Tamiya

1/16 WWII Wehrmacht Tank Crewman - Afrika Korps

Kit Number 36310

Reviewed By Jack Kennedy, #12511

Well, Tamiya has done it again.  They produced an excellent figure of a WW II Afrika Korps Tank Crewman.  This is one of a few Tamiya figures that I have done and I feel that it is the best yet.

To begin with all the parts fit perfectly.  The figures didn’t require any filler.  I used CA cement and gave the seams a light sanding.  This was the easiest build of a large scale figure that I have done.  Only a slight seam line was visible on the inside of the legs.

This figure gave you a choice of three different headdresses.  It also included a neat base to mount the figure on which included a cactus, a petrol can and a water bottle.  This adds to a realistic scene and I hope that Tamiya produces others that will interlock with this one to produce a very nice vignette.

There was a strange aspect to this figure.  There were different thumbs to be added to the hands for different effects.  One set showed the tanker holding a chameleon and the other had him holding a canteen in one hand and the cap/cup in the other.  The latter is what I chose to model.

As I said before, assembly was a pleasure and painting was even more so.  Since the Afrika Korps mostly wore desert tan uniforms, it was a breeze to paint.  After assembly I sprayed the figure with a cheap light gray automotive primer.  I have found that this works just as well as an expensive figure primer if sprayed in a light coat.  On plastic, a heavy coat would have etched into the material.

Once the primer dried, I used a selection of Andrea and Vallejo acrylic paints.  After the base coat of desert sand, I darkened the sand for the shadows and added a little white to the sand for the highlights.  I used washes for the dark shadows.  The color I used was wood.  I also used this wash for the “Spats” and the shadows inside the collar.  Speaking of the collar, this was a separate piece and fit perfectly.

I used several shades of flesh to paint the skin tones.  I could have used oil paints to paint the skin tones as I would on a 54mm figure but I was very happy with the way the acrylics turned out so I left it that way.

One of the best features of this kit was the choice of adding the insignias.  The shoulder boards come either as molded to be painted or flat to add the decal markings.  I chose to use the decals to see the results and I loved it.  All the badges eagles and arm band were also decals and were very thin and strong and with a little setting solution, snuggled down perfectly.

The final result was a very fine looking figure of an Afrika Korps figure that I would be proud to display at any completion.

Would I recommend it?  You bet!!  Retail price is around $19 but I found it on one online hobby shop for $14.99.  I want to thank John Noack for giving me this figure to review and Tamiya for giving it to IPMS for review.  I am looking forward to their next releases.

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