Plastic Soldier Review - Airfix NATO Infantry

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Airfix

Set 01759

NATO Infantry

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

Stats

Date Released	1982
Contents	48 figures
Poses	7 poses
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Green

Average Height

21 mm (= 1.51 m)

Review

By the start of the 1980s, the toy figure output of Airfix had slowed down considerably. Times were hard, and this was reflected in the later sets which mostly boasted large numbers of very few poses. There was also an emphasis on modern subjects, perhaps to make the then increasingly unpopular toy seem more relevant.

With much of the cost of making a set being taken by the sculpting, Airfix cut the pose count to the bone to try and keep things going. Nonetheless most would agree that seven poses is quite insufficient, particularly for a unit that would not have operated in the neat formations that would be expected of Napoleonic troops for example. The few poses that are provided could be described as fair, and have some nice action stances. All of them are quite fluid and well animated, with the soldier using his weapon as a club being the pick of the bunch. It is a pity, therefore, that clubbing your enemy with your rifle is all but unheard of in late twentieth century warfare, so the pose, nice as it is, is useless.

This set was made in the early 1980s, and was also sometimes labeled as US Infantry, but its vague subject matter makes it difficult to comment on accuracy. The uniform is broadly that of the American forces at that time, and includes the kevlar 'fritz' helmet that had only just been issued, so it was at least up-to-date when it was made, though this is a poor representation of the actual helmet. The weapon seems to be the M16 self loading rifle, but no other weapons are included. Though the detail is nicely done, the men seem to be very light on equipment.

The other problem of course is that NATO forces were not engaged in any serious fighting during these years. Small operations like Grenada and the attempted Iranian hostage rescue hardly merit specific sets of figures, and this well below par Airfix set does not do justice to the increasingly sophisticated NATO armies of the day.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	4
Pose Quality	4
Pose Number	4
Sculpting	6
Mould	9