MiniArt Afghan Civilians (38034) 1:35

[Mike]

Afghan Civilians (38034)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

Since well before the 80s, a lot of conflict has gone on in the Middle East, with the recent focus having been Afghanistan and Iraq, where there have been huge Western presences during the last few decades.  The Afghan civilians have been there throughout all of this, and many have lost their lives, which is immensely saddening.  This boxing depicts a group of Afghanis in their typical day-to-day wear, with a broad spread of age ranges often seen in their multi-generational families, where the elders are afforded more respect and their input is valued.

 

 

 

It arrives in a shrink-wrapped figure-sized box, with the instructions/painting guide on the rear in full colour.  Inside are five sprues, three on one runner that I cut up to make photography easier.  There are 4.5 figures on the sprues, the 0.5 being a small child in the arms of the mother, who is wearing a full chadaree as is their custom when out in public in Afghanistan, even though it is no longer an official requirement by the democratic regime in power.  She is stood with the little girl on her hip, while a young teenage boy is stood with his hands by his side, book in hand, and (presumably) his father stands with his arms folded.  An elder gentleman is sitting with his feet together in front of him on top of a tied sack, a feat that I can’t manage even now!  He wears a Perahan Tunban, while the father wears a flat-topped Pakul hat, and the son wears a brimless kufi cap.  Finally, the little girl has a scarf loosely draped over her head.

 

 

The sculpting is first rate as you would expect from MiniArt, and parts breakdown has been carefully considered due to the presence of draped clothing on all of the figures, with additional overflow sprue tabs on some parts to prevent short-shot parts, with intelligent placement of sprue gates and seamlines to minimise clean-up.  The painting suggestions are just that, with regional variations in colours used, such as the chadaree with the light blue example seen in the Kabul area, brown and green in Kandahar in the south, and white in the north in Mazar-i-Sharif.

 

 

 

Conclusion

The background to any diorama or vignette is key, so having a group of bystanders to add to your model will bring additional authenticity to the finished product.  Very useful.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[Tim R-T-C]

Well researched review.

 

From my visit last year, the chadaree is not exclusive, many women (in the urban areas) were wearing hijabs in a more Iranian style.

 

The blue colour however is ubiquitous, even in Mazar and Balkh regions where we were.

 

In fact here is my wife in a shop that sold purely these items, in blue, although in several subtly different qualities. Even under strict limitations, fashion can still be defining. Thought the picture might help anyone painting these figures - definitely a satin or gloss finish needed here.