Operator, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, US Army Special Forces ("The Green Berets") Afghanistan, 2011-2012 is one of the latest additions to Assault Models catalogue. After producing the figure in 1/35 scale, the company offered it in 1/16 scale as well... a very welcomed move for all large scale figure modelers.
Review:
The figure is packed in a big plastic box featuring an image of fully assembled figure. Inside the box is a zip-lock bag containing resin parts. The kit consists of 16 pieces:
- head,
- torso,
- legs,
- left arm,
- right arm,
- both hands holding a sidearm,
- equipment pieces (8x),
- weapon and accessories (2x).
The pieces are cast in grey resin. The resin looks really good with the details perfectly delivered in scale. The cast is very nice, however I found a seam line going along the right leg all the way to the boot... some careful sanding is needed to clean the imperfection, making sure no details are lost in the process. I also found two damaged pieces in the kit; the thin radio antenna was broken, as well as the drinking tube which was originally cast with the backpack. A drop of superglue solves this problem. Carrier blocks are large, but very easy to remove using sharp side cutters and x-acto blade. The resin feels a bit soft under the blade, but I experienced no issues during the cleanup process.
Assembly:
The assembly of the figure is very much straightforward. The intelligent design with protrusions and indentations in corresponding parts enables optimal alignment of the pieces. I dry fitted all the pieces before gluing them, just to make sure everything fits well... it does. In fact, the fit is almost perfect, reducing putty work to an absolute minimum.
I started by fixing torso to the legs. No gaps whatsoever. Adding equipment to the figure presents no problems, as it is easy to deduce which piece goes where. The fit is, once again, perfect. The only thing which requires some additional work is testing and finding ideal placement for the figure's arms... both arms should be adjusted to connect to the torso well, and both hands should connect to the arms so that the weapon is aligned optimally. It's not as hard as it may sound, although the process resulted in small gap between the left arm and the torso. The gap was filled with putty and sanded carefully. The head and the weapon were fixed to the figure using a small amount of Magic Sculp. This was done so the pieces could easily be taken off the figure to facilitate painting process.
The figure represents US Special Forces operative firing his handgun. I really like the two-handed shooting pose, it looks very realistic with the head looking down the barrel of the gun, both hands gripping the weapon firmly. The figure wears RAID BDU uniform and Crye Precision Jumpable Plate Carrier (JPC). Various equipment pieces are secured on JPC (triple ammo magazine pouch, GP pouch, tactical radio pouch w MBITR-148, Thales speaker and Eagle Industries Beaver Tail backpack w hydration system) with other gear attached to the tactical belt (SERPA holster, IFAK pouch, ECLiPSE dump pouch and two grenade pouches). The figure sports MICH-2000 helmet with NVG bracket mount, Velcro and IR patches, MS-2000 Strobe and SureFire Helmet Light. Oakley glasses, Asolo tracking boots, Petzl gloves and Garmin Foretrex 401 wrist-mounted GPS navigator add to the Special Ops feel of the figure. The details on the uniform and equipment are absolutely wonderful.
The figure is armed with MK18 Mod 1 featuring Elcan Specter DR scope with Docter red dot sight, forward grip and AN/PEQ-15 target pointer/illuminator/aiming laser. The weapon looks great with ton of details impressively delivered in scale.
Conclusion:
Operator, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, US Army Special Forces ("The Green Berets") Afghanistan, 2011-2012 (AM16005) is a very impressive large scale figure. Developed using 3D scanning process and delivered in resin, the kit shines in every possible way... The cast is really good, the details on the pieces astonishing. The fit is great and assembly very easy with only minor putty work needed. Altogether, I feel this is one of the best 1/16 scale figures I reviewed in a while and an absolute must for any figure modeler interested in modern US Special Forces.
SUMMARY
Highs: Action posed figure of a very interesting subject. Very good cast, ton of sharply delivered details and easy to assemble.Lows: A seam line along the right leg.Verdict: Highly recommended.
Our Thanks to Assault Models! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
About Mario Matijasic (Maki) FROM: CROATIA HRVATSKA
You wonder how did this addiction start? I was a kid when my dad broght home a 1/72 Concord airplane; we built it together as well as couple of other airplanes after that. This phase was just pure fun: glue, paint, decals in no particular order... everything was finished in a day or two. Then I disc...
Could this figure be used for U.S. S.W.A.T. police?
I thought about it until I saw the big 20th U.S. SOF Group shoulder patch that is molded on. I guess one can sand off the patch details and print a police patch in its place.
I figure leaving off some belt gear and buying some 1/16 spare parts gear might make this figure appear to look like a S.W.A.T. officer. Or does this figure have specific military gear that fixes it to Special Forces? These days with the DoD handing down surplus military uniforms and gear to the U.S. police departments, Special Forces Operators and S.W.A.T. may appear similar.
The 3D scan was supposedly from a Russian male model, not an actual operator.
Comments? Thanks.
Yes you do see many an odd stance at the range. I do exactly that, my support elbow is bent down and I do go out of my way to do so. My left elbow is unable to straighten out after an injury. The figures pose is not in a combative gesture really. Of all the times I used my handgun in anger I cannot recall having the time to compose myself into such a time consuming pose. It was all one handed and no use of the sights.
If you do 'print' a police patch for the shoulder, remember it should be in subdued black/grey/olive. Law Enforcements agencies once did get gear from the DoD but Obama put an end to that well into his term of rule as he saw it as being too militaristic. Since SWAT gear gets little use in could last to this day if it had been DoD donated. But....SWAT is an agency Golden Child. They get a continuous supply of the latest and greatest. Tactical gear makers like Blackhawk and 5.11 actively pursue departments with cheap swag.
Same comments on the pose apply to law enforcement. SWAT operators won't hold the gun like that because of poor control. Also, most any SWAT pistol will have a tac-light. Don't know about the beard for law enforcement as some agencies now allow them, but not too common.
All too common, now. In New Zealand most male Police officers have a beard, and / or “ink” (tattoos), and / or a “man bun” or “top knot”. That’s fine if you’re a soccer player, or crim; but as I say to those boys with one, two, or all three, I don’t take you seriously as a cop and I work with you, then the bad guys definitely are not going to. Getting back to the figure, the pose leave me dead.
As for the Sherpa, I prefer my Safariland and guard it jealousy.
25 years on duty with my Safariland. I preferred it too but then I also shot my entire career military and LEO using the weaver stance. Almost all the SWAT guys on my department have had tacticool beards for near a decade. SWAT is typically the realm of the undercover narco boys and they appear always wearing full face masks. The figures pose just doesn't seem that much of an issue to me. Don't these resin figures take to basic surgery and customizing? Besides no matter what others say, no two cops shoot the same let alone in perfect tacticool style.
As for the Sherpa, I prefer my Safariland and guard it jealousy.[/quote]
Sherpa or Serpa 😂 ? Yep - Safariland is where it’s at. They even make a 7TS for the Browning 9mm.
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