Hi Guys,

I was just over mouching around the MiniArt site. Did someone ask for British Tank Riders for NWE. Well here you go.

Check this out!

http://www.miniart-models.com//

Or just click on News!!

Al

Better still here's a pic.





Al

Oh NOW we're on it! These blokes can be on the Italian vacation plan too! Couple new heads maybe. Sweet! Does Miniart do the multipose theme with these guys like they do with the Germans and Russian troopers? Can't remember if they did a set of GI riders already. Did I miss them?
Maybe my ginko biloba went out date on me. Dam!
Great figs for my stash for sure!
Rick

Nice looking figures. Are these built to sit on a specific tank , Valentine , Churchill or Sherman ? Or are they generic so we have to readjust them to suit their ride ? The other set of Brit tank riders ( Desert Rats ) seem to be based on troops riding a Valentine .

Hi chaps

5 figures in Austerity Pattern BD, MKII helmets,37 Pattern webbing with 44 lightweight respirator. No4 Enfields and a Sten. Lets hope they get the respirator case right this time; the one in the Engineers is too big...Dragon made the same mistake.

Looks like a well thought out set of late war British/Commonwealth figures suitable for riding on the back of a tank but I think they'd look great as a set of resting figures in any dio. I think they have that air of being in combat but not in direct contact.

Only suitable from 1942 when the Austerity Pattern BD was introduced so we are talking Normandy Landings onwards in action.

Rick; the GI tank riders are Dragon and Miniart do follow the multipose theme...two legs, two arms, torso and seperate head usually. All equipment seperate too.

Jim; the desert tank riders were obviously based on this classic picture of Scottish troops in North Africa and should fit their Valentine no problem... http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valentine_tank_Mk3_desert.jpg. The NWE riders are ( unless Miniart have some British armour planned) probably aren't for a Valentine as not many served there after 1944 ( I think mainly as OP tanks). Unless Miniart have something up their sleeves we'll be talking Sherman, Cromwell, Churchill etc

WOW; great times...who'd have thunked it?

Martyn

I agree, these are really cool and could probably work well w/o a tank (i.e. sitting on the ground). I have a question though, how hard would it be to change them to 37 pattern BD, the poses would be great for a Dunkirk idea I have been kicking around for a while, which until now has been a single figure piece, but these guys would look really great in my idea (at least some of them would).

Hi Matthew;

Do-able but a fair bit of work...simply add the pleats to the blouse pockets and fill in the buttons...the early BD Serge had these and fly concealed buttons. Helmets wouldn't have had nets or scrim, though some did have hessian covers with foliage loops. Lose the entrenching tool and pouch...you could modify Red Army ones to replicate the 37 pattern ones. Lose the lightweight respirator case and remove strap and replace with MKVI pattern ( usually worn on chest in alert position)...you'd have to scratch these. Lose the No4 spike bayonet and replace with SMLE sword bayonet. Replace Enfield No4's with Enfield SMLE's...the latter two items from Ultracast. Lose the Sten; NCO's would carry a Thompson M1.

The main differance with colours is the webbing, lighter early war ( i.e.BEF No97 Khaki Green ( medium) and D-Day onwards KG3 Khaki Green (dark))

Just a note; there was no such thing as a 37 pattern BD. The original issue was the 'BD Serge', the next major change was the '40 Pattern BD' then the 'Austerity Pattern BD'. There were other refinements.

Me; I'm waiting for Miniart to announce BEF figures ( fingers crossed). Dragon has a few that would be easier to use for Dunkirk but no poses like these

Martyn

Martyn,
Thank you for the very informative post. I now know what I have to do with the figure I have and what lies ahead. WRT BD, as we say here in the States, my bad . I wasn't really worried about the heads, that's Hornet is for. I didn't know that about the sten (shame really, always that that was the quintascential (SP?) Briitish WWII small arm). I figured I would have to switch out the rifles. Thanks again.

Hi Matthew

I'm doing something along the same lines using Hornets set# HBH06 which are unadorned Brodie/MKI/MKII helmets.

If you're after decent reference material I can recommend 'World War II Tommy; British Army Uniforms European Theatre 1939-45 in Colour Photographs' by Brayley and Ingram. I reviewed it here http://www.track-link.net/reviews/b390 it brilliant. A good buy too at less than £12 new from Amazon ( sorry don't the price in the US)

Good luck

Martyn

Thanks for all the info , Martyn . These guys should work well on a Sherman . I guess I better get 2 sets . Now to figure out which is the best khaki colour paint .