introduction

Imagine it’s a hot summer night; soldiers of two opposing armies are on patrol for their adversaries through the thick woods of Southern Europe. As the two are just about to happen upon each other a small clearing light from the moonlight from a cloudless sky appears. Within the clearing two women bath themselves as if not a care in the world. All the while just feet away two soldiers from each side of the fight grab cover to enjoy the sites of the nocturnal European countryside.

One of Master Box Ltd’s latest releases is the US and German Paratroopers the South of Europe, 1944 set. This set contains one sprue tree with all six figures attached and a healthy compliment of gear for the paratroopers.

review

Master Box Ltd has made a point to plan placement of the sprue gates to minimize the attachment point and to reduce the amount of cleanup of the figures. The two female figures included in this set are depicted topless in their underwear as if bathing in a stream or small pond. One figure appears to help out the other with a small carafe to wash the other off. Both figures are crisply molded and are free from flash.

There are two US Paratroopers and two German Paratroopers included with this set. They are all posed in a way that they might be peeking form behind something to catch a quick glance of the two women bathing. All four figures are cleanly molded, free from flash and wearing uniforms indicative of the time and place setting in WWII ravished Southern Europe. Each of the four soldier come equipped with all the essential gear they would have been carrying at the time while on patrol. The two bathing women included with this set are molded nicely and in poses as to suggest they are bathing together.

Construction

True to form, the Master Box Ltd figures seem to fall together. There is very little cleanup involved outside the normal sprue gate marks which are minimal and seam lines, after connection these are almost perfect. Construction was quick and easy resulting in 6 finely represented figures. All of the soldiers constructed as easy as snipping the parts off, a light cleanup of the attachment points and extremely light mold seems. There are four small helmet straps included with the US soldiers which added a nice bit of extra detailing. As for the two female figures included with the set, the construction was pretty straightforward. There was a small amount of flash on one of the bather’s upper leg but this was easily rectified with a quick swipe of a sanding stick.

There are only the figures included with this set and no external props such as trees/foliage or even a stone wall for the men to hide behind so something will be needed to be added to the scene to complete it.

As with all Master Box Ltd figure sets, the instructions are printed on the backside of the box as well as a full color chart for painting references.

Conclusion

To be honest, I feel Master Box Ltd has been producing some of the finest figure sets on the market. For the quality that you get, for the low price these are must have figure sets. The moldings are excellent and even the subject matter is very original. The scene may seem a bit whimsical, but as most of us know, these figures can be all used in one setting or easily split up to use with different vignettes or dioramas as needed. The construction is quick and simple and the fit is excellent with all the parts. This is great set to have for the unique qualities presented within. I highly recommend this set.