Introduction

Blitz is a French manufacturer of resin models in 1/35th scale covering subjects from World War 1 and World War 2; by far it is World War one that gets the most attention and due to the area they cover offers kits seen nowhere else that I am aware of. Recently we received some figures from Blitz in 1/35th scale and the first one I will be looking at is identified as a Sub-officer in cloak and has a No.4 written on the rear.

Review

This offering is listed by Blitz as a Sub-officer in cloak and I assume that means a non-commissioned officer. The figure is well moulded in all respects as detail goes, but due to the finesse of the moulding I did find one of the feet broken off and it was not a clean break, so I had to put it back on as best I could; This broken part being in the bag does mean that the break occurred during packing or transit. The packaging consists of an end opening card box with the figure and the parts in a Ziploc bag. I am wondering if something needs putting in the box to stop the mouldings moving and so prevent damage.

The figure represents a time such as night/early morning or a winter scene due to it wearing a greatcoat and a scarf. The puttees and shoes have been well tackled and it is a real shame about the break on the left foot. The crease detail in the cloth elements has been very well done and looks natural in my opinion. The hands are especially good in my opinion due to having some really nice undercut detail which adds to the natural look; it is a pity that this undercut detail does not extend to the underside of the greatcoat to a small degree.

There is a map bag or similar hung over the figures shoulder and this has excellent detail on the rear of the figure and there is a small piece of resin on the pour plug to finish the strap at the rear. This figure is supplied with an option of two heads, the faces of both heads are good and I like that there is some expression present. One head is supplied with a separate Adrian steel helmet that came into use early during World War 1 and I am very pleased to see the badge on the front well replicated. The second head has a hat that looks like a Kepi without the brim and has a recess on the top, I could not find a perfect match for this and I believe it must relate to one of the French colonial units.

Conclusion

This is a very nice figure for use as a vignette offering, or if preferred with other suitable figures in a more relaxed scene. The foot being broken is a shame but a risk with a fine resin moulding if the cured resin becomes brittle. The detail is really well replicated and I like the informal approach shown here, which is a pleasant change from the normal way figures are presented. If anyone knows what the second hat is please let me know in the thread.