Tank Model

1/35 Soviet Heads #12

Kit Number: A-137

Reviewed by  Bart Cusumano, IPMS# 31882

MSRP: $9.00 Website: www.tank-model.ru I had heard about the Tank line of model figures and accessories from Russia at a recent Pelikan Model Club meeting. I jumped at the chance to review some of their products when they were offered up. The first item I completed was item # A-137, Soviet Heads #12 (there are a number of them available). On first glance, I noticed that the light greenish-gray resin castings were clean and required no excessive clean up - except for the helmet of the bareheaded figure - which featured a real bizarre attachment plug that required very careful (I broke off the lip of the helmet) removal (see photo). You have to remove this thing, otherwise, the helmet will not sit on the head. The resin used for this set is of a good consistency and not brittle, allowing for easy removal and trimming of the pour stubs. There are five heads provided, two requiring the placement of separately cast headgear - a necessity, since the shape of the heads do not really allow for the option of not using the headgear. The faces are well sculpted and look terrific after you paint them. The molding is crisp and I liked the color of the resin which served as a base-color for my artist oils finish. Here are some comments on each individual head: Head #1: This head is wearing what appears to be a fur-lined hat. The only problem is that there is no fur texture sculpted-in along the edges - and it should be there. The overall shape of the hat is good and it has a good face. Head #2: The expression on the face is good on this head, but the shape of the helmet seems a bit off to my eye. Once the inside of the helmet is cleaned out, it sits perfectly onto the head. If I were to use this head for a project, I would replace the helmet with one from my stash. Head #3: I was not quite sure what to make of this head - it looked like something you would find in a desert long-range patrol set. I suppose it could be a form of makeshift Eastern Front winter head gear, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. Otherwise, the head itself is a beautiful piece of sculpting and casting. Head #4: If you need a female head for a WWII Soviet scene, this one is great. She wears the pilotka - but there's no star molded in to the front peak. I could not confirm that stars appeared on all of these caps, so that should not be a problem. Head #5: This head wears a fur-lined cap - with the fur texture sculpted onto this one - and it looks terrific. I especially liked the face on this head. As far as available head replacement sets go, this one is pretty good when it comes to the faces and the over-all sculpting and casting. The price of the set is competitive with others available on the market these days, so I'd have to give this one a good recommendation. Many thanks to Tank Models for providing the sample and to IPMS/USA for allowing me the pleasure of doing this review.

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