Introduction

As this kit is labelled as a ‘3D’ model on the website and also in the product code, I got in touch with Lee Chan Kie at Legend Productions to ask what the ‘3D’ referred to, he very kindly replied with the following “The figure is first created using 3D software then the masters are 3D printed, from which silicone moulds are made and then the parts are created using resin in the traditional way”.

Contents

This is a full build review of this stunning figure kit. The kit is produced in resin and comes packaged in Legend’s end opening cardboard box with all the parts in one re-sealable bag (Photos 1 & 2). The black box has a photo on it of a rendering of the kit.

Please note I am not nor do I claim to be an expert on Special Forces their Weapons or Tactics. The ‘expanded’ contents list below has been compiled from various online articles of SEALS and DEVGRU operators.

The single bag contains 48 resin pieces, which contains the following items;
Head with U94 PTT unit moulded onto side (Photo 11)
Helmet with V-Lite Manta Strobe and FAST-ARC Accessory Rail Connectors on both sides (Photo 12)
L-3 Warrior Systems GPNVG's (Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggles - powered for as much as 30 hours of continual use by a quartet of CR123As) (Photo 14)
Battery holder for the GPNVG's
Upper torso (wearing Crye Precision Gen2 AC Shirt) (Photo 5)
Lower torso and legs (wearing Crye Precision Gen2 AC Pants) with the safety Lanyard cast in place (Photo 6)
Merrell Gore-Tex hiking boots (Photo 13)
Left Arm (Photo 7)
Left hand wearing Garmin watch with mk.79 grenade Pistol (Photo 8)
Right Arm (Photo 9)
Right hand wearing GPS unit with FN. SCAR Mk.17 rifle and advanced armament Silencer (Photo 10)
LA-5A/PEQ ATPIAL-UHP (Advanced Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Laser – Ultra High Power)
Holographic Weapon Sight
Rail Grip
MOLLE backpack/hydration pack,
5.56 triple MOLLE ammo pouch (Photo 15)
40mm ammo (x12) (Photo 16)
First Aid Pouch
Various pouches (x5) (Photo 17)
MBITR radio pouch
Blade radio antenna (Photo 18)
AN/PRC-152 Radio (Photo 19)
Sig Sauer P226 in Serpa Holster
With the hiking boots, specialist gloves and Garmin wrist GPS, it all adds to the feeling of a Special Ops operator.

Instructions

The instructions (Photo’s 3 & 4), as they are, are standard Legend fare. There is a single sheet of glossy magazine like paper that is printed on both sides with photographs and renderings of the kit. There are exploded views that show all of the parts required for each of the sub-assemblies, strangely there are part numbers on the instructions but there are no numbers on the parts or on the pour blocks. So you need to examine what you have in the bag with what is shown on the instruction sheet, luckily everything in this kit is fairly simple to identify by the quantity you need to add to the figure, you can also use the photos of the built figure on Legends website to assist in part placement. I downloaded the photos from the website, placed into word and printed out the document, which has been very handy.

The resin is absolutely wonderful; the pieces are impressively cast and feature very crisp and sharp details. The figure is designed in such a way that all the ancillary items, pouches, magaziness, grenades, radio etc. can be added after the uniform is painted. The downside to this is that the clean-up and assembly is a more complex affair, but then you can customise the figure as you wish.

This figure represents a SEAL/DEVGRU operator in an action pose with a Pirate gun (Cut down Mk.79 Grenade launcher) in his left hand pointing forward, where his right hand is holding onto his FN SCAR ( Fabrique Nationale Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle - https://fnamerica.com/products/rifles/fn-scar-17s/) Mk.17 running into action. The only thing with the pose, is I am not sure that he would be running forward firing his pistol with his SCAR free held, would he have enough time to holster the pistol and bring the SCAR up to an accurate firing position, maybe he would, who am I to judge. At the end of the day it’s still a very dynamic pose.

