introduction

The last decade has seen a bonanza of talent and artistry coming from behind the former Iron Curtain. Alexander Zelenkov is one of those talented artists, and his works make up the resin figure line Stalingrad. Stalingrad has released some very interesting and desired figures over the last few years, usually focusing on a particular theme and producing several figures within that theme. One particular series is centered around a group of early to mid-war German infantrymen at rest, with #3534 sitting relaxed and leaning on a rock.

In the Box

The figure comes in a light cardstock box with a full color photo of the item fully painted. Within the box is a small bag containing the resin parts. This particular kit contains eleven parts all cast in crisp grey resin. The body is cast mostly complete, with only the arms, helmet, and personal gear separate. In my particular sample, the folding stock on the MP40 was broken, but this will be an easy fix. Among the items included is the rock and an extra entrenching shovel.

Detail on the figure is outstanding, with an excellent face sculpt and hair texture. The pose is very natural, and the uniform has all the needed details. Even the infantry assault badge is well presented.

Assembly

After removing the parts from the resin pour plug, the parts were cleaned up using small files and some sandpaper. There was only minimal flash and seams to deal with, so cleanup went fairly fast. Assembly was done with superglue, and the fit was very good, with only a little putty needed around the shoulders. The equipment, usually prone to fit issues, fit the body perfectly and hangs very naturally.

I do recommend that you attach the shovel after securing the figure to the rock, as the ground will determine the angle the shovel should sit at. Also I was quite impressed on how the hand griped the MP40. The sculpting is perfect on this and the hand naturally appears to grasp the gun. The left hand also has positive contact with the rock, so no adjustment needed there either.
A WIP thread on painting this figure has been started :

Work in progress on HF

Conclusions

This is another winner from Stalingrad, who has quickly become one of my favorite resin figure producers. I have yet to see anything subpar come from Alexander, with all of the figures being extremely well done and a joy to paint. The fact that he sculpts them in sets with the figures interacting, means that they lend themselves to dioramas and small vignettes easily. Many thanks to Stalingrad for the review sample, and we look forward to many more exciting releases in the future!