Early war is best war. – Sun Tzu, probably

Disclaimer: This box was kindly given to the Iron Dice Crew for review purposes by our buddies at Kick Ass Mail Order and Battlefront Miniatures. A big thank you to them for their generosity. That said we always give a real review, good bad or ugly. Besides, our opinions aren’t good enough to be bought anyhow…

Wargaming nerds rejoice! Early War is upon us! The Iron Dice crew has been patiently waiting for Blitzkrieg 15mm miniatures to make their triumphant return and boy they are back in a huge way. In this article we will be taking a look at the contexts of the Dunkirk Starter Set including some glorious focus shots of the sprues and photos of the built miniatures.

Battlefront Miniatures has offered players two new 2-player starter sets, including everything two people need to start playing some Case Yellow and Case Red tabletop action. The first all-plastic set, the Maginot Line Starter Set contains a German armored force and a mixed infantry and armored French force. The second all-plastic set, the Dunkirk Starter Set, gives players an infantry based German force and a mixed armored and infantry British Expeditionary Force.

Both sets are a stellar monetary deal coming in at $90 USD retail each at the time of writing. For those counting, that’s $45 per person if split with a friend. Kick Ass Mail Order has the sets for $81 USD so it’s an even better deal. I really like this set from a model kit perspective and they would work well for a number of 15mm games even if Flames of War isn’t your thing.

Contents

Battlefront starter boxes usually have an eye catching spread on the back of the box showing the included parts. Dunkirk is no exception. We can see all the pretty models at 100% size.

Once the box is opened we see the plastic in the flesh. As previously, mentioned Dunkirk contains two complete forces, one German and one British. In addition to the forces you get a Complete A5 Flames of War Rulebook, a Quick Start Guide, the Unit Cards for the included forces, five Grey and five Green dice, and a model instruction sheet.

One thing to note is that several kits from both forces can be made into one of several different vehicles. For Dunkirk this is the Panzer III/ StuG, the A13 tank, and the Light Tank Mk VI. Versatility is a boon as a hobbyist…

British

First let’s take a look at those plucky British Expeditionary boys. The box nets us the following:

Now let’s see the plastic! Excitingly, all of the British plastics are replacing kits previously only available in metal and resin.

A13 Cruiser Tank

This Cruiser tank can be built as an A13 or the up-armored A13 Mark II. They certainly satisfy my desire for a boxy early war tank. The A13 saw service with the British Expeditionary Force in France and in the Western Desert so this kit will be handy for both theaters.

Light Tank Mk VI

These cute little tanks went together wonderfully as long as you build the upper and lower hull before attaching the tracks. As noted previously, two turrets for the Mk VI are included to make the b (.50 inch machine gun armed) or c (15mm machine gun armed) variants. The sprues also contain a few pieces of stowage to spruce up the hulls. Like the A13, the Mark VI also saw service in France, North Africa, and on Crete.

Two hard plastic British crew sprues are included to tart up your command vehicles.

British Expeditionary Force Infantry

Two frames of British infantry are in the Dunkirk box. The sculpts are clean and there is almost zero flash. A variety of poses are present with rifles, Brens, submachine guns, a boys anti-tank rifle, light mortar, medium mortar, and a medium machine gun. Really it’s a one stop shop for an infantry platoon plus support options.

Each sprue contains the following:

• Two pistol armed officers
• One SMG NCO
• One Radioman
• 10 riflemen
• 2 Bren gunners
• One two man anti-tank rifle team
• One two man light mortar team
• One three man medium mortar team
• One three man heavy machine gun team

2 Pounder Anti-tank Gun

Rounding out the force are the 2 Pounders. The 2 Pounder anti-tank gun, while small by late war standards, was a potent weapon in May 1940. Two guns are included giving the British additional anti-tank capabilities. The included crew sprue gives a lot of bodies including some extras.

German

And now let’s look at the resurgent Wehrmacht ground forces:

Early StuG and Early Panzer III

The early Panzer III and StuGs are a long awaited addition to the plastic lineup. The panzers can be built as the 3.7cm armed Ausfs E, F, and early Gs. The E and F were very close visually and the G saw armored added to the mantlet and a stowage bin on the rear of the turret added. Late G models were armed with a bigger 5.0cm main guns from July 1940 onward.

Another exciting touch is a fake main gun mount to build an observation vehicle. We surmise you could fit the fake main gun on Ausf. E-L models to build the Panzerbeobachtungswagen III. The early variants saw service in Poland, France, and Russia. Later G models saw service in Russia and North Africa.

The StuG seems to be an Ausf. A or early production Ausf. B based on the round holes in the drive sprocket. They sported the short 7.5cm main gun and were intended for infantry support. The Ausf. B was a much more common machine than the A to the tune of almost 10:1. Halfway through the B production run the drive sprocket was changed. But for you tank nerds it appears the kits can be combined with other Panzer III kits to make other variants like the later StuG B. Save your bits.

The StuG Ausf. A saw service in France and the Low Countries. The StuG Ausf. B saw service in Yugoslavia, Greece, and in the invasion of Russia.

The Germans also have a six man crew sprue included. They are even wearing distinct early war uniforms.

Schutzen

Like their British counterparts the miniatures are crisp and have little to no flash. Four German infantry sprue frames are in the Dunkirk box. Similar to their BEF opponents there are a variety of weapons. Rifles, MG34s, MP40s, a 5cm mortar, and a Panzerbüchse anti-tank rifle are all included.

Each sprue contains the following:

• Two pistol armed officers
• Five SMG NCOs
• 10 riflemen
• Three two man LMG teams
• One two man light mortar team
• One two man anti-tank rifle team

Conclusion

Dunkirk comes packed with everything a new player (or two) would need to start playing Flames of War Version 4. The miniature sculpts look fantastic and flavorful. Seeing all of these minis available in plastic as opposed to the venerable, and pricey, metal and resin offerings is exciting.

Many of the kits can be used for multiple model versions and offer even more versatility if the parts mesh with older kits as well. Both infantry sprues provide a variety of poses and lots of options.

While I got the set for free I loved the contents of the Dunkirk box so much I ended up purchasing a second one. I suppose that says something doesn’t it? This box is a great deal if you want to jump into some early war action. If that’s you, don’t hesitate!