"conversion Gurkhas 1940 to 1880" Topic

Gentlemen and Gentle ladies,
How much effort would it take, in your pool of experience, to convert the 54mm Airfix 1940s Gurkhas to something more like their 1880s appearance? I blame you Der Alte Fritz for what is now becoming a 54mm obsession. Would it be easier to swap heads with AIP Indians (after a little hat trim)? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. H

Without seeing the figures, I don't think so. Most of the WWII Gurkhas I see are in the shorts and bush hats with different pockets on the front while the 1880s Gurkhas have pants, puttees and pill box hats

I remember hearing of Japanese being converted.

Ferd,
I'd say wait for AIP to do them, but they haven't released an actual new set for quite a while. I think the Airfix Japanese are your best bet for raw material.

Thanks guys. H

If you can find them, these Charbens Punjabis would work, but you'd need to swap their heads.
link
One of them even has a kukri. I was going to try to convert some myself, but the pillbox hat and Asian features needed for the heads defeated me. I ended up going with Britains recasts from London Bridge. I wish AIP would make some Gurkhas. The Britains poses are very static for such a dynamic unit.