History

The Israeli Defence Force adapted and modified equipment from many different nationalities over the years. One mainstay of the IDF was the U.S Willys jeep that served in many diverse rolls and conflicts with the IDF over the later part of the 20th century. These figures are the perfect way to add the finishing touch to a jeep from this period

Contents

The three resin figures from Legend productions consist of a driver, gunner and crewman. Although designed for the AFV club M151 jeep, with a little bit of alteration, they could be used with any number of other IDF vehicles

the three figures come in several parts:

• standing gunner figure legs and torso
• sitting driver figure legs and torso
• sitting crew figure legs and torso
• drivers arms legs and helmet
• crewman arms and head
• gunner arms, head and right foot
• two combat helmets
• three uzi Machine guns and stocks

Review

The overall standard of the Casting really is first rate, with the webbing, and various items of kit being very crisply moulded. the faces have very realistic and finely detailed expressions that suit the relaxed look of the crew. Maybe a little extra time could have been taken to make them look a little different as they do have very similar facial features, but I am sure that this could be taken care of when painting. The hands are also nicely to scale which is something that is often overlooked.
The equipment supplied with the figures is of a high standard, with the ubiquitous Uzi sub-machine guns being very well moulded. One minor criticism would be the resin folding stocks for the machine guns. They are incredibly fragile and a little warped, however replacements would be easy to scratch build. Personally, I think that some white metal castings would maybe have been a better alternative.

As far as accuracy is concerned, the uniforms look pretty spot on. A quick search of the web and my own IDF reference pictures of M151 crews, would seem to indicate no major errors in terms of kit or the cut of the uniform. The all important water bottles are present, as well as the correct webbing and kit items.

Conclusion

Overall, there has obviously been a lot of time and effort put into the sculpting and production of this kit. the quality of the product is apparent in the distinct lack of air bubbles in the resin and very well placed plugs that don't compromise the detail once removed. For me the best part of the whole set is the natural and relaxed poses of the figures, they really do look like they have been on a long drive in the baking heat of the Israeli desert!