Plastic Soldier Review - Airfix Waterloo British Infantry

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Airfix

Set 01745

Waterloo British Infantry

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

Stats

Date Released	1972
Contents	43 figures and 1 horse
Poses	15 poses, 1 horse pose
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Cream, Red, Tan, Grey

Average Height

23 mm (= 1.66 m)

Review

When this set was released Airfix were still the only major manufacturer making large numbers of 1/72 scale plastic figures, but they were surprisingly late to make Napoleonic subjects. Concentrating on Waterloo, they produced this set to complement the highlanders already produced.

The 15 poses include some interesting choices. The sergeant with his spontoon is nice, though there is no ensign with the colours for him to attend. Both a drummer and bugler are included, as are two men on the ground. One is apparently wounded, and is clutching his chest, while the other is on hands and knees. Napoleonic soldiers did not crawl around like their twentieth century equivalents, although occasionally they were told to lie down (e.g. at Waterloo), but this man could also have tripped or been knocked down. Still a more useful pose could have been substituted here. There are two marching poses, with one having a particularly wide stride, making him look very odd. The drawing of this pose on the original Airfix box shows that the intended pose was much better than the result.

Uniform-wise the figures are pretty good. All the men have full kit, which is all properly done apart from the complete absence of mess tins. The shakos, which are of the 'belgic' type and therefore make the figures useful only for 1815, are a little too large, and the plume is much longer than most actual examples.

Sculpting is fair but not up to the standards of today. The figures are quite stocky and though there is a reasonable amount of detail, it has not been delicately done. This means such articles as the muskets are quite plain, which makes the set look its age.

As the only British line infantry available for a long time, many people will have fond memories of these figures. The fair amount of flash and chunky detail were of no consequence as Waterloo was endlessly recreated on tables and floors everywhere. Today however times have changed, and several manufacturers have produced better figures of this popular subject.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	8
Pose Quality	6
Pose Number	9
Sculpting	6
Mould	7