U.S. Infantry Europe WWII
Modeling the U.S. Army in WWII


Verlinden Productions
1437

These two GIs are walking, cautiously hunched over. One carries a .45 pistol in his right hand, his left arm drawn up tightly next to him. He's a bit unique from most U.S. infantry figures as his pants are worn over the canvas leggings with the cuffs rolled up.

The second fellow is carrying an M1 Garand. Unlike many other Verlinden figures, his hands are not molded onto his rifle, but they do grasp the weapon well if you get the arms positioned correctly. The rifle was warped, a not unusual occurrence with Verlinden sets.

Both men wear the M1941 jacket, which can be painted various shades, including buff, khaki, or dark yellow (Tamiya colors) depending on wear and fabrics used by various manufacturers. Neither man has the ubiquitous equipment webbing, nor do they have first aid pouches on their belts.

The fit of the parts and the casting quality is good. Unfortunately, Verlinden has cut some corners with this set, yet again using the same ancient heads that are found in #711 and #747. This will give you the opportunity to share some of your money with Warriors or Yanks (Hornet or Ultracast heads are too small).

Just as bad, the soldier with the drawn .45 is shown on the box photo to be wearing a holster on his belt---with a .45 butt sticking out! If the company is going to go to the trouble of sculpting an arm and hand holding a pistol, why can't they take a few minutes to sculpt an empty holster with its flap open? This leads one to wonder if the missing first aid pouches, a seemingly mandatory accessory on any GI, were omitted through carelessness rather than purpose.

My box included two carriers of holstered pistols, canteens, ammo pouches and binoculars. There are also two shovels to hang from their belts.

These figures, though crouching, seem to be more scaled to the common man than most Verlinden soldiers, coming in at about 5'9" with helmets.

A couple of uniquely posed figures are marred by a lack of care and attention to detail. With so few U.S. WWII figures on the market, it's a shame that Verlinden has made such a half-hearted effort with this set.

-tss-

 

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