Airfix Battles - First impressions and Manifesto

[Dad Paul B]

Airfix battles is out and I thought I would share a few thoughts. Firstly the system - it is aimed at Platoon level engagements with the possibility of going up to Company level with the right mix. The basic accounting unit is 1 soldier or vehicle and the manouvre unit is the squad or single vehicle.

There are options for Officers, specialist squads and vehicles. I haven't tried the armour rules yet but they are relatively simple. Movement and firing is driven by a card system which restricts options to what is in your hand. This avoids the free for all where everyone moves and shoots and seems to work pretty well with a few nice mechanics - really fast move cards can leave squads exposed. The game uses square based movement which will work fine with models either using the maps supplied with the game or model terrain. My early impressions are positive. The game works fairly well, though the attrition rate is a little high (very common in games but keeps the game fast moving).

The basic components are pretty good - nice thick counters, pretty good artwork (though the cards have generic images rather than pictures of the actual vehicle represented which is a disappointment)

Now for the manifesto

Given the airfix branding this is an excellent opportunity to link it to the model range. A typical base force would be around 2 boxes of Infantry, 3 or 4 tanks and a few Half tracks, trucks and 1 or 2 anti-tank guns. Say around 10 sets for a 3 platoon force with extra options for different battle groups.

My suggestion is as follows.

'Airfix Battles' Theatre branding for kits: D-Day to Berlin (Western Front 1944-5), Ostfront (Eastern Front 1941-5), North Africa 1940-3, Early War (1940-1 France, Norway, Balkans), Pacific (1942-5). One key addition to the sets would be to include Force Cards in each kit (1 for vehicles - allows 'famous commander' variants and about 4 for figure sets - 2 regular squads, a specialist squad, 1 or 2 support teams and an officer. Other sets could lean towards more elite units. This would allow forces to grow but a few extra serial numbers in the decals would be recommended here to add a little variety to a single unit. Given the numbers of kits/sets for a force aiming for Series 1 or 2 for most items will be essential with only 1 off items going higher.

Initially I would suggest reissuing some of the existing moulds but look to retool them over time.

D-Day to Berlin: Reissue StuG III ASAP (there is a card in the set and this is an important vehicle), Sdkfz 234 (and look at a 232). For retools start with the Sherman as it was both ubiquitous and came in a lot of versions so 1 base tool will allow for a number of kit issues (M10, Firefly for starters), same with the Pzkpfw IV and Panther. The look at the M8 armoured car (card in the set) and some US trucks (Studebaker 2.5 ton and Dodge weapons carrier) and the M5 Stuart and the Hanomag. Longer term look for unusual vehicles like the Hetzer, Jagdpanther and Nashorn. Redo the 6 pounder/57 mm AT gun and pair it up with the airborne jeep for para units a new tool Pak 40 should be aimed at.

Ostfront: T-34 must be reissue and retooled as soon as possible. Eastern unit options of Pz IV, Panther and Tigers plus the StuG and Hanomag. Add a KV-1 and maybe a T-26 for early on. The Germans need a Panzer III as well.Some of the Pz II/III assault guns like the Marders will be worth thinking about longer term.

Western Desert: Desert unit Shermans, Grants, M3 Honeys, Pz II, III and IV, Matilda, New Cruiser Tanks and a 2 pdr AT gun. Think about the Italians and Italian theatre. This is a lower power theatre but with plenty of unique options.Long Range Desert group vehicles and strong point options.

Early War: Vickers Lights, Matilda I and II, Valentine plus French Hotchkiss, Somua and Char 1 (Hotchkiss and Somuas were used in the early phases of D-Day so some German marked versions would be saleable as well), Pz I and IIs IIIs and Czech T-38s. Again Italian options plus the Greeks, Yugoslavians and others. Plenty of options here.

Finally the Pacific: M3 Lees and Stuarts early on giving way to Shermans, DUKWs and Buffalos. Reissue the Chi-Ha and look at other possibilities. More of an Infantry theatre but a chance for some local colour.

In short this is an opportunity to give AFV kits and troop sets a shot in the arm. The Infantry figures need to be revisited - styrene over polyethylene for better paint adhesion and consider multipose tools for the scale modellers.

As to scale - New tools could be 1/72 or 1/76. Most gamers wouldn't be fussy and will use both alongside each other. Constant scale modellers seem to favour 1/72. This suggests 1/72 as the long term future but 1/76 has a large base with gamers from the 70s still hunting out the old Matchbox and Airfix kits. This is a Market Research job.

So - nice work but will need to be capitalised on quickly if it is to rejuvenate the AFV/Figure ranges. I will definitely be putting together some forces as will my son but any interest will fade quickly if this is not followed up.

 

[DavidJC]

I've never heard of this. I take it al this is the wargamer type things?

[nmcabecadas]

Wargame rules and associated army lists can be a good sales tool for models, creating new demand for specific models. By adding a new model to the army list and releasing the same model ie as a kit, with the associated card or even with some kind of bonus, is possible to increase sales. Adding new scenarios, with other requirements, even adding aerial support, can keep things moving. Organizing tornements, understanting the needs of wargamers and supplying them with new options can lead to a more interactive dialogue with customers and spread modeling among youngsters.

