introduction

I purchased this resin kit depicting a figure of a WWI German sapper kit at a show. It shows him cutting his way through barbed wire. I really liked the look of the box art and have an affinity for anything “Great War.” When I got home, I opened the box for inspection. Much to my dismay the kit was missing the right arm! Since I’d purchased it at a show, I assumed I would never know if the part was lost, stolen or simply not included in the original packaging by the manufacturer. I went to M-Model’s website and found the contact information, fully expecting that since the kit was a “show” purchase that I would be out of luck. I sent an email anyway explaining the situation, and received a reply within hours asking for my mailing address. Within 8 days I had my replacement piece in hand. Kudos to M-Models .

the kit

The kit comes in a sturdy cardboard box enveloped in a sleeve with the box art and company information printed on it. Inside the box and wrapped in bubble wrap are two bags. The first has the base piece with the figure’s body molded onto it; the second bag consists of a mold block with two hands, a block with the right arm and a block with the wire cutters. Separate within the box are two 1” “poles” and two 4.5” pieces of photo-etch barbed wire.

The pieces are cast in a light grey resin (with the exception of the replacement arm which came in a cream color). There are no discernible bubbles and no casting lines or flash. The only clean-up appears to be where the pieces are removed from the blocks, and the only really visible part is the right arm, where the block is attached at the elbow. The other parts attach at points that will be hidden when assembled.

painting

Because the piece is cast with only several pieces it seems that M-Model felt that the purchaser could determine where each part went without the necessity of a printed instruction sheet. M-Models is also depending on the purchaser to either have painting references or work directly from the box art.

conclusion

I would prefer a separate head, to be painted and put on to the body after. Because the body and base are cast together it would take some effort to ’blend’ this into a multiple figure vignette or diorama. But in essence, this figure is a painter’s dream: very little (and simple) assembly and clean-up, resulting in a highly-detailed and imaginative piece. Highly recommended to someone who, 1.) is interested in WWI; and 2.) would like to paint something with little time spent on assembly.