Warlord Release Afro-American and Japanese Soldiers

[Sarmor]

I'm really happy that these sets were released. The Nisei are especially interesting...
I wonder what specific metal parts are there in these sets. Really hope they don't look too cartoonish.
On the other hand, if they already have a plastic GI sprue, than it's logical to increase the profits by providing some variations. Metal parts aren't that pricey, are they? Nevertheless, it's great that they chose to do so in this way.

Most units were segregated at that time, so when a writer wants to dramatise a true story of a (white) unit there is no easy way to write ethnic minorities into the story.

AFAIK only Filipino, African and Japanese Americans served in separate units. Jews, Chinese, Latinos, Native Americans served in units with whites. And still all you get is an occasional Jew, who has a specific purpose - to act as a reminder of Nazi atrocities.
Clint Eastwood did a good job in "Flags of our Fathers" concentrating on Ira Hayes. And you had the "Windtalkers" - which still had a white protagonist. But otherwise I can't name any WW2 movies with ethnic minorities.

[Johnnytodd]

PLEASE lock this politically correct/sensitive topic

[Plynkes]

True, Plynkes, but huge numbers of Indian, African and West Indian troops fought for Britain in both wars, but they are rarely seen in any movie.

All I am saying is that if you wanted to depict a racially-mixed British unit in a war film you could do it and it would not be anachronistic (even if it might seem so to a modern audience). It was a response to Hildred Castaigne's comment about it being not easy for a writer to shore-horn minorities into a story that is not expressly about them. Forgive me, but I don't quite see what your comment has to do with that. Seems like a non sequitur to me.

[Hildred Castaigne]

All I am saying is that if you wanted to depict a racially-mixed British unit in a war film you could do it and it would not be anachronistic (even if it might seem so to a modern audience). It was a response to Hildred Castaigne's comment about it being not easy for a writer to shore-horn minorities into a story that is not expressly about them. Forgive me, but I don't quite see what your comment has to do with that. Seems like a non sequitur to me.

Thank you, Plynkes! You understood my point well and proved me wrong.
Unfortunately you are right, acknowledging the part of these soldiers would probably be seen as tokenism.
Shameful, just shameful.

[joroas]

PLEASE lock this politically correct/sensitive topic

I don't see why, I think we are all of a mind here.....

[Skyven]

Interestingly, the 3/370 US Infantry Regiment from the 92nd was placed under the command of the South African 6th Armoured Division in Italy in December '44.

[Johnnytodd]

I don't see why, I think we are all of a mind here.....

Unfortunately we are probably not of the SAME mind. Maybe I am the voice of political correctness here. WG are being applauded for their sensitivity - simultaneously offering 5 pages of Waffen SS infantry! ...not that they shouldn't sell 5 pages of SS, but I think this is tokenism....  Certainly a dilemma...  to portray those forgotten by history and risk doing a disservice or ignore them for fear of offending someone.

[Mason]

Maybe we should just look at is as WG filling a gap in the market, that some people will be grateful for, and leave it at that.
 

[Lowtardog]

Maybe we should just look at is as WG filling a gap in the market, that some people will be grateful for, and leave it at that.
 

Seconded, now move along nothing to see 

[Johnnytodd]

me too

[Johnnytodd]

recovered - yes,  but of a mind - sadly no

[pocoloco]

I think it's mighty fine that there are more options available to gamers... maybe few ignorant kids even learn something about history even from this product line.

Now the real question remaining is, when do we get to see a range of Finns  

[pocoloco]

Bezzo: meant those kids who might actually play something else than just GW products, not the young generation as a whole

[Johnnytodd]

WHat in hells name happened to that poor pooch.

Sorry to hijack this thread with nonsense.

In 2009 Grendel was bitten by another dog but when he jumped to escape... his skin was peeled like a banana.  A dozen stitches later he's made a full recovery and here he is ten minutes ago:

[answer_is_42]

Hum, yeees. It's certainly an interesting release. But will they sell? From that single image the figures don't look too great to me.

A cursory glance over wargames ranges for WW2 certainly leaves one with a strange view of the conflict. From the British Indian Army to the Army of Russian Liberation, vast swathes of the population go totally unrepresented while, as has been pointed out, the Waffen SS feature in basically every single range. But then, it sells, I suppose.

On a related note, I recently had a wander around the National Army Museum in London and was horrified to discover, in the World War 1/2 section, the Indian and African troops of the British Empire described as ‘Auxiliaries’ and lumped together with Red Cross nurses and the Boy Scouts!

And this generation is maudlin, comatose, and sunk in self pity.

But then you would think that, coming as you do from the out-of-touch, reactionary, Daily Mail reading older generation whose reckless spending plunged us into the current financial crisis.

Stereotypes and broad generalisations are fun, don’t you think?