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All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
| Date Released |
1971 |
| Contents |
38 foot figures, 2 mounted figures and 2 horses |
| Poses |
9 poses, 1 horse pose |
| Material |
Plastic (Medium Consistency) |
| Colours |
Cream, White, Red |
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Average Height
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21 mm (= 1.51 m)
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The quality of Airfix figures varied considerably through the range. The best are as good as anything being produced today, but the worst are very poor by modern standards. This set of British Grenadiers is not the worst, but it is near the bottom of the league.
Airfix were producing good numbers of poses for their sets when this was produced, so only getting nine poses was disappointing. The poses are pretty standard stuff, but there is only one advancing/charging pose. This is to allow room for a good selection of the peripheral troops, that is to say flag-bearer, drummer and mounted officer. But wait, grenadiers didn't have mounted officers, so that is a useless figure except for conversions.
The uniform of these men is very poor and bears little relation to what was worn at the time. All wear the basic coat etc., plus a very poorly realised representation of the grenadier fur cap. Also, though all the privates have two cross-belts, most have nothing on either one! What they do have is a cartridge pouch which is suspended at the base of the spine with no visible means of attachment - an impossible arrangement which is all the more ridiculous as the man would have great difficulty reaching it when he needed it. A couple have a canteen, and a couple more have a bayonet on one of the cross-belts, but other than that there is no equipment on anyone, not even the marching figure. Finally, the mounted officer has drawn his sword, yet he has no scabbard in which to put it.
Worse yet is the stance of these figures. They are all hunched and with overly thin legs. Though not as extreme, they are reminiscent of the Airfix French Infantry, and look like they shared the same sculptor.
The flag-bearer is worthy of special note. Not only does he have the two cross-belts holding nothing at all, he carries a flag that is about two metres tall but only about one metre wide. It certainly looks like no standard used in this war, or in most others, and in fact most closely resembles the standards carried into battle on the backs of Japanese soldiers in previous centuries.
You may have guessed by now that we don't like this set. Airfix had done many good ones before this, so its age is no excuse. For today's enthusiast it is only necessary to compare these figures with the British Grenadiers produced by A Call To Arms to realise how poor they are.
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Historical Accuracy
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 3
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Pose Quality
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 5
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Pose Number
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5
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Sculpting
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 2
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Mould
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 8
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