introduction

Bravo 6 of Russia has been working on a series of Vietnam era figures based on the movie “Platoon”. This is the 2nd in the series, representing the character played by Charlie Sheen, “Pvt Taylor”.
The kit comes packaged in a small cardboard box, nicely packed with a color picture of a finished figure on the front. This picture is also your only instruction.

review

The contents consist of 7 sprues of resin, for a total of 14 parts, of which not all are used. There is also a decal sheet with a whole bunch of markings (one sheet covers all the figures in the series). The resin is very nicely cast, and shows the skill and attention to detail that the sculptor used. Relief and expression is top notch, and rivals anything I’ve seen from other resin figure manufactures. Add to this that the breakdown of the parts leaves minimal filling needed, and the fit is outstanding.

The Figure:
Facial sculpting is outstanding, and the entire figure is very well proportioned. The pose is of a relaxed, yet ready soldier walking at a leisurely pace.

The tropical fatigue uniform is captured beautifully, and really looks thin, worn, and “combat” used. Uniform badges are sculpted onto the sleeves, and since this figure is a Pvt, there are only unit badges to deal with. This figure captures unique items and equipment seen in the movie character, such as the towel around the neck.

Boots are the Jungle type, and are sculpted to show the difference between fabric sides and leather parts. There is also a first aid pouch molded to the rear of the web belt, and 2 ammo pouches on the front. The belt itself shows loads of detail and some careful painting will bring this out.

Add on Equipment:
An AVRN rucksack, or more commonly known as the “Ranger” pack, is beautifully done and has the look of being filled, hanging a bit low on the figures back. There is also a M72 Law molded with the pack, secured by the upper flap. The fit of the pack to the figure is nothing short of perfect and the straps all line up for almost seamless unity. No doubt one of the best fitting pieces of “add on” equipment I have ever seen on any figure.

The M-16 rifle is cast with the arm, and appears to be an accurate M-16A1 with the triangular hand guards. However my barrel was broken upon arrival, and will need to be replaced with small rod or wire. I will probably replace it with brass wire for strength.

Other equipment included are several M26A1 frag grenades, one M18 smoke grenade, a 45 cal. pistol in its holster, 2 canteens, and a small pouch. Most of this is not used for this particular character; however the pouch is used and should be placed high on the left shoulder strap, near the top of the figures chest. Frag grenades can be placed on each side of the ammo pouches which are molded with the main figure.

Decals:
A generic decal sheet that is made to cover the whole series of figures is included. There is a group of rank insignia, name tapes, and unit patches. However it appears that the green/yellow color was printed slightly off register, but some careful trimming (pull out the optivisors!) will make them useable in this regard. Another issue is the color itself, and they do appear a bit on the yellow side instead of a green. Within another review of these figures, it was suggested that a thin wash of green after they are applied and dry may work. I would suggest clear coating the decals with Future, then using oil paint if you are used to working in that medium, or Vallejo Acrylics. Both of these paints have a translucent quality that will allow you to layer on color yet have the decal show through. For many of us this may be part of the normal painting techniques to blend the decals into the figure anyway, so this may not be such an issue after all.

conclusion

Highly recommended, and kudos to Vladimir Demchenko for sculpting such an outstanding figure.