RossM
Well-Known Member
It has been a long time since I picked up a box of injection moulded figures. However, while looking around at various ideas, I came across this set by the Ukrainian manufacturer Master Box, and I was taken in by the choice of subject. Indeed, it is not straining verity to suggest that the centenary of the First World War has had a positive effect on the range of models that we now have concerning this conflict. Indeed, who would have thought that Tamiya would release a MkIV Male tank in 2014? Moreover, we now also have two modern renditions of the British Whippet tank as well as various French vehicles.
This kit was released in 2013, and the inspiration for this set is a famous photo taken by one of Britain’s official war photographers, Lieutenant Ernest Brooks. A noted photographer before the First World War, Brooks became the Admiralty’s official photographer during the Gallipoli campaign. He was then transferred to the War Office, and he was the only official photographer present at the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. This photo was taken on 3 July 1916 around La Boisselle. This photo can be found online in the Imperial War Museum’s collection here.
Battle of Albert. British soldiers with wounded German prisoners at La Boisselle, 3 July 1916. (Source: © IWM (Q 765))
The kit comprises six figures with each containing multiple parts. The breakdown of parts is well thought out and should cause few problems. One reason for buying this set was to see how the standard of the sculpting of injection moulded figures had progressed. In this case, I am not disappointed. The faces, in particular, are impressive given the challenge of reproducing facial features in plastic. There is some excellent detail present in this set. Yes, there is some flash and mould lines; however, these should not be too difficult to rectify. Perhaps the key issue is the size of the sprue gates on some of the pieces, but again the careful removal of parts means that this should not be an issue beyond the capabilities of most modellers. Finally, Master Box provides painting instructions on the back of the box for those that use that type of information.
The kit comes with a lovely painted rendition of Brooks’ photo as the box art. However, here, a word of warning is warranted. The box art shows two German soldiers carrying a British soldier. This is in all probability wrong. If one looks carefully at the photo on which this set is based, it is clear that it is a group of armed British soldiers leading German prisoners of war. Moreover, in the background, you can make out wounded German soldiers. As such, in all likeliness, the soldier being carried is German and not British.
To conclude, this is a lovely set from Master Box, and I will be taking a closer interest in some of their future releases. If you want to see what can be achieved with injection moulded figures, have a look at some of the work Calvin Tan has been doing recently here, here and here.
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This kit was released in 2013, and the inspiration for this set is a famous photo taken by one of Britain’s official war photographers, Lieutenant Ernest Brooks. A noted photographer before the First World War, Brooks became the Admiralty’s official photographer during the Gallipoli campaign. He was then transferred to the War Office, and he was the only official photographer present at the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. This photo was taken on 3 July 1916 around La Boisselle. This photo can be found online in the Imperial War Museum’s collection here.
The kit comprises six figures with each containing multiple parts. The breakdown of parts is well thought out and should cause few problems. One reason for buying this set was to see how the standard of the sculpting of injection moulded figures had progressed. In this case, I am not disappointed. The faces, in particular, are impressive given the challenge of reproducing facial features in plastic. There is some excellent detail present in this set. Yes, there is some flash and mould lines; however, these should not be too difficult to rectify. Perhaps the key issue is the size of the sprue gates on some of the pieces, but again the careful removal of parts means that this should not be an issue beyond the capabilities of most modellers. Finally, Master Box provides painting instructions on the back of the box for those that use that type of information.
The kit comes with a lovely painted rendition of Brooks’ photo as the box art. However, here, a word of warning is warranted. The box art shows two German soldiers carrying a British soldier. This is in all probability wrong. If one looks carefully at the photo on which this set is based, it is clear that it is a group of armed British soldiers leading German prisoners of war. Moreover, in the background, you can make out wounded German soldiers. As such, in all likeliness, the soldier being carried is German and not British.
To conclude, this is a lovely set from Master Box, and I will be taking a closer interest in some of their future releases. If you want to see what can be achieved with injection moulded figures, have a look at some of the work Calvin Tan has been doing recently here, here and here.
Continue reading...
