Master Box Ltd.
MB3556

Master Box continues to mine unique subjects, and this seaworthy quartet is no exception. As we begin to see more 1/35 Navy personnel associated with various landing craft, these figures introduce a more casual, even playful element that could make for a refreshing vignette or diorama.

I'm not going to profess to any knowledge of naval attire. From a cruise around the Internet, these uniforms indeed look quite shipshape, from the flared bell legs of the seaman's trousers to the distinctive chapeaus riding atop the WAVES. The tar can be outfitted with either a smiliarly suited simian "Mini Me" or a flare-winged parrot. Painting instructions show him in white or blue. The officer looks on with a bit of a scowl (at the shoulder squatter or the femmes fatale?).

The ladies of the harbor are slender and smartly outfitted. The skirts are sectioned in parts to give a proper openess as they billow with the women's movement. The longer hair tied in back of the WAVE in the brown uniform is a separate piece. The officer's cap and tips of the gob's bow tie also are separate so as to provide a more detailed molding. The only items the modeler needs to provide are a chain for the monkey and strap for the WAVE's handbag. The parts are nicely molded. albeit with a tad of flash but only minimal seams. Unfortunately, there are no decals provided to produce the insignia, so a sharp-pointed paint brush and steady hand are called for. This would be an ideal weekend project and good practice for face painting (and opportunity for involvement with your female partner).

So what does this kit have to do with the U.S. Army in WWII? Well, not a lot on the surface, but once you pair this set with MiniArt's Bantam jeep, which saw service in the Pacific, and some dockside materiel ready to be loaded for sail to a distant island, you might begin to conjur up some suitable scenic seascape.

Review sample courtesy of Alain Yuen and Dragon Models USA.

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