A new billet

Back in the early 70s I had a total of four model buildings for use with my Napoleonic armies. Two Superquick ones (including the church as here), an Airfix La Haye Sainte and one Airfix cottage. The Airfix cottage was a real pain to assemble as the bits didn’t go together properly and mine fell apart several times before the polystyrene cement finally dried. The finished item was forever a bit on the wobbly side.

It was only recently that I realised that this cottage, together with several other Airfix buildings, was still in production from a company called Dapol using the original moulds. They’re made in Wales from recycled plastic which means you can feel very good about yourself if you buy one as you are both helping the environment and Wales at the same time.

Having purchased one I was relieved to find that it went together very easily and I think this is because the plastic is quite pliable unlike the hard plastic of the original. The only thing I wasn’t too happy about was the windows which, if put in correctly, make it look like a double glazing salesman has recently visited. I decided to reverse them (with the window sills on the inside) as I felt this gave less of a 20th century suburban look.

I’ve been mulling over some ideas on built-up-areas for Muskets & Marshals that I will expound upon at a later date.