Based on two gifts purchased long ago at the Seattle-born and died Bartell’s Drugs.

Here is an ‘X’ Grok watercolour interpretation of a photo of an AirFix Matador Truck and an infantryman. Based on the well-known OO/HO AirFix Matador Truck and the new AirFix WW II British Infantry set. Experimenting with various AI image editors and makers. Instead of having the AI program imagine and create the scene based on a verbal or written instruction, I set up what I have in mind with pieces from the Stearns Collection, then run them through AI and other standard Digital Editors.

A Footnote: I have often published ‘Airfix’ as ‘AirFix’ simply to reproduce the Magic of the Brand Name on my youthful, early reading abilities…a form of nostalgia, actually.

…between two majestic waters: the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea…The Colossus of Rhodes—bronze sentinel of Helios and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—fell in 226 B.C. due to a powerful earthquake. It had stood for only about 56 years, having been completed around 282 B.C.

Interestingly, the ruins remained untouched for centuries, becoming a kind of mythic relic themselves. According to later accounts, the remnants were finally broken up and sold off around 653 CE, when Arab forces under Mu’awiya I conquered Rhodes.

Here, a collapsed 1/12 scale Aurora Models Silver Knight of Augsburg stands in to illustrate the calamity.

Somewhere in the OO/HO world a Classic AirFix Matador vehicle with the newest AirFix British Infantry …Moki the Cat added the “hair of smoke ” to the pistol….

Now to the Trenches! AirFix to the Front! AirFix box art from around 1969, when they made affordable History themed Wargame Quality figure sets with amazing numbers of poses the go-to for those outgrowing ‘The Toy Story’ style Plastic Army Men…

.. A variety of Makers in 20/25mm..In the foreground is Newline Designs Naked Hoplites Advancing – http://newlinedesigns.co.uk

A hidden pleasure of the historical miniatures passion is the reference materials: the box art and the uniform, equipment and history books. Here, Hät set 8095 and a Blandford Press Classic ..”Uniforms of Waterloo in Color”…are employed to turn out awesome figures.

In a corner of the Elastolin Kingdom, Helga and Heinholt were well known for raising the largest chickens… 1950s Elastolin Castle #9768. Scale Compatibility: Designed to complement 40mm and 70mm figures. The Composition fowls and figures are also Elastolin, manufactured by O&M Hausser, founded in 1904…

Notable Sets: The Elastolin Castle #9732 became iconic thanks to its use in the 1967 wargame Siege of Bodenburg, which helped inspire early tabletop gaming culture.

The Siege of Bodenburg is a landmark in the history of tabletop gaming—a 1967 medieval wargame created by Henry Bodenstedt that helped lay the groundwork for modern role-playing and strategy games.

Here’s why it’s such a big deal:

🛡️ Gameplay & Setup

• Played on a 6′ x 6′ tabletop divided into 4″ squares.
• Used 40mm Elastolin miniatures and the iconic Elastolin Castle #9732.
• One player defended the castle with knights, archers, and footmen; the other launched a siege with Huns, catapults, siege towers, and ladders.
• Victory depended on eliminating all the defender’s knights or capturing the castle within 15 turns.

🎲 Historical Significance

• First published in Strategy & Tactics magazine (1967).
• Featured prominently at Gen Con I in 1968, where a young Gary Gygax (co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons) was seen playing it.
• Inspired Jeff Perren to develop his own rules, which he shared with Gygax—eventually evolving into the legendary Chainmail system.

🏰 Legacy

• The game was a clever promotional tool for Bodenstedt’s hobby shop in New Jersey, showcasing the appeal of Elastolin figures.
• Its influence can be seen in the DNA of fantasy gaming, from Chainmail to Dungeons & Dragons and beyond.

https://www.germantoys.eu/Elastolin-Castle-9732