[GeoFF03]

Is this even an Airfix product or have they licenced the use of the Airfix name and art work?  I had to do a search to find any info about this game system, as it doesn't seem to be listed anywhere on this site.

[Ratch]

On pages 78-9 of the Yearbook is an advert for Airfix Battles - the Introductory Wargame in association with Modiphius

http://www.modiphius.com/

In the Yearbook this is printed as http://www.modiphius.com/airfix (sic) but that doesn't work.The Introductory Set is scheduled for spring with a Collectors' Rulebook scheduled for summer.

[paul-muc]

http://www.modiphius.com/airfix.html

[Dad Paul B]

Airfix appear to have licensed the name to Modiphius. I have had a chance to test the armour rules now and they follow a similar (very simple) system. They work well and devising stats for other vehicles will be very simple - I aim to spreadsheet the published cards and work from them. Each nation has slight variations to avoid being too generic. Small scenarios take around an hour to set up and play through and there is a system to build your own forces (as large as you like) for those of us who enjoy seeing lots of models on the table.

The key to the game is the order system (card based) which limits freedom of action and does a good job of simulating inertia. I hope Airfix capitalise with their WW2 vehicle range (I notice the Tiger I has disappeared from the website - could be an chance to produce a Michael Wittman scheme from Villers Bocage). I preordered so got a booster pack with British and some limited edition US and German items (Wittman's Tiger,  StuG III, M10 Tank Destroyer and Calliope; and for the Brits Squads, Commandos a Sherman Firefly commander, Churchill, Crocodile and Cromwell). I guess these will find their way into future releases. I don't know if Airfix concessions will carry it (it is Airfix branded in red trimmed boxes so I hope it will find a wider audience).

All we need now is some nice new toolings to set the games off.

[Little Idiot]

I put together a detailed post about using Airfix kits (where possible) to swap out the counters for the game. Below is a link to that post in Board Game Geek. Let me know if you have any questions,

A guide to swapping your counters with miniatures from Airfix

[Ratch]

 What makes you think the M3 Half Track is 1/72?

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=667

[Ratch]

 What makes you think the M3 Half Track is 1/72?

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=667

[Little Idiot]

Because I was sold a type 10 when I thought I was buying a type 11? So they did this in 1:76 aswell? Good to know.

[Little Idiot]

I shoud also add that it's a lot bigger than my Revell 1:76 M3

[nmcabecadas]

The Matchbox M16, now Revell, is underscale for 1/76 and the Airifix model is not 1/72, compare it with the Academy kit.

[Ratch]

 Nearly all Airfix vehicles (certainly those introduced in the 1960s) are 1/76. None have been retooled but Airfix chose to advertise them as 1/72 for a period. They were made 1/76 to match their railway models, which were since sold to Dapol.

[Wicky0570]

There is now a facebook group of fans (including the game designers) who are creating extra content;

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/AirfixBattles/

[Wicky0570]

I would like to introduce Myself, I am the admin for the facebook group AIRFIX BATTLES APPRECIATION GROUP, which is a group of fans that are working hard to create new content for the Airfix Battles Introductory Wargame, a game that lets you use your own Airfix models in a wargame ot use the counters in the box.

I stumbled across this game just over a year ago and was amazed how quick it was to pick up the rules and the gameplay was such fun. Unlike most wargames it did not come with a 600 page rulebook to disect! I could see a huge potential for future development of this game, so created the facebook group. It also was a perfect platform to dig out all my old Airfix kits and figures and use them in a game! This is something that I wish I had when I was a boy!

We now have over 330 members and a huge quantity of fan made extra content for this amazing game, it's just a pity that that Airfix and Modiphius are not making these.

So what is the problem? Why am I posting on here? Well it seems that Airfix don't seem to be interested in developing this amazing game any further, and I don't understand why? Wargaming is a huge hobby. and so is modelling, so it makes perfect sense to bring the two together.

Why is Airfix Not interested?? Would like to hear others thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance.

[Cimmerian]

I just recently purchased Airfix Battles because of what I read on the Facebook page. It's a shame there is no official support. Having read through the rules a couple of times I found it to be simple to learn, but technical enough to make a very interesting game. The old Airfix figures covered so many periods and with a bit of work the game could be adapted to any of these periods reasonably easy.

Come on, Airfix. Get behind this game, you know it makes sense.

[Ratch]

 In the current commercial climate the Hornby Group have decided to concentrate on kits that sell in volume (i.e. aircraft) to the detriment of other genres (such as tanks). We hope that when the situation improves, tanks (and all the other genres) will reappear with new toolings and readily available kits.

[JonM]

Thank you Ratch,

I totally appreciate the commercial decision, however, I also appreciate the need for profile and being seen as a leader the hobby sector.

