Have you ever seen a wartime photograph and had it inspire a great diorama idea for a model ? It seems that Tamiya sometimes have this happen too as this kit is based on the famous photo of Joachim Peiper taken during Operation Wacht Am Rhein, or the Ardennes offensive, probably best known as “The Battle of the Bulge”.
This kit comes in Tamiya’s standard small open ended box and consists of two grey sprues, one holding the weapons and equipment, another darker grey one having the four figures. The moulding is clean and sharp and the detail on the weapons and faces is very good, though for some reason Tamiya have reverted to moulding some figures as almost complete figures in one so some of the detail on the figures has been overly simplified resulting in a lack of detail definition in some areas. What is there though is well moulded and looks good.
The figure of Peiper is posed sitting on the side of a Schwimmwagen and wears a camo smock, long boots, a soft peaked cap and gloves. His hands are posed to copy the original photo in which he is holding a map in one hand and pointing at it with the other, though no map is included with this kit. The driver wears a camo smock, short boots and an overseas cap. One of the standing figures wears a panzer uniform with overseas cap and the other wears a camo smock, long boots, gloves and a balaclava under his helmet. He has a Model 24 “stick” grenade tucked into his belt which doesn’t quite look right as it lacks the correct undercut.
The weapons and equipment sprue included is the Tamiya “German Infantry Equipment Set B” and consists of three helmets with covers, two helmets without covers, five gas mask containers, five breadbags, one soft cap, one entrenching spade without its cover, two entrenching tools with bayonets attached, two entrenching tools without bayonets, five canteens, a bayonet, three type 24 “stick” grenades, one holstered Luger P08, one holstered Walther P38, one mapcase, a pair of binoculars, an MG34/42 maintenance kit pouch, one MG42, one folded MG42 bipod, one MG34/42 double spare barrel case, two MG34/42 ammo belts, one Panzerfaust 60, two G43 semi automatic rifles, two MP44 assault rifles, and four MP44 mag pouches.
A post is also included for making a signpost, with instructions to cut the signs from the side of the box.
I’m in two minds on this set, the detail that is there is good but it could have been so much better, Tamiya just didn’t seem to really try on this set. When you compare details like seperate smock skirts and grenades with a section of belt attached to create the “stuck in a belt” look that manufacturers like Masterbox do then you notice them missing from kits like this. The generic weapon sprue gives you plenty of spare equipment and a few weapons as well which is nice, but I just feel like the figures could have been just that little bit better.
Click thumbnails for larger images.
