The history of Airfix Toy Soldiers is a long one beginning in 1939. It started out as rubber inflatable toys and grew into creating model aircraft kits. In the 1960s and 1970s, modeling kits grew into a hobby for many people and Airfix expanded its line to include toy soldiers.
The toy soldiers Airfix manufactured eventually gave way to producing inexpensive soldiers that were well made with polythene. What made these Airfix soldiers so popular was that they covered a lot of subjects and areas in history. These small toys could be found in about every home that had a small boy growing up. When they released the British Paratroopers, the mold was so good and realistic; they set the standard for other makers that would never be matched during that time period. Therefore, this toy was a perfect buy for parents because it was inexpensive, realistic, and pretty indestructible.
Some of the Airfix first sets came with twenty-nine soldiers. Usually it included one or two officers. Some popular sets included the British Eighth Army, the American Infantry set, and Russian Infantry set.
Soon after the soldiers were introduced, they were joined by polythene vehicles as well as building kits. Some of the vehicles included tanks there were nearly indestructible, making them popular with kids playing "war." Discovering the popularity of these items made Airfax come out with two Combat Packs. These had a European battleground and a Desert battleground. They had two sets of figures, two vehicles, and a building. There was even cardboard scenery to use for the battle scene included. Today these Combat Packs are highly collectible and can only be found from collectors or on Ebay.
Airfix toy soldiers are still around today, and are as popular as a toy as they are as a collectible. They can be found all over the Internet with a quick search. Websites such as Ebay carry them for a vintage piece, or somewhere like Battlefield Legends, which has every kit imaginable. The kits sizes range and so do the prices. For example, a kit of the Italian Infantry from WWII with 48 pieces may go for around $6.00, but an Airfix 1/72 Waterloo French Artillery Blue Box sells for about $37.00. Parents will always be looking for a realistic, inexpensive, close to indestructible toy, and children are always going to play battle and war. Therefore, this really is a timeless toy for both parents and children.