Anyone else remember Marx Toys wooden castles

[Sunray]

I had loads of Airfix.  And a spring action gun.   Then one day my cousin appeared with dice and a Charles Grant book.

That day, I ceased to play with toy soldiers and began wargaming. 

[Leman]

Really miss me fort and Swoppetts.

[Hertsblue]

Really miss me fort and Swoppetts.

You can still get them - if you've got deep pockets. 

http://www.xxl-sale.co.uk/search/?q=britains%20swoppet&campid=5337249842

[fsn]

That day, I ceased to play with toy soldiers and began wargaming. 

That's a beautiful thought, Sunray.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello

I didn't have the wooden castle but I did have the 1960s castle play set:-



The Airfix Infantry Combat Group assaulted this castle many times after the knights that came with it got broken (superglue might have fixed them now but nothing at that time would do much good) the Airfix Germans fought bravely.





Disagreements with my friend on the efficiency of shooters led us to to start using dice on whether a 'hit' was made or not. The madness grew from there  .

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[seano1815]

Wow Thanks for posting that GrumpyOldMan that brought back so many happy memories , My lunacy started too with these sets, was great to see them again
All the best
Sean

[Hertsblue]

Wow Thanks for posting that GrumpyOldMan that brought back so many happy memories , My lunacy started too with these sets, was great to see them again
All the best
Sean

Indeed. The ACW cavalry were in high demand with us - you could convert them into almost anything. Anything on horseback, that is.

[get2grips]

Was it just me or were prone toy soldiers the best?

[Sunray]

Oh those Combat Group and Germans brought back a few memories.  The Combat Group was 1950s era  though.   WW2 Brits did not appear until the 1970s.   These first edition Airfix were very fine - more 1/87 H0 scale - the Airfix tanks were too large at 1/72.  I finally purchased Roco minitanks which were very good models.


Never understood why Airfix did not mould in hard plastic - the same as their kits. So many conversions would have been possible.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Ah - but you could. When I still used the Combat group I had Bren Guns, done by chopping the rifle out of the charging figure and taking the bren from the 8Th army set.

IanS

[Ithoriel]

Never understood why Airfix did not mould in hard plastic - the same as their kits. So many conversions would have been possible.

Iron, rather than steel, dressmaker's pins for spears. Iron ones could be hammered to produce a proper spear head.

Plasticene and banana oil cloaks.

Drawing pin shields.

Horses, legs and torsos pinned together (steel pins this time) to make mounted versions.

So many conversion options!

[Hertsblue]

Bees' wax was the conversion material of choice for us. Mind you, you had to ensure they were well and truly varnished in the summer. 

[Leon]

Found this in a local museum display at the weekend:

[fsn]

I think I had that. 

I certainly had this ...

[sunjester]

I certainly had the Battle of the Little Big Horn, I'd completely forgotten about that!