British Paratroopers

ESCI British Paratroopers wearing the Smock, Denison (Airborne Troops) over their Battledress, with ‘37 Pattern Webbing in Light Fighting Order, and the Mk.1 helmet, steel, airborne troops (HSAT). While the poses look quite lively and interesting, the two running paratroopers display a rare anomaly of motor coordination, they are amblers. The small arms in this set are too long, they range from 1:50 scale of the huge Sten Mk.II submachine gun to 1:68 scale of the Bren light machine gun.

Contents

50 Figures in 15 Poses – 24 mm equal 173 cm Height

• Officer with Webley .38/200 Service Revolver, signaling (2)
• NCO/Paratrooper with Sten Mk.II SMG, ambling (5)
• NCO/Paratrooper with Sten Mk.II SMG, standing (5)
• NCO/Paratrooper with Sten Mk.II SMG, kneeling, firing (3)
• NCO/Paratrooper with Sten Mk.II SMG, throwing Hand Grenade (3)
• № 1 PIAT with Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank, prone (2)
• № 1 Bren with Bren LMG, prone (3)
• № 1 Bren with Bren LMG, advancing (2)
• Paratrooper with Short, Magazin, Lee-Enfield, walking (5)
• Paratrooper with SMLE, standing, firing (5)
• Paratrooper with SMLE, kneeling, firing (5)
• Paratrooper with SMLE, prone, firing (3)
• Paratrooper with SMLE, ambling (3)
• Paratrooper with SMLE, prone (2)
• Paratrooper with Main and Reserver Parachute, emplaning (2)

Evaluation

Excellent choice of subject, British Paratroopers are very popular with collectors and wargamers alike. Unfortunately, many of the poses in this set are useless, either because they are armed with 1:50 scale Sten Mk.II submachine guns or the soldiers themselves are sculpted in unrealistic ambling poses.

The paratroopers are wearing the Denison smock over their battledress, and 1937 pattern web equipment in battle order. Of the enlisted men, only one carries a small pack, but everybody has a respirator, anti-gas, light, an entrenching tool in its carrier, entrenching tool, and a water-bottle. And, all of these items is carried correctly.

Unfortunately, the officer‘s web equipment is inadequate. He carries only the pistol case and what appears to be a diminutive binoculars case, too small even for an opera glass, but he has no pistol ammunition pouch, no map case, compass pouch, or water bottle.

The Bren light machine guns in this set are sculpted in 1:68 scale, they are 17 mm long, the equivalent of 1224 mm instead of the actual length of 1156 mm. The prone Bren gunner is in an incorrect reloading pose. Small Arms Training, Volume I, Pamphlet No. 4, Light Machine Gun (The War Office, 1942) shows that the butt is lowered to the ground for reloading, and the magazine is inserted from above, not sideways.

The short, magazine, Lee-Enfield is 1133 mm, but ESCI produced theirs 18 mm long (1296 mm), the equivalent of 1:64 scale. Apart from this recurring mistake, the riflemen are quite attractive poses. Unfortunately, the running rifleman is ambling, his left leg and left arm are moving in unison.

The PIAT gunner above is a conversion, using the legs of the kneeling paratrooper with Sten submachine gun, whose torso has been mounted on standing legs to create a more useful section commander. The prone rifleman and the emplaning paratrooper have both donated parts for other conversions. The PIAT itself is not only way out of scale, 16 mm long – the equivalent of 1:62, but it is also modelled incorrectly on a bipod, when this weapon actually had a monopod.

Historical Employment

• British and Commonwealth Paratroopers, 1942–1945
• British Sniper Teams

Possible Conversions

• British Royal Marine Commandos, 1942–1945

ESCI British Paratroopers are marred by oversized weapons, a recurring ESCI problem, which cannot be repaired easily. Unfortunately, two of the four submachine gunners are holding their giant 1:50 scale Sten Mk.II SMG in such a way that the issue becomes impossible to ignore. The advancing Bren machine gunner and some of the riflemen are ok as they are, and the officer may be repaired by completing his web equipment with Green Stuff.

British Paratroops, 1942–1945