1/6 UJINDOU UD9013 British Commando (1944)

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Did you pre-order this one?

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Nice! not a bad turn around time I'm really curious as of the quality, the prototypes look more realistic but maybe slightly less quality in the overall equipment compared to DiD, I really hope you post pictures for this one.

I'll be sure to post photos.

This is an unknown quantity since reviews on earlier Ujindou figures were mixed.
 
Great looking figure/set. But WWII figures are a slippery slope into the abyss, for me. I'm staying well clear of that precipice! :lol
Yep, you are on a slippery slope getting into WWII figs for sure. I try and have a good mixture of Allied vs Axis figs but I always end up having many more German figs.
 
Yep, you are on a slippery slope getting into WWII figs for sure. I try and have a good mixture of Allied vs Axis figs but I always end up having many more German figs.

I have to say that I've been picking up the "Saving Private Ryan" series of figures for some time, with the occasionally released pilot figure, so in all honesty, I've hit the slippery slope like an Olympian ski jumper... :lol
 
The Commando's been parted on out Ebay by a couple of sellers.

This is a sample of the photos:

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The Commando's here.

First impressions are good.

The packaging is shoe box style, with a threefold lid that's removable to use as a backdrop in the same manner as with DiD figures. Everything inside is protected by foam compartments.

The clothing material is thin, nicely scaled and the buttons on the jacket are functional. The collar does look like it's been raised since the prototype, so it's more squared off at the neck rather than V-shaped.

One thing stood out straight away: the sculpt is very small. Placing a standard 1/6 head next to it confirmed the initial impression. It'll have to be swapped out.

Regardless of scale it's well painted, though does have a spot of silver paint on the nose which will need to be removed if I ever find a use for it.

The beret has been better scaled, but since it's made for this small sculpt it may not work properly with a regular one. With some effort I may be able to fit it onto a larger sculpt. While wearing it the stock head doesn't look so off.


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The listing said there should be a pair of relaxed hands, but they weren't included.

The jumper is good. In the proto photos it looked more like a thin silky material, but it now has a woollen appearance with ribbed collar, cuffs and bottom edging. Since I'm putting the smock on him I won't be using it, but it could be useful for a future kit bash.

The smock is snug over the battledress, so I don't think the jumper would fit underneath anyway.


Mini-Me...

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During assembly some quality issues arose.

When fastening the Assault Jerkin, and having to turn the brass ended straps sideways to fit through the brass buckles, one of the buckles split open.

Then while filling the compartments with cut up bubble wrap, both threads of one of the fastening toggles pulled straight out so it was completely detached.

I don't know whether it's possible to feed the threads back through the stitching in the flap.


EDIT:

It's possible that buckle didn't break, but was designed with an opening in it as used elsewhere on the other equipment. It's odd though, because the buckle for the upper strap on the jerkin isn't the split design (only the lower).

As for the pulled out toggle threads, I managed to push them back through the stitching of the flap by wrapping the ends with tape, and pulling them through from the inside with a pair of tweezers.
 
I finished putting him together, but he still needs futzing as there's so many bits of equipment.

For the sculpt I used Supermad Toys' Blade Runner 2049 Officer K (Ryan Gosling). It has stubble but I think that's okay to imply a long, arduous operation in a hostile environment. (I'd still like to justify him being in North Africa with this gear).

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Overall I'm very pleased with the figure.

The clothing is really good and the material is just the right thickness, which is something even DiD was struggling with at one time.

Boots are fine too, though they have hobnail studs, whereas Commandos were issued with rubber soled boots so they didn't create sparks on stone.

The Bergen backpack, shoulder bag, water bottle, gaiters and helmet are well made.

The Bergen has extra straps on the sides, which you can just make out as being tucked inside the pack in the prototype photos; and very long straps on the back which were also tucked inside in the photos.

The gaiters even have the leather reinforcing patches on the insides, that you're never going to see once they're on. The only issue with them is that they're a bit to short to fully overlap when fastened.

The rifle with this one is all plastic, but serviceable. The bolt pulls back to expose the rounds in the magazine. While I was testing that a little piece pulled out from the end of the bolt. In this diagram it's part c7, the 'cocking piece'. It plugged right back in again, but it surprised me that Ujindou went to the lengths of making it as a separate mould.

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The negatives with the set are the undersized sculpt, and the toggle threads on the assault jerkin compartments.

Not only that one pair of threads pulled straight out of the flap, but the threads themselves are too long to fasten tightly. Maybe there's a knack? I managed to get one side tighter by twisting the loop to shorten it, but it didn't work on the other side.... yet.


