Introduction
Period photographs typically show WWII vehicles, Allied vehicles in particular, heavily laden with a wide variety of items: some of these issued, others acquired and collected. But the one constant is the presence of tarpaulins and issue field bags.
LionRoar’s LE35089 “U.S. Army Extra Attachments” is set of 1/35th scale resin accessories, a variety of tarpaulins and general purpose bags, designed for use on WWII era US Army vehicles.
The Kit
The set, moulded in a pale cream coloured resin, comes in a kit form consisting of a total of thirteen (13) pieces. The kit is packaged in blister-type pack with the parts sandwiched to the front with a piece of foam – all this really prevents is the parts rattling around in the packaging.
Accessory set LE35089 ”U.S. Army Extra Attachments” consists of the following thirteen (13) parts:
1x Rolled tarpaulin for either a fender or turret;
1x Stack of folded tarpaulins;
1x Bundle of four (4) rolled tarpaulins;
1x Duffel bag;
8x US Army field bags; and
1x Photo-etch fret of straps and buckles. Overall the parts are well sculpted and the casting is crisp and clean.
Rolled Tarpaulin
The rolled tarp is a nicely rendered piece, both in terms of sculpting and casting. It does feature a slight curvature, so it may not fit all fenders or turrets thus perhaps limiting its usefulness – however by no means by anymore had it been any other shape.
Stack of Folded Tarpaulins
The stack of folded tarps features what appears to be four tarpaulins folded and bound. The folds bunch to one side where the PE strap will attach the tarps to the vehicle. Like the other pieces in the set, this piece is well sculpted and cast. Apart from the casting block on the underside of the part, the casting if free from blemishes.
Bundle of Rolled Tarps
The four rolled tarps, stacked in a pyramid type bundle, can be placed one any side, thus making them fairly versatile. The part is nicely sculpted, with channels on either side for the PE straps. As before the part is cleanly cast with only the casting lug to be removed.
Duffel Bag
The duffel bag is well sculpted with the folds gathering toward the centre - thus catering for the PE strap which is supposed to run over the centre of the bag. The casting block runs lengthwise along the bottom of the piece (the top being the side featuring the carry strap). Apart from the casting block there is no flash to speak of.
Field Bags
The kit contains eight field bags, consisting of two sets of four. While I must confess to having difficulty in identifying these pieces of equipment, these appear to be M1936 field, or musette, bags. If correctly identified these bags could be used for both early and late war vehicles as this general purpose bag was used throughout the war. The distinguishing differences between the two foursomes are the way in which the bags drape and folds gather. The bags are well sculpted with convincing drapery and well cast with only the casting lug (positioned on the top of the piece for the one set, and the bottom for the second) requiring removal.
PE Fret
The photoetch fret contains four (4) distinct types of item: five (5) 50mm straps; ten (10) 25mm straps; eight (8) large buckles; and eight (8) regular sized buckles. Although these are designed to be used with the parts above, modellers will surely find many uses for them.
Conclusion
While some may find some the items featured in this accessory set easy to replicate (in other words scratchbuild), others may not have the time or ability to reproduce these items. And accessory sets such as these are targeted these, the latter, modellers. Personally I find this set rather versatile as the items can be used in a variety of scenes. The tarps most certainly need not only be used on WWII US Army vehicles, and would not look out of place in other time periods, on vehicles from other US branches of service, or even vehicles belonging to the armed forces of other countries. In fact, they need not even be used on vehicles. The M1936 field bag was used throughout the war by the US Army, and its use on a vehicle would not be out of place.
This is an excellent accessory set from LionRoar. The quality of the cast and the versatility of the subject should prove to be very successful.
References
The following material was consulted for purposes of this review, and is suggested reading for more information on the subject:
“U.S. Army Combat Equipments 1910-1988”. Men-at-Arms 205. Gordon Rottman. Illustrated by Ron Volstad. Osprey Publishing. 1989.
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