contents

Packed in zip-lok bags and bubble wrap, the usual Hobby Fan box contains a resin set of three tank crewmen. These 4-part figures would nicely complement any Allied vehicle of the North African/Italian theatre.

construction/painting

The heads and hats are moulded as one part. Pins and holes are provided for easy first-time location of arms. I especially like that there is little flash and no moulding seams to be removed. I primed the figures with a couple of thin coats of GSI Gunze Sangyo flat white, after which painting with acrylics is easy. You are on your own to research color references for these sets; none are included, but the completed figures look very animated, with life-like facial expressions. I spent about 8-9 enjoyable hours constructing and painting these figures before adding them to my Churchill Mk. III.

conclusions

With the investment in resin made, can one appreciate this expression of art in 1/35th scale. Creases and seams in clothing are distinct and well-portrayed. Expressions are believable and the poses very human-like. If I have one complaint about resin, it's that removal of pour stubs is more laborious than the clean-up involved with plastic. To take the work out of this task, I purchased a Dremel grinder. Proper safety precautions are recommended, of course. Some minor flash needed to be removed from the legs. One will occasionally encounter air bubbles in resin products, but I seem to have been lucky.

It was an enjoyable nine hours spent constructing and painting this set; I highly recommend it to any fan of Allied armor. The locating pins eliminate any trial-and-error positioning: with all Hobby Fan sets, each figure's pose is perfectly matched to the particular AFV Club kit for which it's intended. With some sets it's often necessary to slightly modify the position of limbs to attain a desired pose -to rest a hand upon a hatch, for example. All resin Hobby Fan figures are the work of a world-renowned figure sculptor. Once over my initial misgivings about working with resin, I look forward to tackling a whole line of figure and accessory sets from Hobby Fan. I enjoyed the break from doing vehicle builds.

These are relatively the same size as 1/35th scale figures from other manufacturers, so I would say they are scaled accurately. The addition of a resin set from Hobby Fan will turn an already great model into a show-winner. A range of resin accessories and figures are now available for the recently-released AFV Club Churchill kits (items AF 35167: Mk.3 AVRE, and AF 35153: Churchill Mk.3), and may give me the inspiration to tackle a full diorama someday soon.

See a more detailed examination of this set by Alan McNeilly Reviewed Here on Armorama.