Esci WWII RUSSIAN Soldiers 1/72 set 203 Italeri 6057

We continue the WW2-themed reviews, but this time it's a set of soldiers which we are going to review. The Esci Russian Soldiers!

This is the original box. Typical Esci stuff, with a man portrayed very near and the rest in the background. Quite good and all poses are really included inside (only exception the crouched machine gunner).

This is the box of Italeri's reissue. I don't know why the "Rifle Forces" logo is there, just because there are so many riflemen? The artwork is depicting more action, but the colouring is a bit strange; they seem American infantry in the Pacific. The soldier outside the artwork looks strange and fat.

SCULPTING - 9.5 out of 10

These soldiers are very finely sculpted, with the usual perfect lifelike proportions Esci used to make. All detail is sharp, although, for example, I have my set bought in the mid-90s where detail is a bit blurred and not so sharp as always with Esci, and I have received some examples from eBay that were older and seem much sharper, so I assume that the originals had very good sharpness and the mould started to deteriorate with the years. I have no idea how Italeri's reissue is.

These soldiers can be found in grey, military green, and a sort of tan-egg colour and probably more.

The poses are well chosen, maybe the mortar-man looks a bit silly holding two projectiles and looking at the camera at the same time, or the man throwing the grenade shouldn't lift his foot, but the rest are very lifelike and correct. 

HISTORICAL ACCURACY - 10.0

You can't go much wrong with a subject that is 100 % researched, the maximum you could do is go wrong with pouches, weapon proportions, etc. And this time, Esci keeps the proportions very well , much better than usually when it gets a bit carried away with the firepower and gives too many machine guns. 



ARMY REPRESENTATION - 0

"The army representation score is the potential of the soldiers to be used for other purposes different to the one originally intended"

In WW2 is hard to reuse soldiers, and in this case, impossible besides reusing the horse.


FUNNESS - 9.0

This set has very high funness . First, it gives a woman with a radio, which is both historical and a neglected subject by other manufacturers. Also, we are given a cossack with his horse, and although some people would prefer a cossack set and to leave this pose outside this one, in those days there wasn't a cossack set, so it was a good addition. As always, you have a leader, although strangely there is no unique man in this set (not that he is so much needed in a so standarized  army, but maybe a general and a officer would have been better). The Maxim guns are also a very nice addition.

Finally, there is the odd man holding his gun up, a bit like surrendering, or maybe celebrating, or simply drawing the attention of friendly troops from a distance. 

Maybe the most important thing that is lacking are some snipers, but representing in a general way the Red Army,  this is an absence that can be understood.


WARGAMING VALUE - 8,5

As we have commented, it has a very nice balance. The Cossack and its horse will be of little use, but you can always use it as a supply unit adding sacks to the horse. 

PRICE-VALUE RATIO - 9.0

"The price value ratio of this soldiers will vary between any shops you go to, and the best I can do is judge by their average price on eBay"

46 men and two horses maybe looked a few compared with other Esci sets, but now it is a perfect quantity. You are also given 3 Maxims. You can get it shipped for 7 pounds, and  at a similar cost in shops. If you keep alert on eBay, you'll find them second hand under the Esci name for even half this cost .
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PAINTING AND GLUEING - 3.0/8.0

The Esci as always are slippery and flexible, a nightmare to paint and keep painted. The Italeri reissue solves this with their hard plastic. It is your choice if choose the sharper detail of the old Esci ones or the harder plastic of the Italeri reissue.


OVERALL VALORATION - 9.0

A very fine set, some of the best sets Esci made. And I frankly believe the best Red Army set on the market still. The Red Army in winter dress of Italeri is a interesting set, but it doesn't cover fully the subject and has some flaws (that will be commented in a future review).

In one phrase; simply a must have, after all these years, for any wargamer/collector interested in WW2.

Thanks to Gabriel, a superb painter and modeller, for giving permission to use pics of his painted figures.

You can see more of Gabriel's work on his website; http://1-72degabriel.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Infanteria%20Rusa%20WW2%20-%20ESCI

Make any comment! We´ll love to read it! If you want to share your painted version of this set, send a email to tam_cob@hotmail.com with the subject "Painted Soldiers" and I will include them in this post.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next battle!

Airfix FAIREY BATTLE 1/72 AO3032 RAF Aircraft Battle of Britain

Welcome back to my reviews! after a long time and a summer break, it is time for more model kits. We start with the last kit finished this summer, the Fairey Battle of Airfix.

