Chiltern Miniatures
WWII 8th Army Indians and British Modern Infantry
Reviewed by: Steve Crofts
First Thoughts
Both sets of minis came in the popular Blister packs, four in each pack.
The Indians had got through the packaging ordeal ok, but as is the problem with blister packs, the Modern British Infantry hadn't, the barrels on the S.A. 80’s had got bent a couple in very precarious positions and it was with great care, I straightened them out.
Blister packaging is ok I suppose but it does create problems when the minis are bouncing around inside, so when you purchase check them first, and this comment is not directed at just Chilterns minis it is directed at all minis that come in a blister.
Once the barrels had been straightened I had my usual pre work look at them.
Indians, These are very nicely modelled and are of what I’d call a chunky figure.
The detail is very well sculpted into the figures and I feel the sculptor has captured the character of the well groomed Indian beard. The cut on the figures is good with folds and creases modelled into the uniform.
All the minis are advancing and have a good look of movement and characterisation,
Faces are well sculpted, with very proportionate features and eye placement.
Each of the minis carries the Lee Enfield .303, again this is nicely modelled so much so that even the bolt on the rifle is visible.
Each of the minis also has the addition of sand Goggles, these are placed around the neck of the figures and again they are nicely portrayed.
The figures come with Backpack plus webbing, along with the bayonet in holder and the useful entrenching tool.
Modern British Infantry, Again what I’ d class as a chunkier set of minis but all are very nicely modelled in there kit, and this chunkiness helps to emphasise the bulkiness of not only the uniform but also the kit. Again all the minis are in the advancing pose and all armed with the SA 80.
All have the same waist fitted ammo pouches and webbing, these are as I have come to expect from Chiltern nicely presented and give a feel of on the battlefield to the minis.
All the figures wear the body Armour, which is quite detailed and to be honest it is a shame that you have to paint it the DP camouflage, as you can only see the detail of the sculpt when you look closely at the figures.
I think the only thing I found that I didn't quite like on this set was the netting scarf, reason? Well it looked to me like a normal cloth scarf rather than the usual netted one that is common with UK troops, a shame as it is the only thing that lets this set down, and something I’m quite surprised at, as the rest of the figures are so highly detailed.
Flash
Not a lot actually, only a few little bits that are inevitable, but very easily cleaned off with no fuss whatsoever
Mould lines, these were apparent on a couple of the minis in the Modern set but this was variable, a quick clean up being the easiest and a mould line down the centre of a minis face being the other, this took a little more time due to care being taken not to damage the facial detail, but again it is fairly easy to remove.
Painting
These were a challenge in there own rights, first with the Indian soldier, this was due to getting the skin tone accurate, which when you rarely paint Indian figures it is quite a challenge and I do suggest trying different ideas on some paper and building them up on such before starting the actual flesh on the mini, this saves stripping the figure and starting all over again, just remember to use the undercoat colour first, as this on it’s own can affect the overall hue of the finished product.
The Challenge with the Modern British troops is very obvious I feel, the DP camo pattern, this can be a little disorienting as it builds up but I tend to start from the light green overall, shade that and then do the dark green, Brown and finally black, each colour being highlighted before going onto the next.
Overall Thoughts
Both sets are very nice additions to anyone’s collection, though as I mentioned earlier the scarf on the BM minis does let down an otherwise good set of minis but apart from that they are all nicely detailed and very much worth a look if you are interested in either of the periods and looking for some nice minis.
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