Plastic Soldier Review - Airfix Afrika Korps

Text Search

Home > Manufacturers > Airfix > Afrika Korps

Airfix

Set 01711

Afrika Korps

All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)

Stats

Date Released	Unknown
Contents	48 figures
Poses	15 poses
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Tan, Grey

Average Height

22 mm (= 1.58 m)

Review

The campaigns of Rommel and the Afrikakorps in North Africa hold a special fascination for some people, and surely no other commander and army of World War II was held in such high regard by their opponents both at the time and since. These men were the subject of one of the first figure sets produced by Airfix in the sixties, but as time went by it became apparent that a better job would have to be made of the sculpting, so the type 1 set was replaced by the type 2 set which is seen here.

In a recent poll this set was voted the best World War II set ever, and it is easy to see why it has so many admirers. The sculpting is just superb, with plenty of detail and very natural-looking poses. All the men wear the familiar loose uniform that superseded the first less appropriate uniform, with either shirt-sleeves and shorts or tunic and trousers. A mixture of steel helmets and peaked field caps are shown, as would have been the case in the real battles. The webbing is generally quite light, with most only having gasmask case, canteen and entrenching tool. However the riflemen have two sets of two ammo pouches on the front of their belt, when these were normally worn in threes.

The poses themselves are fine, with good animation and a nice selection. The man bayoneting is very dramatic, and the officer is in a classic pose often seen elsewhere. There are also some nice details. For instance, several of the men have stick grenades tucked into their belts, and the prone man firing the machine gun has an ammunition belt wrapped round his body.

Only two men are carrying a light machine gun, and neither seem to have the appropriate ammunition pouches for their weapon. However apart from the pouches we could find no fault with these excellent figures.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	9
Pose Quality	10
Pose Number	9
Sculpting	10
Mould	10