Let's see the box arts;

Here is the first one, the classic. It depicts a nice and vibrant action, with a bridge over the river Meuse on the background.

The next one, in my opinion is a bit poor, and has a weird perspective which makes it look strange.

I normally like Airfix early 90s boxes, but the kit made clean straight out of the box looks a bit silly. The undercarriage looks awful. It really puts me off buying it.

To me the winner is the last one (for once, I prefer the modern thing!) . I like very much  the mediterranean scenario, with the small Fiat's in the background, with the Greek markings, it creates a different theme. The only bad thing is that the 3d used to make the box art (or, at least, part of it) makes it a bit "unreal".

THE KIT - 3.5 out of 10.0 >>

This is a very old kit, and inaccurate as well. Airfix dresses a prehistoric kit with a supermodern box art, but the kit is the same as you could buy 40 years ago.

Besides the lack of small details, and small inaccuracies typical of early models, this kit has two gigantic errors; it has a short nose and wrong tail shape. You need to add 4mm of length to the nose, and reshape the tail. I haven't done this as I am not a perfectionist, but it looks strange and just by sight you can notice that the engine is way too short.

The only difference between this kit and the first release is the inclusion of two modern pilots (for modern I mean the ones released in the early 80s or before!).

Other problems include the undercarriage being massively thick, the propeller just fits in the two halves of the fuselage without detail nor anything that avoids the propeller rattling, and the poor fit of the rear canopy, which is also incredibly wrong and weird.

EXTRAS - 7.0 >>

  For your money you have 2 pilots and 4 bombs, which is good enough.

POSSIBILITIES - 7.0 >>

You'll hardly escape the mickey-mouse, but at least you can make a interesting turkish, greek or belgian version, besides the always colourful yellow trainers-target towing aircraft.

You can look here to see further camouflages;

http://wp.scn.ru/

Pics extracted from Scale Aviation Modeller International.

PRICE/VALUE RATIO - 7.0 >>

It costed me 10 € in a modelshop, thanks to Airfix retail distribution, you can find it nearly anywhere. If a toyshop has model kits, it will definitely have Airfix, and with a bit of luck this model too.You can buy it from eBay for around 9 £, but if you search a bit around and you buy a older version which will be the same with better moulding

 (except the nice Greek markings) you can surely get it for 6 or 7 £.

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HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE - 4.0 >>

The historical importance score is determined by how many were built, and how much operational service they had, and how much influence they made on the conflicts in which they were involved.

It did affect the war, albeit if probably negatively on it's side (I am a detractor of the plane, one of those who think it was utterly inefficient). The production was very big (2,185), but few of these were operationally used.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Battle

OVERALL - 6.0 >> 

This is a good kit if you like to spend hours improving it, or if you are a beginner it is not a very complicated model, without many small pieces, and pretty easy assembly. If you want a nice finish without tons of work and a doubtful result, you better get the MPM kit, although when you see it in pics it doesn't look so different, but it will be certainly much easier and examining it carefully you will see it has much more detail (just compare the propeller vosp). The bad thing about the MPM is the price (double or triple the Airfix) and it's scarcity.

In one phrase; a kit quite like the real thing, with many errors and shortcomings. 

IMAGES OF FINISHED JOBS 
(What? you have built this model? I'd love to include the pics here in this section so everyone can look at it. Just email me at tam_cob@hotmail.com !)

Model kit made by myself (I added the antenna cable. The rearwheel broke before the photo session and I am still searching for it, so that is why it is not present!)
                                                          Until the next bombing mission!!!

Italeri Esci MORRIS QUAD TRACTOR with 25 POUNDER GUN nº7027 1/72 model kit Ford CMP Artillery Tractor

Yet another Italeri review (I have no special preference for this manufacturer, but a great majority of my desert model kits are Italeri), the Morris Quad with 25 PDR. gun;

A very nice artwork where you can see clearly what you are given. It is realistic and welldone, but the men seem a bit "plastic", lifeless, they don't seem they are in combat. The vehicle and the cannon is superbly done, but the men seem wax statues. 

This model is really two Esci models into one box, the 25 PDR gun and the Morris quad.

We can see here the original boxes (prepare to see quite a lot of images! (click on the picture to see them in big));

The original box, nice and realistic.

