Dragon Models Ltd.

1/35 "Stalingrad Inferno" Figure Set

Kit Number: 6343

Reviewed by  Patrick Keenan, IPMS# 31192

MSRP: $10.95 58 Pieces (54 gray plastic, 4 Photo-Etch Brass) Background Dragon's "Stalingrad Inferno" Model kit (#6343) contains their typical 4 figures, which represent German Army troops during the Battle of Stalingrad (Late 1942 - Early 1943). However, this set is a bit different than most of their figure sets in that Dragon provides two sets of 2 figures from each of the distinct parts of the Stalingrad campaign (Summer/Fall vs. Winter). Usually Dragon provides all four figures with equipment and uniforms for a distinct campaign, time period or weather setting. Not this time. The "Inferno" set contains two figures representing "Summer" equipped troops (Mid-Late 1942) and two figures representing "Winter" equipped troops during the later part of the campaign (Late 1942-Early 1943). In fact, this set is really two sets in one. I'll call them "duets" for lack of a better word. You really can't use all four of these guys together effectively. We know many German troops were under-clothed for the Winter campaigns early in the war, but the summer duet doesn't look sufficiently "cold" for that type of use. The summer duet consists of a helmeted German Medic/Corpsman applying a small bandage to a wrist wound of a slightly injured tanker. Both of the figures are clothed in lighter summer uniforms. The Tanker has a overseas-type hat and is holding a set of goggles in one hand. He has a slight grimace on his face, which is partially hidden by the cigarette he's smoking. The Winter Duet consists of two Infantry troops in cold-weather gear, sharing a "special" moment over a cigarette. The "Officer" (with floppy officer style cap) has an MP40 SMG and the other soldier has a helmet and the ubiquitous German Kar 98k Rifle. They look downright cold. The officer is helping the rifle totin' trooper to light his cig. With all these guys smoking cigarettes, I think the set is appropriately named "Stalingrad Inferno"; not because the Battle of Stalingrad was so bad, but because with all the smoking, an "inferno" caused by lighters and matches are needed to keep them lit. Another appropriate name for the set could have been "Marlboro Men - Stalingrad 1942/1943". After seeing that three of four guys are smoking, I was tempted to give the corpsman a cigarette too! I imagined him working on the tanker with an impossibly long ash at the end of the cig with even a bit falling into the wound. But let's move on to the rest of my review and off your probable questioning of my mental health… Kit Accuracy I am in no way an expert in military uniforms in general or German WW II uniforms in particular, so I cannot comment much beyond the fact that the uni's the troops are equipped with look correct for the time period surrounding the battle of Stalingrad. Also, I do believe that the equipment and uni's provided look accurate for what they portray, specifically the weapons, helmets/head gear, etc. The cool thing about this set is that the four figures are not limited to only representing German troops at Stalingrad. They can be pretty much used to depict most mid-World War 2 Germans.

Fit of Parts While constructing the figures, I felt that the fit of the parts was fine. They are nothing spectacular, yet but not in any way bad when compared to other Dragon figure sets and other companies' figures too. Average. I definitely needed to add putty in the normal places one needs to use putty on figures (between the torso and legs, torso and arms, etc). The most putty I needed was on the trench coat of the Winter Infantryman. The coat looks awesome when done, but it comes in 5 parts, and thusly I had five seams to fill. Normally I rate a model kit's "fit" by how much/little putty I use. Generally, the more putty I need to use on a kit, the lower the rating. However, with figures that is not the case. I find that most figure models generally have more fit "issues" than "normal" aircraft or armor kits, mostly due to the higher level of detail needed to depict them more realistically. For instance, casting plastic to look like uniform fabric is much harder than casting plastic to depict flat armor plating. The "Inferno" set is no different and I felt that I had only "typical" difficulties associated with figure modeling and the type of detail provided. As with all hobby modeling, you definitely want to dry fit the parts before gluing them together. However, with figure sets in general, and this set in particular, you dang well better dry fit the parts. Remember that greatcoat I mentioned? A perfect example in that I screwed up the fit a bit and had to separate the parts and then redo them. The one time I didn't dry fit came back to bite me in the behind. A quick note: You might have noticed that the tanker's cigarette is a bit different than the other two smokers. Well, I just want you all to know that I lost the kit cigarette provided, so I just used a bit of wire as a replacement cigarette instead. Hey, I couldn't just have him not have a cigarette. He might feel left out.

