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In-Box Review
135
German Warriors 1940-41
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by: Keith Middleton [ KBM ]

Introduction

With this offering, Dragon has brought to market a very interesting set of five figures of German soldiers gearing up to go into action in the early years of World War II. More specifically, the set includes three infantry and two AFV crew figures.

Contents

The set is packaged in the traditional side opening box. The cover art by Ukrainian artist Dmytro Zgonnik is very well done and it compares favorably to the work of Ron Volstad, which is so closely associated with Dragon figure sets. The back of the box has both the assembly instructions as well as the painting guide. Paint references are keyed to Gunze and Model Master paints.

Upon opening the box, one finds four sprues wrapped in plastic. While it was not damaged, I discovered one figure’s torso had broken off the sprue while in transit to my home. One sprue holds Figure E, the AFV crewman buckling his belt. The second sprue holds the parts for the remaining four figures. On both of these sprues, the detail on the parts is excellent, however, there is a small amount of flash on some parts. The faces on these figures are superb and without the complexity of the Generation 2 multiple parts.

There are also substantial sprue attachment points and mold seams. While Dragon did its best to run the mold seams in natural locations, they are so large that the modeler will have no choice but to remove them. Because both the attachment points and seams are so large and noticeable, they may prove troublesome to remove without damaging surrounding detail.

Next comes Sprue G, which contains various items of equipment including canteens, ammunition pouches, grenades, helmets, etc. There will be plenty of extras to go into the spares box. While nicely detailed, I found small amounts of flash on some of the parts.

Finally, Sprue W holds the weapons: three MP40 submachine guns and four KAR 98k rifles.

The Figures

The set includes an assortment of figures, including both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. This puzzles me as, in my opinion, it limits the ability to use the figures in the same scene.

Figure A is the infantryman putting on his tunic with his cartridge belt and Y-straps at his feet. This figure is a Wehrmacht soldier as he has the eagle emblem on his right breast. Despite this, on his website, Mr. Zgonnik identifies him as a member of the Der Fuhrer regiment of the Das Reich Division.

Figure B is the infantryman holding his cartridge belt and y-straps. The boxart shows this figure as wearing the M1935 tunic with the bluish green collars and the M1935 gray pants. Figure B is a Wehrmacht soldier as the eagle emblem is on his right breast.

Figure C is the infantryman ready to go, carrying an MP40. He is also wearing the M1935 tunic and the M1935 gray pants. However, unlike Figure B, this figure belongs to the Waffen SS. I reached this conclusion even though any distinctive badges have been removed from the cover art because, on the figure itself, he has the eagle emblem on his left sleeve and has the SS rune on his collar.

Figure D is an AFV crewman strapping on his helmet and carrying an MP40. Figure D wears the standard black tanker’s uniform. On his website, Mr. Zgonnik identifies this figure as an SdKFZ 222 crewman from the reconnaissance battalion of the Das Reich Division. That version of the picture clearly shows the SS collar rune which is missing from the boxart version. However, the actual figure has the SS collar rune.

Figure E is the second AFV crewman who is buckling his belt. This figure is a member of the Wehrmacht as he wears the eagle emblem on his right breast.

For purposes of this review, I assembled Figures A and E. The assembly process took considerably longer than it took me to build the MasterBox figures I recently reviewed. This was due in large part to the need to remove flash, the mold seams, and the sprue attachment points.

The engineering for Figure A is well thought out as the tunic comes in three parts that go together quite well. There is a noticeable seam on the tunic but I think that is more the result of operator error as I was rushing through the assembly process for this review. Figure E also assembles well, although there are some small gaps that will need to be filled.

In terms of height, both figures measure out at just under two inches, which translates to about five feet eight inches. Also, in terms of height, as can be seen from the last photograph, the Dragon figures compare favorably to the size of the previously mentioned MasterBox figures, but they are dwarfed by a Tank figure.

Conclusion

While some may complain this is just another set of Germans, in my opinion, this set is a welcome addition to Dragon’s line as they fill a gap: soldiers getting ready for imminent action. In addition, none are pointing! Yes, there were some unpleasant surprises in this set, flash, large mold seams, and thick sprue attachments, however, they build into nicely detailed figures for a very reasonable price.
SUMMARY
Highs: Nicely detailed figures of soldiers in an unusual setting: gearing up for action. Set contains five rather than the standard four figures.
Lows: Unusual assortment of figures that likely prevents them from all being used in a single scene. The set has some flash, mold seams, and sprue attachment points that may be difficult to remove.
Verdict: A welcome addition to the Dragon line as they provide assorted figures in an unusual setting: getting ready for action rather than the more common scenes found in figure sets: soldiers doing nothing or fighting. Recommended.
Percentage Rating
85%
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 6574
  Suggested Retail: $14.95
  PUBLISHED: Apr 11, 2010
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 86.67%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 86.16%

Our Thanks to Dragon USA!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Keith Middleton (kbm)
FROM: TEXAS, UNITED STATES

Copyright ©2021 text by Keith Middleton [ KBM ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Very helpful review. They look great. Detail is very sharp and Dragon seem to have solved the problem of those annoying craze lines on the torso. I like the comparisons with the other figures, that helps.
APR 10, 2010 - 10:08 PM
Good honest review! But the last photo does not depick the figures that come in the kit? Or am I mistaken Keith? Michael
APR 11, 2010 - 12:34 AM
That's for a size comparison against two other brands of 1/35 figures, the DML kit figs are flanking a Masterbox and TANK figure. Some modelers mix and match different brands and like to see how they scale out. I should have added text to the image to make this clear, will do in the future
APR 11, 2010 - 03:36 AM
This set would be worth buying for the figures on the right alone. Great facial details as well in the close-ups ... no need to change these. Thanks keith and James!
APR 11, 2010 - 09:40 AM
Thanks for the review of a very useful set. It's worth mentioning that each of these figures are from existing artwork Dmytro did for Concord (which happens to be part of DML).
APR 12, 2010 - 02:15 PM
It is an excellent looking set - and a VERY useful Review. However, I really hope that with this set DML continue this style of figures and, next time, keep to one 'theme' within the box. Maybe its just me but the title 'German Warriors' is a little on the Wagnerian side? My mind kept slipping to images of well-fed sopranos with horned helmets and metal bras.
APR 12, 2010 - 07:58 PM
Hi Keith, Thanks for the review, at least 3 potential prisoners there!! AL
MAY 02, 2010 - 05:18 AM
mr Keith Middleton wrote: "Figure A is the infantryman putting on his tunic with his cartridge belt and Y-straps at his feet. This figure is a Wehrmacht soldier as he has the eagle emblem on his right breast. Despite this, on his website, Mr. Zgonnik identifies him as a member of the Der Fuhrer regiment of the Das Reich Division." -------------------------- This figure was originally drawn to Concord Publications. Concord's original paint this soldier is indeed a member of the SS. He not has the Wehrmacht eagle on his cap and he has an earlier version of the SS cockade. The Wehrmacht eagle on his right breast is missing. However, for DML sculptor added Wehrmacht eagle on the right breast of this soldier. His field cap can be changed easily as field cap Wehrmacht too.
MAY 05, 2010 - 11:32 AM
   
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