Introduction:

The success of amphibious operations and subsequent operations ashore require the coordinated employment of all Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF) resources: reconnaissance, infantry, aviation, tanks, artillery, engineers, amphibious assault vehicles and other combat support units. Throughout the full range of military operations, all elements of the MAGTF are employed to achieve the effects of combined arms against enemy forces.

Tank units provide the MAGTF commander the capability to attack, disrupt, and destroy enemy forces through devastating firepower, shock effect, and maneuver, with the M1A1 tank being the most lethal as well as most survivable weapon system within the arsenal of the ground combat element.

(source: Marine Corps Warfighting Publications (MCWP) 3-12: Marine Corps Tank Employment)

Review:

Assault Models recently expanded their catalogue with a pair of 1/35 scale miniatures depicting modern USMC tankers. This review covers Tankman, USMC 2015 (AM35025), the second figure of the pair.

The figure set is packed in a plastic top-opening box featuring an image of fully assembled and unpainted miniature. Inside the box is a zip-lock bag with figure parts. The kit consists of 3 pieces:

- torso with legs and arms,
- head,
- boom microphone.

The pieces are cast in grey resin. The cast is absolutely great and I found no imperfections in the resin whatsoever. The thin microphone was a bit of a surprise; such tiny pieces are extremely difficult to cast in resin and were usually omitted from figure kits, leaving modelers the task to recreate their own mics from brass wire. Inclusion of the resin microphone is definitely an added value of this kit, however, be sure to take extra care when cleaning the piece from its carrier block… it is extremely delicate and can easily snap or fall prey to the carpet monster. As for the fit and assembly, this is one of the easiest build I had in a while… only a head piece to attach and voila, the assembly process is done. Please note that I opted not to attach the microphone to the helmet. This was done in order to facilitate the face painting process.

The figure represents a USMC tank crewman wearing flame-resistant Nomex Flight Suit coveralls, Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) with the internal communication system (ICS) connecting cable held in place by the modular PALS webbing, and Combat Vehicle Crewman (CVC) helmet. I studied the reference images and, as far as I can tell, all the details on the uniform and the equipment are accurate and very nicely delivered in scale. The anatomy of the figure looks good with the pose realistically delivered.

Assault Models pioneered 3D scanning technology in military modeling, producing miniatures of unparallel scale realism. The USMC pair however is a result of traditional sculpting process which still produces amazing results. Dmitri Shevtsov, the sculptor, is a true artist in 1/35 scale and this figure proves his sculpting talent perfectly.

Conclusion:

Tankman, USMC 2015 (AM35025) from Assault Models offers a nicely sculpted figure, perfectly cast in resin, very easy to assemble and with lots of details all around. The figure provides a great pair to the other USMC tanker recently released under Assault Models label, and a very welcomed “human touch” to all the 1/35 scale USMC tank models.

Big thanks to Pavel from Assault Models for this review sample.