"Kachin warriors in 54mm proxies?" Topic

Need some Kachins for my CBI setup.

So far, I have lots of Japanese, US Marines, Army and paratroops, Ghurkas, Chinese Nationalists (commie equipted, don't look right, may find generic US guys as proxies)

Just need British Chindits and Kachins, but know not where to find them.

I'm not all that familiar with the British Chindits and Kachins -- other than the movie "Never So Few" with Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen; but the Airfix Australian figures might do.

I think most of their equipment and support was British-supplied, with some U.S. Lend-Lease weapons and some captured Japanese equipment.

Some of the Marx "Daktari" figures from their Africa playsets might also work as British-supplied "irregulars" fighting the Imperial Japanese Army.

auction

auction

Thanks.

Yeah, research indicates at first the Kachins used spears in their native dress. Then they were given double barrled shotguns from plantation owners nearby, then they were finally equipted with American equipment (even the ones under British command).

I'm sure I can find some proxies in the old marx ranges.

Burmese regular army is tough to replicate as well.

Burmese – what's the challenge, ie what did they look like?? Do you have a link to a visual?

Mike, every pic of them is different.

Seems the Burma/India based Chinese forces under Stilwell's control, the Kachin headhunters, the American 101 irregulars, and Indian troops wear weird unis.

British style shorts, short sleeve shirts, and headgear is a wide array of berets, boonie hats, US helmets, US WWI helmets, British helmets, and caps.

Hard to see color in B&W photos, but the author describes the US special forces unis as black, and the rest khaki and light olive drab.

My main references are from "The Burma Road", and no two pics of the same unit look alike.

BTW, read "The Burma Road". One of the greatest books ever!

(Written by a travel writer, believe it or not, and his insight is just great. Kinda like Farwell and his story telling style, but backed with lots of detail and references.

The US led Kachin units look like Ghurkas, with US weapons.

Heres a Burmese Regular in Allied forces, 1942

link

Damn, seems that AIP would do a Southeast Asia irregular set, and all would be great.

Going by these 28mm Chindits, looks like the Airfix Aussies will work GREAT!

OK, Merrill's Marauders even looked just like the Airfix Aussies, save for US weapons.

Burma Rifles – looking at the link Airfix Ghurkas is the place to start.

Shirt-sleeves/vests and no puttees/gaiters – AIP do a British Army Colonial set with the trousers loose over the boots – all they'd need is a head and weapons swap. I just greenstuffed the bottom of some Conte GIs trousers to make them look more USMC, do the same to the Airfix Aussies.

Ditto Indian ie turbanned heads – from the Colonial Indian Army sets (we did this for 'Commonwealth' Troops, heads onto Airfix/Weston WWII Brits.

The wide variety makes it easier not harder – almost a case it would seem of letting your imagination run wild! If you need odd figures for heads etc let me know.

Thanks Mike!

Doesn't AIP do a WWI Indian unit? That has to be close for WWII, I would think?

They may well have badged one of the plastic colours WWII but they are the same figures as in the Colonial sets with older rifles.

I got the two 'missing' figures of a friend at the weekend so I'll send them on to you.