When it comes to modelling 1/35 scale World War Two subjects the modeller of German interests has always been better served than those with an allied bent, but considering the size of the market in the United States it has always surprised me how few figure sets there are of U.S. subjects, with this one being amongst the few decent sets out there.
Coming in the standard Dragon open-ended box this kit comes on two sprues, one containing the four figures, the other containing weapons. Moulded in a light grey plastic these are all very well moulded with clear, sharp detail and a variety of faces with good expressions.
The four figures are portrayed in the “walking along on patrol” poses which are never inspiring but the quality of the figures is very good, the hands in particuar being a stand out feature in this kit. All four wear the standard HBT camouflaged uniforms with M1938 leggings, M1936 suspenders and M1 helmets, three of which have moulded on netting, with two of those also having moulded foliage as part of the netting.
Each figure gets a canteen, a first aid pouch, and an entrenching tool, with the the squad leader also getting a pair of cutters in a case, a twin pistol mag holster, and a set of five Thompson sub-machine gun ammo pouches. The BAR gunner also gets six BAR mag pouches while the two riflemen have an additional bayonet in a scabbard, ten Garand M1 ammo pouches as part of the web-belt and a six pocket ammo bandolier made up of three parts each.
The weapons included are a Thompson M1A1 sub-machine gun, two M1 Garand rifles, an M1 Carbine, and a Browning Automatic Rifle ( BAR ). There is also three hand grenades and an M1911A1 .45 calible Colt handgun in a pistol holster for the squad leader, which has a slightly overdone angle on the butt. If you choose to use the M1 Carbine with any of the figures there are no ammo pouches for it however. The BAR also only gets the option of an open bipod, though this is very well made.
I’m not a big fan of the “walking along” style of pose in figure sets but there’s no escaping that this is a very well produced set that would be a worthy enhancment to any diorama. The mouldings are very good and the detailing nice and clear, making this one of my go to kits when I need U.S. figures.
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