New World Miniatures
35087

These boys are doing what GIs did through much of the war, waiting, taking comfort from a cup of "coffee," eating from their rations or something scavenged from the locals.

They are wearing M1943 combat jackets, and as there are no cargo pockets on the trousers, these are the cold weather woolies. The combat shoes with the leather gaiters set them in the autumn of 1944 onward.

A nice aspect is that these guys are not encumbered with web gear. In fact, only the kneeling soldier wears a web belt, the others have their jackets cinched with the internal drawstrings. The kneeling man has a first aid pouch and empty canteen case—but no bare canteen is included! One soldier is spooning some hash from a can, and the others hold the common canteen cup. You'll have to rely on your spares for canteens (the old Tamiya canteens are quickly converted to uncased metal) and any other gear or weapons.

The figures are sculpted by one of my favorites, Brian Stewart, based on art work from Ron Volstad. The pieces are cleanly cast and once the pour plugs are removed they fit together nicely. The figure standing straight (the other is leaning against something) scales to just under 6'.

This is a simple, well-executed quartet that can be placed in numerous settings, and well worth searching for following the unfortunate closing of New World Miniatures.

-tss