Neil's Airfix 1-32 Multipose German Infantry

[Neil Merryweather]

Hi all! I'm late to the party as usual, but at least I'm bringing something different.


and I have TWO brushes! - and decals for the insignia -that'll be fun......!
Here's the sprue shot


Nothing else to report yet, I've just given them the obligatory wash in detergent, which is something I've never done before,believe it or not.
I usually think about it after I've started working, so this is a first. But using only water-based paints and seeing the problems some of you have been having, I actually thought about it in time for once.
My initial reaction is that a bit more attention should have been paid to the choice of paints. The main colour provided for the uniforms is Humbrol(presumably)27, which is Sea Grey, so they are immediately going to look completely wrong.
I know Humbrol do Field Grey so I googled it to find that they only do it in enamel, so that at least explains it's absence.
I had a look on the Humbrol website and I found aternatives such as 106 Ocean Grey ,but it's out of stock, or 240 RLM102 Grau Matt which might have been a better option. If they had include a green we could at least have mixed a colour that was closer. I have a beige included which might work, so let's see.I'm not going to cheat, but I reserve the right to strip them and repaint them afterwards......(like I'm going to get around to that!)

I think we have to remember that Airfix was bought by Hornby years ago,and became very much the poor relation for a while and it seems to me that these starter kits are considered as toys rather than an introduction to serious modelling.
It's a shame , because with a bit more care they could have kept both markets happy-let's face it, this whole thread is a bit of a laugh, and I'm still such an Airfix fan that I find that a bit sad. Certainly the starter kits I have built with my grandson have all been deficient in the paint department, to the extent that even he throws away the silver no 11! But then he has the advantage of a granddad with alternatives.

Ok, rant over, now it's time to clean off the flash and mould lines and get cracking.
cheers
Neil

[Guest]

I'm watching.

[Jim R]

Hi Neil
Very different and very brave. Nice having decals for the insignia - hope they go on OK.

even he throws away the silver no 11

My whole Vampire is supposed to be painted in that :sad:
Jim

[Neil Merryweather]

My whole Vampire is supposed to be painted in that :sad:
Jim

I know - good luck , matey!
but you can take comfort in my battleship grey germans

[Guest]

They look like a nice set of figures Neil. I don't think I'd be able to stick to the rules and use the colours provided though. You could try mixing in some black and flat flesh with the grey to see what happens....

[colin m]

All looks interesting, but I don't envy you and those paints.
I'm quite a fan of Airfix as well and do like to see them doing well.

[Neil Merryweather]

I have now carefully assembled all six figures as per the instructions, and some of the poses are ok, but some of them are a bit rubbish really!


This is the only one that really works for me as suggested,


all the others are a bit dodgy.

I can live with this one



This one’s not too bad, but a bit lame- his right hand is supposed to be at his mouth as he’s shouting but I’ve raised his arm a little to hold binoculars instead.




This one’s a bit weird, but it’s the only way the combination of parts will work convincingly



This one is ok, but I think it would be better if the MG42 was across his body as he runs with it rather than looking as if he was firing it from the hip



but this one drives me nuts ....



It’s just so …nothing much. Not convincing movement, not a convincing eyeline to where he’s ‘firing’, all a bit …meh!

My feeling is that these poses in the instructions were designed by someone other than the original sculptor. Airfix pretty much wrote the book on action poses in the seventies with their 1-32 scale WW2 figures and I'm sure these are by the same sculptor (who I THINK was Ron Cameron, but I stand to be corrected, of course).
I have seen it happen in my own work where the manufacturer has produced a box art figure that has been wrongly assembled and just looks weird.

So before I go any further with is build, I would like to know the moderators’ opinions on whether I should build them out of the box as they are here or whether, as the title IS ‘Multipose’, I am allowed a bit of flexibility to mix and match?

Over and out,thanks for looking,

Neil

[Jim R]

Hi Neil
Quite a mixed bunch. The detail isn't bad and the faces look paintable.
Jim

[Neil Merryweather]

Hi Neil
Quite a mixed bunch. The detail isn't bad and the faces look paintable.
Jim

depends on the paint and the brush available, Jim... :flushed:

[Jim R]

depends on the paint and the brush available,

Now that is very, very true!!

[Neil Merryweather]

So before I go any further with is build, I would like to know the moderators’ opinions on whether I should build them out of the box as they are here or whether, as the title IS ‘Multipose’, I am allowed a bit of flexibility to mix and match?

Neil

So I've been thinking about this and I have decided to bite the bullet and take my medicine, and build them as they are.
Everyone else is going through pain with this and I need to keep with the spirit of the group build ,and not try and get away with some 'special pleading' - even though they ARE designed as multipose.......
I've just finished cleaning the seam lines off all the individual equipment, so hopefully I can crack on soon
cheers
Neil

[Steve Jones]

That's an interesting set of figures Neil. Rather you than me, but if anyone can knock them into shape its you. Good luck sir!

[Neil Merryweather]

Thank you Steve,it's going to be.....interesting:flushed:

[Neil Merryweather]

Ok , so the first coat of ‘battleship grey’ paint is on, and I decided to use it as a primer , so I painted all the black bits as well .To my surprise it went on ok, if a bit thin- must be down to the detergent wash.



This is my solution to the awful paint pots



Having built quite a few starter sets with my grandson over the years with my grandson and seen many a spill, I had already designed and 3D printed this. He has one at home and his mum has no idea how lucky she is!
I’ve had a bash at mixing the other colours into the grey to try and get a better feldgrau, but all I got was shades of beige or grey…..
Looking at the decals the rank patches are all on green backgrounds, so these are really going to look like something out of War Picture Library, I think!
The boys have had their second coat of grey and a first coat of flesh
Now all the equipment is cleaned and mounted ready for painting, so that’s my next task.



I know what colour all the bits SHOULD be but I’m going to follow the instructions like a good boy!
Anyway , got to get on with it whilst I have the opportunity. Bank holidays are always so full of other stuff to keep me away from the bench grrrr!
Cheers
Neil

[SimonT]

Hi Neil,

I collected quite a lot of Multipose figures from toy fairs and dusty old shops back in the late 80's / early nineties for the stash, when they were out of production - aways liked the 8th Army and DAK ones most

Still have unopened boxes of some - mainly US marines I think

The multipose aspect was always good fun - generally much better poses could be made by mixing and matching across the sets and adapting as necessary


I found that I have this exact same reissue set in the stash as well - found it a couple of weeks ago in a big box of Airfix kits I had bought in a sale, whilst looking for something else, saw the awful paint selection, thought for a nano second of using it for this GB and then put it back :smiling5:

Not the best poses out the box with this set - the chap with the panzerfaust would certainly know about it if he fired liked that

Will be interesting to see how they turn out with the limited paint set