U.S. Screaming Eagles/U.S. Paratroops
Modeling the U.S. Army in WWII

Italeri
309

Well. . . .this set is a good reminder of how far we've come over the past 25 years of figure modeling. How very, very far.

There is not much to recommend here. The figures are large, flat, with none of the subtle details we've come to enjoy with DML or Tamiya figures, let alone the crispness of resin offerings. Even with new heads and a good paint job there's just not much here that would favorably compare next to other paratroopers you could find. The figures could be cannibalized for extra arms, or reworked with putty if you're really ambitious and have some sculpting skills. The weapons and ammo pouches are usable. I personally like the M1943 entrenching tools as they're shaped better than DML's, though the knob on the butt end of the handle needs to be rounded off more.

But these figures — really the first plastic "Band of Brothers" — are relics of another era. Buy a set for your son, and get a couple of DML's Normandy Airborne sets for yourself.

-tss-

 

 

 

Modeling the U.S. Army in WWII © 2002—2007 Timothy S. Streeter