DML 1/35
Sturmgescheutze Crew Reloading Russia 1941

Occasionally a set of figures comes out with little fanfare or apparent advantage, but when examined closely is a good "maid of all work" that can be used for a very wide variety of functions and either with a single kit or in a diorama setting. DML's choice of figures here is very much one of those sets.

This kit provides a single sprue with three basic figures of Germans wearing the generic armor crewmen's uniform and one more with a pullover sweater performing the basic uploading – "bombing up" to Commonwealth armour fans – of ammunition into an armored vehicle. I say generic as it basically depends if you paint them in field gray with red trim as assault gun or antitank crewmen or black with pink as tankers. Each figure comes with a choice of either a peaked soft cap or a side cap for headgear.

The figures are basic – torso, head, two arms and two legs – but molding is up to DML's standards and these figures, as not in combat or wearing more involved uniforms, do not really need the extra "zing" provided by Gen2 molding techniques. Eight heads are provided for variety, however, but four have their tops cut at a slant for the side caps and four squared off for use with the peaked caps.

Poses are simple: one man with a sweater is an observer, one is holding a round, one is handing it down, and one is receiving the round from the previous figure. A nice touch is the presence of three distinct type of ammo: four rounds for what appears to be the stubby L/24 gun, four HE rounds for the L/46-48 guns, and four AP rounds for the latter weapon. But as they are pretty generic figures, it should not be hard to use them with the longer 7.5 cm L/70 ammo or 8.8 cm rounds.

Overall, the greatest advantage of this set is their flexibility, and I wouldn't be surprised for German armor fans to stock up on them.

Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.