Video review: 35th scale German Machine Gun Team (Mid-WWII) from Tamiya

In his second Tamiya review in as many days, Clayton Ockerby takes a look at their recent 1/35th scale German Machine Gun Team (Mid-WWII). He shows us the contents & how they look together in his video construction review...

In-boxed: German Machine Gun Team (Mid-WWII) 

From Tamiya

Kit No# 35386

1/35th scale

Plastic kit including five figures.

Decals included.

Price: $15 USD from Hobbylink Japan

Rightly or wrongly, Tamiya have always been regarded as the pinnacle in the World of scale modelling, so it was no surprise that pretty much anything they release was going to sell like hot cakes and that seems to be the case with their latest figure set release, the German Machine Gun Team wearing mid-war style uniforms.

Tamiya have released a number of machine gun crew figures, with the earliest taking us all the way back to 1974. I remember that kit so fondly mainly due to the interaction between the figures and the dynamic in the poses…

Eesh - these figures were OK for back then, but nowadays the bar is set a little higher...

The only connection between old and new is the fact they are both sets with machine gun crews, but where this new release kit really hits a home run as it seems to have captured the action and movement of that older release but with the advantage of modern-day moulding advances and of course the elevated standard we come to expect from our sculptors these days. But stick with me because the news isn’t all good.

This new set made up by the Tamiya model makers - a little bit of a difference here...

The figures come across 4 sprues. Assembly is a breeze for the most part with Tamiya thoughtfully placing the joins through inconspicuous places to help conceal seams.

Assembly of the tripod mount does contain a few small parts, so care must be taken during this assembly

The detail in the soldiers equipment such as the bread bag, gas canister and water bottles are of a very high quality, and the way these elements integrate into the folds and shapes of the figures is stunning.

The sculpts of the uniforms and the way the fabric folds and falls is easily the highlight of this kit and truly captures the weight and natural look you would expect to see. This is something that some companies producing injection moulded figures seem to have struggled with…but these are nothing short of stunning.

The set includes 5 figures with the weapons covering pretty much all of the bases with one firing an mp40, another leaning on a brick wall firing an mg42, one poor fellow running the ammunition for his mates and the highlight of the kit (well at least I think), the team of two firing the MG-34 on the tripod mount.

So, what’s the bad news I teased earlier? Well, whilst the facial expressions are OK, they are a little sterile and unremarkable. Yes, they are a big improvement to some of the facial sculpts from yesteryear, but I can’t help but think there was some room for improvement here – maybe it’s a limitation in the moulding process, but when you compare against some of the aftermarket offerings you can see the difference a dynamic expression makes to your figure.

The other disappointment with the figures is the sculpting of the hands. They are essentially clumps of plastic with very little definition. Deal breaker? No, but there is scope for improving the figures with aftermarket substitutes. In saying that some figures present better than others.

I’m going to place some of these figures in a scene and will go into the painting in a little more depth then, but I can tell you, painting these figures was an absolute joy and the detail in the sculpts gives the modeller a roadmap of sorts when creating your highlights and shadows. A luxury some figures make you work for. You have to work a little harder on the hands and faces, but that is going to come down to what your expectations are around those areas on your own figures.

The set comes with a small decal sheet which further enhances the figures with collar board and helmet markings.

Injection moulded figures are the perfect base if you wanted to modify them, but these poses are so useable and balanced they are begging to find their way into a diorama you might be planning. They are a set you could build a scene around.

Tamiya is really closing the gab between injection moulded and resin cast figures but are still falling short with the essential two elements, the faces and the hands, but at around $5 a figure its great value for the level of detail and finish you can achieve from these very useable figures.

For those wanting to see more on these, check out my video on my Workbench Hobbies YT page... 

Clayton Ockerby

You can pick this kit up from Hobbylink Japan for $15 USD at this link

See more of Clayton's amazing works on his YouTube Channel, his modelling portal "Workbench Hobbies" or his FB page