ICM Leopard Crew of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (35757) 1:35

[Mike]

Leopard Crew of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (35757)

1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd

 

 

Ukraine has been provided with a limited supply of German Leopard 2A6 tanks in their efforts to rid their nation of its current infestation of invaders.  Crews and mechanics have been trained in their use, and they are starting to be seen on the battlefield, making good use of these exceptional tanks in their ongoing fight against invasion.  This figure set from ICM is intended to go with a Leopard 2A6 tank, which they’ve just released, and is being sold separately for those who already have a suitable kit, and just want to figures to carry on.  The set arrives in a shallow top-opening box, with a captive lid on the lower tray, and inside is a sprue of grey styrene, and instruction sheet folded over, and a leaflet detailing their acrylic paint range that has been available for the last few years.

 

 

The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprue 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 ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model.  There are five human figures on the sprue, plus a canine that is playing with one of the crew members.  Four of the crew’s heads are trimmed down to a peculiar shape in order to fit a semi-soft three-part tanker helmet over them, and all five humans are wearing loose-fitting overalls and combat boots.  One character is a half-figure that is popping out of a hatch with his arms outside the tank, with a colleague sat on the turret or deck sucking on a pipe.  Two more men are kneeling and hunkering down in the process of fixing an issue with the tracks, one of whom is nursing a sledgehammer for advanced fixing duties.  The final human is stood playing with the dog, which appears to be a Labrador or retriever, begging for a treat from the bearded tanker who is wearing a soft beanie cap on his head.

 

 

Markings

There are no decals present in the set, but the instruction sheet doubles as the painting guide, as mentioned above.  The common camouflage use by Ukrainian armed forces is a brown-based digital scheme, and if you don’t fancy laying out and blocking in that level of detail, there are decal sheets available that you can purchase via model shops and online auction sites.  One such sheet is done in conjunction with our friends at Dora Wings, so keep an eye out for those.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Figures… blah, blah, blah… human scale.  You know what I’m going to say by now.  These are great figures with realistic poses, and bear in mind that they’re at rest, so wouldn’t be suitable for a combat diorama, as they’d all be safe(r) inside the vehicle.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

Review sample courtesy of