--- title: "Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder 2: Females" subtitle: "Miniature review" author: Seth publish_date: 2025-08-12 01:00 date: 2025-08-12 01:00 hero_classes: text-light title-h1h2 overlay-dark-gradient hero-large parallax hero_image: miniature_cannon-fodder-female.webp show_sidebar: true show_breadcrumbs: true show_pagination: true taxonomy: category: blog tag: [gaming, tools, meta, rpg, scifi, wargame ] --- [Cannon Fodder 2: Females](https://wargamesatlantic.com/collections/demo-collection/products/cannon-fodder-2-females) is a 28mm model kit by Wargames Atlantic that provides 24 female sci fi soldiers. I bought it because I needed a bunch of sci fi soldier miniatures, and I wanted some of them to be women. This is my review of the kit. First of all, the models look great. Sculpt quality often varies between Wargames Atlantic kits, but this is definitely one of the good ones. The poses are good, the heads are nice, and the weapons are consistent. Some of the poses are difficult to seat correctly on a base but that's not an uncommon problem, and with enough glue and patience you eventually get around it. Once you have them built and painted, these models make for a very cool and thematic army. Speaking of a thematic army, the theme of this kit is entirely up to you. The models are highly generic, each one (across 3 or 4 different poses) dressed in an identical plain flight suit. Because of that, there's a high likelihood you can slot these models into any modern or sci-fi army. These soldiers could be from any country. They might have enlisted, or they might have been conscripted. Maybe they're prisoners sent to the front line, or conversely maybe they're space station security. Anything's possible because they're designed to be universal. The body shapes are identifiably female, and there's a really good variety of heads. There are helmets, hazmat helmets and face masks, heads with a variety of hair styles (including shaved), and heads with hats. The heads, in fact, was one of the primary reasons I bought the kit. I [incorrectly, as it turns out] figured I'd stock up on female heads, and then use them in other Wargames Atlantic kits. Don't try this at home, because it doesn't work, but more on that later. ## Cannon Fodder gear Aside from 24 bodies and twice as many heads, you of course get weaponry and backpacks. The good news is that many of the weapons are the same, so you can equip a squad with exactly one weapon type. For wargames, that's really useful because very often game rules divide squads by weapon type, or else allot a squad mostly one weapon with 2 or 3 heavy weapon exceptions. Fittingly, each sprue in this kit also includes a heavy weapon, and some pistols. For added fun, there's also a rope and grappling hook rig that I never could figure out how to assemble. Cannon Fodder (Females) by Wargames Atlantic There are a few problems with the weapon selection in the kit. Depending on how you look at it, the problem is either that all the weapons include a right arm, or that all the weapons _don't include_ the left hand. These are two different problems, so you lose both ways: * When a weapon includes the arm, it's hard to use the weapon elsewhere. You can try to stick a rifle, with its tiny little arm attached, from Cannon Fodder 2 onto an Ooh Rah body, but it's going to look really silly. * When a weapon doesn't include the left hand, the weapon doesn't fit snugly into the model's grip. You can glue a left hand and arm to the weapon, but the contact points aren't ever tight. You can tell the weapon is just resting on the hand, and that the hand isn't gripping the weapon. This is the case for each soldier except the heavy weapon and one rifle at rest. Each soldier looks like she's _just about to_ grip her weapon. If you look too closely, no model is ever actually holding a weapon. In practise, you'll never notice, but it really bugs me while I'm building and painting. ## There are no instructions, and no hints Not all model kits include instructions, and in practise many don't need them. We all know what humans look like. Stick some arms on a body, add a head, and you're done. However, there are lots of options in most model kits, and it seems to me that some options do have specific requirements. For example, a support arm bent at a 45° angle probably works better with a rifle held close to the chest than with a rifle extended away from the body. Somebody designed the model kit, so presumably at least that person knows which options are meant to go together. Don't expect any hints from Wargames Atlantic, because none of the 5 kits I've purchased have provided any guidance. I don't think full instructions are necessary, but it doesn't take much to label a sprue and then to document on slip of paper which numbers are meant to go together. It could be as simple as this: * Pose 1: Arms 4,8 * Pose 2: Arms 4,8 or 5,10 * Pose 3: Arms 6,12 or 7,13 or 14 If it's too much trouble to physically label sprues, then use columns and rows: * Pose R3 C1: Arm R1 C4 and R1 C8 * Pose R3 C2: Arm R1 C6 and R2 C5 The boxes add insult to injury. The largest element on the boxes are invariably stylized illustrations of the figures that the miniatures are meant to represent. The miniatures are literally only 28mm tall, but there are zero actual-size photographs of the miniatures, so you can even refer to the box for implied documentation. The photos that are provided shrink the 28mm miniatures by 75% (at the largest), and not all build options are even represented. The text on the back of the box provides vague lore about the miniatures, which is fun but not useful. It's dismal. Some model kits are more expensive than others, and this kind of convenience is one of the many reasons for that. You are very much on your own as you build. ## Inconsistent sizes between kits **Cannon Fodder 2: Females** is part of the **Death Fields** line of miniatures. I don't know what that means, exactly, but presumably **Death Fields** is different from the **Iron Core** line of miniatures. I would expect some degree of compatibility within product lines. In other words, I'd expect a human head in one **Death Fields** kit to be the same size as a human head in another. Generally, I'd hope that the arms and legs are roughly the same size (allowing for differences in body and clothing bulk). But that is not the case. I have 3 Death Fields kits (Cannon Fodder 2, Ooh Rah, and Raumjager Infantry) and it's comical to try to mix and match parts. It's not just the size of parts, it's the way they connect. Heads in one kit have ball joint necks, while in other kits they sit flat between the collar. Arm sizes are drastically different. Even the quality of the sculpt varies. If you're a kitbasher, Wargames Atlantic kits are of limited value. Except when they're of limitless value. As any good (or desperate?) kitbasher will tell you, there's always a way to make something fit. I've used Raumjager Infantry legs on some spare Genestealer Cult (by Citadel) torsos to round out an army. I've clipped off part of an Ooh Rah rifle and stuck it onto a turret. Parts are parts, and in the right situation you can probably make them useful. ## A fun and satisfying kit Despite product inconsistencies and the lack of any kind of insight into how these models were designed to fit together, Cannon Fodder 2 is a satisfying kit. The strength of the models lie in its generic design and its consistent weapon options. That may sound like a back-handed compliment, but it's genuinely a real strength. I have 24 soldiers, some painted army green, others in khaki, some in blue, and a few in black, and I can use them as Astra Militarum units, or [Traitor Guardsmen](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_traitor-guardsmen-miniatures), or in games of [Black Ops](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_review-black-ops) or [Rogue Stars](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_review-rogue-stars) or [Space Station Zero](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_review-space-station-zero). The models look great, with a good variety of poses and heads. There are some surprise parts, too, like cybernetic arms and that grappling hook thing (that I admittedly couldn't figure out how to build, but managed to use anyway). Significantly, the models are really easy to paint. Paint the flight suit one colour. Then paint the boots, weapon, and head, and you're done. Don't get this kit for spare parts, and don't get this kit if you're new to building models or if you prefer instructions (or even a hint) on how to build. But if you're looking for a bunch of rank-and-file female soldiers, and you're happy to piece together a puzzle of tiny plastic parts, then this kit is perfect for you. It's provided me with hours of building and painting fun, and now it's bolstering my game table. No regrets.

Photos licensed under the terms of Creative Commons Zero.