Introduction:

Live Resin is an aftermarket company from Russia, best known for producing amazingly detailed modern weapon and accessory sets in 1/35 scale. Although still mostly oriented towards creating "non-organic" accessories, Live Resin also uses their 3D software know-how to sculpt the human form and expand their portfolio with several "organic" releases.

This review covers the newest Live Resin head set available on the market: US Army Modern Heads in ACH/MICH helmet without cover and MTEK Predator Face Armor with Mount Plate and Mount NVG PVS 7/14/15, ESS Crossbow goggles (LRE-35115).

Review:

Live Resin packs their goodies in a zip-lock bag, safely secured between a firm cardboard backing. The box art on the front shows the contents of this kit, while the one on the back displays the assembly process and lists two Live Resin offerings which could be combined with this set: US Army NVG PVS 14 Monocular (LRE-35026) and US Army NVG PVS 15 Binocular (LRE-35027).

The kit consists of 14 pieces molded in grey resin. As we come to expect from Live Resin, the casting is top-notch. I did find some thin flash residue here and there, but these are easily removed using the back of a scalpel blade. The set includes:

- 4 heads
- 4 ACH/MICH helmets
- 4 Predator FAST masks
- 2 NVG mounts.

On the first glance, one immediately notices this head set is different than those released previously from Live Resin. It consists of four heads instead of five, but it also includes helmets, face masks and NVG mounts. The reason behind the slightly different concept is probably the fact the large armor masks need to be fixed not only to the helmet itself, but to the face as well. This is why all the heads in this set display two distinct features: a large opening on the front for securing Predator mask to the face, and a small protrusion on the top which serves as a base for attaching the helmet. The fit of the parts is really good and I had no problems assembling one of the heads for this review. My suggestion would be to fix the helmet firmly to the head first and then manipulate the face mask for getting the optimal fit to the helmet. Please note I did not glue the pieces for taking review photos of the fully assembled head, as it would be almost impossible to paint the face after securing the mask. Instead, I used blu-tack to fix these pieces; this is the reason behind a slightly looser fit and a small gap between the mask and the helmet.

This head set includes four heads, two of them wearing ESS Crossbow Goggles. The heads feature slightly thicker and longer necks which will definitely come in handy while fitting the head to the torso, allowing a good connection at almost any angle. All heads in this set are sculpted with 4-point chinstrap suspension system, which was adopted for ACH/MICH helmets. The ACH/MICH helmets included in this set are cast without cover and feature NVG mount plate. The Versa mount on both sides of the helmet is used to attach Predator Facial Armor System (FAST) mask. The Predator FAST mask is manufactured by MTek Weapon Systems, and this particular model is designated as G3A. Originally designed to protect turret gunners against explosive fragments, the G3A facial shields are able to stop 7.62mm round. The impact will probably break bones and knock out teeth, but consider the alternative... These hardshell face shields are not a part of standard US Army kit, however US Army deployed thousands of them in different areas of operations.

When reviewing head sets, I'm used to commenting facial features and expressions. This time, however, the faces are hardly seen under the large Predator masks. Not a bad thing if you don't like painting flesh tones, eh? As far as the headgear is concerned, the characteristic shape of MICH helmet is nicely represented in this set, while the details of the Predator FAST mask and Versa mount are well defined and amazingly rendered in scale. The addition of NVG mount assemblies is a plus, but if you'd like to "pimp up" the set with a night vision device, you will have to get those separately from Live Resin.

Conclusion:

Although designated as "head set" this kit is so much more. It includes the heads, but also the ACH/MICH helmets, Predator FAST masks and NVG mounts... Everything you need for equipping your 4-man grey army with mean-looking headgear. The cast is perfect with amazing level of details on the helmet and the mask. The pieces fit well and the assembly is pretty much straightforward.

If you want to add an extra cool factor to your modern US Army figures, this is definitely a set for you.

References:

Global Security
MTek Weapon Systems