D-Day Sea Assault (A50156A)

[Paul A H]

D-Day Sea Assault (A50156A)

1:72 Airfix

 

 

Airfix have a tradition of releasing boxed sets containing themed groups of models. Six years ago they released some sets to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord. Now there is a new range to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a company with such a vast back-catalogue, these sets tend to contain a mixture of the old and new. This is perhaps a hint that they are aimed at the more casual end of the modelling spectrum. This set is titled 'D-Day Sea Assault' and contains a vacuum formed beach, two higgins boats, a Willys Jeep with trailer and howitzer and some plastic soldiers. As this is a starter set, the usual acrylic paint, brush and adhesive are also included.

 

 

Willys Jeep, Trailer & Howitzer

 

 

 

The Willys Jeep is a pretty new kit, dating from around 2014. What you get here is the same as the stand-alone kit, which is to say a very nice model. For a full run down of this part of the set, please refer to my full review here.

 

 

Higgins LCVP (x2)

 

 

 

 

The LCVP, or Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (or Higgins Boat, if you prefer) was a stalwart not just of D Day, but also of the Pacific campaign. Designed with a shallow draught and full-width bow ramp it was able to disembark and leave the beach in just 3 to 4 minutes. This is another relatively new kit that was released around the same time as the Willys Jeep. The mouldings are clean and crisp and it looks as though it will build up into a well-detailed kit

 

 

 

 

The rest of the set is composed of the figures, diorama base and decals. The figures that are supplied with this set are of the soft plastic type, the moulds for which I believe date from the 1970s. Detail is acceptable considering these aren't multi-part figures, and although they wouldn't be my first choice for use in a diorama, they will fill up the scene nicely. How well the supplied acrylic paint will adhere to the plastic is another question altogether. Last but not least is the big sheet of vacuum formed plastic upon which everything else sits. The spaces for the landing craft are carefully marked out and there are tyre tracks for the Jeep too. The base will probably benefit from some additional details such as tank traps and other detritus.

 

Conclusion

 

This set is a curious mixture of ancient and modern, although with more of the latter than the former. The modern parts are, by and large, very good, while the figures are a bit of a let-down. I wonder if Airfix will ever re-tool these, given that they seem to be a perrenial of their range and end up doing a fair bit of heavy lifting in sets like these? That said, when mixed together in a great big box with an exciting picture on the front they are still capable of providing some amusement. If you can overlook the weak spots, then this set should provide a great deal of fun.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of