MiniArt Soviet Tank Crew 1950s (37053) 1:35

[Mike]

Soviet Tank Crew 1950s (37053)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

After WWII the Cold War began, and our former allies became our enemy although war was never declared, but was sometimes fought in proxy wars around the world.  In the 50s Soviet armour was a key component of the expected invasion of Europe, and their tank force was substantial.  Their crews still wore clothing similar to that worn in WWII with some evolutionary changes from lessons learned in the field.  The average crewman would wear black overalls with an element of cold protection and padding, calf-length boots and a padded tanker helmet that at least softened the frequent knocks that must have been commonplace in such a confined environment.

 

 

This set arrives in a figure sized end-opening box and as advertised on the front it holds four figures on separate sprues that can be posed on and around the vehicle.  The officer figure is wearing a flat peaked cap and is consulting a map from a folio, while one crewmember squats either on the ground or tank, another leans with his arms over the lip of his hatch, and the final member is stepping on something with his hands on what could be the lip of his hatch.  Each figure has separate arms, legs, torso and head, with the helmets made up from a central top section and hanging sides for a more realistic look, and they each have a bag slung over their shoulders that is another separate part.  The crewmen have additional Y-shaped parts to represent the cables for the comms gear sewn into their helmets, and the commander has a pistol on his belt and the map is moulded into his hand, separately from the rest of his arm.

 

 

Sculpting is as ever spot on, with sensible breakdown of parts along natural seams, superb understanding of the draping of different materials, and realistic poses and proportions that all add realism to the finished figures.  The painting and construction guide can be found of the back of the box in colour, with paints called out as numbers that relate to a table below converting between Vallejo, Life Color, Tamiya, AK, Mission Models and Hataka brand plus the colours and their names in English and Ukrainian.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of