Lovely painting, thanks for bringing back some good memories. Are you going to do the chariot with horrible solid wheels?

Well now, I'm going back and forth with that. I have the option of -

1) going with the solid wheels (the advantage being it's easy stays true to the original models, but it's a glaring inaccuracy), or 2) trying to paint/chop at the wheels to make them look like spokes (the advantage being I'm not wasting anything, but it'll be a pain in the cheeks), or 3) replace the wheels with something from an artillery piece (the advantage being it'll look right, be a lot easier, but then I've got some poor models somewhere missing its wheels).

I'll have to look at how easy it'll be to chop at the solid wheels or file them down (with the horrible snaggy soft plastic) or whether I have a spare cannon or limber somewhere with the right sized wheels (unlikely).

[Cubs]

Thanks to all, very kind. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with fond memories of these guys.

[The Dozing Dragon]

Wonderful! Like many others I've fond memories of these little guys. I know John Niblett designed some Airfix ranges but no idea if these were his.