The entrenching tool carrier was problematic as well. There are two loops to hold the handle: one is far too big, and the other far too small. Hence I couldn't push the handle far enough through the loop to centre it on the carrier.


I didn't apply any of the badges or ranks to the battledress, since they'd be hidden under the smock. The shoulder patches actually read 'No. 4 Commando', and he's been promoted from corporal to sergeant since the prototype! The sergeant's stripes may come in handy in the future for another figure.
 
I had second thoughts about filling the Bergen and jerkin pouches with bubble wrap, since that plastic is intended to degrade.

So I replaced it with some soft, fluffy wadding. It's also better because it can be shaped, and it plumps up naturally.

While I was at it I took the square block of foam out of the 37 Pattern Haversack, which he wears using the shoulder strap, and replaced it with more of the wadding. The foam Ujindou used looked too uniform in shape.

This bag was designed with three partitions to carry the Mark VII water bottle and its webbing harness, two mess tins and a ground sheet.


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More effort to make look good than I was hoping, but your work certainly paid off. Thank you for you’re excellent write up. He looks great now!

Thanks. :)

He's become one of my favourite figures. The quality and scale of the clothing material, boots and accessories make it feel almost as if I received a DiD figure (after swapping the sculpt, that is). From the style of the box and it's backdrop lid, and the functioning buttons, it looks like it's DiD that Ujindou have their sights set on.

They're no there yet, as they haven't managed to make everything 'just so', as with the overly long jerkin threads, the too short gaiters, and the too tight loop for the spade handle.

I considered taking the battledress jacket off to save it for another figure, but not knowing how well the buttons were stitched on I decided not to risk it. In any case it's nice to know he's wearing it, and the collar does show with smock hood pulled down. It also creates the right level of bulk under the smock to fill the body out.


A lot of the effort was intrinsic to the basic figure - mostly fastening straps.

I think swapping the sculpt is essential as, to me, the one it came with was too small. It might work better if you put the balaclava on him, but even that is thin material.

The toggle thread pulling out created more work than expected.

Filling all the Bergen compartments can be done without undoing any straps, and the wadding can be fed through the openings with tweezers.

The only straps I had to undo were for the haversack since the foam was a solid block to remove. As all the straps have brass caps on the ends, they have to be turned sideways to get them through the buckles when fastening and unfastening. It's fiddly, but the nature of them means that they're secure as they can't pull out without going through the same process. The second section of most of the buckles has a gap, so you turn the straps sideways to feed them through, which is less fiddly that pushing the brass ends through.
 
I put the sweater, windproof trousers and beret to use, using up some unloved spares: Premier Toy's weird Mad Max body; Brother Production's weird Tom Hardy sculpt, and DAF Toys' weird Scarecrow boots!

Surprisingly those spare parts worked. The sculpt was on the small side, but not as small as the one that came with the Commando, and the beret just fit. After I took the photos I turned it so that it falls more over his right eye. Ujindou designed it pretty well, stitching it in such a way that it forms the typical beret shape if oriented correctly.

The boots are brown, so he's an officer, which is what I had in mind for him anyway. The sweater is actually an RAF roll neck, which was issued to flight crews to be worn under battledress or flying jackets.

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The strange, haggard sculpt, which was supposed to be Tom Hardy...

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After the camera recharged I snapped this shot of the reoriented beret pulled down lower over the right eye:

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Great review and build post, Asta.

It is a shame about the undersized head sculpt, though. As for filling up pouches and pockets, I tend to use cotton balls. Low risk to damaging the items and can be placed for the best look.

It is great when a figure provides additional accessories that can be utilized for a second figure.
 
Great review and build post, Asta.

Thanks. :)

It is a shame about the undersized head sculpt, though.

Yes, and it's pretty much useless unless it can be used to create a teen character.

I wasn't expecting it as reviews of previous figures didn't show any problems like that.


As for filling up pouches and pockets, I tend to use cotton balls. Low risk to damaging the items and can be placed for the best look.

That's a good suggestion. The wadding I used is a but like cotton balls on a roll, so I cut it into strips to build up layers in the pouches.


It is great when a figure provides additional accessories that can be utilized for a second figure.

I hadn't planned on it, and had actually bagged up the spares and filed them away. But that jumper is so nice, not just in the scale of the weave but how soft it feels too!

For lack of other parts I went for a simple look, which in my mind is the irregular appearance of a Commando officer, maybe a specialist assigned to some other unit.
 
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