DAK sprue comment

It was best when they gave you a combination of separate weapons with empty hands/arms as well as some hands/arms with weapons included. They have done that with some of the plastic boxed sets, but lately they have stopped doing this! The latest US Infantry release and the newer Africa releases are bad examples of what to do. For example, with the new US infantry set (Code:402013012), you get this arm with a shotgun (part 33). What a waist! Why not have that same arm, but with an empty hand, and include a separate shotgun, M1 Rifle, and M1 Carbine and let the modeller/gamer decide! I liked it when they gave you a mix of both.**

The one aspect my gaming club hates about the new Africa British is that all the rifles (SMLE Mk.III/No.1 Mk.III) have fixed bayonets. We wish you have a choice (fixed / not fixed), or not fixed at all! It is impossible to cut off the bayonet and keep its great looking nose cap. Also, running around with fixed bayonets was less common than the propaganda photos lead you to believe.

**If you plan to start a US Army collection, I highly recommend that you get one pack of the old and one pack of the new US Infantry plastic sets. You can mix and match arms/weapons.

There is another side to the question of Arms and Weapons:
New Players and the frustration of trying to glue on all of those arms, and weapons.

I had 50 dudes in my US Starter box.

That was 100 annoying plastic arms, and 50 separate weapons to try to line up, glue on, cuss a bit, straighten arm #1, cuss a bit more, line up the weapon again, cuss a lot more! and reposition arm #1 (and sometimes arm 2 again)…

In all, assembling that box-set took three months. I really didn’t want to look at another individual arm again.

Painting was fairly easy compared to all of the cussing… I mean assembly …of those #$#%@*$%^#$%@*$%@#$%@$% arms and weapons.

Perhaps an add-on sprue set with individual arms and weapons in the annual sprue sale would be a good compromise between the newcomers to the game you don’t want to drive away, and the established vets who are down with all of those arms.

I still have nightmares about those 100 arms and 50 separate weapons – ugh!)

But having 1/2 a platoon of British infantry with bayonets fixed and 1/2 not fixed isn’t authentic at all. The order was (and still is!) “Fix…. Bayonets!” It’s never: “If you’d like you can fix your bayonets… no pressure”.

I much prefer to have them all bayonets fixed. As Pte Tipping (ex 1Worcs) said to me “why would you take the bayonet off” (in battle).

I go for the cold steal. It was Standard to fix it. It had the extra effect of adding weight to the muzzle area, keeping the rifle more steady in firing.

The effect was not so small as statistics seem to prove. Simple reason, the statistics got made about wounded. Few bayonet victims made it into hospital, compared to ball and splinter. In the heat of fight the spiked man got a hit on head with the butt or another thrust.

I like the Webley with bayonet.

Yes. Original bayonets for the Webley get stupid prices. The last Pritchard Greener ones I saw at auctions went for 1000 – 3000 Euro. Depending on Version and trust in being original. Even known copies sell at more than 100.