In its heyday, Airfix had an unassailable reputation for models, cheap, expensive, easy and hard. Something for everyone and became a household name because of it. Even now, small plastic figures and many kits are called 'Airfix' even if they are not. 

I appreciate that Kits are expensive to re-tool and need volume sales to recover this cost, although to be honest, lots of start-ups manage without volume kits and make it pay.

Airfix Battles, is just printed material. Very cheap to produce. Whilst maybee not a large volume  product - it is one of the finest, if not THE FINEST starter wargame on the Market. I have been a wargamers for over 46 years, so can say this with some confidence.

It is such a shame that you have something this good and not treat it as a Heritage product. 

If you are still not interested, perhaps an  independent publisher could continue to produce and develop this for you. Airfix Battles did not have great marketing, actually hardly any, so I am not surprised it did not reach the sales needed. Plenty of games publishers have had volume sales with products far less worthy than Airfix Battles.

 

[John Symmons]

Firstly welcome Wicky0570 and JohM. Welcome to the forum nice to see something new. I wish you all the best in your endeavour to generate some interest, as plastic modelling has many facets and it nice to see a new one. Good luck.

 

This sounds again like Airfix not thinking out-of-the-box, the same could apply to model ships and cars. These models are still sort after, even though most modellers have already made them, usually several times. If you look at the old Airfix catalogue the variety of Airfix subjects is simply staggering. Now unfortunately they seem to by stuck in a rut with aircraft and bigger scales or aircraft related subjects like airfield set, even the airfield figures seem to be like hen's teeth these days to say nothing of there other figures, I'm still looking for the WW 1 British infantry set but so far unsuccessfully,

 

So come on Airfix we modellers can't live by aircraft alone, we do really need some variaty, and if you're really stuck for ideas just look through your own web-site..

 

Remember we do this for fun.                                   John the Pom 

[Witchfinder General]

I am also a fan of Airfix and grew up on a staple diet of the finest toy soldiers and models -

Many hours of my childhood spent on the living room floor playing with Airfix toy soldiers, tanķs and models, but as I got older, playing with Toy soldiers became frowned upon and so they were relegated to dusty lofts.  In the Eighties and Nineties Games Workshop came to the fore and became huge.  And though this was playing chess-fied toy soldiers they were Sci-Fi or Fantasy and there wasn't the thrill from my childhood of looking along the carpet at eye level and seeing those Airfix Germans and those Tigers pushing through the tree line of the Ardenne forest.

Fast forward another twenty years and the GW backlash began and playing with military toy soldiers being no longer childish but actually a serious social political statement with a huge dollop of strategic puzzle solving and time and resource management.  So grown men with children and grandchildren could once again play with toy soldiers - but alas it still seemed there was a stigma about using our beloved Airfix.  Flames of War uses 6mm and Bolt Action 28mm - whole armies of plastic toy soldiers being tooled and created!  But I could no more cheat on my wife as cheat on my beloved Airfix soldiers, so imagine ìf you will my inner screams of delight when I saw the Airfix roundel upon a miniatures war game.

Soon this game was not only in my personal collection but also in the games department of the family shop! 

Quickly the desire to convert the cardboard tokens to Airfix kits was paramount and this I feel is where Airfix has lost its way, you cannot convert the game to model form so instead of this game in partnership with Mordphius being a springboard and selling platform for Airfix models it's actually sending people to other manufacturers - not as good, but fresh and clean kits.

Running a high street shop I know the pitfalls of my business as Airfix surely knows it's own and I would never dream of suggesting that a trick has been missed, but please, someone throw a look over at the likes of Flames of War and Bolt Action, see the potential and have a think of what could be.

There is a market here for men, models, and all the sundries that go hand in hand with them.  

[Cimmerian]

Flames of War actually uses 15mm figures, not 6mm.

[Crow_the _Pan]

I too purchased this game on the reccomendations of the great people on facebook. It is a great community dedicated to the advancement of this product and I am glad to be a member. So many time you see big name games try to sell you the newest and greatest version of what you bought 6 months ago. With airfix battles the sky and your imagination are the limits, you don't need a new update every time you turn around. However the desire for new senarios and new era's of warfare will never go away. It would be a shame to see this go by the wayside, please consider this communnity, maybe reach out to them, get thier input. I believe you will never regret it.

[Mr Lee]

Love what 

Witchfinder General

 

 has to say I stumbled on AB after looking at konflikt 47 but the price put me off but wanted to paint figures but I've always been into WW2, AB could be played as single player and had all I need to start out the box then you can bit by bit build your units, tanks and buildings if you so wished. the game rules also could be changed to any theater of war. Plus it had the Airfix brand how could I go wrong! Airfix had great battle sets when I was a small boy so Airfix take some time it's a small group but growing this game has leggs and potantal to grow sales. Don't let this die. Sales are king I understand a small group is not going to change a companys future but promotion of the game and promotion bundles could up sales and bring back consumers going to other brands.

[Ratch]

 90% of Airfix Military Vehicles are readily available from retailers even though they are not in Airfix's 2018 Range. Just check out e-bay - you can get nearly everything at decent prices.