Many are aware how unbearably hot the tanks of WWII got to be during the height of summer. They were the very same unheated tanks in which the Allies froze during the harsh winters. Thankfully, the talented Taesung Harmms sculpted the appropriate winter gear on the figures of set #35035 to make it all the more tolerable.

Overall impression

As this was my first opportunity to review an Alpine Miniatures set, I was quite anxious to open the package and see what all the fuss was about.


Inside the smartly designed packaging, I found two zip lock style bags, each containing a figure. Upon initial inspection I was very impressed with the quality of the castings as well as the detail. The sculpting shows a beautiful example of form, balance, and clothing properties.


The light gray resin had a unique feel to me, unlike the resins I’m accustomed to from other manufacturers. Whatever the formula, it does its job beautifully. All details were well defined and crisp. I was hard pressed to find any seams on either figure. I did notice a slight seam running up the back of the neck on the full figured tanker. It was swiftly removed with a light scraping from my x-acto blade.

Figure 1 (35033)

This full figure, standing in a relaxed pose, is comprised of three parts ¬legs/torso/left arm, right arm, and head. Also included is an optional second head. A nice touch by Alpine. This gives you the choice of using the head which wears the standard M1 Steel helmet, or the other one wearing the winter combat helmet with the earflaps in the up position.


He wears a winter combat jacket with rank patch molded on the left and right sleeve, and the armored divisional patch on the left. Winter combat trousers and boots round out this figures clothing. There is also a finely detailed pair of binoculars molded around the neck.


I was very impressed with the minute details present such as the zipper pulls for the pockets and the knit texture on the collar and cuffs of the winter combat jacket.

Figure 2 (35034)

This is a half figure displaying a tanker from the hip and above. The torso and arms are one piece, and again you have two heads to choose from, each wearing different head gear. One comes with the M1 Steel helmet, and the other with the M1942 armored forces helmet with commanders goggles.


This figure wears his bibbed winter combat trousers over his combat jacket. Gloves and a woolen scarf are nicely represented. The scarf could be painted the standard OD Green, or given a bit of flair by painting it as a civilian piece such as Taesung did on the box art.

Assembly

The assembly of these figures was an absolute dream. Parts were easily removed from their mold blocks with an x-acto saw blade and scalpel. The resin was easy to shape and sand. The joints where two pieces come together were seamless. I was surprised that there wasn’t a need for any putty whatsoever. Some of the best craftsmanship I’ve seen to date.

Conclusion

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to examine this line, I can honestly say they are a treat for any modeler that prefers resin figures. I highly recommend them.


My thanks go to Taesung for the review sample.