In Depth Review: BBI WWII British Paratrooper
Tony L. Tillman
Blue Box Toys Elite Force WWII British Paratrooper
SKU# 021105211009
Price: MRSP: $35.00
Set comes with the following:
Figure Toggle Rope
Beret Grenades
Helmet Bayonet and Sheath
Shirt Sten Gun
Under Shirt
Pattern 37 Web Gear and Belt
Trousers Pistol and Holster
Smock Sten Bandoleer
Boots Mortar and Two Rounds
Gaiters Flashlight
Camo Scarf
Overall impression: VERY sweet set. Comes with a ton of goodies. Read On!
Figure: Characters name is Sergeant Neil Williams. Highly articulated BBI
figure with double jointed hands. Hands are nice and soft with right trigger
finger. Great for holding weapons. Hair is a coarse, close cropped reddish
brown. Eyes are steel gray. Very light beard stubble. Dimpled chin and well
rounded face. Paint job is excellent.
Beret: Maroon flocked beret with silver winged parachute and crown badge. Good
fit and sits well on head.
Helmet: British Paratrooper Helmet with OD Green net cover. A tad snug but fits
OK. Comes with strips of muslin cloth in green and brown to use as camouflage.
Has the airborne type chin strap system as used in WWII. Unfortunately, the
leatherette material the chin strap is made of is extremely fragile and tears
with the least amount of pressure. This can easily be replaced with an old
brown leather Cotswold gun sling and a little Super Glue.
Shirt: Khaki Wool Collarless Shirt. Basic issue British Army wool undershirt.
Faithfully and accurately reproduced other than not being wool. OD Green with
khaki trim and snap closure.
Under Shirt: Standard issue cold weather underwear British Army. This one is
white mesh with ribbed shoulders. Feels like it's made of Nylon. Nice piece of
detail work. Too bad it will have a shirt and smock on top of it.
Trousers: Olive Drab P-37 Battle Dress trousers with map pocket on left
anterior thigh. Pocket has a snap closure and is stuffed with filler to make it
look full. Trousers also have functional waist pocket, two rear seat pockets
and belt loops. Sewn on the left rear waist of the trousers is a Mil Spec tag
with all the pertinent inventory info! Nice detailing.
Smock: First pattern Denison smock with knit cuffs and zipper front. Sewn onto
the right front inside of the smock is a Mil Spec tag with the inventory info
like the one on the trousers. Comes with stick on Para Badge and sergeant
chevrons. Cloth pattern is very similar to the twill used by the Brits in WWII.
Zipper used is a small 1:1 zipper and not a 1/6th zipper.
Boots: Black British issue "Ammo" boots. Molded toe cap and lacings. Detailed
brown soles with silver hobnails, heel and toe irons.
Gaiters: British issue cloth Khaki Gaiters. Brass metal buckles. Unfortunately
the straps are made of the same leatherette material as the chin strap.
Camo Scarf: OD Green mesh scarf with brown camo pattern. Good length and is
nice and thin. Scarf ties around neck without looking too bulky.
Toggle Rope: Length of coiled white cotton rope with brown "wooden" toggle.
Grenades: Standard No. 36 MK I grenade carried by British, the Mills bomb.
Comes with two. They are flat black and have pins and spoons. Excellent detail
work.
Bayonet and Sheath: Standard issue No. 4 Mk 1 Enfield British spike bayonet.
Bayonet has been modified with a small clip to fit onto Sten gun. Set has soft
plastic OD frog with hard plastic receptacle for bayonet. Also, molded onto the
bayonet scabbard is a pouch for one of the two Sten loaders the set comes with.
The bayonet is light bronze in color. All very highly detailed.
Sten Gun: Faithful reproduction of the Mk II Sten Gun. Most common type used by
the Brits in WWII. Fixed metal "T" shaped stock. No hand or fore grip. Color is
a nice burnished metallic look, almost bronze. Working spring loaded receiver.
Comes with adjustable Khaki colored web sling.
Pattern 37 Web Gear and Belt: Set comes with a cloth belt. Khaki in color. Has
metal brass buckle closure and two metal sliders for adjusting and two buckles
on the back for the braces to hook to. Also included are 2 Bren pouches, E-tool
and cover, braces (harness) and a skeleton carrier and water bottle. OD felt
covered canteen with khaki web trim and brass closure. All other P-37 web gear
is khaki cloth with khaki web trim and brass colored snaps and buckles. Web
gear is fully adjustable. All beautifully detailed AND it comes already
assembled!
Pistol and Holster: Inglis 9mm pistol. Working slide and hammer. Removable
magazine and one extra one. Comes with khaki color molded P-37 "Tanker" holster
attached to drop down rig made of khaki webbing. Has six extra rounds and a
cleaning rod molded onto the face of the holster.
Sten Bandoleer: Khaki colored cloth with khaki web trim. Has pockets for seven
Sten magazines. (also included) Mags fit nicely and have a simple user friendly
tongue and buckle closure. Bandoleer also has a cloth loop for the second Sten
mag loader and an adjustable carrying strap.
Mortar and Two Rounds: British WWII No. 1 Mk I Mortar. Comes with adjustable
khaki web carrying sling and two rounds. Mortar is an excellent repro. Green in
color with the white aiming stripe and a movable firing lever and attached base
plate. Very similar to the "Knee" Mortar used by the Japanese in WWII. BEWARE!
The clips holding the sling to the mortar are very fine plastic and break
easily.
Flashlight: Gray straight flashlight with clear plastic lens and bulb detail.
Comes with a small plastic clip attached which falls off way to easily. Very
highly detailed but no moving parts.
Rating: Excellent. While the Brit Para has been done before, it's never been
done this well, IMHO. Aside from the self destructing leatherette material and
easy to break clips on the mortar sling, I can find no faults with this set.
While the zipper head is oversized, the Sten bandoleer covers it up. Besides,
this set is so well detailed, the zipper is hardly noticeable in any case.
"A" for concept
"A" for realization
"B" for quality control
"A" for price
Thanks
Oz
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