We are blessed as wargamers. To have not one but two plastic Italian Infantry kits on the market is truly special. Both Warlord Games and Wargames Atlantic have produced characterful Italian Infantry boxes ready to meet your Bolt Action needs. Honestly, I never thought I’d see the day.

Just like the previous SAS/Commando comparison, let’s take a closer look at the Warlord Games Italian Army & Blackshirts and Wargames Atlantic Italian Infantry in a head to head comparison!

Warlord Games Italian Army & Blackshirts

In the kit there are five identical sprues. The sprue contains:

• 6 bodies:
  • 5 standing
  • 1 kneeling
• 22 heads:
  • 6 with helmets
  • 6 with sun/pith helmets
  • 4 with Blackshirt soft fez
  • 2 with Blackshirt hard fez
  • 4 with Bustina caps
• 11 weapons:
  • 5 rifles with arms/hands attached in various positions
  • 3 carbines with arms/hands attached in various positions
  • 1 Beretta SMG with arms/hands attached
  • 2 Breda LMGs with arms/hands attached
  • 1 Beretta pistol with hand attached
• Selection of arms/hands with knives, maps, binoculars, magazines, etc.
• Various ammo pouches, bayonets, bags, entrenching tools, knives, grenades, etc.

Wargames Atlantic Italian Army

In the kit there are five identical “infantry” sprues and two identical “command” sprues. The infantry sprue contains:

• 6 bodies:
  • 4 standing
  • 2 kneeling
• 29 heads
  • 8 with helmets
  • 7 with sun/pith helmets
  • 7 with Alpini caps
  • 7 with Bustina caps
  • 6 separate feathers for Bersaglieri
• 13 weapons:
  • 7 rifles with arms/hands attached in various positions
  • 2 carbines with arms/hands attached in various positions
  • 2 Beretta SMGs with arms/hands attached in various positions
  • 2 Breda LMGs with arms/hands attached in various positions
• 7 large backpacks
• 1 arm throwing a grenade
• Various ammo pouches, bags, knives, canteens, grenades, etc.

The command sprue contains:

• 1 standing body
• 1 Breda MMG with tripod
• Selection of arms/hands with entrenching tools, axes, pointing, pistol, etc.
• Various ammo boxes, bags, axes, entrenching tools, holsters, etc.

Warlord Games	Wargames Atlantic
Appropriate for North Africa or Europe	Appropriate for North Africa or Europe
Large variety of weapons	Large variety of weapons
6 SMGs	12 SMGs, 2 MMGs
Blackshirt head options	Aplini and Bersaglieri head options
More non-weapon arm/hand options	Fewer non-weapon arm/hand options
Kit makes 30 infantry for $56 MSRP	Kit makes 32 infantry for $34.95 MSRP

Scale comparison of Italian Infantry from three different companies. Note this includes both metal and plastic models from Warlord Games.

Both kits have weapons with hands and/or arms attached. I find this to be a major plus, but I know some hobbyists are not fans of that approach. Luckily, both kits have a wide variety of positions and poses with the sculpted-on hands. Before you ask, the scale of each kit is just about an exact match – the Wargames Atlantic models seem to be just slightly taller. Both kits have nice, crisp sculpting and details. The only thing that’s lacking is the inclusion of “special” weapons. Except for the two MMGs in the Wargames Atlantic kit, there is no AT Rifle, Light Mortar or scoped rifle for a Sniper (easily converted though).

As for a recommendation, it will come down to the type of Italian force you are looking to build for Bolt Action. If you just want Italian Army – go with either. If you want Blackshirt units, go with Warlord. If you want Alpini or Bersaglieri, go with Wargames Atlantic.

And course, don’t forget to give GCmini.com a visit for all your Bolt Action and hobby needs! Tell Allen that Andrew sent you.