D Company

What to do with old Airfix 8^th Army figures?

I have a heap dating from the 1970s when I constructed at least four 33 figure companies for gaming purposes (I think using Mal Wright’s Battleground rules which might be a uniquely South Australian thing).

The British 8^th Army always held a special appeal as my dad served in North Africa.

Anyway, I came across this lot that I had rebased and formed up as D Company for Crossfire.  So it was time to deploy them in the garden for a photo shoot (the sandy ground making a good setting).

I had the second and third platoons depicted with figures busy firing their assorted weapons, but I had kept one of my favourite figure poses for the first platoon, here lead by an intrepid grenade thrower.  This advancing pose must have been very popular as Minifigs appropriated it for many of their Napoleonic figures (although I don’t know which came first, but my money is on Airfix).

Spot the Forward Observer – brave lad living in fear of friendly fire.

The Commanding Officer is a ring in from the Airfix Bristol Bloodhound rocket set.  He is accompanied by a slightly modified minesweeper figure.  Note also the home made PIAT in the top left hand corner.  The very useful figure (how many of those did I modify to crew various weapons over the years?) is secured in some Araldite adhesive which was my repair technique before I discovered Super Glue and then PVA glue.