Introduction:

Do you remember the time when there were almost no modern Russian figures in 1/35 scale available on the market? The things changed dramatically in the last couple of years, all because of Sergey Traviansky and his sculpts for various figure companies, including his own label, Evolution Miniatures. One of the latest figure releases from Evolution Miniatures depicts modern Russian tank crew.

Review:

Crew of the Russian T-72 Tank (EM-35115) set is packed in a small cardboard box. The box is about half the size of the usual Evolution Miniatures box, but it can still accommodate all the pieces of this 3-figure set.

The pieces are safely secured in several zip-lock bags. The pieces include:

Figure 1 (commander):
- full body with legs,
- right arm,
- left arm,
- head,
- helmet cable connector.

Figure 2 (gunner):
- full body with head, legs and right arm,
- left arm,
- right hand,
- helmet cable connector.

Figure 3 (driver):
- half body with head,
- right arm,
- left arm.

The pieces are cast in grey resin. The cast is really good, and I didn’t detect any air bubbles or flash residue on the pieces. However, I found a thin seam line going along the commander’s left arm. Although being on the bottom part of the arm and barely visible, the seam should be cleaned carefully without damaging the delicate details of the uniform. The set also includes copper wire to make wiring for helmet cable connector.

The fit of the pieces is perfect. As with all Evolution figure sets, the pieces feature irregularly shaped indentations and protrusions which help in optimally aligning the pieces. The assembly results in almost no visible gaps between pieces, keeping the putty work to a minimum.

The figures depict Russian Army tank crew suitable for T-type tanks from 1990’s onwards. The commander figure wears Russian winter uniform consisting of lined jacket and trousers. The jacket is made of cotton and has four pockets on the body and one small pocket on the upper part of each sleeve, and reinforced elbows. Removable jacket lining can be attached for additional warmth and has a fur collar exposed over the collar of the jacket. The trousers are also lined and made of cotton and feature a pocket on each thigh. Instead of the uniform jacket, the gunner and driver wear tanker winter jacket, with fur collar, external belt and side slit pockets. On their heads the figures sport winter version of the typical Russian Shlemofon Tsh-3 tanker helmet. The helmet has fur lining and built in headphones, and can be connected to the tank via the 4-pin cable attached to the helmet, allowing for full communication in the field. The cable connectors in the set are supplied as separate pieces for the commander and gunner figures, with the cable provided in the form of copper wiring.

The figures are sculpted very nicely; the anatomy is spot-on and the poses look really good. The level of details on the uniform and equipment is fascinating, with all the fine points nicely delivered in scale. Altogether, this is another very impressive offering from Evolution Miniatures and a perfect addition to almost any type of modern Russian armor in 1/35 scale.

Conclusion:

Evolution Miniatures is one of my favorite figure companies. It is not just about the figure sculpts, which are definitely among the best on the market today, but also about the figure break-up which makes Evolution sets easy to assemble and a real pleasure to paint. Crew of the Russian T-72 Tank (EM-35115) set is all that; perfectly sculpted with amazing attention to detail, well cast and easy to build... what more can you ask for?

Thanks to Olga and Sergey of Evolution Miniatures for this review sample.