WWII German Soldiers with Tank Riders

WWII German Soldiers with Tank Riders
1/72 scale plastic model kit
Ceasar Miniatures H077

Manufacturer: Ceasar Miniatures 
Scale: 1/72
Material: Plastic
Paint: Unpainted, assembled, Kit do not contain paints and glue.
Condition: New in Box 

Review 
This latest in a long line of World War II German infantry sets from Caesar differs from the others in having a number of men riding on a tank (or conceivably any of various other vehicles of course). 

Taking the seven foot poses first, all are apparently in combat and all are very nicely done and realistic. None are particularly standout but there again none have any problems, and will fit easily with the many others produced in other sets. The four sitting men in the bottom row are also extremely well done and very natural. All seem relaxed, and so presumably are not in the face of the enemy, which is just as well as riding on a tank was not the ideal way to do battle for 20th century infantry. 

The uniform is entirely accurate – it would be a shock were it not so after so many sets depicting it – and since all the men have the long boots and are lacking any camouflage or other later-war embellishment they give the impression of being mainly for the earlier part of the war. Having said that, one of the tank riders is holding a StG44 assault rifle or similar, so must be at least late 1943. They carry the items of kit you might expect during battle, mostly the bread bag, canteen, gasmask container, mess tin and entrenching tool, and all are properly done. Ammunition pouches too are correct and suitable for the weapon being carried apart from the man carrying the StG44, who only has ordinary rifle pouches. Apart from this later weapon, the armoury consists of the usual rifles and MP-40 machine guns, but the first figure in the second row has something else. He holds something very short (only about 750 mm in total length), so it is not a rifle or carbine, yet although it is the right size for a machine pistol it has no ammunition clip. Detail is not perfect, but there does seem to be a portion of a circular magazine behind the right hand, in which case this is a PPSh-41 but quite poorly done with much of the magazine missing entirely. 

The sculpting is very good, with all the usual care you might expect from Caesar. Generally the weapons are well done too, apart from the possible PPSh-41, so you cannot really complain much on that score. There is no flash, and occasional use of a multi-part mould means none of the figures feel at all flat. There is a little excess plastic on the first figure in the top row, but that is about it, so certainly this is another well-made collection. 

The hint of mystery with one of the weapons does little to spice up what is otherwise a pretty run-of-the-mill collection of well made, posed and engineered figures. If good quality can get boring then perhaps that is being too harsh, because were this the first set of such troops ever to grace our website we would probably be a lot more enthusiastic. As it is this set has nothing much wrong with it but offers nothing new in the hobby, although those with an interest in German infantry of the 1939-45 period will doubtless say there is no such thing as enough, and at least it is an alternative source for men riding on a tank. 

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=2296