Introduction:
ANT Miniatures is a Russian figure company with a long experience in manufacturing high quality miniatures. Employing very talented sculptors, Viktor Antonov, the owner of the company, built quite a reputation on local market by producing figures representing modern Russian Special Forces operatives. At first, all the figures under ANT Miniatures label were done in white metal… recently however, Viktor recognized resin as the new medium for his 1/35 scale figures and most of ANT Miniatures releases in this scale are now produced as resin kits. Also, the company lately stepped out of their Russian Spetsnaz "comfort zone" and started releasing figures of other nations armies serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.
This review describes ANT Miniatures’ German Airborne in Afghanistan (35-43).
Review:
The figure arrived safely packed in a firm cardboard box. The box features picture of unpainted figure sculpted by Pavel Sapotsky, creative force behind most 1/35 scale ANT Miniatures modern figures. The photos of figure painted by Pavel Ilyin were recently published on ANT Miniatures website... I attached those pictures to this review as well. Those will probably be used as box art on subsequent editions of this figure. Zip-lock bag containing resin figure parts is additionally protected inside bubble wrap. The kit consists of 6 pieces plus a simple resin base:
- full body with legs,
- head
- right arm,
- left arm,
- weapon with right hand
- radio antenna.
The parts are cast in grey resin and are very well cast; there are no air bubbles or any major imperfections, but I did notice two seam lines going along both legs. The seams are not very pronounced, but nonetheless they should be carefully sanded in order to preserve the folds and details on the uniform. The radio antenna and weapon are very delicate pieces so take your time when cleaning them from resin pouring blocks. The weapon barrel in my sample was slightly warped.
The fit of the parts is absolutely perfect. Both arms feature protrusions which are designed for their optimal positioning on the torso. There is almost no possibility of misaligning the parts and after placement there are no visible gap between arms and the torso. I would suggest fixing the arms first and then aligning the right hand with the weapon... this way the weapon can be adjusted to fit perfectly to the figure depicting the soldier aiming through the optical sight.
The figure depicts German Airborne trooper serving with Bundeswehr ISAF contingent in Afghanistan. The figure wear German KSK desert uniform consisting of shirt and trousers. The KSK shirt features several improvements to the standard issue shirt: additional ventilation holes under the armpits and expandable arm pockets on both arms. These arm pockets are the same size as the chest pockets, set at an angle to enable easy opening when body armor is worn, and are fitted with a return flap to prevent pocket contents from being lost. Also, the front of the pocket is fitted with Velcro patches for attachment of insignia. All press buttons and zippers have been removed from the shirt in order to remove pressure points against the body when wearing body armor: two chest pockets are fitted with Velcro closure and the front central opening fitted with three long strips of Velcro. The shirt features standard German nationality insignia on each arm. The KSK trousers also feature several enhancements to the standard issue trousers: lighter weight tropical fabric and two extra-large bulky thigh pockets, one on each leg. Each pocket is buttoned with two slotted buttons and connects to leg strap which helps to reduce flapping of the trouser legs during movement. The knees open to allow insertion of padding for comfort and ankle hem includes a drawstring, but also a secondary baffle on an elastic which helps to keep out insects, dust and dirt. Over the uniform the figure sports Bundeswehr DSO "SK" body armor. The SK is designed for the Bundeswehr special forces by Mehler Vario System. It includes front and back loops for attachment of additional equipment, and back radio pocket with cable wire guide on the left shoulder. The Jager tactical chest rig worn over the body armor features adjustable padded shoulder straps, adjustable waist strap, 3 magazine pouches and 2 large capacity cargo pouches, large map pouch, first aid/compass pouch on the shoulder strap and multiple attachment points for extra gear. Figure's head is protected by Bundeswehr M92 Helmet, which includes four point chinstrap, night vision option and radio headset with microphone boom. The secondary firearm is secured in Blackhawk SERPA drop leg holster.
The sculptor did a great job on this figure… The uniform looks spot on with realistically sculpted folds and all the intricate KSK-style details present. The body armor and the chest rig are sculpted to perfection with complex features extremely well rendered... as far as I can tell, all the equipment on this figure is accurately depicted in scale. The head sculpt looks good as well, with facial details nicely defined.
The figure is armed with G36 assault rifle, the standard issue weapon of German Bundeswehr today. The G36 is a selective fire 5.56mm rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch. The weapon supplied with this kit is nicely sculpted with characteristic G36 shape realistically reproduced in scale. Once again, the part is very delicate, so be careful when removing it from the casting plug.
Conclusion:
I like how guys in ANT Miniatures do their job on the 1/35 scale resin kits. The sculptor did his homework and I'm very impressed with the realistically balanced pose of the figure, as well as with all the equipment details superbly executed in scale. The figure is also well cast and very easy to build... After reviewing three figure samples I got from ANT Miniatures, I could definitely confirm the quality of ANT resin kits is comparable to the best resin figure manufacturers today.
Be sure to check out other ANT figures on their website:
http://ant-miniatures.ru
and webshop:
http://ant-shop.com.
My thanks to Viktor from ANT Miniatures for this review sample.
