Introduction:
The latest 1/35 scale version of the Killer Egg from Kitty Hawk, AH-6J/MH-6J Little Bird (KH50004) appeared on the market in 2018. Although the kit comes with figures of pilots and crew, Live Resin decided to design and produce their own figures for the helicopter. It could seem like a strange move, but Live Resin figures are among the best on the market today and definitely a superior option to the figures included in Kitty Hawk’s kit.
This review deals with the first miniature in the Live Resin set, MH-6 Little Bird Helicopter Crew Set - Pilot 1 (LRM-35050), while the reviews of other Little Bird crew figures reviews can be found here: Live Resin reviews on Armorama.
Review:
The figure set is packed in a hard cardboard box. The box art on the front displays the figure from different angles, while the one on the back shows the pilot inside the helicopter cockpit noting the figure is designed to fit Kitty Hawk’s MH-6 Little Bird offering (KH50004).
The box contains a zip-lock bag with resin pieces, additionally protected using bubble wrap. Closer examination of the pieces reveals superbly cast grey resin with no casting imperfections whatsoever. The details are sharp and wonderfully delivered. I noticed the seatbelt on the left shoulder is a bit shorter than that on the right shoulder, suggesting a part of the piece broke off. However, I didn’t find the broken bit in the zip-lock bag. Large casting blocks are easy to remove using side cutters and a sharp X-acto knife with minimal sanding required.
The kit includes 8 pieces:
- torso and legs,
- right arm,
- left arm,
- head w helmet,
- left boot,
- right boot,
- right hand with cyclic stick,
- left hand with collective stick.
The pieces are designed with square-shaped protrusions and indentations that help to assemble the figure pieces. Although most of the parts fit really well, I had a problem fixing the right arm to the figure torso. I tried several different positions, but it just didn’t fit without a substantial putty work. Strangely enough, I tried using the right hand from MH-6 Little Bird Helicopter Crew Set – Pilot 2, and that was a perfect fit. After contacting Live Resin, I found there was a mix up with the right arm, and the company quickly sent a replacement. Fitting the new arm didn’t present any problems and I would like to thank Live Resin for such a fast response to my queries.
The figure sports Army Aircrew Combat Uniform (A2CU), a two-piece flight suit similar to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) but with some aviator-specific modifications. Over the uniform, the figure wears Air Warrior Primary Survival Gear Carrier (PSGC) system, a modular combat aircrew ensemble, with holster and ammo magazine pouches, as well as couple of other PSGC system elements, as well as seat belts. On his head the figure sports HGU56/P helmet with Maxillofacial Shield and ANVIS NVG mount. The details of the uniform and the equipment are well defined and accurately delivered.
photo from: https://www.wikipedia.org/
Once assembled, the two pilots (LRM-35024 & LRM-35025) look very similar, as most of the pieces in the two figure sets are identical. However, the altered left hand, customized gear setup and differently positioned heads provide enough variation so the two pilots can easily be used together.
Conclusion:
It has been almost 10 years since I started evaluating Live Resin kits for Armorama. After about 150 reviews, I’m still thrilled to receive the latest Live Resin releases and expect nothing but the best from the company.
Superbly cast and easy to assemble, MH-6 Little Bird Helicopter Crew Set - Pilot 1 (LRM-35050) from Live Resin provides a realistic and accurate representation of modern US Army helo pilot in 1/35 scale. Together with the rest of the Killer Egg crew released under Live Resin label, the figure offers a perfect addition to Kitty Hawk’s AH-6J/MH-6J Little Bird (KH50004) offering.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to Live Resin for this review sample.
Live Resin kits are available from: https://models-hobby.com/.