German Engineer
Eastern Front, 1943

999-s

Reviewed by Terry Ashley

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This is the first WWII subject from a new Russian Resin Figure producer 999-s.

The figure arrives in a very attractive full colour box with an illustration of the figure which can be used as a painting guide.

Inside the box you will find 22 nicely cast resin parts in a light cream resin. They have the usual casting blocks to be removed and as with any resin parts you should give them a bath in warm soapy water to remove any trace of release agent and any other residue.
 

The quality of the casting is very good overall, there is some fine resin 'flash' on some parts, so thin it can be removed by brushing your finger over it. There are also some very minor seam lines on some parts where the two part moulds meet but nothing out of the ordinary for resin figures and a small price to pay for the resulting good detail. An example of this is the helmet which has inside details as well as nice external detail.

The figure represents an Engineer Corporal wearing the 1935 Pattern Tunic and Winter Cotton Trousers (1943 Winter Pattern). He is equipped with two explosive charge packs and the engineer's assault backpack and carries an anti tank mine in his right hand.

Facial features are well defined and the quality of the uniform detail is excellent with very subtle creases in the tunic, trousers and boots. These also feature fabric seams on the sleeves and trousers, something other producers sometimes forget. The detail in the tunic is really impressive; the crispness of the fine details such as webbing and buckles is noteworthy. The design of the castings also adds to the detail. The two stick grenades in the belt are separate parts and the front section of the belt is also separate to give good definition when assembled, and also helps in allowing painting of the parts separate to be fitted together later.

Another nice touch is with the left hand that is holding the upper part of the webbing. The 'end' of the fingers is actually cast with the upper torso and this gives good definition and helps with precise alignment for the left arm.

As mentioned, you get a full selection of personal gear including the engineer packs, water bottle, baronet and saw holder pouches and P38 holster.

The figure is based on the reproduction featured on page 54 of Histoire & Collections excellent book "German Soldiers of World War Two" which has photos of real uniforms (or authentic reproductions) modelled on real people to give a real feel to the uniforms that drawn illustrations can't give. The 999-s figure is true to that example in every detail.

No painting guides are provided other than the box top illustration, but the 999-s website also features progress pictures of the figures construction which will be helpful when painting the figure. If you have the Histoire & Collections book then that is all that you will need.

Full details of this and the other figures available are on the 999-s website as well as secure ordering facilities. There range is small at this point but include figures from all areas including a very interesting "Pirate" which would attract any self-respecting buccaneer.

999-s also plan to release 1/35th scale figures in the future which should prove interesting.

This is a well produced and detailed figure.

If you are into 120mm figures, this will be a welcome addition to your collection. I look forward to others in the future from this company.

Recommended

You can visit 999-s website at http://www.999-s.com/