A Revell reissue, with a nice background.

Later Esci decided to give a background to all their boxes, and this maybe looks a bit strange, as it looks like France more than the desert, I suppose it represents Italy.

And later, Esci thought that the white background was better, so back again the white and now with a different artwork. I think on the whole I prefer the Revell one.

Now, let's see the boxes for the 25 pdr;

 A nice and clear artwork. As a curiosity, the men drawn are different to the figures, as the officer wears a helmet and there are more shirtless fellows.

The same with background. Is it 10 times better, or it is just me?

And now the Humbrol, which is just the model in a diorama. They have got a nice shading of the desert, better than my model. But I think that showing the model normally doesn't attract a buyer as much as a good artwork. 

THE KIT -7.3 >>

One of the curious things is that this kit is a scaled down Tamiya kit. I don't know to what extent Esci did this, I am still quite puzzled. How do I know? Obviously, there isn't the same exact parts, but everything looks built the same way, and the figures are exact copies. I suppose Esci had permission from Tamiya. I would say that, maybe except the wheels, everything is scaled down. I don't have the model of the Morris Quad, but probably it is a scale down too. Other kits such as the Fiat Ansaldo is also a scale down (this time from Italeri) (at least, judging by the driver and hull construction). Were all Esci kits scaled down from other manufacturers? Did they ask for permission? I don't have the answer, but it gives you something to think about.

Returning to the kit, it has nice detail, and it is easy to build. Probably better than the average Esci. Things fit very properly, and the details are well done. 

The only difference between this kti and the Esci kits is the inclusion of a clear sheet of transparent plastic to make yourself the glass of the Quad.

The only thing I see a bit strange are the wheels of the cannon, I see  them as a bit small. You can judge for yourself with this pic;

EXTRAS - 9.1 >>

6 crew and plenty of ammunition boxes are more or less the maximum you can ask. Originally, as the cannon was sold separately, it was absolutely needed to add an extra, but now with the lorry it gives a very high score.

The figures have good sculpting, although the detail is not sharp and is a bit diffuse in some places (handicaps of scaling down 1/35 figures). The figures have separate arms which you have to glue, and some separate legs. The poses are very good, all of them working closely with the cannon. The only thing is that I can't work out what the man with the shirt and helmet on is exactly doing, he is like walking while carrying something in his hands, and he doesn't carry anything. So it would be recommended to give him some box or a rifle or make him move the trolley. The officer with the binoculars is very charismatic, he resembles General Percival (at least the 1/35, where you can see the face detail)

POSSIBILITIES - 6.0 >>

The back of the box gives you more or less everything you can do, except the all green one. But if you paint it green, the men without shirts will look a bit strange in the middle of France :) , and you will have to get another crew. 

PRICE/VALUE RATIO - 9.0 >>

10 € for a lorry and a cannon, well done and with 6 crew, it is a fantastic price. Ok, it maybe is an old model, but all the same Italeri charges more or less the same for one vehicle without crew nor cannon, as old as this one.

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HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE - 10 >>

"The historical importance score is determined by how many were built, and how much operational service they had, and how much influence they had on the conflicts they were involved in"

They were decisive at El-Alamein, fought in nearly all theatres of war, from the jungles of Burma to North Africa. If this was not enough, it was used extensively by other countries after WWII, Greece only retired them in 1992, Cyprus still stores them, and Pakistan still uses today 1000 of them.

You can find out more here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_QF_25-pounder#cite_note-9

WARGAMING - 7.0 >>

Maybe some things will be a bit tricky to build , like the suspension and chassis of the Morris Quad, but generally it shouldn't be a problem to most wargamers. The quantity of crew makes for a very nice diorama or wargaming item.

OVERALL - 9.0 >> 

Very intelligent for Italeri merging these two kits, which alone are by no means so interesting as together. Alone, they are dull and probably expensive, together  a must. There are not many alternatives to this important model (the Airfix is 1/76, and it is a very old model which looks very awkward compared to this one).

In one phrase; A true classic combined into a very interesting kit.

IMAGES OF FINISHED JOBS  (click on the pics to see them bigger)

Model kit build by myself.


Thanks to Al Magnus from http://www.onthewaymodels.com/reviews/Italeri/AMagnus_Italeri_25pdr&Limber_review.htm
for his permission to show his excellently built model kit.