S&T Products
35008

John Rosengrant is one of the premier scale figure sculptors, and the U.S. tank crew and infantry he produced in 2005 and 2007 were eagerly welcomed by by fans of olive drab, particularly on the strength of his stunning diorama "Calm Before the Storm" which shows them off to their gritty, determined best.

While the product name suggests a winter setting for this particular GI, the only overtly seasonal gear are the pair of buckled overshoes and a scarf tucked under the M1943 jacket.

There are very few GI figures offered with the M-1944 field pack, comprised of the smaller, squarish combat pack (or, in Army nomenclature, "pack, field, combat") and the detachable cargo pack ("pack, field, cargo"). The combat pack carried essential items such as rations, meat can, silverware, spare underwear, and pesonal hygiene needs. The lower cargo pack contained extra clothes, shoes, etc., and could be left behind with the soldier's unit baggage as he moved forward to engage the enemy. An M1942 entrenching tool is attached to the upper combat pack.

Needless to say, the sculpting is superb. The casting is well done, with a wee bit of flash to tidy up. The figure has separate arms to add to the body/head piece, and the hands are molded to the BAR, so care will be required to make sure everything fits properly. The BAR is very delicate, as is the resin strap that you attach to the weapon.

The figure scales out to a hair under 6' with his helmet on. Compared to the imposing images on the box art and Rosengrant's diorama, he seems slighter than that in "real life." Maybe it's just that this guy and his companions look so damn tough that they seem like they should tower above mere (resin) mortals.

They don't come much better than this.

-tss-