Assembling the British Rifle Company with Mark Hazell Britain’s BEF is the world’s first totally mechanised army. There is not a horse to be seen and every rifle battalion has its own armoured support. Whether stoic Guardsmen, long-service regulars, war-service territorials, or even highlanders marching to battle with the skirl of pipes, you can rely on a well-equipped Rifle Company to hold its positions against all comers. Learn more about the British Rifle Company here...

The Contents  Firstly let’s take a look at the contents of the British Rifle Company army box set; contact the customer service team at [email protected] if you have any issues with any of the components. The British Rifle Company contains 3 tanks, 12 guns and 138 infantry figures. Begin by opening up the box and sorting out all the figures as per the contents pictures below. You will see a breakdown of what figures can be used for what. Once you have checked that you have the correct number of figures you can start building the platoons. The army box also includes 17 small bases, 29 medium bases and 8 large bases. Note: The Bagpiper figure is an optional addition to a Regular or Territorial 2iC Command Team. Below: The Officer Figures.

Below: The Company HQ 3" Mortars and crew.

Below: The NCO figures.

Below: The Riflemen figures.

Below: The Bren Gunner figures.

Below: The Anti-tank Rifle figure.

Below: The Light Mortar figures.

Below: The Machine-gun figures.

Below: The 2pdr gun crew figures.

Below: The 2pdr gun parts.

Below: The 18pdr gun crew figures.

Below: The 18pdr gun parts.

Below: The 18pdr gun Limber.

Right: The Observer figures. Below: The Staff Team parts (the Riflemen figure shown is only a suggested pose, the pose can also be used in the Rifle Platoons).

Below: The A11 Tank Commanders.

Below: The A11 Matilda parts.

Headquarters Company HQ To begin with you will need to assemble your Company HQ. This is made up of a Company Command Rifle team and a 2iC Command Rifle team as well as two 3” mortar teams. The Company Command team should be made up of 2 Officer figures and a Rifleman figure. The 2iC Command Rifle team should be made up of an Officer figure and 2 Riflemen figures. The two mortar teams should each include a NCO figure, a Loader figure and a Mortar Gunner. Left: An example of a Company Command Rifle Team; Below Left: An example of a 2iC Command Rifle Team; Below Right: An example of a Company HQ 3" Mortar Team.

Combat Platoons Rifle Platoon You get three Rifle Platoons in the army box.  Each Rifle Platoon contains nine stands which make up a Command Rifle/MG team, six stands of Rifle/MG teams, a Light Mortar team and an Anti-tank Rifle team.  Three of the Rifle/MG teams should be made with a mix of 3 Riflemen figures and an NCO figure. The other three stands should have 3 Riflemen figures and a Bren Gunner figure.

Above Right: An example of a 3 Riflemen and 1 NCO stand; Below Left: An example of a 3 Riflemen and standing Bren Gunner stand; Below Right: An example of a 3 Riflemen and prone Bren gunner stand.

The Anti-tank Rifle team is made up of an Anti-tank Rifle Gunner and one of the lying down Riflemen figures. The Light Mortar team is made up of a Mortar Loader figure and a Gunner. The Command Rifle/MG team is made up of an Office figure, an NCO and a Riflemen figure. Below Left: An example of a Command Rifle/MG team; Below Middle: An example of a Anti-tank Rifle team; Below Right: An example of a Light Mortar team.

Divisional Support Machine-gun Platoon On top of the three Rifle platoons you also get a Machine-gun platoon.  This has four Machine-gun stands made up of a Gunner, a Loader and an extra figure which can be an Observer or a kneeling NCO figure. The platoon also has a Command Rifle team made up of an Officer, a NCO and a Rifleman figure. Left: An example of a Command Rifle Platoon. Below Left: An example of a Vickers HMG with Observer figure. Below Right: An example of a Vickers HMG with NCO figure.

Anti-tank Platoon The Anti-tank Gun Platoon contains 4 OQF 2pdr guns and a Command Rifle team. Each of the 4 guns is assembled as per the diagram on the right. Each gun will have 4 Anti-tank gun crew made up of a Gunner, a Loader and two other 2pdr crew figures. The platoon also has a Command Rifle team made up of an Officer, a NCO and a Rifleman figure. Right: Assembly instructions for the 2pdr Anti-tank gun. Below Left: An example of a Command Rifle team. Below Right: An example of a 2pdr Anti-tank gun with crew.

Royal Artillery Battery The Royal Artillery Battery has eight 18pdr guns each with 5 crew.  You also get two Command Rifle teams, a Staff team and 2 Observer Rifle teams. The guns and crew are assembled as shown below along with the limber. The Command Rifle team made up of an Officer, a NCO and a Rifleman figure. The Staff team goes on a medium base and has the table, a radioman, two officers and a Rifleman figure surrounding the table. The 2 Observer Rifle teams are made up of a lying down rifleman figure and a lying down Observer figure with binoculars. Left: An example of a Command Rifle team. Below Left: An example of a Staff Team. Below right: An example of a Observer Rifle team.

Below Left: An example of a 18pdr gun with crew; Below Right: An example of a 18pdr gun with crew and limber.

Right: The assembly instructions of the 18pdr gun.

Left: The assembly instructions for the Gun Limber.

A11 Tank Platoon The A11 Matilda Tank Platoon has 3 A11 light tanks. These are very straight forward miniatures to put together. The assembly instructions are shown on the right. Be sure to select a Commander figure of your choice to designate your platoon commander. Right: The assembly instructions for the A11 Matilda.

With the A11 platoon completed, your army is now ready to be painted. Find out what colours to paint your British Rifle Company here... Check out the British Early War Paint Set here... Happy modeling and have fun! ~ Mark.

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