Hello Commander, welcome back to Toy Soldier Central. Are you interested in unusual modern toy soldiers? Then check out these Taliban army men by Armies In Plastic! These Taliban army men are a rare set of modern soldiers that come from a premium army men company.

If you have any thoughts about these army men, we’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below.

Now let’s jump into the review of “The Afghan Taliban,” set made by Armies In Plastic.

The History Of The “Armies In Plastic” Company

Here’s a brief history of the A.I.P. company.

Armies In Plastic was established in 1998 by toy soldier enthusiast Anthony Ciccarello. Now, the business is maintained by Paul Ciccarello, who continues the business his father started. They’re a United States based toy soldier company, and operate from Ohio. Their production is 100% USA based, as of 2021.

Armies In Plastic specializes in producing high-quality, historically accurate toy soldier figures. They offer a wide range of plastic army men, covering various historical eras and military conflicts. Their figures are always made of sturdy and durable plastic. Although the figures lack exceptional, luxury quality detail, they are still “better than okay.” Armies In Plastic is a prime example of a premium toy soldier brand.

Over the years, the company has gained a loyal following of toy soldier enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.

Without any further ado, let’s jump right into the frontlines of this review!

First Impressions Of The Toy Soldier Packaging

First things first, let’s talk about the box these army men come in.

The box itself is made of durable cardboard. It feels sturdy, and you can use it to secure your soldiers. The front of the box displays the Armies In Plastic logo. The box also shows off original concept sketches used for some of the poses in this pack.

The box also shows us specifics about this particular set of toy soldiers. My box says they’re Taliban toy soldiers representing the “Helmand Province.” There are 3 other provinces, making 4 in total. The only difference between the “provinces” is the color of the toy soldier’s plastic. Armies In Plastic continues the tradition of providing various color options for your toy soldiers in most of their army men sets.

Your different color options for the Taliban toy soldiers are:

Province	Color Of Army Men
Helmand Province	Blue Soldiers
Afghan Province (Out Of Production) (Sometimes mislabeled as Helmand Province)	Tan Soldiers
Kabul Province	Red Soldiers
Kandahar Province	Black Soldiers

The sides of the box tell you the set you’re purchasing, as well as your set number. The Helmand Province is set number 5620. You’re also given details about the soldiers. Those facts include the size of the soldiers, their pose variety, and the total number of soldiers in the set. This particular box comes with 18 figures, varying in 6 poses, all in 1:32 (54mm) scale.

The back of the box has an innovative feature that sets it apart from other toy soldier companies – a transparent plastic sheet. This lets you see the soldiers in the box before buying them!

On the back of the box, you’ll find AIP’s business information, including their website, physical address, and an outdated phone number.

Now, onto the figures themselves.

General Overview Of Taliban Army Men By AIP

The Armies In Plastic Taliban box set comes with 3 plastic bags. Each baggy contains 6 soldiers, totaling to 18 soldiers. You can think of each bag as an independent squad, because every soldier in the bag utilizes a different pose.

The 6 poses you can expect are as follows:

One rocketeer, ready to launch his RPG.

One Commander, holding a handgun and AK-47.

One Soldier aiming his ak-47 while standing.

One Soldier aiming his ak-47 while crouching.

One Soldier advancing at a sprint’s pace.

One Soldier charging into battle, firing his AK-47 from the hip.

Each of these toy soldiers comes with varied details – which are all pretty good.

Keep in mind that Taliban themed toy soldiers are rare and hard to come by. These modern soldiers are hardly ever converted into miniature form. The only other toy soldier companies I know of that produce Taliban army men are Mars with their Taliban Warriors set, and ResinMunitorum from Etsy with their OPFOR set. Both sets are spectacular in their own right, and I own the Mars set.

Do you agree with this post so far? Share your thoughts in a comment below!

As far as the variety, I was pretty satisfied with the poses of the figures. We’re getting 18 soldiers, with 6 poses, and 3 of each pose. The only thing that could have made this set better was if EVERY soldier used a different pose, but hey, a hobbyist can dream, right?

For those reasons, I give the variety and uniqueness a solid 8 out of 10.

Quality Level Of These Taliban Toy Soldiers

At first glance, you can tell these toy soldiers are something special. And that’s what I expect from a premium toy soldier company. Each soldier has individual details ranging from subtle to complex. All those qualities add up to make a marvelous toy soldier.

Every molding line and crease makes sense on the figures, and brings out the characteristics of their equipment and uniforms. You can even see the toes in the sandals on some of these miniatures!

You also get some slight variance in the general appearance of the army men in each squad. Some of the soldiers are sporting turbans, while other soldiers are using Taqiyyas. Some soldiers are wearing a robe and pants, while others are also wearing a vest over their robe. Some soldiers have more creases on their robes than others.

You get the idea – every squad member has a distinct look.

Upon closer inspection, you can even see the buttons near the robe collar, and on the ammo pouches. That’s incredible attention to detail!

The faces are also crafted with the beginning stages of intricate detail. Remember, they aren’t luxury miniatures, but they’re still pretty good. Every miniature has a well formed nose, prominent cheekbones, lips that fit the scale, and divots for their eyes.