The figure wears the most advanced state-of-the-art equipment. He is portrayed as wearing the Crye Precision Gen2 AC Combat Shirt and Pants, onto which is the BAE RBAV Plate Carrier. As stated above, the equipment pieces are provided separately in the kit: these being;

MOLLE backpack/hydration pack,
5.56 triple MOLLE ammo pouch (x2)
Side Arm40mm ammo (x10)
First Aid Pouch
Various pouches (x2),
MBITR radio pouch
U94 PTT unit
AN/PRC-152 Radio
Blade radio antenna

To aid in painting the face, the helmet is included as a separate item which is the MICH High Cut Helmet. The helmet features a VAS Shroud for mounting night vision equipment, as well as Velcro 'tabs' on the top, rear and both sides of the helmet, used for attaching flag patches, ID markers. This kit includes the Wilcox L4-G24 NVG mount, NVG battery pack, L-3 Warrior Systems GPNVG's and Manta strobe light. The Peltor ComTac Headset is there as well, sculpted on the figure’s head in great detail. There is a tiny microphone provided as a separate part in the set (x2) it’s a shame it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the instructions and the microphone boom will need to be added by the modeller using thin wire, or lead wire as none is provided in the kit, To be fair, it’s not shown on the website of the 3D rendered figure. You will also need to add, for accuracy a cable running from the battery pack to the NVG mount, this is shown in the CAD rendering but not included in the kit.

All good so far, now onto the build itself

Building

The main concern is/was the huge casting attachment pouring plugs on the torso (6), Legs (5/6 attachment points plus flash between the back of the knees) and backpack (4 way cross), the helmet plug was quite difficult to remove as it’s on the inside of the helmet and follows the curve all the way from the inside top to the outside lip at the base of the helmet. His head also has a prominent 4 way plug on his head. The way I approached it was to remove as much of the plugs as possible with my Citadel snips, the resin is quite soft on the plugs so was easy enough to remove most of the excess without damaging the parts in the process.

With the Legs the plugs are attached at the top, so they are okay, however the lower plugs are cast onto the leg so need careful removal, I used the snips then a new scalpel blade finally sanding away any small remains with files and finishing with a polishing stick, likewise with the flash. I used the same method to remove the large lug on the rear of the torso, and using the scalpel I re introduced the gap between the MOLLE webbing, something I needn’t have bothered with as once the back pack is on you can’t see any missing details.

The rucksacks large cross was removed and sanded. The Head was removed from its plug and sanded back to the right shape and a lot of careful scrapping and sanding on the helmet ensured a neat fit would be achieved.

The Merrell Boots are attached in such a way that once the plugs are removed the 'scars' will not be visible and to be fair to Legend that is true for nearly all the pieces that need removing from their casting plugs. The only item that snapped having been removed was the blade antenna, which I thought may have snapped when I cleaned out the fold at the top, but it was when I removed the last post from the antenna that the last 1mm came off, so no biggie in the scheme of things. With the arms and hands it’s just a case of carefully snipping away the posts and going in with a blade/sanding/polishing sticks, take your time and your patience will be rewarded. Some of the very small parts are on block row, I found it best to snip them off individually and then tidy each one up, just glad the 40mm Grenades supplied were more than needed, as I fired a couple off into the air, never to be seen again.

The Legs, Torso, Arms, Boots and head all feature very pronounced plugs and sockets, so ensuring a good solid connection between each item. Between the left arm and torso there was a hairline gap (visible on the promo shots on the legend website) which was filled with superglue/talcum powder. A bigger gap (2-3mm) was found between the upper and lower body parts, this was filled with Vallejo putty and smoothed into place with a moistened brush, though once all the pouches and bits and bobs are added you can’t see anything.

There are no Instructions per-say, just exploded photos of what goes where on the figure, so it’s largely up to the builder on what to do first. Personally I attached the torso to the legs, boots to the lower legs. Left arm, left hand with pistol (The pistol and silencer both had the barrels drilled out) and then the right arm to the body. These items were fixed into place as they would not hinder the painting process later on, the right hand with rifle is just tacked on for the photos, and this will be removed for painting. The next item attached was the backpack and once in place, you have a reference point for where all the other bits go, again the pouches and radio were fixed permanently, the 40mm grenade rounds were just tacked on, as these will not be painted in the ACU /DEVGRU camouflage colours. The head has a pin in so this could be added for the photos, but removed and stuck on a cork to enable painting to take place.

Besides my initial worries when I opened the box, the Fit of parts is exceptional and the quality of the resin along with the details is superb. I would recommend this figure kit to anyone who has worked with resin before. You will not be disappointed with this as a worthy addition to any figure collection.

Now where's the 1/16th version.