What was your first set of 1/72 figures?

[David_Wood]

I think it would have been Airfix Napoleonics. I have memories of painting them at my grandmother's flat at some point in the early 70's. My grandparents (on my mother's side) bought me a few boxes one Christmas. It might have been the Roman fort set though... too long ago to remember which came first. I did have the Robin Hood castle set and the Saharan one. All long gone unfortunately. Oh, there was the wagon train and cowboys as well. Not really sure which came first. Astronauts? Jeez, so many! I remember a younger friend's father getting him some of the Atlantic sets from abroad... so jealous.

[Peter]

When I started this topic long time ago, I said my first figures were the Airfix WW2 Japanese infantry. But in fact I had some soldiers some time before, when I was 6 year old for a good school result. Now I found a picture of them and i would like to share this with you. Bought in a bag.

These are GIANT figures:



https://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/Giant.html

[MABO]

I had them as well and played a lot with them! But I am not sure if I have them still...

[Peter]

I had them as well and played a lot with them! But I am not sure if I have them still...

I have some. Also some knights and Romans I think.

[elegantmess]

My first purchase was half sets of Orion Rus Foot knights, Kievan Rus, 10th-13th and 12th-15th century Byzantine s found extremely cheap online.
And down the rabbit hole I went.

[agrippa]

As a child I used to have knights and soldiers in these big bags. Since I started modeling again, there have been three sets:
https://www.scalemates.com/de/kits/zvez ... ew--948854
https://www.scalemates.com/de/kits/prei ... ch--134782
(a gift from my uncle)
2 pilots have been painted so far.
https://www.scalemates.com/de/kits/cmk- ... ig--112946
A figure was painted.
zu sehen sind alle meine Figuren sie hier:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26000

[sobrevieviendo1]

revell 7years war austrian infantry the very next was esci foreign legion then revell british napoleonic infantry, airfix japanese, esci british commandos and esci french ww ii infantry. and some hong kong airfix knock offs of ww ii, scaled down airfix 1/32 british paratroopers mixed with us marines,german infantry, 8 army, afrika korps in hats

[Bessiere]

Been over 50 years ago but I remember clearly seeing the Airfix French Old Guard at the store and thinking I had to get those. Then I got French artillery. After that came a few hundred boxes I can't remember what order they came in.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Minuteman]

Been over 50 years ago but I remember clearly seeing the Airfix French Old Guard at the store and thinking I had to get those. Then I got French artillery. After that came a few hundred boxes I can't remember what order they came in.
Cheers,
Bessiere

Well, if we are being strictly accurate my first 'proper' 1/72 set was probably the Esci French Napoleonic Imperial Guard Infantry. But by the time I acquired that set I was already the proud owner of quite a lot of Airfix 1/76 (OO/HO) sets, mainly their WW2 range and then Napoleonics. The Esci set was a revelation, as - nice though the Airfix set is - I always thought the Airfix Guardsmen too small, certainly when lined up alongside the chunky Airfix French Line infantry (of which by the mid 1980s I had many sets).

My very first set of Airfix OO/HO figures was the British Infantry Combat Group (WW2 infantry) and the corresponding first edition of their German WW2 infantry, soon followed by British Commandoes, Afrika Korps and 8th Army, all circa 1970.

What a very long way the hobby has come since then!

[Santi Pérez]

...I remember clearly seeing the Airfix French Old Guard at the store and thinking I had to get those...

I have a similar memory and I seem to recall that this set was also the first one I bought back in the 1970s when I was still a teenager.

...After that came a few hundred boxes I can't remember what order they came in...

This applies to me as well.

Santi.

[Bessiere]

Interesting how similar our experiences were as well as our ages. Marines, US paratroopers, Afrika Corps, 8th army, French bicycle troops; those were early buys I do remember that. I had 2 shoeboxes full of figures I gave to a young boy down the street once I hit my teens and stupidly thought "I'll not be wanting these any more". I had about 100 Roco tanks I wish I had kept as well.
I have very fond memories of my father coming home from work and complaining about all my "dinky men" as he called them being all over the floor and furniture in a ferocious battle.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Alex]

Love at first sight . ..
also 50 years ago .. "foreign legion" from Aerfix

[PaulRPetri]

I have seen this topic appear several times on the forum board and I can never figure out how to answer the question. I am 60 years old and I have clear memories as a five year old playing with the original Airfix WWII Germans, British troops, plus the Old style French Foreign Legion figures, in my backyard sandbox. So that is around 1968 but of course I did not buy them! Over the next five years while I was in grade school I made history diorama's for school projects using the Airfix American Civil War and American Revolutionary War figures. This would be in the early 1970's. As others have mentioned I remember Airfix coming out with Highlanders and Old Guard for the Napoleonics. However I think one of the first sets that I personally purchased was the Airfix Africa Corps. As I sit here thinking I know I had almost all of the Airfix early sets, US WWII Marines and the Japanese infantry box. I had the Early WWII Russian infantry. I honestly can't remember who bought all of these sets for me, my Mom or Dad!

Funny that I discovered metal miniatures, around 1977 while on a trip to buy more Airfix WWII tanks and troops, dropped plastics and went head first into the Dungeon & Dragon crazy of the late 1970's. I only returend to the 1/72 plastic world in the mid 1990's when my wargaming buddy wanted to know if I had any use for a giant box filled with Airfix Naploenic figures he wanted to get rid of. I grabbed them up and have never looked back.
Thanks Brian!!!

[PaulRPetri]

By the way Peter the website you have booked was my main source of 1/72 kits back in the 1990's when checks had to be written and sent in the mail. Kent is a great guy to deal with!

[Peter]

By the way Peter the website you have booked was my main source of 1/72 kits back in the 1990's when checks had to be written and sent in the mail. Kent is a great guy to deal with!

Nice to know Paul! I find it a great source to find pictures of old figures. For me the 54mm figures.

[DanieleV]

Atlantic Bersaglieri in 1971 http://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=63

[Egbert]

My parents brought me these figures from a visit to France in 1967.
Airfix Set 01713 Confederate Infantry http://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=402
and
Airfix Set 01722 US Cavalry http://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=36

[Bessiere]

I forgot to mention those first sets I bought cost a whopping .39 cents. When your 50 cent allowance could buy you a box of figures every week. Inflation has raised prices by a mere 3,000 %. Rather shocking when you think about it.
Cheers,
Bessiere