Master Box Ltd.

1/35 Scale U.S. Infantry July 1944

Kit Number: MB3521

Reviewed by  Howie Belkin, IPMS# 16

MSRP: $11.95 Distributed by Dragon USA www.dragonmodelsusa.com MasterBox web site is www.mbltd.info This is my second set of 1/35 MB figures I've completed and I've got to say this is one of the next best things to come out of the Ukraine since my grandparents! Master Box Ltd. in their own words, "… aspires to create multifaceted, emotionally charged products, which will be of interest to a broad range of modelers." In addition to modeling the figures the way MB sculptor A. Gagarin has brought them dramatically to life, you can mix and match parts or reposition them as they are 'multi-pose' akin to the Airfix and Historex 1/32 figures of the 1970s. As illustrated by A. Karaschuk in as good a style as Ron Volstad, this set offers American G.I.s advancing under fire either on D-Day, or in the hedgerows or other battles to come. One throws a smoke grenade to cover another who is pulling a wounded buddy out of harm's way by his backpack strap. The fourth G.I. is standing, firing his M-1 Garand in the best such pose I've seen yet. Usually figures in this pose are too stiff, but this guy has his head bent toward the rifle, his eye to the gunsight and you can just feel him squeeze off a well aimed round. Best of all, MB includes waterslide decals for their rank and unit insignia, a first to my knowledge and long, long overdue but welcome feature! I hope that helps MB kits fly off the shelves and sets a new standard that all other serious figure manufacturers will have to meet for now on. I suggest they plaster their boxtops with the words, "includes rank and unit insignia decals" and reproduce a copy of them, for all the world to know! The back of the box shows a front and rear color photo of each of the four figures, keyed to the single sprue tree parts and color coded for Vallejo, Tamiya, Lifecolor, Humbrol and Agama paints. That and a little dry fitting are all you need as each figure consists of only about a dozen nicely sculpted parts, half of these being weapons and gear. I needed very little A&B Putty to fill any gaps, as part fit was excellent. I made my hero a medic with the red cross decals wrapped around his helmet as I've seen in many ca. photos. That being so, I left him unarmed, yet he could still wear ammo packs that could have been filled with extra dressings, morphine, and cigarettes, paper and pencils.., He wouldn't want to appear as a combatant which would beg a sniper to target him - more than they would have anyway. MB gives you four red cross decals for his helmet and two smaller ones you could use if you chose to paint white armbands to put them on. They are noticeably out of register, which I hope will be under control by the time you read this. There is excellent definition on the uniform that includes the M-1941 Field jacket with all the folds, web belts, and pockets to make painting and shading a breeze. The common Model 1939 brown shoe with khaki gaiters is worn. All are properly dressed for anytime from 1941 Tunisia to 1944 Normandy breakout. There was a very fine mold line on some parts that was easily leaned up. In addition to the Garands there is a Thompson submachinegun and a holstered .45 Browning pistol. Ammo pouches and covered entrenching tools complete assembly. Box top artist A. Karaschuk really feels the wounded man's pain but the figure isn't as dramatic. I used some A&B putty to open up his pants leg and two shades of red paint to simulate blood. He's being pulled out of the line of fire where the medic will apply the field dressing. The decals are extremely thin but a little stiff. I used the "Future decal setting solution system" to get them down onto the folds on the sleeves. Once they're down perfectly and dry, coat them with your favorite clear flat. MB only gives you three sergeant and three private first class rank stripes (WWII era) but each man requires his rank for both sleeves (two to a man). They would be positioned halfway between the elbow and top of both sleeves. Perhaps MB meant the third for the GI's helmet front but that was unusual. First Lieutenant silver bar, 2nd Lieutenant gold bar and Captain double silver bars are also included (the 'silver' appears to be white) but you need a magnifying glass or great eye to be sure which is which. Again, you need two of each for either collar, epulet or helmet markings so do your research. The division insignia appears at the top of the left sleeve and during D-Day and shortly after, another sometimes appeared at the front of the helmet. Divisions provided for are the 1st Infantry Division (ID) Big Red One, 2nd ID (Indianhead), 4th ID, 29th ID (suffered 60% losses on Omaha Beach) and various Ranger Bns. I was surprised at how readily the decals left the backing sheet - too much so. At one point a tiny spot of water touched the sheet and all of a sudden a few unit markings floated onto each other in a split second. My error, but some were lost. After that I coated the I coated the decal sheet with Future (you could use Micro Super Film or any clear coat) Thanks to distributor Dragon for the review sample. I've already seen them come and go out of LI's Baseline Hobbies, Bay Shore Hobbies and Men-at-Arms. One store owner was unaware of the enclosed decals until I pointed it out to him. I highly recommend these as excellent animated injection molded figures for a stand-alone vignette, or a diorama where the wounded man is pulled past a Sherman to safety while his buddies and the tank, provide cover. It's an excellent value for your money and these are the first I'm aware of to come with decal insignia! Master Box has raised the bar for injection molded figures having shot right out of the box to help you build like a master. I hope MB includes decals in all of their future releases and I encourage them to exaggerate the scale a bit to ensure registration and give you full impact. Their site shows some of the next sets to come including German tankers at rest playing cards, German Eastern Front Mk 08 MGers, Russian tankers at Kursk bailing out, UK Paratroopers and much more!

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