Introduction:

I remember when the first figures from Live Resin appeared on the market. Back in 2013, these were the first military 1/35 scale miniatures designed using 3D technology and developed by rapid prototyping, revolutionizing the figure production process.

After a long break, Live Resin is back with new 1/35 scale figures. This review covers their USMC Soldier Figure for MCTAGS and LAV-25 Turrets (LRM-35006).

Review:

The set is packed in a hard cardboard box. The CAD image on the box front displays the contents of the set, while the CAD image on the back of the box shows the complete figure. Opening the box, I found a single zip-lock bag containing the pieces of the set organized on several carrier blocks. Cast in grey resin, the pieces look impressive; there are no seam lines, air-bubbles or any kind of imperfections in the resin, only a tiny amount of flash residue easily removed using the back of the X-acto blade. The set consists of 14 pieces:

- legs,
- torso,
- left arm,
- right arm,
- left boot,
- right boot,
- head (2x),
- helmet,
- equipment (5x).

The carrier blocks are large, but feature very thin pour stubs and a small contact area to the piece itself, greatly facilitating the cleanup process. Some extra care is needed when cleaning the delicate ammo belt.

The set depicts USMC soldier in a relaxed posture standing in MCTAGS turret. At first I was a bit reluctant about the pose as it seemed too exposed, but browsing the Internet I found an image which obviously served as a reference photo for designing this figure (attached). The USMC soldier in this set wears USMC’s Flame Resistant Organizational Gear (FROG) uniform, Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) and Lightweight Helmet (LWH). The equipment is cast separately and includes Beretta M9 in Serpa holster, two M4 double magazine pouches and utility pouch. A segment of .50 cal ammo belt which could be slung on the figure’s shoulder is included as well. All the details on the uniform and equipment have been reproduced very realistically and, as far as my references show, accurately in scale.

The set includes two slightly different heads, both sharing the nicely rendered facial features, one sporting Crossbow ballistic sunglasses.

Assembly:

Assembling this set is very easy. However, take some time to identify all the parts in the set, study the instructions on the box art and test fit the pieces before actually starting the build.

The fit of the pieces is absolutely wonderful. Designed with square-shaped protrusions and indentations, the corresponding pieces are easily aligned and I didn’t have to use any putty throughout the build, which is a big plus in my book. I fixed the torso to the legs first, attached boots and arms next, and added the equipment pieces to the tactical vest. I fixed the helmet to the head, and finished the build by attaching the head to the torso.

As the name of the set suggests, the figure is designed for MCTAGS turrets. I have one of Live Resin MCTAGS kits and as soon as I build it, I will do a test fit and update this review. I don’t expect any major problems with fitting the figure to the turret itself, but the issue could be adjusting the height of the figure standing inside the vehicle, in order to fit the MCTAGS optimally. Vehicle crews like to mount equipment under the hatch in order to give gunners something to stand on, and Live Resin designed their LRE-35288 set (Boxes to mount standing figures inside various HMMWV turrets) just for that purpose.

Conclusion:

USMC Soldier Figure for MCTAGS and LAV-25 Turrets (LRM-35006) is a very nice 1/35 scale figure set from Live Resin. The resin pieces are cast really well and very easy to clean. The fit of the pieces is perfect and the figure can be assembled with minimal effort. Altogether, this is a great figure to complement all the different MCTAGS turrets available from Live Resin.

Thanks to Yaroslav from Live Resin for this review sample.