Introduction

The last two decades can truly be said to have been a fantastic time for the model making hobby. First Dragon started releasing models the like had never been seen before as regards contents and level of detail. Dragon has since lost that crown and has been superseded by a number of other companies producing a huge range of vehicles to satisfy fans of all periods. Some companies have stuck to producing mostly figure sets in 1/35th scale and one of these companies is Master Box. The fans of modern armour and armies have always struggled to find suitable figures, most having to resort to resin offerings which is cost restrictive to many. Master Box has now released a five figure set of Modern German Bundeswehr figures in 1/35th scale.

Review

This offering from Master Box is supplied in the usual card box with end opening flaps. The front has a nice artwork by I. Yaravin that looks to accurately depict the contents. On the rear of the box are photographs of the actual images guiding the modeller through the construction and painting process. A guide for painting both European and desert camouflage.

Inside of the carton is a single re-sealable bag with a single grey sprue inside. An examination of the sprue does not reveal any concerns to me as regards this offering. There is a very minor amount of flash in some locations, but none that is indicative of a bad moulding. One aspect I like about Master Box figures is that they have their own specific area on the sprue making locating parts an easy task.

The figures fall in two categories: three of the figures immediately scream vehicle crew and the remaining two say foot sluggers to me; this is not because that is how they are displayed like that in the artwork, but everything about them screams it to be so. The figures are broken down in the usual way and so nothing to watch for here.

The three vehicle figures offers two standing and one seated. The seated figure appears relaxed and will be a nice addition to any vehicle for dragging the eye to a specific area. The two standing figures look far more alert as if watching out for something expected or otherwise. The proportions are good and the detail crisp with natural crease detail throughout. All of these figures have body armour over combat jacket, trousers and are wearing berets.

The two foot sloggers has one checking his backpack and the other not pointing but with the somewhere over there arm placement (as in we are going in that general direction or “we were over there” rather than the very specific pointing figure. These two figures have webbing, ammunition pouches and packs. These two figures are provided with a short barrelled G36A1 rifle and grenade launcher and the other a long barrelled G36A1 rifle, I am struggling with these weapons beyond a basic description. Both of these figures are wearing boonie hats. The faces of the figures range from good to excellent for injection moulded plastic. The hands of the figures are excellent as regards finger detail; one of the figures hands even has a cigarette between the fingers despite being frowned upon today.

Conclusion

This is an excellent set of five figures from Master Box that will really help anyone with a modern German army vehicle. The details look good as regards accuracy with only the weapons causing me some concern. The figures are naturally posed and so lend themselves to a wide range of uses. The hardest part about this offering will be the camouflage painting. As regards negatives I can only really come up with one and that is that the muzzles of the rifles have no hollow detail.