Wee Friends of Scotland has just released a 1/35 British Para circa Falklands conflict:

http://www.modelarmour.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1310:wee-friends-1982-falklands-para-walking&catid=37:kits&Itemid=60

Whilst if fills an interesting niche in the market and a subject sadly forgotten by most figure companies, the figure is in my opinion a disappointment judging by the pictures. The mold quality looks quite poor and not up to the standards of say Alpine, the fit of the pack etc looks rather off as well. The Para smock doesnt look right to me and seems to hang wrong around the bottom. The way the figure holds the SLR is very odd and to me doesnt look right at all, naturally the butt would sit behind his arm, not in front.

I agree the figure definitely isn't up to today's standards. It does fill the niche, but I'm going to pass...

As for the way the figure is holding the SLR; I actually think this is the way the rifle was held. Most of the pictures I've seen shows that; I guess it has to do with the length of the rifle which sits more comfortably if held that way.



Mario

Flash supressor looks like someone taped a coke can on the end of his barrel.

Cant for the life of me figure out whats going on with the hand on the grip, i dunno if they are meant to be N.I. Gloves, but it almost looks like the pistol grip is on the outside of his hand.

Bottom of the jacket looks overdone in size, i realise that during the Falklands most soldiers were rolling with aftermarket jackets/smocks, but that outfit reminds me of the wicked witch's guards in wizard of oz.

Webbing is nice, as is the helmet, pack could have been a bit more worn in/fitted looking, seems to be obvious that its just glued onto his back there.

Thanks for the pic Mario! I still think the way the figure is holding the gun looks awkward and unnatural, the arm doesnt look right.

And Dave I completely agree with you on the pack. In my opinion these things really need to come molded on. If one looks at Masterclubs stunning modern Russian figures, the only thing the modeler glues on is the arms and head. The the gear is molded and thus sits totally naturally. I think the way the poncho roll is attached also looks totally unnatural and stiff.

Yep, the pack is a minor problem that could have easily been corrected before it went into production, and now would be a fairly big thing to change i would imagine. Bummer.

All that being said though, i am glad to see more Falkland figures, it's a really really interesting conflict that if people took a few minutes to look into, would definitely spark their interest.

Is it me or are the arms too short and thin, to me they just look wrong, and so does the flash arrester, that far too short and stubby for the SLR used at the time.

Paul

Hi fellas

Just my thoughts and I agree with what you all pretty much say (I feel like I’m summing it all up) …

• The fingers are too small and the knuckle pad for the NI gloves too bold which is why it looks like the pistol grip is on the outside.

• The arms are too slender especially when compared to the long and voluminous Para Smock; I have seen smocks this long but they were oversized…not reflected by the sleeves which also would be. The smocks had large pockets which when filled with kit looked even larger but not this big. The length is often determined by the individual and how tight/where they locate the drawstring.

• The SLR; flash eliminator too thick and short. Foresight not bold enough. Rear sight seems to be missing?

• The Bergan seems to be the RM type with the external frame. They’d have been better moulding the frame to the figure/shoulder strap if having the bergan separate. I have an old white metal figure done this way and it looks spot on.

• The position of the arms is subjective. ..not all soldiers carried the SLR like the guy in the reference picture he is just carrying it one of many ways…in this case a comfortable relaxed one. Like I used to. The Wee Friends figure looks quite uncomfortable IMO. It does sort of look like soldiers I’ve seen when heavily loaded but generally he’d be leaning forward more at the waist, the rifle seesaws left to right a little as he walks. The butt held outside the elbow is a non aggressive stance adopted in places like Northern Ireland.

Not what I’d expect from Wee Friends in 2010

Martyn

As much as I grab anything Falklands related, this figure is indeed a disappointment and will be a "pass". As mentioned, the arms are strangely proportioned and held at an awkward angle--is he "tabbing" or at the ready? The SLR is rather poor, but it is a delicate thing to mold in resin. Gents, he is not wearing a para smock, but rather either a windproof or cold weather (CW) parka. It is also different from an "SAS" smock. Note that this garment has an integral hood and does not have woollen cuffs found on Para smocks. The large pockets and long skirt are characteristic of the CW parkas; the picture of the Scots Guardsman escorting prisoners shown earlier in this article is one of these garments, but a bit hard to tell. There is a rather famous picture of members of 2SG celebrating on Tumbledown the news of victory on 14 June that shows these parkas and skirt pockets rather clearly on the standing figures. While many Paras chose to wear their beloved Para smocks in combat, many others chose to wear the cold weather clothing as well. If interested in the Falklands War's uniforms, one of the oldest works is still one of the best--Osprey's Men at Arms Series #133 Battle for the Falklands (1) Land Forces. It is still relatively easy to find. Even though printed in 1982, it is still my favourite Osprey book and I refer to it quite often. The uniform illustrations are great! Also, I believe there is supposed to be a rope toggle at the middle of the back of the figure just below the belt line that accounts for the casting "disruption" there. Seems like all Falklands Para figures has one there--check out illustration A1 in the aforementioned book and you will see why. I would love to see more Falklands related figures, Argentine as well as British, but they must be of better quality than this. Keep on trying though!!