It all started at about the age of 6 or 7, I remember my Gramps telling me the story of Douglas Bader, RAF Battle of Britain Ace and his escapades after which he presented me with the feature film "Reach For The Sky". Fascinated by his story, my interest in this part of history grew. Some time later I visited the RAF museum at Hendon, London and as a gift received a pack of 1/32 scale German Whermacht Matchbox remoulds of which I still have today. From this pack of about 10 soldiers, I grew a collection which stands at about 2,000 figures today.
Click here to visit the London RAF Museum
It wasn't long after this that I realised I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the RAF and set my targets high. As the years went on I had realised that it might be a bridge too far and settled with the idea of joining the army. When I reached 10 years of age, I fell ill with Type 1 Diabetes and my dreams were dashed but I still had hope that I might be accepted. In 2005 aged 17, I applied to join the Royal Marines where I was required to undergo a medical in Belfast. This was never to be and I didn't even make it to the medical as I was informed over the phone that Type 1 Diabetes automatically barred me from entry to HM Armed Forces.
Anyway back to the soldiers. As a kid you don't seem to have much appreciation for detail or scale but from early memories I remember noticing scale. I received a Vietnam battle set which came in a cardboard box containing a plastic battleground map with approximately 60 x 1/32 soldiers, tanks, trucks, cannons and small Jeeps. The Vietnamese soldiers were actually British 8th Army, Airfix remoulds in tan. The American's were US Paratrooper, Airfix remoulds in dark green. However the US troops were noticeably smaller than the "Vietnamese" counterparts, perhaps 1/38 scale and a much poorer mould. This is possibly where my fascination stemmed with scale and indeed accuracy of figures, tanks and vehicles.
Throughout this blog, I will be examining and discussing the many 1/32 scale soldiers available, whether they be branded figures such as Airfix, Matchbox or Britains or the cheap remoulds found in different shops. I'll take an in depth look into tanks and vehicles used by various armies throughout the Second World War as I try to blend them into my armies.
Along with this, there will be reviews and recommendations on great WW2 movies, documentaries, books, computer games and war-gaming rules (one of which I am currently developing).
Please feel free to comment and make contact if you have interest in the subject and most of all, enjoy!
Image: British Paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division with their Horsa glider prior to being dropped into occupied France as part of Operation Deadstick, D-Day 1944.
Click here to see a post about the "Vietnam Battle Set" - Skirmish between G.I's & the NVA.
Click here to read a post about RAF ace Douglas Bader.
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