Hobby Fan
HF572

We can rely on Hobby Fan to come out with several decent American figure sets each year, one or two of which are WWII subjects. This one gives us a pair of crew members who could be used with a variety of vehicles or even adapted to other settings.

The officer with the binoculars wears the cold weather mackinaw, which is always an interesting departure from the ubiquitous 1941 winter combat jacket that the loader wears. This latter figure also has a peculiar pair of trousers: the pockets are clearly sewn onto the front, and are smaller than cargo pockets found on the thighs of herringbone twill trousers. Perhaps this was a personal tailoring job? It would be best to paint these trousers OD, but the officer's trousers can either be OD for HBT, or field drab for wool serge.

The loader wears the late-war buckle boots with gaiters, seen later in 1944, while the officer has the canvas leggings. Both are armed with holstered M1911 Colt .45 pistols.

Sculpting and casting is up to the typical high quality of Hobby Fan figures, and the parts are flash-free. The only minor complaint is that the loader's posture does not seem to reflect carrying a 23-pound 90mm round.

The accessories are two sets of tarps and packs that wrap nicely around the turret. It's not a full load for the typical five-man crew, but it takes care of the turret and you probably have a lot of extra gear in the spares box to dress up your AFV of choice.

While breaking no new ground, this is a servicable set that stands on its own or would be a good complement to other AFV crews.

-tss-