Starting your first military figures army
Military miniatures are a fantastic way to add a touch of realism and authenticity to any build. Whether it be a vignette, diorama, or simply on their own, military plastic figures are a great addition for any modeller. However, with so many eras, types of troops, and paint schemes to navigate, it can be really overwhelming for someone new to the hobby. So, consider Airfix for your modelling reinforcements! We’re here to guide you through, as best we can, to building your very first military figures army.
The first thing to address is what do you intend to use the military miniatures for? What led you to want to collect in the first place? Are you simply building a collection to display on a shelf? Or are they to be supporting cast in a dramatic diorama of a battle scene? This article will not only assist you in beginning your military model figures collection, but also present the most common routes of displaying them.
Getting started
Now that you have a destiny in mind for your plastic army figures, we can begin to choose the right ones for you! The most common eras that we feature are World War I, World War II, and the Space Race. Plenty of modellers place a heavy emphasis on historical accuracy when it comes to their eras, but we don’t think you have to be spot on every time. At Airfix we believe that the fun is in the journey and not always the destination.
To keep things exciting, we have a wide variety of military personnel figures available to purchase. This means that your next big decision is which part of the military are you looking to collect? Infantry are the soldiers in the thick of the action on the ground, so they tend to work best when paired with tanks or ships. RAF, USAAF, and Luftwaffe model soldier kits look fantastic when accompanying planes (airborne or dramatic crashes). Paratroops are a great way to incorporate land, air, and sea, as they’re known for vehicle hopping and thrilling great escapes.
Once you have decided on a specific military miniatures collection, it’s time to choose the design. All of our model soldier kits come with instructions and a paint scheme to help you navigate the artistic bit. Underneath each of our products, we tend to have a paint scheme with every paint needed for your project. You can purchase these from our sister site, Humbrol.
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How will you display your army figures?
We have our plastic army figures in hand, the exciting paint schemes have been added and we’re feeling pretty proud of ourselves. What next? Well, now you have to pick a way to display your hard work. Traditionally, our modellers tend to choose between these two options:
1. Vignettes & Dioramas
These are the well-known scenes (historical or fantastical), usually built on a baseboard and incorporating models, buildings, and various other accessories. Dioramas are quite large and created with a narrative in mind — they aim to capture a story. Vignettes are much smaller and tend to focus purely on a slice of the narrative, a mere moment as opposed to a story. Vignettes are perfect to centre around one particular model; like a crashed plane, or a tank on the way to battle. Maybe military miniatures have taken cover behind a tank, preparing to fight for their lives. With the addition of plastic army figures, the options really are limitless.
2. Parade rows
Parade rows are less about capturing your military model figures in a slice of life moment and more about showcasing your skill. By displaying the figures in formation in a glass cabinet or on a shelf, you can highlight your artistic ability to all who may come across them. It’s also a great way for beginners to see how far you have come (you can always place the first few at the back, as your collection grows!).
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Collecting military figures with Airfix
As mentioned before, Airfix have a wide variety of military miniatures on offer. Between our extensive selection of military factions and our most popular eras, Airfix is a great place to find inspiration for your next build. Here’s a little background on each of the eras we offer, to help kickstart a project.
World War One
At the turn of the last century, the world was on the cusp of a war like no other. With the echoes of empire fuelling tension between Europe’s superpowers, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, proved to be a deadly catalyst. Recreate the conflicts that changed the world, with Airfix’ s selection of World War One scale models.
World War Two
With many of our grandfathers barely old enough to fight, the world once again found itself on the edge of war. The battle for freedom would span years, continents, and leaders. Walk in the footsteps of family members gone by, with Airfix’ s range of World War Two army figures.
The Space Race
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind! As the USSR and the USA finally left behind their competition for the worst nuclear missile, a different kind of race began to take place. The race to put a man on the moon. Take a giant leap with us and browse Airfix’ s collection of astronauts.