Introduction

Following on from the review I did on the Para lying firing sten gun; Para Firing Sten Review. Here is another action type set of figures from Resicast. This time a Ttwo man Para 2inch mortar team.

The Set

Packed in the normal Resicast zip plastic bag the figures come with a paper insert containing a colour photograph depicting the finished figures to aid in painting. Also the normal product detail and manufacturers details are also shown on the front of this insert.

The figures are cast in a light grey resin. They depict two kneeling paratroopers in the act of firing a 2inch mortar. All the parts appeared free from any damage or air bubbles.

Figure 1

This depicts a kneeling paratrooper firing a Para 2inch mortar. The Para mortars were shorter than the normal infantry 2 inch mortar. The figure is wearing an early style Dennison smock, paratroopers trousers, anklets and ammo boots. The smock is open at the neck and displays what appears to be a shirt. The body is cast as a whole and the detail on the uniform is very good, all the studs and pickets appearing in the correct place,. Head and arms are separate items. For equipment the figure wears a 37 pattern belt and slung over his right shoulder a small satchel. The rear belt buckles are in evidence and nicely done as is the detail on the satchel. No other equipment is in evidence and again one gets the feeling of a defending rather than an attacking soldier.

The arms are designed to hold the 2 inch mortar and the knitted cuffs are in evidence on the end of the sleeves. The hands are empty but shaped to hold the mortar and also have good detail.

The head shows the face of a handsome man, detail is excellent and the expression one of controlled concentration. On top of the head is a Mk II paratroopers helmet covered with netting. The correct straps are in place around the chin and neck.

The figure should require minimal clean up with only the removal of the short pour stubs needed. Overall the uniform has very good detail and nice natural folds in the cloth.

Figure 2

Again this figure is dressed in Dennison smock, paratroopers trousers, anklets and books. Also cast as a whole body in a kneeling position, this time the soldier wears no webbing. The uniform detail is excellent with nice folds and the appropriate number of studs and pockets in the correct place.

The arms and hands come as separate items the left arm is bent at the elbow and the hand appears to be holding a 2 inch mortar bomb, although the fin is missing from my example. The right is arm also bent at the elbow and designed to hold a No 4 rifle. The right hand is a separate item is moulded to the rifle which has good detail but the barrel snout seems to have gotten broken off but not a major issue to fix that! Both arms show the knitted cuff detail of the early Dennison smock.

The head shows the face of a soldier in the act of speaking with the mouth slightly open. Again the detail on the face is excellent and this time the head sports a Mk II paratrooper helmet with no netting. The correct straps are in place around the chin and neck.

Little clean up will be required and again this is a very good representation of an Airborne soldier.

Equipment

The equipment consists of a short 2 inch mortar tube, base, and ammo container with two separate bombs. The end of the mortar is pre-drilled although you may wish to deepen this a little. The bombs are very fragile so take care when handling these. Also included in the set was a RAC Mk II open top pistol holster. This can be see worn by some airborne troops and could be used with figure 1 or as a handy addition to the spares box.

Conclusion

Overall two very good action type figures. The poses look natural and the detail is excellent. The lack of webbing on the figures makes me think of these two as defenders rather than attackers. The cover picture depicts them behind a wall, but they would fit just about anywhere on a defence battle field type scene.

The folds and detail on the uniforms mean that they should paint up really well and could be used as stand alone figures or in a diorama.

I still can’t quite come to terms with hands moulded to weapons and kit, but that was the style of the time and hands can always be replaced if necessary.

Good fighting type figures are in short supply and these two certainly fit the bill there.

Normal precautions apply when working with resin.