Agreed - if we're talking about 1941/2 and World War 2, please can we refer to it as mid-war?

Well, it was early war in the Pacific. Oh, I nearly forgot there was a whole war going on there since 1937. But wait, didn't that one actually start in 1931? And wasn't WW2 as a whole a continuation of WW1 of some sorts? But when did WW1 start - probably as early as 1904, or with the Balkan Wars, or 1914? Definitions, definitions...

Now where did I put that box of late war Afrika Korps troops in winter gear?

good point.the japanese and chinese were fighting their part of ww2 since the invasion of manchuria in 1931.the pacific war started in 1937 with the invasion of mainland china,a full 4 years before the allies got involved.calling anything anywhere else after 1937 to be early war is a bit of a stretch,since fighting had been taking place for the previous 6 years.but you know when someone mentions early war germans,i kind of know what that is referring to.
so i guess its just all perspective and common sense.

So we all agree that 1942 is not early WW2

Never mind the early/mid bit, the US flag on the Wake Island box looks like the post-1960 version (and this is a Brit pointing it out!)