References:
http://www.flecktarn.co.uk
http://world.guns.ru/assault/de/hk-g36-e.html
ANT Miniatures is a Russian figure company with a long experience in manufacturing high quality miniatures. Employing very talented sculptors, Viktor Antonov, the owner of the company, built quite a reputation on local market by producing figures representing modern Russian Special Forces operatives. At first, all the figures under ANT Miniatures label were done in white metal… recently however, Viktor recognized resin as the new medium for his 1/35 scale figures and most of ANT Miniatures releases in this scale are now produced as resin kits. Also, the company lately stepped out of their Russian Spetsnaz "comfort zone" and started releasing figures of other nations armies serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.
This review describes ANT Miniatures’ German Airborne in Afghanistan (35-43).
Review:
The figure arrived safely packed in a firm cardboard box. The box features picture of unpainted figure sculpted by Pavel Sapotsky, creative force behind most 1/35 scale ANT Miniatures modern figures. The photos of figure painted by Pavel Ilyin were recently published on ANT Miniatures website... I attached those pictures to this review as well. Those will probably be used as box art on subsequent editions of this figure. Zip-lock bag containing resin figure parts is additionally protected inside bubble wrap. The kit consists of 6 pieces plus a simple resin base:
- full body with legs,
- head
- right arm,
- left arm,
- weapon with right hand
- radio antenna.
The parts are cast in grey resin and are very well cast; there are no air bubbles or any major imperfections, but I did notice two seam lines going along both legs. The seams are not very pronounced, but nonetheless they should be carefully sanded in order to preserve the folds and details on the uniform. The radio antenna and weapon are very delicate pieces so take your time when cleaning them from resin pouring blocks. The weapon barrel in my sample was slightly warped.
The fit of the parts is absolutely perfect. Both arms feature protrusions which are designed for their optimal positioning on the torso. There is almost no possibility of misaligning the parts and after placement there are no visible gap between arms and the torso. I would suggest fixing the arms first and then aligning the right hand with the weapon... this way the weapon can be adjusted to fit perfectly to the figure depicting the soldier aiming through the optical sight.
The figure depicts German Airborne trooper serving with Bundeswehr ISAF contingent in Afghanistan. The figure wear German KSK desert uniform consisting of shirt and trousers. The KSK shirt features several improvements to the standard issue shirt: additional ventilation holes under the armpits and expandable arm pockets on both arms. These arm pockets are the same size as the chest pockets, set at an angle to enable easy opening when body armor is worn, and are fitted with a return flap to prevent pocket contents from being lost. Also, the front of the pocket is fitted with Velcro patches for attachment of insignia. All press buttons and zippers have been removed from the shirt in order to remove pressure points against the body when wearing body armor: two chest pockets are fitted with Velcro closure and the front central opening fitted with three long strips of Velcro. The shirt features standard German nationality insignia on each arm. The KSK trousers also feature several enhancements to the standard issue trousers: lighter weight tropical fabric and two extra-large bulky thigh pockets, one on each leg. Each pocket is buttoned with two slotted buttons and connects to leg strap which helps to reduce flapping of the trouser legs during movement. The knees open to allow insertion of padding for comfort and ankle hem includes a drawstring, but also a secondary baffle on an elastic which helps to keep out insects, dust and dirt. Over the uniform the figure sports Bundeswehr DSO "SK" body armor. The SK is designed for the Bundeswehr special forces by Mehler Vario System. It includes front and back loops for attachment of additional equipment, and back radio pocket with cable wire guide on the left shoulder. The Jager tactical chest rig worn over the body armor features adjustable padded shoulder straps, adjustable waist strap, 3 magazine pouches and 2 large capacity cargo pouches, large map pouch, first aid/compass pouch on the shoulder strap and multiple attachment points for extra gear. Figure's head is protected by Bundeswehr M92 Helmet, which includes four point chinstrap, night vision option and radio headset with microphone boom. The secondary firearm is secured in Blackhawk SERPA drop leg holster.
The sculptor did a great job on this figure… The uniform looks spot on with realistically sculpted folds and all the intricate KSK-style details present. The body armor and the chest rig are sculpted to perfection with complex features extremely well rendered... as far as I can tell, all the equipment on this figure is accurately depicted in scale. The head sculpt looks good as well, with facial details nicely defined.
The figure is armed with G36 assault rifle, the standard issue weapon of German Bundeswehr today. The G36 is a selective fire 5.56mm rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch. The weapon supplied with this kit is nicely sculpted with characteristic G36 shape realistically reproduced in scale. Once again, the part is very delicate, so be careful when removing it from the casting plug.
Conclusion:
I like how guys in ANT Miniatures do their job on the 1/35 scale resin kits. The sculptor did his homework and I'm very impressed with the realistically balanced pose of the figure, as well as with all the equipment details superbly executed in scale. The figure is also well cast and very easy to build... After reviewing three figure samples I got from ANT Miniatures, I could definitely confirm the quality of ANT resin kits is comparable to the best resin figure manufacturers today.
Be sure to check out other ANT figures on their website:
http://ant-miniatures.ru
and webshop:
http://ant-shop.com.
References:
http://www.flecktarn.co.uk
http://world.guns.ru/assault/de/hk-g36-e.html
