Introduction:
I’ve had the figure in my hands for almost a year now and was postponing the review for far too long. The truth is… I’m pretty sure there would be negative comments on the subject due to the current political situation and the war in Ukraine. However, this is one of the best figures I’ve assembled in a long time and it would be a shame if it goes unnoticed.
Review:
The figure is packed in a hard cardboard box. The box art image Is nicely done and provides an artistic representation of the subject.
Opening the box reveals several zip-lock bags with resin pieces, additionally protected using a layer of bubble-wrap. The box also contains a zip-lock bag with two small decal sheets, assembly instructions and a Velcro unit patch. The patch represents a Special Ops unit from Moscow region, nicknamed “Sunflowers” while serving in Chechnya.
The resin pieces look really good and upon closer inspection I found no defects in the cast whatsoever. A small amount of thin flash residue is present on some of the delicate details (i.e. weapon trigger guard), but this is easy to remove using the back of the modeling blade. Parts are delivered on several resin blocks with thin casting supports. The cleanup is straightforward and should not present any problems even to those with basic resin working skills: a side cutter, sharp modeling blade and some fine grit sandpaper should do the trick. The resin is rather soft and easy to manipulate. Along with grey resin pieces, the kit consists of a clear resin block with several transparent parts depicting weapon optics and sunglasses… a very nice touch.
Assembly:
The assembly guide is included in the kit and shows step-by-step procedure for building the figure.
Following the proposed sequence, the assembly is not too complex, although the kit consists of many pieces, several of which are very delicate and do not tolerate manhandling. Also, some of the smaller pieces could probably be left off the figure and attached only after the painting process is finished (headphones, helmet straps and boom microphone come to mind).
The pieces are superbly designed, and the fit is absolutely perfect. There were no noticeable gaps between the main figure pieces and minimal putty work was required. The equipment can be fixed with no issues whatsoever, although I would suggest dry-fitting all the pieces before actually gluing them on the figure. The double RPG subassembly consists of several small parts but I didn’t have any issues with the build.
The finished figure looks amazing. The anatomy is good, the pose very dynamic. The details are sharp and superbly defined, perfectly delivered in scale. I have reviewed a lot of resin sets so far, but I don’t think I ever witnessed details as fine as on this figure. Check out the images… very impressive!
The set offers two weapon variants which the modeler can build according to his own preferences. Two sets of hands are also available to accommodate these different weapon systems.
The set also includes two small decal sheets. These deliver inscriptions for Shmel launchers and patches for different units.
A final image of the review shows the figure on a small base supplied with the set.
Conclusion:
Russian GRU Special Forces w RPO-A „Shmel“ (RA-1603) from Red Anvil delivers a 1/16 scale figure depicting Russian Special Ops operative. Perfectly cast in resin and with amazing details all around, the figure is superbly engineered and the fit of the parts is excellent. The assembly is not too complex and the finished figure looks wonderful. The decals are an added bonus.