British 8th Army
Airfix H0/00 Scale Miniatures Review
Airfix British 8th Army (1st Edition) in H0/00 scale. This 1st Edition figure set provided an astonishing 18 poses, including two complete heavy machine gun teams of three gunners and their Vickers HMG. Airfix replaced this set in 1974 with a new 2nd edition of British 8th Army.
Contents
46 Figures in 18 Poses – 21,5 mm equal 163 cm Height
- Officer with Webley .38/200 Service Revolver (2)
- Sergeant with SMLE, advancing, signaling (4)
- Corporal (Section Leader) with Thompson MC, firing (4)
- Heavy Machine Gun Team
- Corporal (Team Leader) with Binoculars, prone (2)
- № 1 Vickers, kneeling (2)
- № 2 Vickers, prone (2)
- .303-inch Vickers Machine Gun (2)
- Engineer with Long-Arm Detector (2)
- Light Machine Gun Team
- № 1 Bren with Bren LMG, prone, firing (4)
- № 2 Bren with SMLE, prone (2)
- British Soldier with Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield – SMLE, standing (6)
- British Soldier with SMLE, advancing (3)
- British Soldier with SMLE, standing, firing (2)
- British Soldier with SMLE, kneeling, firing (2)
- British Soldier with SMLE, in Melee (2)
- British Soldier with, throwing Hand Grenade (2)
- British Soldier with SMLE, falling (2)
- Long Range Desert Group – LRDG
- LRDG Soldier with Revolver, Stealth Patrol (1)
- LRDG Soldier with SMLE, Stealth Patrol (2)
Evaluation
Excellent choice of subject, these British 8th Army troops in tropical uniform are suitable for campaigns in Southeast Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, Greece and Italy.
The figures are wearing “aertex” tropical shirts, khaki drill shorts, hosetops with short gaiters or puttees, ammunition boots, 1937 pattern web equipment and British Mk. II “Brodie” steel helmets.
The heavy machine gun team consists of three men, the team leader and two gunners serving the .303-inch Vickers Machine Gun. Excess plastic on the cheeks of the prone soldiers needs to be removed prior to painting. Some artistic skill is required to recreate part of the face and the missing ears.
The incorrect monopod of the Bren LMG needs to be removed, and replaced by a bipod immediately behind the muzzle.
The engineer with long-arm mine detector carries a large pack for the battery, oscillator and amplifier box, but he seems to have forgotten to put his headset on. The two crawling LRDG soldiers are wearing the khaki cap, comforter instead of the steel helmet.
Compatible with Fujimi, Matchbox, Milicast, Cromwell Models, Ostmodels, MMS, and Vac-U-Cast.
Airfix 1st Edition British 8th Army contains a number of interesting figures which may be used alongside later 2nd Edition soldiers. The used miniatures shown here were found on the internet at reasonable prices in January 2024. The LRDG trooper with revolver is missing, but the remaining troops are in mind condition and they show no signs of plastic corrosion.