MASTER BOX LTD. [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

In-Box Review
Video Review included
135
Women of WWII Era
Women of World War Two Era
  • move

by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

2012 was a great year for new figures hitting the market in injection moulded plastic, and the set I am going to review here just made it into 2012 in time for Christmas. This set of figures is “Women of World War Two Era” from Master Box and it features four adult female figure and a girl.

Contents

The product is supplied in an end opening box with an illustration of four of the figures in the set by Andrey Karaschuk. On the rear of the box is a picture of the assembled five figures in the set which serves as an assembly guide and a suggested painting guide. Inside the box you will find a single sprue packaged in a polythene bag.

Review

The four adult figures included in this set I will cover as a whole as they are fundamentally the same with variations in pose and hair styling. Starting with the heads, which are all separate from the torsos. These have separate hats and, in some cases, the long hair needs to be added at the rear providing a nice undercut which improves appearance. The facial details are the first injection moulded figures I have seen that look as if they were sculpted to be feminine rather than masculine faces with long hair. The hats included with three of the figures are suitably styled for the 1940’s with nice variations in style.

The clothing of the four adult figures has also been nicely replicated with appropriate styles and variation in skirt length. The skirt length of this period always fell below the knee and this set depicts this nicely with the slight variation in length. It should be noted that the female figures in this set are much better suited to an urban setting rather than a rural setting as the clothes would be best described as smart to smart casual as opposed to rural workers of the period. The creases shown on the figures is minimal as the figures are all standing upright but is acceptable and gives a good impression of the material for a skirt.

The arms and hands of the figures vary in quality from poor in one case and fair to good on the others. The figure that I have noted as poor is very easy corrected as the problem is a thumb that just looks wrong (as in too long) otherwise this area of the figures is fine. The legs of the adult figures are all separate and join at the groin, this has allowed the skirts to be moulded reasonably thinly and in either 2 or 3 parts. The footwear depicted on these figures varies between high heels and in one case wedge heels which are also appropriate for the period.

The stature of the adult female figures is best described as slight with what I can best describe as normal features rather than playboy figures, this to me is at least is more realistic for the time. The general look of the figures in the set is very good and I believe some of, if not the best, female figures in plastic I have seen. I have included a picture of my grandmother taken during World War Two while she was still single as I felt this may be of help.

The female child in the set is not as depicted on the front of the box as the included child appears to be a little older due to being taller when assembled and the head detail is also different from the box front. The body looks to be anatomically correct in terms of the body looking correctly scaled in the reduced size. One thing I don’t like about the figure is that due to the very short skirt the legs attach directly to a solid skirt bottom with one of the legs already attached, I would rather have seen a shallow indent so that the legs look like a part of the body rather than attached to the skirt.

Conclusion

This set of female figures is a great addition to their range with the possible exception of the child, and it is good to see some civilian figures from the World War Two period that are appropriate for, I believe, any country within Europe or the USA/Canada. It is also good to see figures of females that look like the girl next door so to speak rather than in a magazine, and that started as female figures with female faces.

Photos of assembled and painted figures displayed at bottom provided by Frederick Boucher.

SUMMARY
Highs: For me the highlight of this set is the fact we are getting female figures that look as if they were always intended to be just that. In addition, all of the figures look right for the period in both clothing and build.
Lows: The way the legs attach on the child does let this figure down.
Verdict: A great set of adult female figures for the World War Two period.
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: MB35148
  Suggested Retail: £8.99
  PUBLISHED: Jan 07, 2013
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 84.05%

Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

And again a very welcome set from MB. Thanks, Alexander! It will make common scenes during the war in which soldiers meet civilians, possible, thus adding a more colorfull touch to dioramas. ( I almost forgot that there are other than matt and green tone colors Looking forward to the next MB figures!
JAN 07, 2013 - 12:54 AM
Excellent set. I am surprised the big plastic companies haven't done this subject more already. How many boxes of pointing Germans can they make? J
JAN 07, 2013 - 03:07 AM
Apparently several hundred. . . Miniart and Masterbox really have become the two companies whose figures I eagerly await. Truly filling in holes and also thinking outside the box. . . Matt
JAN 07, 2013 - 03:13 AM
Alexander from MB Ltd is a very open gentleman who realy takes your questions and remarks very serious (as I found out via their site during the last years). I got the impression that he very well understands those modellers who have seen enough mini-Germans in almost any pose a human body can poduce! The last sets show that at least in Eastern Europe it is possible to market non-German sets successfully. The best example is their Allied gun crew, which even has some alternative arms to change figures. ( Though with some more alternative legs and arms you could combine two sets to make a full gun crew of 11 guys...............)
JAN 07, 2013 - 05:51 AM
... Well, looking at these figures of women, reminds me of the movie "From here to Eternity" ... to use this material in a diorama. ... Jorge.
JAN 07, 2013 - 06:03 AM
Paul thank you for that information but I have to say that the MasterBox set "Cold Wind" featuring Germans is one of the best figure sets I have seen as they really give over the impression of being cold. Thank you for taking the time to reply gents.
JAN 07, 2013 - 07:01 AM
What else can I say. I love Masterbox figures. Well animated and great subjects. Seems not many companies except Masterbox will leave the pack and make their own way and prove that civilians are worth the time and money to develop. Their other civilian sets did well also, have them all. For dioramas, you can never have enough civi's, they have to be represented because they don't just fade away when conflicts happen. And any scene like a train station, pier or store and even waving their loved ones away off to war, you need them. We could do with more also.
JAN 08, 2013 - 03:49 PM
   
ADVERTISEMENT

Video Review

Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
ADVERTISEMENT