D-Day Miniatures recently combined some single and a set of three figures together in a larger scene called “I shot’em down - Battle of Britain 1940" - this six-figure set is designed to go with a Tilly truck to make a scene all by itself. Clayton has taken the set and built it up with a Tilly to see how it shapes up in his review...
Construction Review: “I shot’em down” Battle of Britain 1940"
6 figure set
From D-Day Miniatures
1/35th scale
Kit No# 35147
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Figures cast in light grey resin
Prices vary of single and double figures - the whole set costs 90€
Product Link on the D-Day Miniature Website
It’s been a pretty busy time for me over the past few months, and I have to confess this lovely little offering has been on my bench for a little longer than I would have liked, so without further delay, let’s take a look at the release from late last year from D-Day Miniature Studio based in Poland.
The set I am lucky enough to take a look at today is the 6-figure set entitled ‘I shot’em down’. The set is specifically designed to be posed in and around the Austin Tilly from Tamiya and is set around 1940 during the Battle of Britain.
The set comes packaged in a small cardboard box as shown. The 1/35 scale figures are sculpted by Pawel Krasicki and the vignette on the front of the box is produced by the same artist.
The set comes packaged in a cardboard box. Each of the 6 figures are individually bagged and protected in transit with foam packing.
Rather than embarrass myself and put my painting abilities on display, I felt it best to preview the figures as they come out of the bags.
WWII Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot sitting
#35144
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
The first figure is the captured German Luftwaffe Officer. The figure a has been sculpted to sit at the rear of the vehicle with the bulk of his weight being supported through his feet. He comes wearing the typical leather jacket, boots and the instantly recognisable cap. The detail on the chest emblem is excellent.
Facial detail is very good, and he doesn’t look so happy, however, there is a small imperfection on the corner of the mouth. Badge detail in the hat is stunning.
The figure has also been sculpted holding a pipe. Seems his captors have been nice enough to let him smoke!
WWII Luftwaffe Bomber Pilot sitting
#34145
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
The second of the prisoners from the Luftwaffe crew is holding a similar pose to the officer, balancing himself on the edge of the tub of the Tilly. He wears the flying suit of the time and is posed in a side cap. All figures come on a pretty substantial casting block which should help them travel safely.
Seems this fellow hasn’t been made aware of the dangers of smoking either and is sculpted with a cigarette in hand. Facial sculpting is good but there is an air bubble on the top lip that will need filling.
WWII British Home Guard
#35143
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
Next is the figure from the Home Guard. He wears a vest, tie and helmet and is armed with a rifle. The fall of the tie looks a little odd in these images, but once the figure is set in place it actually gives the gravity of the pose a great deal of life.
Arms and head parts seem to be in order with not a lot of expression on the fellow’s face.
WWII Polish Fighter Pilot England 1940-45
#35141
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
The next figure is the proud RAF pilot who is presumably responsible for downing the enemy. Sporting his best turtle-neck sweater he is posed to be resting on the vehicle bonnet, holding up the capture effort in order to brag to one of the ladies!
And here he is looking pretty happy with himself. Note the indent at the corner of the mouth. At first, I thought it was a casting error, but I think it may vanish under paint and just form the corner of the mouth.
This set combines in neatly with the set released previously in March by D-Day Miniatures. A three-figure set called "War Flirtation, BoB 1940" #35142, which includes the following figures:
#35139 WWII British ATS Driver
#35140 WWII British WAAF Girl reading a newspaper
#35141 WWII Polish Fighter Pilot England 1940-45
The price of this set is 41 euros. Each figure is also available as a separate piece for 14 euros.
WWII British WAAF Girl reading a newspaper
#35140
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
The first is the passenger. She looks to be part of the WAAF and wears a blue skirt and jacket. She sits cross-legged and is posed holding a newspaper.
She’s not the prettiest of pictures, and she looks very disinterested… That corner of the mouth indent is present again, so hopefully, that will just form the edge of the mouth under paint.
Small printed Daily Mirror newspaper supplied for the set for the passenger to hold.
WWII British ATS Driver
#35139
1/35th scale
Resin figure
Sculpted by Pawel Krasicki
Boxart Example Painted by Pawel Krasicki
Price: 14 euro
The final figure in the set, and the subject of the hero’s attention is the lady driving the van. She is posed either opening or trying to close the door (I’ll let you decide which). Detail around the jacket and pockets is very good and will be a joy to paint and highlight.
Casting and facial detail is very good, but she isn’t giving too much away as to whether the suiters advances are bearing any fruit!
Now it just so happens I have a Tilly in the stash, so I thought it would be a good idea to throw it together and get a sense of how the figures worked around it.
Let's build them!
The two female figures contour really nicely to the moulding of the seats, although the drivers’ feet don’t meet the pedals. I haven’t attached the figures’ arm as you can see because that will need to interact with the door once it is attached to the model.
With the cabin dry fitted to the chassis you can see the figures are comfortably within the confines of the part. This will need to be removed when it comes time to paint them.
The fellow from the home guard is now set in place. Unfortunately, the rifle he was to be leaning on was extremely fragile and will need to be replaced with a part from the stash. The one from this set was unsalvageable. So, for the sake of the argument, let's pretend he is leaning on a rifle.
I mentioned the flow of the necktie earlier. Here you see the ‘weight’ of the figure and the natural way he interacts with the vehicle.
Now the captors are sat in the rear of the vehicle. The poor old pilot looks uncomfortable but given the position, he is perched the pose is appropriate. Again, I haven’t attached the arm to the figure at this point as I will reassess this once the vehicle is painted and ready to have the figures attached.
The position of the pilot’s right arm didn’t end up quite where I was wanting it to, but this is something I suspect I may be able to fine-tune with patience.
And finally, our RAF friend rounds off the set. Again the ‘gravity’ of the figure is very good and interacts well with the vehicle.
A slightly higher aspect gives you a better understanding of the positioning of the players.
Conclusion
This is a beautifully sculpted set of figures and a well thought out story in a box. The 6-figure set works perfectly together, but there is no reason the figures couldn’t be used independently as they can be purchased as individuals through the D-Day Miniature Studio website.
My set did have a few small casting flaws, but nothing that isn’t going to be easy to fill and clean up, so I shouldn’t complain too much.
The figures have great balance and a life-like mass to them. Fine detail is exquisite and should be a joy to paint. The variety of dress with each of the figures is also worth a mention as it will give the modeller something unique to paint with each figure.
It’s not hard to see this one coming together on a small landscaped base, is it?
In order for a diorama or a vignette to be successful, you have to do more than just present a well-built model. You must tell a story, or even better, multiple stories. More than that, the story has to be clear to the viewer without the use of language. This set clearly ticks those boxes and has the makings of the perfect vignette. Each figure tells a different story, and for me, it is less about the captured Pilots and more about the unfolding love story.
Highly recommended.
Clayton Ockerby
