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Panzer Crew 1943-45 (35465) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd During WWII, German tank crews usually consisted of four, sometimes five men, led by their commander, who was generally dressed differently from the other men, and had the lofty seat in the cupola on top of the vehicle, communicating with the rest of the crew and others in their unit by radio with a wired throat-mic, and over-ear headphones. In the early part of the war, the crews were usually dressed in black uniforms with a large beret, but as the war progressed, they transitioned toward camouflaged uniforms to make them at least a little less visible when they were outside the comparative safety of their tank. This set arrives in a figure-sized box, with a painting of the contents on the front, and the same artwork sectioned up and used as the instructions and combined painting guide, with a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside are five sprues of grey styrene in a heat-sealed bag, with the parts for each figure on separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. There are four figures, two standing as if they are in a turret hatch, both wearing headphones, one of whom is scanning the horizon with pair of V-shaped ranger-finders. The two seated crew members appear to be on the outside of the tank from their poses, both looking down, one studying a map, the other navel-gazing. All crew are wearing a standard two-piece uniform with double-breasted jackets, and low-profile cloth side caps, plus rolled cuffs over their combat boots. The two men with comms will need some fine wire to represent the cords leading to their headsets and throat mics for additional realism once the figures are painted and ready to be placed on/in the model. The accessory sprue contains plenty of pouches, Lugers, other pistols in and out of pouches, a Gewehr 43 and Kar98k rifle with scope, an FG42 machine gun, an STG44 assault rifle, a Bergmann MP18, a Steyr MP34, and an unusual Erma EMP with a stubby fore-grip. Not all of those will be appropriate for the crew, but can be added as part of the clutter in the background, or used on another project in the future. Conclusion A crew gives an AFV model human scale, with the realistic sculpting and poses adding to that feeling. Careful painting and weathering will further add to the effect. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of