MiniArt Soviet Combat Engineers (35091) 1:35

[Mike]

Soviet Combat Engineers (35091)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models

 

 

Another useful and interesting set of figures from the masters at MiniArt.  This one is a set of Combat Engineers undertaking mine clearing exercises, presumably those left behind by the retreating Germans.  The set arrives in a figure-sized box with a painting of the figures on the front, and a construction/painting guide on the rear.  Inside are a lot of sprues of grey styrene, more than you'd get in some full kits!  There are twelve sprues in total, with only three that are identical with some metal detectoring (?) parts.

 

 

 

There are five figures, one per sprue, broken down into torso, separate legs, arms head, helmet and face, plus additional parts such as backpacks, bed rolls, ammo pouches, a couple of detector-loops and even a couple of mines.  The accessory sprues include the three mine detecting paraphernalia, pouches, a plethora of helmets, additional weapons such as Moisin-Nagant rifles, a PPHs-43 and a couple of PPSh-41 machine guns with 71-round drum or 35-round curved stick mags.  There are also stick grenades, entrenching tools, water bottles, teaspoons (why?) and tea cups.  On the three identical accessory sprues there are poles either for detectors, or for a probe-stick, mine flag, headphones, backpack, electronics box that runs the coils of the detectors, plus a couple of different shaped coils that aren't used in this boxing.

 

 

Each figure is in a unique pose, with a prone solider with detector attached to his rifle's bayonet lug, a standing detector on the prowl, a man carrying a mine and pointing, a soldier probing the ground in front of him and finally a man kneeling down unearthing a mine that he has found with his probe.  Three of the figures are wearing more typical Soviet uniform, while the mine carrier and the prone gentleman are wearing a baggy camouflaged overall that will be fun to paint.  The boxart shows one with a leaf pattern, while the other has a simpler two tone camouflage cloud pattern on his overalls and helmet.  A little research might be in order here.

 

Sculpting is first class as always, and the choice of accessories gives a lot of options to personalise your scene, with just the addition of some wiring to the operators' headphones to finish off.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of