Commonwealth Cornerstones: The Kits that Make Your Army

Armies of the British Commonwealth arrives in a month’s time, and with the curtain now lifted on what you can expect from its rules as review copies land in inboxes, we’re taking a look at how you can actually build the nations contained within. It’s time to go from the theoretical to the tabletop!

One of the best things about the nations in Armies of the British Commonwealth is that, by and large, they used British-pattern equipment and uniforms (or at least, ones where the difference isn’t noticeable in 28mm!). This of course means that the enormous British Bolt Action range is your playground here – the vast majority of Commonwealth units can be created simply by taking the appropriate British kit, and adding either a slightly different paintjob, or a couple of different components!

We’ve got a slew of great plastic infantry boxed sets to anchor the ranges, alongside some excellent metal kits which we’ll deal with in a future article. Let’s begin with the most obvious:

British Commonwealth Infantry

This box is quite literally what it says on the lid – it’s Commonwealth infantry for the Western Desert campaign! This set gives you 30 chaps in British-issue hot weather uniform, armed with the usual gamut of rifles, submachine guns, and Bren LMGs, alongside light mortars and Boys anti-tank rifles for support. All in all, it’s perfect for hot and sunny climes, and in addition to the always-fashionable ‘tin hats’, it’s absolutely packed with extra heads; this is what makes it ‘Commonwealth’!

Australian slouch hats, New Zealand ‘lemon squeezers’, and South African sun helmets allow you to turn this box into the core of a desert force for fully 50 percent of the nations in Armies of the British Commonwealth. These can of course also be combined with the other plastic kits on this list, making it an automatic choice for sourcing heads – alongside its sister box…

British 8th Army Platoon

This kit is the twin to the Commonwealth, but aimed at players after an Indian force instead. The only difference between the two is the heads, and the 8th Army sprue boasts three different varieties – Sikh, Punjabi, and Yusufzai – with which to outfit your Indian troops. Again, the 8th Army sprue is ripe for plundering to give you heads which can be combined with other kits, or simply for building an Indian force fighting in North Africa. Let’s move out of the heat for a moment, though, and head to Europe with the…

British & Canadian Army infantry (1943-45)

This is a foundational kit for (as the name suggests) Canadian forces, letting you represent the significant contribution they made to the campaign in North-West Europe. At our scale, Canadian uniform is functionally indistinguishable in cut from the British, but has a distinctly greener hue, making Canada one of the simplest Commonwealth nations to represent – you just build them out of the box and paint the uniform a different colour!

This kit is also great for representing any Commonwealth nation wearing battledress, and when combined with the rolled sleeves from the two previous kits is a great way to make Canadian, South African, Indian, or New Zealand forces for the Italian campaign! This fantastic box also has a twin…

British & Inter-Allied Commandos

If you want the real die-hard types, look no further! Much like the 8th Army and Commonwealth kits, this is based on the British & Canadian Army Infantry kit, with the addition of all manner of backpacks, knives, automatic weapons, and associated ‘special forces’ greebles. Some Commonwealth nations – most notably India and Canada – can field Commandos in their own right, and this kit is also a great source of parts for all manner of other elite units. On the subject of elite…

British Airborne

Want paratroopers for your Canadians? Look no further! 30 tough as nails paras in their signature ‘Denison’ smocks, perfect for North-West Europe. With Airborne forces being a key part of the Canadian army list, this box gives you everything you need to jump into combat. Indian forces can also take paratroopers (including ones of the Gurkha flavour!), but as they were in the rather warmer Far East, you’re probably better off using…

Gurkha Infantry Platoon

This one is brand new (so new that it’s not even out yet – it’s arriving with the book!), and is your one-stop shop for assembling the scariest blokes in Armies of the British Commonwealth – the legendary Gurkhas! If you’re planning an Indian army, and you want to include plenty of Gurkhas (and why wouldn’t you?), look no further than this box for all of your infantry needs. If the heat’s getting to you, and you want to cool off, why not look at the…

British & Canadian Infantry (Winter) Platoon

Do you need chilly chaps? This box is perfect, with 30 men bundled up against the cold in greatcoats and leather jerkins. Ideal for Canadians in the bitter winter of 1944-45, it’s full of the usual range of Commonwealth weaponry, but also includes plenty of engineering equipment and – crucially for your Canadians – flamethrowers! They’re dressed for cold weather, but kitted out to make things toasty for the enemy.

That’s not bad going, is it? Commonwealth armies (unsurprisingly, given their shared equipment) get access to an absolutely astonishing number of plastic kits, making it incredibly easy to assemble and customise your forces. We’ve not even gotten started on some of the deeper kitbashing potential here, or the wider range of metal kits (looking at you Australia and Chindits…) that can also serve in your ranks.