One of the least modeled figures in 1/35 scale in my opinion has been the World War 2 British Airborne. Black Dog has now blessed us with a second set of British Airborne in a set of two figures, one an NCO and the other a PIAT gunner.
Contents
Two figures with separate heads and arm plus weapons.
Review
One of the latest figure releases from Black Dog has been British Paratroopers, while the figures are also available separately, they do come in a set of two. The figures are cast in resin and on inspection the casting is done well with good looking details. There is some visible flash, and only some minor cleanup will be required after cutting off the pour plugs and a couple of seams.
Figure 1 looks to be an NCO, based on the stripe molded onto the arms, in the process of handing out orders. The figure includes a wooden stock Sten and small piece of resin to be used as a clip board or order book. The figure includes well cast detail of the Sten ammunition pouches molded onto the figure. The Sten gun looks good, if a little fragile. The facial detail is well done, but one small issue I find with most Black Dog figures is the nose is a little too pronounced. A nice touch I did find on this figure is a couple of simulated tears in the trousers, to show the figure has been through some action.
The second figure includes a PIAT and associated ammunition carrier. The figure has some great looking detail, with all of the personal gear molded on. The PIAT also looks to be well cast, and has four parts that will need to be assembled, but should build into a great looking weapon. The figure is wearing a beret, with the helmet separate and again facial detail is well done. An Enfield is included to be slung on his back, but there is not sling molded onto the figure, so a little masking tape or other medium will be required to represent the sling.
On both figures the casting of the personal gear onto the figures is very well done, with good detail. The webbing is also well done, and looks realistic. I do especially like the helmet camouflage detail, it looks to scale and should add to the overall look of the figures.
There are no assembly or painting instructions for the figures, so the builder will need to rely on the box cover and personal reference to build and paint the figures.
Conclusion
Overall these are a great looking pair of figures from Black Dog, and very welcomed. The figures are well cast and represent useful poses for a diorama or vignette. The overall detail on the figures is well done and looks to represent the Airborne uniform well. In my opinion there is very little to find wrong with the figures, other than my personal opinion about the noses. These figures are a must have for any British Airborne fans.
SUMMARY
Highs: Great release of overdue subjects, good castings, useful poses.Lows: Little flash to be cleaned up, and noses a little oversized in my opinion.Verdict: Great figures, and British Airborne. Highly recommended.
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I am an IT Consultant and father, with a passion for plastic models. I mostly prefer 1/35 Armor and 1/48 Aircraft. My main interests are anything Canadian, as well as WW2 German and British Armor and Aircraft. I have been building models since I was a young kid, got away from it for awhile, but r...
Very nice but the pose of the officer is too similar to that of the masterbox figure. I'm not saying it's been copied but that it lacks originality. That said if you want that pose in resin sharp quality it does give you a new option.
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