Introduction

Adalbertus Miniatures are a Polish manufacturer, who also act as distributors for a number of other Polish manufacturers. Amongst them, is ToRo Model (Poland) - who have mastered this figure.

When I spoke to Adalbertus' owner at Nuremberg this year, one of the most eye-catching figures on show, was this one. It's certainly a subject which is increasingly being covered by other manufacturers, but for the dioramist who wants a different point of interest, another option is always welcome.

Adalbertus' New figure

The figure comes in 11, cream-colored, resin parts. Casting is clean and no damage or casting defects are present in the parts. The figure portrayed is that of a European Refugee which could be seen in almost any part of Europe at the beginning or the end of WWII. Any newsreel of the period shows columns of refugees heading East or West in Europe. Many times they are carrying all they possess on their backs, sometimes they wear a mixture of both civilian clothes and military uniforms - particularly headgear and items such as military boots or greatcoats. ToRo Model's designer has given a choice of three hats - a civilian Fedora, a German Service Cap and a Polish Infantry Cap. A bulging rucksack is on his back, in his left hand he's holding a briefcase, on the left a stick with a knotted bundle attached. Also included in the PRODUCTION figure (though not in this one as it was an early example) is a section of ruined city sidewalk which is moulded in resin.

In detail

As is customary with figure reviews of this type, I'll go through the various aspects of the figure - detail, pose etc.

Pose:
The sculptor has given the figure a good 'slouched' pose which does reflect well the weight he's carrying.

Details:
Some nice stitching detail is present on items such as the rucksack and clothing. Definition is very good on these areas.

Face/Head:
This is one of the aspects which didn't convince me terribly. Detail on the face is a little bit indistinct and soft. I will leave this with proviso that this is one of the FIRST production figures and only now has the figure been released. I liked the detail on the headgear a lot, although I would suggest replacing the head for one with more definition.

Size:
The figure is listed as 1/35th scale. However, comparing it with the other figures from the company, this guy is enormous. I would gauge it to be much closer to 54mm than 1/35th scale. This, if some tricks are played with perspective, is NOT as big a problem as some people may imagine. As this figure will probably be part of a diorama, sticking him away from other (smaller) figures) will reduce his 'impact', as a stand alone vignette there would be no problems whatsoever...

Construction:
Fit is excellent and some real thought has gone into the parts breakdown. The upper torso, for example, is designed to overlay the lower part and the joint is covered by the belt on the overcoat.

Conclusions

A very nicely-animated and well-sculpted figure. I do have a few issues with the face and the size of the figure but these can be easily worked around. Particularly notable, are the three headgear options. I didn't particularly like the stick with the knotted bundle and I'll not be using this but adding something else to his left hand instead. I like this move, from many manufacturers, towards more 'evocative' figures of the period which add a real 'human' element to dioramas and vignettes. Adalbertus/ToRo are doing an extraordinary job with figures of this type and they really deserve a BIG shop window for their interesting product line!

As always, my personal thanks to Wojtek Bulhak of Adalbertus Miniatures for the opportunity to Review this and several other figures from their range!