Beginning way back in 1960, the British plastic kit firm Airfix released a lengthy series of 1/76 scale soft plastic figures. For several decades, these releases were the only ones available in this (or 1/72) scale in plastic and they are remembered fondly for being pioneers in miniature soldiers.

Airfix released 65 sets of 1/76 figures between 1960 and 1982. Since then, there has only been one new set released by Airfix (WW2 British infantry released in 2011). This total included 5 sets that were re-tooled- the first sets of German & British WW2 infantry, German Afrika Korps, British 8th Army and French Foreign Legion produced in the early Sixties were later replaced by new versions of the same in the late Sixties or early Seventies.

The very first 2 sets, released in 1960, were Ceremonial Coldstream Guards- 'Guards Band' & 'Guards Colour Party'.

These sets now seem rather quaint and neither have been released by Airfix for some time and it is unlikely they ever will be, given the age of the moulds which would be now worn down to the point that the facial features of each figure would be reduced to a smooth blob. These early sets are only likely to interest collectors of old Airfix sets.

Another early set- 'Civilians'- was largely intended as figures to populate model-train layouts in HO/O scale. However subsequent sets were military-themed.

The sets were manufactured in a soft plastic that proved sturdy enough to be played as toys by youngsters but could, with the right preparation and skill, could also be painted by adult collectors or wargamers. The soft plastic has proved to be less than durable in the long run as existing original sets from the early 60s have gone brittle and dry with age, the figures literally disintegrating into pieces.

Compared to more recent releases by other manufacturers, most of the Airfix sets have not aged well in terms of detail, research and accuracy. However it must never be forgotten that Airfix not only got there first in terms of releasing plastic figures in this scale but for nearly two decades, many of these sets were the only ones available in plastic for some conflicts and historical periods.

For nearly two decades, any wargamer who wanted to recreate Medieval periods such as the 100-Years-War but lacked the budget for buying the more expensive metal figures had only one set in plastic available- 'Sherrif of Nottingham'. This was the sole option until UK firm Accurate Miniatures released 100-Years-War sets in 1/72 in plastic in the early 1980s (sets later re-released by Revell).

Likewise, a wargamer who wanted to fight battles in the era of Ancient Rome and preferred to use plastic figures had only one choice for nearly 20 years- Airfix Romans- until competition finally arrived in the early 80s when US-firm Atlantic produced plastic sets of Romans, along with Greeks and Egyptians.

The three Airfix releases portraying the American Civil War- Union Infantry, Confederate Infantry and Civil War Artillery (inter-changeable for either side)- likewise had the market to themselves for the best part of 20 years until the first competition from Call to Arms firm finally arrived in the 1980s (?).

Airfix's sets depicting the First World War- British, German, French and American Infantry and British Royal Horse Artillery- had the hobbystore shelves all to themselves for over 30 years before another firm, Revell, eventually released WW1 figures in plastic in the early 1990s.

Airfix's Napoleonic (or 'Waterloo 1815') range began in the late 1960s with the release of Highland Infantry and ended in the late 1970s with Prussian Infantry 1815. Despite the enormous popularity of the Napoleonic Wars in wargaming in miniature, it remains surprising that no other firm produced Napoleonic figures in plastic in 1/76 or 1/72 until Esci commenced their own sets in the 1980s. In the early days, Airfix thoughtfully helped young wargamers who didn't have the money or inclination to paint their figures by releasing the British sets in bright red and the French in navy blue!

The figures were 1/76 but that did not stop Airfix from releasing them as '1/72' on some occasions which could have been a marketing ploy or a careless error in boxtop printings. However the differences in size between 1/76 and 1/72 were relatively minute and only likely to be noticed by the most fanatical modelers.

Airfix's range included a number of 'novelty' sets. These often reflected subjects popular among youngsters in the Sixties such as Tarzan, Astronauts, Robin Hood, Zoo Animals and various Wild West sets. Occasionally, Airfix cut costs by rehashing some of the figures of a previous set and adding a smaller number of new molds to allow a new set to be produced more cheaply. This included 'US Marines' (Pacific War) but half of the figures included in the set were the same as the earlier US Infantry (Europe) set. Likewise, 'The High Chaparral' which was inspired by the popular Sixties TV series of the same name. Only half of the figures in the set were new, the rest were rehashed from Airfix's earlier Cowboys set. To be fair to Airfix, they were not the only brand to resort to this tactic, Esci did the same with a few of their 1/72 figure sets in the 1980s.

Airfix also released a number of 'Playsets' which included an easy-to-assemble building or structure in hard plastic along with 2 or 3 sets of figures. The sets included a Medieval Castle which came with the Robin Hood and Sheriff of Nottingham figure sets, Fort Sahara which came with Foreign Legion & Bedouins, a Roman Fort ('Caesar's Gate') to accompany the Ancient Roman and Briton sets, Fort Apache which came with Indians and either Wagon Train, Cowboys or 7th Cavalry (releases varied) and finally two WW2 sets- Beach-Head and Coastal Defense Fort- to recreate D-Day-type scenarios. One larger set, released occasionally, was the Waterloo Set which featured all 9 of the Napoleonic figure sets along with a farm-house set and a French wagon team. One of the rarest play-sets was a Zoo-themed set which included both sets of Airfix's Zoo Animals along with Civilians and various animal enclosures and fences.

Airfix included in its figure range several sets of Airfield Personnel. These figures were intended to act as accessories for Airfix aircraft in the same scale, either as display models or as part of a diorama.

However, like the rest of the figure range, they were manufactured in soft plastic as opposed to the hard plastic that all aircraft kits were constructed of. The figures proved more difficult to not only paint, but also to glue to diorama bases or onto aircraft, as either enamel or acrylic hobby paints and standard hobby glue often proved reluctant to adhere to the softer plastic.

The most recent new release- British Infantry WW2- which came out in 2011, proved to be somewhat disappointing when compared to other recent releases on the same subject by other brands such as Esci and Revell. The poses on the figures looked awkward, some of the details were crudely sculpted and the set as a whole appeared un-inspired.

So the best set of the Airfix figure range? In my humble opinion, it was WW2 Italian Infantry, first released in 1980. It was one of the last 1/72 sets Airfix released and came out during a period of decline for the brand as sales dropped, the popularity of the hobby began to decline and Airfix released fewer new sets.

The set came with only 7 poses- a reflection of the cost-cutting at Airfix in 1980- but the poses are excellent, the detailing and draughtsmanship on the figures are superb.

Airfix continue to release some of their figure sets, mostly their WW2 subjects. Nowadays, the biggest benefit in purchasing them is their cheaper cost when compared to other brands. But most of the range is looking dated and left behind. However there is plenty of enjoyable nostalgia in re-discovering this range as they reflect an era long gone.