Operators Miniatures: Modern Skirmish Buying Guide
By Wargames Atlantic | Published: 2026-10-16
Category: Product Reviews
Decide if the 20-figure Operators hard plastic box fits your modern skirmish games, with concrete rules for scale, loadout and budget.
Quick answer
Buy the Operators box if you want 20 multi-part 28mm figures that can represent corporate security, private military contractors, special operations forces or militia in modern skirmish wargaming. It is the strongest fit when you need one box to cover several factions and you are comfortable with hard plastic assembly. Skip it if you need pre-assembled figures or a single tightly defined historical unit.
What the Operators box actually gives you
The box contains enough hard plastic parts to build 20 28mm figures. There are five unique bodies and a mix of modern weaponry: knives, pistols, AR and M-model rifles, AK model rifles, G-model rifles, sniper rifles, and light machine-guns or squad automatic rifles. That spread is the point: you are not buying a single squad, you are buying a toolbox for modern skirmish forces.
Five bodies across 20 figures means repeated poses unless you mix arms and heads deliberately. Plan your build order before you cut anything. If you want a uniform section, decide which five body poses will repeat and accept that duplication. If you want variety, assign each body a role and use the weapon options to make the repetition read as different troop types.
Scale and basing for skirmish play
These are 28mm figures, so they sit alongside most modern skirmish rulesets that use 25–32mm basing conventions. The box does not include bases, so budget for round or slot bases separately. For skirmish games, 25mm round bases are the common choice; check your ruleset before you buy.
Because the figures are multi-part hard plastic, you can pose them for cover, kneeling, or weapon-specific silhouettes. That matters more in skirmish than in mass battle, where a firing line hides individual poses. If your table is dense with scatter terrain, spend the extra time on varied stances.
How to split one box into two or three forces
A practical split for modern skirmish wargaming is a professional core and an irregular tail. Build eight to ten figures as a disciplined special operations or contractor element with matching rifles and clean silhouettes. Build the rest as militia or a criminal band using the AK-pattern rifles, shotguns if you convert, and mixed headgear. This gives you two visually distinct forces from one purchase.
If you already own other modern plastic sets, use the Operators bodies for your elite figures and save the more ragged bodies from other kits for conscripts. The weapon mix is broad enough that you can arm a small unit with sniper rifles and light machine-guns without buying a second box, which is unusual at this price point.
Assembly, painting and table time
Hard plastic takes plastic cement, not superglue, for a durable bond. Clean mould lines before assembly, then prime in a mid-tone that suits your chosen camouflage. Modern skirmish figures reward contrast: pick a base uniform colour, add a darker webbing tone, and use a third colour for weapons so they read at arm's length on the table.
Do not batch-paint all 20 at once if you want to start playing soon. Paint five figures to a finished standard, get them on the table, then return to the rest. Skirmish games need small numbers, and a finished five-figure fireteam is more useful than twenty half-painted bodies.
Decision rules for buying the Operators box
- Rule 1: Buy if you need two or more modern factions from one box: The five bodies and broad weapon mix let you build a professional element and an irregular element. If your campaign or tournament list needs both, this box replaces two single-purpose kits. One box, two forces: good value for skirmish campaigns.
- Rule 2: Buy if you are comfortable with multi-part hard plastic: Assembly is required. If you dislike cleaning mould lines, gluing arms and heads, or planning poses, this box will slow you down. Choose a single-piece metal or resin range instead if assembly is a barrier. Assembly time is the real cost; factor it in.
- Rule 3: Do not buy if you need a single defined historical unit: Operators are generic modern. If your project is a specific national army with correct webbing, helmets and weapons, you will spend more time converting than playing. A period-specific set such as Italian Infantry will be a better starting point. Generic modern is a strength for skirmish, a weakness for strict historical re-enactment.
- Rule 4: Check your basing and ruleset before purchase: The box does not include bases. Confirm whether your ruleset expects 25mm round, 30mm round or slot bases, and buy those at the same time so you can assemble and play without a second order. No bases included: order them with the box.
Product facts that affect your decision
- Operators: Hard plastic box set includes enough parts to build 20 28mm figures, with five unique bodies and a mix of modern weaponry including knives, pistols, AR and M-model rifles, AK model rifles, G-model rifles, sniper rifles, and light machine-guns or squad automatic rifles. One box can cover several modern skirmish factions and roles, so you can field both a professional element and an irregular force without buying a second kit.
- Italian Infantry: Italian Infantry is a hard plastic set depicting World War 2 Italian troops who fought in France, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia, with the slogan 'Believe, Obey, Fight!' and the 1943–1945 Italian Civil War context. If your modern skirmish project needs period opponents or a historical militia flavour, this set gives you a defined historical force rather than a generic modern one.
- Horses: Horses sprue includes six horse halves, four heads, three tails, and three saddle blankets, with nine unique poses from mixing halves and up to 36 unique figures when combined with the heads. Useful if your modern skirmish setting includes mounted patrols, rural militia or scenario-specific cavalry, and it adds pose variety without needing a separate animal kit.
Who should buy this box
Best for
- Modern skirmish wargamers who want one box to build two or more small forces
- Players running special operations, private military contractor, corporate security or militia factions
- Hobbyists who enjoy multi-part plastic assembly and pose planning
- Campaign players who need sniper, light machine-gun and rifle options in the same kit
Not for
- Buyers who want pre-assembled or single-piece figures
- Strict historical projects that require a specific national army with correct uniforms and insignia
- Gamers who need a complete force with bases included in the box
