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Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989
Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989 (823)
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by: Mario Matijasic [ MAKI ]

Introduction:

‘Tank Man’ is the nickname of an unidentified man who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military violently suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with shopping bags in his hands, the man repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and smuggled out to a worldwide audience. The photo turned into one of the most iconic images of all time.



The sheer strength of this photo — one unarmed man confronting a column of tanks — resonated with the entire globe, with the ‘Tank Man’ becoming the symbol of courage and bravery.


Review:

Royal Model’s latest figure release is Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989 (823), a 1/35 scale figure depicting the unknown man standing in front of Chinese Army tanks.

The kit comes in a vacuum-sealed hard cardboard box featuring an image of built and painted figure. Opening the box reveals a bag with resin pieces additionally protected in bubble wrap. The kit consists of 7 pieces cast in grey resin. The cast is very impressive and I found no imperfections in the resin whatsoever. The details are well defined.

The part cleanup is pretty much straightforward. However, I would suggest caution when removing carrier blocks from both arms; the blocks should be carefully cleaned to avoid damage to figure shoulders which could in turn impair the fit of these pieces. Also, some extra patience is needed when cleaning the thin bag handles as those are delicate and easy to damage.

The fit of the pieces is excellent. Protrusions and indentations in corresponding parts help in optimal placement of main figure pieces. The putty work was kept to a minimum. The choice of travel bag / shopping bag can be fixed to the left fist with the completed figure looking very realistic.

The figure can be used as the Tank Man, reconstructing the famous Tienanmen square scene with a Type 59 tank model, or as an Asian civilian in various post WWII diorama settings.

Conclusion:

Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989 (823) from Royal Model is impressively cast and easy to assemble figure kit. But above all else, the beauty of this miniature is in what it represents… the courageous protest for freedom of speech, freedom of press and an act of defiance against government corruption… even if it means standing in front of running tanks.

Well done Royal Model!


SUMMARY
Highs: First and foremost, the subject. Nicely cast and easy to assemble, the figure can be used as 'Tank Man' or just an Asian civilian figure.
Lows: Needs some careful part cleanup.
Verdict: Highly recommended.
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 823
  Related Link: Royal Model website
  PUBLISHED: Oct 20, 2018
  NATIONALITY: China / 简体
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 93.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 85.50%

Our Thanks to Royal Model!
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.

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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...

Copyright ©2021 text by Mario Matijasic [ MAKI ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Yet another excellent review Mario! Thank you for sharing this figure offering representing such an important and inspiring act. We need to remember.
OCT 20, 2018 - 01:33 AM
I agree completely! This man's amazing bravery deserves to be immortalized abroad as he surely won't within the PRC. Truly a day that the World held its breath.
OCT 21, 2018 - 02:49 AM
One can also try gluing on another scale head or other backpack or duffle bag for more possibilities.
OCT 22, 2018 - 03:05 AM
   
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