Review

You can never have enough figures for tanks. Trumpeter has given us a set of figures in the black overall uniform, three standing and one squatting. The set comes with one sprue of figures, and a second sprue of weapons. A third sprue of helmets is in flexible vinyl. The figures are molded in gray styrene and are very well done. I was impressed by recessed seams along the trouser legs and very modest mold lines that were easily removed. Not much clean-up to do on the parts. Many knockout pins on the sprues, but none on the parts that have two attachment points; some of the parts that have one attachment point also have a pin to remove. Heads are not fully formed, so if you use these heads you will have to put the vinyl helmets on.

The sprues come in a side-opening box with the instructions on the back. Colors are called out for Mr. Hobby, Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya, and Humbrol. The box art does not advertise the molded plastic very well. The torsos, especially, actually have much more detail than the box shows. Also, all four figures are complete with legs.

The helmets look good. Nice definition, and the flexible vinyl allows one to press it into place. They look spot on when you get them fitted tightly onto the heads.

You will need to do some work on the shoulder joints’ fit. Some fill is called for, not a lot. The poses are maybe a little stiff and not very naturalistic; more like the tankers were posing for a picture. The three standing figures are most likely to be looking out of a hatch, though, and their nicely detailed hands can be on the vehicle.

The sprue of personal weapons molded in dark brown styrene ought to be a great inclusion. Separate magazines and stocks allow some customization. Unfortunately, the weapons on my sample are slightly out of register, so that the left and right halves of the guns don’t quite match. The offset is small but noticeable if the light hits it right. This could be ameliorated with very careful trimming and placement but the weapons are delicate.

These figures are generic enough that if you gave them aftermarket heads they could suit any number of scenes, both civilian and military. Put any of them (sans weapons) on a tractor or garage scene and they’d fit in.