The figure

Crisp molding and a fantastic representation of folds and seams are the highlight of this kit. The clothing seems to be folded naturally and is extremely crisp which should make the painting process that much easier for the builder. There should be no guessing about where a highlight on a fold ends and begins as they are easy to spot and well done.

The figure appears to be wearing standard attire for operations in North Africa down to the high-boot pattern tropical footwear. A scarf is wrapped around his neck and a holster hangs from his belt.

Builders are given the option of selecting between a head wearing a peaked fieldcap and one wearing a Panzer Feldmutze with a set of goggles on his forehead. Facial details on both heads are nicely rendered.

The small details on the figure are also very well done. Under a magnifying glass, the detail on the Panzer badge seems to hold up to what you might find in a larger scale figure. An accompanying Iron Cross is also sharply sculpted on the figure. The uniform buttons, eagle, and rank tabs (what isn’t covered by the scarf) are all nicely done as well.

The binoculars are molded to the chest along with the strap holding them around the neck. With careful painting these should look sharp against the uniform, though painting some of the smaller areas between the bino armatures looks like it will take some patience.

A band is sculpted onto the right arm for the cuff title. I’m sure some people will be able to paint this by hand, but it should make a nice guide for those who choose to use a decal (like me).

Construction

Building the figure is pretty easy; remove a few pour blocks, pick which head you want to use, and you’re good to go.

All of the casting blocks were easily removed with just the slight loss of some fold detail on the back of the right arm. After building several Alpine figures, I’m amazed at how easily and cleanly the pour blocks come off. With just a little work with an X-Acto knife and some fine sand paper, the attachment points were done away with quickly.

The one-piece casting of the torso and legs speeds the construction process which leaves only the attachment of arms and the head. The arms went on with no problem and look pretty good even without putty, though filling a few small spots on my sample will be a good idea.

Conclusion

Wow, was that ever a nice little figure to build. It was actually fun to take this guy out of the box and marvel at that detail that is rendered in 1/35th. Clean up was simple which really helped keep the fun factor high. But now comes the real work, painting this guy!

This figure is a nice addition for AFV builders working on non-combat scenes in North Africa and also makes a nice stand-alone figure. It can also be used in conjunction with Alpine’s DAK Panzer NCO (#35017) or both can be purchased as a set (#35018).

Thanks to Alpine Miniatures for providing the review sample.