Introduction

Models of Israeli armoured fighting vehicles and their supporting troops are becoming more and more popular with modellers, especially with the recent releases from Academy and MENG. Figures of Israeli personnel are a little thin on the ground when it comes to modern troops but there are some nice offerings out there in resin form. In this review I will be taking a look at Israel Army Soldiers Set - F35070-from Black Dog. This is a two figure set that can also be purchased as individual figures under codes F35068 and F35069.

Contents

The product is packaged in a stiff card end opening box that seems very capable of protecting the contents from the post office. Inside the box you will find a zip lock bag containing two more zip lock bags which contain one figure each.

Review

The two figures in this set both breakdown identically consisting of;

• Torso and legs as a single piece
• Two separate arms
• Separate flat top head
• Bare Kevlar helmet or helmet with the bag type cover
• M4 family rifle

Figure 1 (F35068):
This figure is depicted walking forwards with his rifle pointing high as if checking second floor windows for potential aggressors. The figure is moulded to a very high standard with crisp detail throughout, whether that be the webbing he is shown wearing down to the creases in the clothing, or for that matter the tread pattern depicted on the sole of his boot where applicable.

The figure has a kneepad on his right leg and fine strapping holding it in place, he also has a light weight pack and ammunition pouches on his webbing. The crease detail depicted in the uniform is excellent appearing very natural both in look and location. One of my bug bears where figures are concerned is the soles of footwear which rarely depict the sole detail, an issue I am happy to say does not occur here as the raised foot does have this detail with the pour plug being at the very front of the foot. There is a very small amount of flash between the legs at the groin that will need cleaning up, however I believe that is down to the limitations of current casting technology rather than a fault with the mould.

The M4 rifle supplied will require a little cleanup and the tip of the barrel will require very careful work to drill out a small depression to improve the appearance but otherwise is as I would expect. The choice of Kevlar helmet or helmet with the cloth cover is a nice option. The cloth cover looks very odd to my eyes but is perfectly accurate. The hand detail is exceptionally good on this figure with the fingers being very finely detailed and has a realistic look to them. The facial detail is also good if a little bland, in that I cannot see any real expression to them, either way the figure painters out there will make these shine I am sure. The last point I wish to make about this figure is that the arm joints have very subtle locators at the shoulder joint which will make placement in the correct orientation very easy when attaching them.

Figure 2 (F35069):
This figure is again depicted walking forward but is scanning the area at ground level, and this figure shares all of the very high standards of the previous figure. This figure does not have the issue of minor flash as the previous figure exhibited as the orientation of the legs has done away with that concern. The hand detail is again excellent and will add a lot to the finished figures appearance, unfortunately the face is again bland/expressionless which is a pity as they are very well defined and is the only low point for me in what are two very impressive releases from Black Dog.

Conclusion

You could do a lot worse than purchasing these figures from Black Dog as, in my opinion, they rate equally alongside the best figures I have seen in resin in this scale. I looked very hard to find anything wrong with these figures without success, and my comments/opinions about the faces are just that, an opinion rather than an issue. I believe that anyone who purchases these figures either singly or as a pair will be very pleased with their purchase and in the hands of a skilled figure painter they should shine.