Now, I have to say something about these toy soldiers. The miniatures are simple. They have a weapon, a face, some equipment, hair, headwear… and that’s about it.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Their simplicity is historically accurate, and adds to the charm of these miniatures. It’s the perfect medium between Tim Mee’s straightforward soldiers, and the complicated miniatures of Games Workshop.

Finally, the bases of each of these toy soldiers all come pre-textured with a sort of sandy and desert theme. They have rough patches, humps and bumps, which you can convert into a marvelous base.

Additionally, each base is wide and firm – you’ll have no problem standing these soldiers up. The bottom of each base is also stamped with “Armies In Plastic” branding. That stamp has no effect on the toy soldier’s standing ability.

Unfortunately, no toy soldiers are without downsides.

Upon closer inspection of these soldiers, you can find subtle plastic flashing lines. They usually run right down the middle of the figure, from the top of the head, all the way down to the left and right sides of the arms. Don’t worry though, you can clean the plastic flashing by using a hobby knife and some patience.

These plastic flashing lines are obvious on some figures. You can almost imagine how both halves of the toy soldier were molded together to make the full figure.

If these artifacts touch the mini’s nose, it will unfortunately cause a slight deformity. Also, the soldiers have the classic plastic toy soldier molding circle pin mark on their backs, and other places on their bodies. Sometimes it looks a bit ugly.

But, like the plastic flashing, you can remedy this with a hobby knife and a little bit of green stuff to fill in the cracks.

Some of these toy soldiers have unfortunate flatness in their beards. It’s like they had trouble texturing this soldier’s sideburns. But hey, at least the rest of the beard is bushy!

A few of my soldiers also had some chipping on their eyebrows. I can’t say if this is true for every Taliban toy soldier set, but that’s what I got with mine.

I have to say this: I was grasping at straws with these negatives, because these minis are wonderful.

Back to the bright side of these miniatures – the unpainted figures look great right out of the box, flaws and all. But, I know from experience that when they change from unpainted to painted toy soldiers, they jump to life.

If you’re curious about learning how to paint toy soldiers, and if you wanna pick up the techniques we used to paint these Taliban toy soldiers, check out our guide about how to paint these Taliban toy soldiers. After you learn how to paint these figures, they’ll pop right into the next level of awesomeness!

Let’s wrap up the quality and detail assessment of these toy soldiers. Armies In Plastic did a wonderful job wtih the detailing. The equipment, the ammo vests, the weapons, the clothing, and the soldiers themselves are all top notch.

I give this set a 6.5 out of 10 in terms of quality and detail.

The features on these army men are impressive, and they become even more remarkable when you remember that this set only costs $10-$18!

How Much Do Taliban Plastic Army Men Cost?

It’s critical to remember, Armies In Plastic is a premium quality toy soldier brand. If you aren’t familiar with the term, I recommend refreshing your knowledge on the premium toy soldier brands page.

But here’s a brief recap to save you some time. Premium toy soldier companies produce high quality soldiers, and are usually more costly as a result. However, they aren’t at the quality and cost level of luxury toy soldier brands.

But, Armies In Plastic stands out as a diamond among premium toy soldier brands.

This box set, and many others like it, are sold for bargain prices ranging between 10$ and 18$. For that small cost, you get 18 well detailed, one of a kind toy soldiers from the modern Era.

This price summary is so short because you can’t beat the value you get from these toy soldiers at that price. Because of that, Armies In Plastic earns a solid 10 out of 10 in the pricing category with this army men set.

My Personal Opinion On Armies In Plastic Taliban Army Men

These figures are something I adore. I have nostalgic feelings for these toy soldiers. When I was a young hobbyist, I was so used to playing with Chinese knock-off army men from the dollar store.

That all changed when one day, I was doing my daily curiosity-fueled search for “plastic army men” on eBay.

I scrolled and scrolled until I stumbled upon some toy soldiers more unique than anything else I’ve yet seen!

I begged my dad to buy me a box, and I painted them up instantly, then sold them for 5 times what my dad paid for them.

I love every set from Armies In Plastic. Especially their modern toy soldiers! But, this set holds a special place in my heart, and I give this box set a solid 10 out of 10 on my personal score.

What’s your personal opinion on these blue army men? Share your thoughts in a comment below!

Conclusion Of The Armies In Plastic Taliban Toy Soldiers Review

Let’s recap the scores so far.

The total score of this set is 34.5 out of 40, or 86%, earning this product a solid B grade.

The attention to detail and accuracy of the figures makes them look very realistic. Plus, the numerous poses and accessories available make them great for customizing and creating unique displays. Even though they aren’t luxury miniatures, I always look forward to seeing what Armies In Plastic releases next. In fact, they’re one of the most affordable premium army men brands, and one of my personal favorites.

This set should be part of every toy soldier collector’s army!

Where To Buy Armies In Plastic Taliban Toy Soldiers

Armies In Plastic On eBay

Armies In Plastic On Amazon

The Armies In Plastic Store Page