U.S. Paratroopers WWII Scouts
Modeling the U.S. Army in WWII


Verlinden Productions
1745

While called "scouts," there is really nothing about these figures that distinguishes them as such, or even as the Pathfinders who dropped and set up guiding lights for the first wave of airborne.

The figures are very stiffly posed and, if used together, rather incongruous. I'm no veteran, but I can't imagine that I'd drop my hand from the trigger of my weapon if in the iminent danger that these two purport to represent.

The other problem with this set is evident with many other VP figures of late: the lower leg portions of the figures don't really mate very well with the upper torsos. The upper torso of the firing soldier extends considerably outward over the bottom piece, as if the M1942 jacket was heavily starched. I whittled it down some, and added some folds to the very flat backside of the jacket bottom and added the pleat missing from the uniform. His left arm is sculpted with a pocket near the shoulder, which appears to be completely bogus. Why the sculptor would add a pocket and ignore a pleat continues to call into question VP's reliability.

The stance of the figure holding the M1 "grease gun" is so awkward that I sawed out a chunk of his crotch (sorry boy!) to bring his legs closer — so they would fit under his torso!

Sculpting is typical of current VP figures: soft details, with rather broad folds and somewhat awkward stances. The recent Tamiya and DML styrene figures are surpassing the quality Verlinden offerings.

The set comes with the usual equipment to dress these troopers. The Garand continues to be the old 1/32 scale knock-off from Airfix. The grease gun appears to be based on DML's. You do get the option of the head with the Mohawk hairdo or a second helmeted head.

The figures scale to just under 6' tall.

If you're willing to work these figures some, you can improve them beyond what appears to be VP's lowering standard of satisfaction.

-tss-
 

Modeling the U.S. Army in WWII © 2002—2007 Timothy S. Streeter