Allied
Force ETO 1944
Manufacturer: Dragon models
Scale: 1/35
Material: Styrene
Serial Number: 6653
Price: TBA
Introduction
To those unaware of the fact, Dragon some time ago dropped their 2nd
Generation figure range, but continue to release figure sets with
various 2nd Generation prts, usually the weapons.
This is one such set, consisting of four Allied figures suitable for
the European Theatre in 1944.
Kit
Contents
The kit contents consist of just one large sprue of light grey styrene,
plus two small weapons sprues.
The large main sprue hold four figures plus personal kit and headgear
etc. Breakdown of the parts is conventional for injection moulded
figures, i.e. separate upper torso, head, headgear, arms and legs.
The moulding is quite sharp, as you would expect, with good levels
of detail. The upper torso of each piece unfortunately still suffers
from the plastic cooling lines, which will need to be carefully scraped
away. These lines are particularly noticeable on the back of the torso's,
but more difficult to remove from the front because of the complexity
of detail.
The hand of each of the figures are moulded integrally with each of
the arms, although as mentioned, each of the heads is moulded without
headgear which is supplied as a separate part. The detail on each
of the heads is quite good too...and it looks as if an attempt has
been made to mould their ears with slightly improved detail, these
being the areas that consistently let injection moulded figures down.
Having said that the detail is fairly good however, there's not much
'character' moulded into the facial expressions of each of the heads?
The four figures, although all representing Allied figures, are depicted
on the box art as being three Americans and one British Marine Commando.
Since the actual insignia etc, are not moulded onto the figures or
supplied as decals, then there's the possibility of using them in
a variety of settings. The British figure is supplied with a Sten
on the main figure sprue, but all the other weapons are supplied as
2nd Generation items on the two small sprues, meaning that they have
separate magazines or clips, and pre-drilled barrels etc.
Conclusion
Allied figure sets are always welcomed, and this seems a particularly
useful one, in that they're obviously posed to depict the maximum
potential, used either together or separately, and also in good generic
poses that can easily be used just standing next to a vehicle etc.
Recommended.
-
Vinnie Branigan
Kit
Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6653;
Allied Force ETO 1944 - Gen2 Gear; 110 parts in grey styrene; pre-order
price US$12.95 via Dragon USA Online
Advantages: crisp single figures can enhance any model and Gen2 weapons
state of the art
Disadvantages: not a set; inclusion of one Commonwealth figure a bit
odd (see text)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all vehicle modelers wanting a single "scale
establishment" figure
DML’s latest set of four individual figures is now for Allied troops
in the European Theater of Operations post D-Day. They consist of
a US NCO with a Thompson on his hip at rest, an infantryman with M1
waist-level at the ready, an officer with an M1 carbine on guard,
and a Commonwealth commando with Sten gun and full pack.
All four figures are DML "Gen1" standard and consist of
six main parts - head, torso, arms and legs – with specific uniform
kit included. The infantryman has a helmet with mesh netting and comes
with a cigarette (C9, not listed on the directions) and combat boots
(the other two have shoes and leggings), and they all have different
forms of dress.
The weapons are the excellent "Gen2" type with separate
bolt assemblies for the M1 rifle and M1 carbine, as well as spare
clips and magazines. All have their bores molded open.
The inclusion of the commando is odd as it is not possible for me
to recall any situation where more than two of these figures would
find themselves together. But as they appear to be single figures
who were "orphans" from other sets, it makes sense to join
DML’s sets of multiple singles in one box.
While the unsigned artwork is very clearly that of Ron Volstad, the
directions are oddly enough the "stick here and paint like the
box art" variety.
Overall this is a great set for modelers like Steve Zaloga who like
to place a single figure on a base with the model to give a sense
of scale to the finished work, but it is not a set.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
