Introduction

Back in August 2007 Pat McGrath brought us some welcome news of a new figure company, New World Miniatures, being set up by Chris Mrosko. I’ve been watching development since then. In fact I bought some of the first figures the company issued, the 2 Canadian soldiers and the driver and commander for the LRDG Chevrolet. The figures came without boxes to save on postage so I never got around to reviewing them at the time.

A couple of recent purchases have solved that problem and this is the first look at some recent additions to the companies growing range, in the form of the LRDG/SAS trooper No 3, kit No NWM-35069. Reviews on Trooper No 1 and No 2 to follow.

The figure

The figure comes packed in a see-through small plastic box and is contained within a zip plastic bag inside. On the front of the box is the company logo and on the reverse the company contact details. Inside the box to accompany the figure is a nice small colour card depicting the completed contents. In other words a very useful painting guide if you need it.

This is a simple figure of 4 parts. Cast in a dark grey resin the figure comes with a complete body, separate head, separate left arm and separate SMLE rifle.

The figure depicts a standing soldier, right leg slightly forward with his right hand in his trouser pocket smoking a cigarette. Dressed in what would be seen as unconventional but very appropriate dress, the soldier wears a sheep skin coat with wool lapels and interior. The coat is shown open with the right side behind the right arm. Underneath the coat he appears to be wearing a leather jerkin/British Warm, and around his neck are a pair of goggles. A pair of trousers adorn the legs and on his feet he wears a pair of desert sandals, or chappies as they were called.

The head shows the face of a rugged looking man with a good beard. On his head is a woolly hat. The left arm comes bent at the elbow and is depicted holding a cigarette.

The coat and trousers all have nice folds and natural detail. My example had some air bubbles under the bottom of the coat, which I cut out to hollow the underside a bit and I also filled in part of the upper right leg that was missing as a result of the airbubble. There was an air bubble slightly higher up in the back of the coat which I cut out and filled with some milliput. That said, this makes for a very interesting and appropriately dressed figure.

To complete the figure you get a SMLE rifle which is shown slung over his left shoulder. The rifle is a fairly good representation of the weapon

The figure stands at about 50mm from head to toe so is a perfectly acceptable height. The body proportions are very good. The chappies show good toe detail and are nicely represented.

Conclusion

I really like this figure, he has all the makings of a tough looking LDRG soldier, or SAS type if you prefer. The unconventional order of dress is what really sets him apart from other figures and I am sure this one will be welcomed by many, whether diorama builders or single figure builders.

Cleaning up the air bubbles underneath the coat took a little time but was worth the effort rather than just filling in the underside of the coat. There was no damage to any of the visible parts.

The only additional detail I felt necessary to the figure was to add the idea of a little wool detail down the bottom right hand edge of the coat.

This is one of the new range of LRDG figures Chris has produced and a very welcome addition indeed, adding that much needed mixed order of dress so often seen worn in the desert theatre of operations during World War 2. This creative thinking is evident across the other range of LRDG figures offered by the company; my delight at this range of figures is only tempered with the thought of why did it take so long, so full kudos to New World Miniatures for taking the gamble and finally giving us some decent LRDG/SAS troops.

Normal precautions apply when working with resin.

I have enclosed a couple of WIP pictuers. There are several options as to how you might finish the figure, as this is pretty unconventional dress, so plenty of opportunity for some individual touches.