Introduction

This new set of figures from Master Box represents their first venture into British Infantry in the African campaign of World War Two, and continues to increase their range of figures from this combat zone. Jim Rae has provided an in box review of this figure set (a link to which is provided at the end of this review) and so I am going to cover this set with a build review. The set contains five figures depicted in advancing poses, and consists of one officer and four other ranks.

Review

As Jim Rae has done the job of highlighting uniform, equipment, and general details I will only be referring to what I consider highpoints of the detail moulding during this review.

The Officer:
The officer consists of eight parts which are;
• Two legs.
• Three arms (there is a choice of two right arms).
• A choice of two heads.
• The torso.
• An officer’s field cap.

There are six pieces of equipment with this figure, which I have not attached during the build as it would make painting almost impossible. In order to compensate for that I have also bought a set of these figures and assembled the officer in the alternate pose (I see no reason why you could not assemble this figure into one of four combinations should you wish).

Removal from the sprue of the parts is easy enough with the exception of a couple of large connection points throughout the set. Some of the connection points could have been better placed as they are on uniform detail areas, rather the sole of the boot or the mating surfaces. Flash is non-existent in this offering, but there are some light mould seams that will need a clean-up.

To assemble the figure I used Humbrol liquid polly, as I find this glue softens the mating surfaces just enough to get a good join that fills any small gaps. I was very impressed with the joins on these figures as I am only aware of two very small gaps that will need attention.

The Two Riflemen:
These two figures both consist of eight parts which are;
• Two legs.
• One left arm
• A two part right arm.
• Torso.
• Head.
• Helmet.

I have placed the rifle in the hands of these figures in order to make sure that the hand positions are correct, and I am very happy with the general appearance. Again the sprue connection points on some parts could have been better, as the rolled up sleeve and back of the boot are not ideal. The mating surfaces of all parts are very good and should require no filling. There are seven pieces of equipment plus a rifle with each of these two figures, and as can be seen by the supporting pictures (unlike some manufacturers) the pieces are shaped to fit the figure. This is most notable when looking at the inner face of the backpack.

The Bren Gunner:
This figure consists of seven parts which are;
• Two legs.
• Two arms.
• Torso.
• Head.
• Helmet.

Again this figure has some poor sprue connection points which makes the clean-up more challenging that it could have been. All other aspects are good apart from a small amount of filler being needed at the waist joint on the front above the right leg. The bren gun is a two piece affair with the option of the legs being up or down.

The Thompson Machine Gunner:
This figure consists of seven parts which are;
• Two legs.
• Two arms.
• Torso.
• Head.
• Helmet.

I encountered the same problem with poor sprue connection points, but an otherwise perfect fit of parts. This figure only has two pieces of equipment plus the Thompson MG which has a choice of two straight and one drum magazine. There is not a lot to add about this figure as the pictures should tell you all you need to know.

Conclusion

This figure set has so many high points in terms of fit of parts and, in some cases, optional parts that it is a must have for anyone interested in this area of conflict. Some real high points for me is just how far MasterBox has come with facial detail as the heads in this set are expressive and should make a good canvas for the more skilled face painters out there.

One simple piece of detail that caught my eye was the ribbing on the socks which is quite pronounced on the real item, the hand detail is also good with a minor issue on some of the hands where all the fingers are the same length. The pictures have highlighted the mould seams on the figures which I have left in order that you can see just what is there. I have no option other than to very highly recommend this set of figures, well done MasterBox.

Jim Rae's In-box Review.