Quality/Detail of Parts In my opinion, the quality of the casting of the parts is that they are about average for figure sets of this modeling era. Again, I don't have much feeling one way or the other. They're not great, but they aren't bad in any way. With that being said, they do totally outclass the figures from the not too distant past. The only negative aspect of these figures is that the mold lines run right down the front of the troopers' boots. Getting those buggers off is usually a pain in the rear assuming you don't want to remove any detailing. Tedious work. Again, as I stated before in this review, this fact is pretty typical of most companies' figure sets. I just can't figure out why some company hasn't come up with an alternative. I have heard Dragon's Gen 2 figures have revolutionized the figure manufacturing biz, and maybe these pesky seams have been eliminated. However, although I have a couple of those Gen 2 sets, I haven't built them yet so I can't say for sure. In terms of the overall detail of the parts and synergy of the parts when they are built together, thank goodness this review wasn't a "first look" type because at first honestly I was a bit underwhelmed with what came in the box. However, after building the figures, my first impression was negated and I was very happy with the result. Maybe Dragon has spoiled me lately with the number of parts they've been providing in their kits but I first thought there wasn't much to this set. Geez, only 3 weapons? Dragon usually supplies a honkin' load of them and I get two Kar 98's and one MP 40? What the heck? Plus, at first glance, the figures didn't look too impressive. Again, I felt there was not much to them in terms of equipment and they were kind of "boring". Keep in mind I don't usually expect figures to have a ton of equipment or expect them to depict guys charging forward like berserkers. I do like "at rest" posed figures, but these guys were just plain. Again, that impression changed as I built them up. As I started constructing these guys, the synergy of the parts (e.g. the end result was greater/better than a sum of the quality of the individual parts) resulted in some very nice figures. Plus, these figs were not plain, they were just subtly detailed. To me, a BIG difference. They actually did have a decent bunch of equipment, especially when remembering that these guys were supposedly fighting light and/or in Stalingrad. I just didn't get all the extra goodies for my parts box. Examples you ask for? Well, both figs in the Winter Duet have gloves/mittens separately cast as being off. The officer has his gloves tucked into his belt while the infantryman has one mitten tucked under his arm. Also, Dragon provides 4 photo etched brass pieces that are used for the 2 weapon slings, arm bandage and goggle strap. In my opinion the goggle strap was a bit hard to use and could have been cast sufficiently in plastic. However, I do appreciate Dragon's willingness to give us some PE for the weapon slings and it works very well for the gauze bandage too. Lastly, I need to mention the great coat worn by the winter infantryman. The coat is designed to flow freely over the figure's body. As I mentioned earlier, the coat itself comes in 5 pieces; 7 if you count the figure's arms with sleeves. This is probably the figure I pictured when I said I first thought the set was "plain". After all, he has no external equipment besides his rifle. However, the great coat when finished looks great. Again, there were a bunch of seams to putty, but the end result is outstanding. It was definitely well worth the effort and this figure was NOT plain once I noticed the subtle detailing and simplicity. Decals, Markings, Painting Not surprisingly like most figure kits, decals are not provided for this set. The painting guide pretty much fits the typical Dragon figure set. They consist of two color drawings by Ron Volstad (1 of each duet) and are located on the back of the box. Each figure duet is portrayed twice from different angles, but only the Volstad drawings show painting instructions. The second views of each duet consist of photographs of the built figures which are painted in white primer (like mine!). The photographs are solely for construction purposes unless you plan on painting your figures all white. Volstad's drawings are more than sufficient for covering the painting aspect of the figures. The painting guide is understandable and can be easily followed. Instructions/Packaging As usual, Dragon box top is adorned by beautiful color drawings by Volstad. Once again, Dragon provides excellent kit packaging and "safety" by providing a box with side-open panels that is constructed of sturdy cardboard. Dragon follows their usual practice of bagging the part sprues separately, which I like since I believe it lessens part damage and loss. As I mentioned before regarding the painting guide, the back of the kit box also houses the building instructions. Once again, Volstad's color drawings come into play and provide part of the construction sequence guide. The photographs of the built figure duets provide the second set of construction aids. The instruction sheet is "typical Dragon" and should pose no major problems for any level of modeler. Conclusion Even though I was mildly underwhelmed when I first eye-balled this figure set, my impression changed and I was very happy with the end result of my work. These figures are nicely detailed and ARE interesting once you look at them closely. Plus, you have two mini-sets in which you have troops for summer and winter options. As always, the value Dragon provides in this set is excellent when you take into account the retail price. It comes out to about $2-3 per figure and they are as good as most resin figures. Plus, you can always find somewhere that sells models for less than retail price, so the per figure cost is even lower. Highly Recommended. Thanks to Dragon Models Limited for the review sample.

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