German Afrika Korps
Matchbox 1:76 Scale Figure Review
Matchbox German Afrika Korps is a welcome supplement of the Airfix Afrika Korps, even if the sculptor‘s handwriting is obviously quite different. Matchbox supplies an unusually large number of non-commissioned officers and heavy weapons which were not subject of the earlier Airfix figure set.
Contents
50 Figures in 17 Poses – 22 mm equal 167 cm Height
- Officer/Staff Officer (2)
- NCO with Binoculars, standing, pointing (2)
- NCO with MP 40, running, signaling (3)
- NCO with MP 40, moving, firing (4)
- NCO with MP 40, standing, firing (4)
- NCO with MP 40, running (4)
- Machine Gun Team with HMG
- Machine Gunner No. 1 with HMG 34 on Tripod, firing (2)
- Machine Gunner No. 2 with Cartridge Box, prone (2)
- Rifleman with Karabiner 98 kurz, running (2)
- Rifleman with Karabiner 98k, standing, firing (6)
- Rifleman with Karabiner 98k, kneeling, firing (5)
- Rifleman, throwing Stielhandgranate 24 (4)
- Rifleman with Karabiner 98k and Bayonet, running (4)
- Rifleman with Karabiner 98k, prone (4)
- Mortar Team with 8 cm heavy Mortar
- Mortarman No. 2 with 8 cm Bomb, standing (1)
- Mortarman No. 3 with 8 cm Bomb, prone (1)
- Heavy Mortar (s.GrW) 8 cm (1)
- Highlander, British 8th Army, surrendering (2)
Evaluation
Excellent choice of subject, Matchbox German Afrika Korps is a welcome addition to the Airfix Afrika Korps in 1:76 scale. Matchbox largely avoided duplicates, focusing on Poses which were missing from the Airfix set.
This set offers 17 figure poses, only 47 % of which are rank and file of the infantry, the remainder being officers, non-commissioned officers, mortarmen, and even a British prisoner of war. NCOs with submachine guns are the most common type, and 26 % submachine guns is normally far too many for a set of German infantry. Mixed with Airfix figures, however, this selections seems quite sensible.
The ammunition belt of the MG 34 is served from the left, and not how it is done here, from the right. The mistake may be corrected by carefully removing the cartridge box from the left hand of the machine gunner No. 2 and placing it to the left of the MG 34. The missing section of cartridge belt may be scratchbuilt from paper. The German rifle platoon had three MG 34 machine guns on bipods, and one spare tripod to deploy one of its machine guns in the sustained fire role. The missing light machine gunners may be recruited from the Airfix Afrika Korps which offers seven MG 34 LMGs.
The submachine guns in this set are easily identified as the MP 38/MP 40, unlike those of the earlier Matchbox German Infantry.
The heavy mortar s.GrW 8 cm is a simple and robust design, very easy to set up or take apart, but it might be replaced with a more realistic model. However, the s.GrW 8 belongs to the Machine Gun Company. Until 1941, rifle platoons of the infantry and motorized infantry were equipped with one light 5 cm Granatwerfer 36, which is shown here as a quick and dirty conversion of the s.GrW 8 cm.
Munitionsschütze Nr. 3 may be converted to Richtschütze Nr. 1 of the 8 cm s.GrW simply by removing the mortar bomb from his hand. The mortar team fits a 1 × 1 inch stand nicely.
Several figures are missing cartridge pouches or magazine pouches. The riflemen are mistakenly equipped with cartridge pouches for only four stripper clips, instead of the M.1911 cartridge pouches for six K 98k stripper clips each.
Bayonets are short-shot, too thick and blunt to look realistic. Years before this release, Airfix had already demonstrated with its British 8th Army that bayonets can be done perfectly in this scale.
The figures are carrying the Feldflasche M31 field flask on their belt, instead of attached to the Brotbeutel M31 bread bag which is sadly missing. One easy fix is to slice the field flask off with a scalpel, sculpt the haversack from Green Stuff, and press the field flask back into it. Everyone seems to have left their Zeltbahn M31 shelter half and mess tin in the attendant vehicle.
While the number of figures in this set would normally be sufficient to raise a rifle platoon of the Afrika Korps, the surplus of submachine guns and the simultaneous lack of light machine guns make this impossible. This is where the Airfix Afrika Korps has to step in.
Painting Afrika Korps Miniatures
The original painting instructions for Matchbox Afrika Korps recommended enamel paints which are not really suitable for soft plastic miniatures. Revell has since adapted the painting instructions to their own range of Aqua Color Acrylics.
- Humbrol HM8 »Khaki Drill«: Tropical Blouse M40, Tropical Trousers or Shorts
- Humbrol HM7 »Khaki Drab«: Tropical Boots M40, Field Cap M41
- Humbrol MC14 »Black«: Gas Mask Canister
- Humbrol MC23 »Gun Metal«: MP 40
- Humbrol 62 »Leather«: Waistbelt, Y-straps, Field Flask, Soles
- Humbrol MC15 »Flesh«: Face, Hands
The painting instructions are incomplete and misleading. The field grey gas mask canister and other Kleingerät (small equipment) was repainted Yellow Brown RAL 8000, Grey Green RAL 7008, Brown RAL 8020, Grey RAL 7027, or Dark Yellow for the campaign in North Africa. The M40 tropical boots consisted of a brown leather shoe with reed green shaft. The reed green field blouse could be worn with sand-coloured trousers in Africa.
Compatible with Airfix, Fujimi, Milicast, Cromwell Models, Ostmodels, MMS, and Vac-U-Cast.
Historical Employment
- German Afrika Korps, 1941–1943
- German Infantry in Tropical Uniform, 1941–1945
First released in 1977, Matchbox German Afrika Korps continues to provide valuable poses for wargamers and figure collectors.