Italian Infantry Miniatures, 1935–1945

MIRLITON 20 mm Figure Review

Italian Infantry Miniatures of World War Two, 1935–1945, 20 mm Miniatures MIRLITON BIT 3.

Italian line infantry wearing the M.1939 tunic, which differed from the 1935 model in that it had a full cloth belt, instead of a half-belt at the back. The tropical uniform had a very similar cut, but it was made from a light khaki drill material. The M.1935 steel helmet would have been worn by Italian volunteer troops supporting the Nationlists in the Spanish Civil War. Wargamers will find these miniatures very versatile, they may be deployed in many different theaters of operation.

Contents

  • 12 Figures in 11 Poses – 23.5 mm equal 169 cm Height
    • Officer
    • Grenadier
    • Machine Gunner № 1
    • Machine Gunnre № 2
    • 8 mm Breda HMG in Sandbagged Emplacement
    • Rifleman standing, observing
    • Rifleman kneeling
    • Rifleman kneeling, firing
    • Rifleman standing, firing
    • Rifleman advancing with full pack
    • Rifleman prone, firing
    • Rifleman running (2)

Evaluation

Excellent choice of subject. Elite Bersaglieri motorized riflemen made up the infantry element of the 131st Centauro, 132nd Ariete, and 133rd Littorio armoured divisions. Additional Bersaglieri battalions were sometimes attached to armoured reconnaissance units at the divisional level.

Beautifully sculpted figures. The Bersaglieri are slender, and they are more compatible with 1:72 scale plastic troops than many of their metal comrades. The poses are anatomically and historically correct; these are lively figures which will be fun to paint. None of the poses are exaggerated, they are all suitable for wargaming purposes and dioramas.

Excellent detail in the uniforms and equipment, even the figure bases are textured, and there are small rocks on some of them.

Half of the figures are specialist types, including HMG and LMG gunners, grenadier, officer and guidon-bearer command figures. This is an excellent starter set for anyone interested in this chapter of Italian history. Wargamers will want to flesh out their units by adding more riflemen from the separate expansion boxes also available.

The Breda Mod.1937 HMG is a superb model, complete with tripod, gunner, loader, and a sandbagged emplacement. Assembly instructions are not included, and it is not immediately apparent how the gun should be mounted on the tripod. The tripod attaches to the sandbags with two legs forward and one back. The gunner attaches to the rear of the sandbagged emplacement. With these three parts in place, the HMG itself can be glued to the gunner’s hands and to the tripod. The manufacturer showed this model at the Kulmbach miniatures show in Germany, 07th – 10th August 1997: The barrel had been drilled open, and a puff of white cotton smoke was stuck into it. The base of the smoke was painted red and yellow to represent a jet of flame. This small detail added colour to the vignette, and it made the model stand out nicely.

Excellent facial features, every man is a character. Separate heads would have made these figures even more versatile, modellers are always tempted to add variety to their units.

The kneeling and advancing Bersaglieri are standard troop types which can be used again and again. The kneeling man may be converted to a radio operator or anti-tank gunner.

Good casting quality, crisp detail, and little flash. Some of the figures show no visible mould lines at all, even the typical line across the helmet is minimal and it will be easy to scrape off with a scalpel. One of the figures had a defective rifle barrel, and the easiest way to fix this was to convert the weapon to a Beretta Modello 3A SMG. We cut the rifle back to the figure’s left hand, drilled the remaining barrel open, and inserted a short piece of 0.6 mm pianowire to act as the SMG barrel.

Cast in white metal containing lead, not suitable for kids under 12 years of age.

At 28 cm diameter, the Bersaglieri helmets are still noticeably larger than those of 1:72 scale figures, but overall compatibility is very good. By comparison, ESCI Alpini mountain troops scale out approximately 3 inches taller, and their weapons are a little thinner.

No painting instructions. Modellers and wargamers will have to refer to colour drawings of Italian Bersaglieri to paint these figures correctly. Painting information on the unit guidon may be particularly difficult to find. It would have been a nice touch if Humbrol colour reference numbers had been printed on the back of the box cover to identify the grey-green uniform and equipment colour. Asked about the Italian uniform colours, Mr. Grazzini of MIRLITON recommended Vallejo Model Colours № 979 or № 897 as the most suitable model paints. Apparently, the Humbrol colour equivalent is 75 Bronze Green.

Historical Employment

  • Italian Infantry in temperate uniform (grey-green)
    • Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939
    • Invasion of the Balkans, 1941–43
    • Invasion of Russia, 1941–44
    • Italian Campaign, 1943
    • Italian Partizan War, 1944
    • Eastern Front (Badoglio Truppen of the Wehrmacht), 1945
  • Italian Infantry in tropical uniform (light khaki)
    • Libyan Campaign, 1940–41
    • North African Campaign, 1941–42
    • Tunisian Campaign, 1943
    • Italian Campaign, 1943

Bibliography

MIRLITON Bersaglieri offer a nice range of suitable poses, and they have the heavy weapons which are required for simulation games. This boxed set is a great starting point for a collection of Italian infantry types, and it may be used to supplement figure ranges from other manufacturers which are less well equipped with specialist troop types. MIRLITON deserves praise for offering 20 mm figures in convenient boxed sets, this a far better distribution method than the outmoded single figure selection frequently required of wargamers and figure collectors. It is hoped that the MIRLITON range of Bersaglieri will eventually include troopers with solo-motorcycles and combinations. Another valuable addition would be Bersaglieri platoon boxes with all the figures and weapons required to build a historic formation.

Sample from MIRLITON

Italian Miniatures of World War Two