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All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)
| Date Released |
1982 |
| Contents |
48 figures |
| Poses |
7 poses |
| Material |
Plastic (Medium Consistency) |
| Colours |
Green, Grey |
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Average Height
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22 mm (= 1.58 m)
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This is the last set Airfix ever made, and the decline in the range is clear for all to see. When the set was released, in the early 1980s, the Soviet Union was engaged in a terrible war in Afghanistan, and the Cold war was still very real. Large numbers of troops served in various countries, and in theory the possibility of invasion of Western Europe remained, at least in some minds. Therefore this set was particularly significant for the times in which it was created.
The most obvious sign of the decline of the Airfix range was the lack of poses. Gone are the glory days of anything up to 20 poses in a box - here we are faced with just seven, and a pretty uninspiring bunch they are too. The man standing and firing had better be doing so over a wall or some other cover as he would not otherwise expose himself in this way. The other poses are not particularly wrong, just very boring, and while those wishing to wargame some Soviet campaign of the time might be satisfied with this, there is not much here for everyone else.
The uniform appears to be Field Dress, Summer Uniform, and the men are in 'fighting load'. It has been accurately sculpted, except that the trousers widen above the knee in the style of riding breeches, which is incorrect. The kit has also been correctly done, and includes a gasmask case slung over the shoulder and a canteen. Every man has an AK-74 assault rifle, which is a serious disappointment when the variety of possible weapons is considered. Again, not wrong but very dull.
The detail on these figures is not particularly good as it is quite shallow and indistinct. The officer is holding up a pair of binoculars, which means there is some unavoidable excess plastic round his face, which is not pretty. These men also seem quite thin, and shorter than most, which gives an impression of delicacy which is far from appropriate for this subject. However at least Airfix got the technology right, with a first class mould that allowed no flash at all.
As already stated, the main conflict of the time was in Afghanistan, yet these figures are of little use for that conflict as they would be incorrectly dressed for that cold and mountainous region. In any event, these figures are much too smart to give the impression of being in the middle of a conflict, and with the addition of unimaginative poses and weaponry, there really is not much going for this set. If you are a manufacturer struggling to stay in business then producing poor sets like this is not the way to do it, and it seems Airfix were to have no more chances.
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Historical Accuracy
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 7
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Pose Quality
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 3
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Pose Number
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 4
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Sculpting
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7
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Mould
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 9
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