Post by Smudge on Aug 25, 2012 19:01:58 GMT -5
Hi all
Like buses kits tend to turn up en mass. Once upon a time if you wanted British/Commonwealth AFV crews especially in ‘Pixie Suits’ you would have to turn to the resin manufacturers. Not now with two new kits in circulation one from Bronco and one from MiniArt. This review is of Bronco’s new release, set # CB 35098 WWII British/Commonwealth AFV Crew.
The British/Commonwealth tankies of WWII wore the same basic temperate uniform as other troops, the Battledress (BD) Serge, 1940 Pattern BD or the 1942 ‘Austerity Pattern’ BD. Later in the war (Sept 1944) saw the widespread issue of the tan coloured ‘Oversuit, Tank Crews’ (more popularly called the ‘Pixie Suit’) although some crew still had available the practical and warm ‘Jerkin, Leather’; a left of from the first war. Late in the war a rarely seen 'Oversuit, Tank Crew, Camouflaged’ was introduced although production only lasted a short time, reverting back to tan post war.
The Pixie Suit was issued to British and Commonwealth tank crews (and others I.E Polish tank troops), armoured reconnaissance, engineers using AFV's incl. AVRE and LVT4 and artillery crews in SPG's.
It was a great item of clothing for the harsh winters in Europe of 44/45, although the tan Pixie Suit was still in production right up to the 1960's........and lasted in service into the early 1970's.
The kit:
The figures come in Bronco’s usual open ended box. Artwork by Andrey Karaschuk is superb. The boxart suggests to me that the figures are designed with Bronco’s Humber scout and armoured cars in mind, with figure F also being supplied in their new British Version M24 Chaffee (see Mike’s excellent review here on MSChttp://modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=miniart&action=display&thread=1750).
The construction, parts plan and painting instructions are on the back. The parts are numbered on the sprues, although it isn’t really difficult to identify what parts go where IMHO. The box contains two sprues in a plastic bag for the figures. It total there are 45 parts of light tan injection moulded styrene to make six figures; four in Pixie Suits and two in Battledress (one of these also wears a leather jerkin). The figures are in the usual multipose style with separate arms, legs, heads, and in some cases hands.
Details of the paints required feature on the box reverse include four paint manufacturers; Gunze Sangyo, Hobby Color, Tamiya, and Humbrol.
Figures A-D; are all dressed alike in Pixie Suits and berets, with ammunition boots. Two have radio headsets, one as a handset moulded in his hands requiring just the leads providing from fine wire to finish them off. Two figures have hoods on their suits while two do not providing some variety. These figures are suitable for the 1944-early 1970’s for a wide range of vehicles making them very versatile (although for anything post war I would just check the headsets and handset are appropriate).
Figures E-F; are both dressed in early BD Serge or 1940 pattern and berets, with ammo boots and gaiters. One is depicted on the box sitting in the top of a Humber Scout Car in the style of Michael Caine in the film A Bridge Too Far, although the resemblance doesn’t extend as far as the styrene parts. This figure (E) is wearing a 1937 pattern belt with a ’37 Pistol Case and Ammunition Pouches. The pistol case is very well done and is supplied as a separate part, the ammo pouches are moulded in situ and are very accurate for such small items. He is holding a pair of binoculars, again provided as a separate part, although this is lacking in detail IMHO. The strap for the bino’s is moulded in place which I don’t like (being picky though) and the headset will need wires adding as per the figures above.
The final figure is dressed as per the one above but he also has the cold weather ‘Jerkin, Leather’, a garment left over from WW1. Leaning against a vehicle having a brew this figure is very versatile and with a change of head can be changed to represent any soldier from any arm of the service…infantry, logistics, medics etc. The possibilities are never-ending.
Overall all the figures have excellent detail, are well moulded and free from flash although there are some very fine seam lines. The uniforms are accurate and hang naturally, with good creases, folds, buckles and straps etc. The faces are very good for styrene, well defined with good character. The fingers aren’t as good though, being I would say about average although acceptable.
Construction:
For the review I made up two figures; D and F. A little clean up was required; just like most if not all styrene figures. Fit is very good with just a small gap on the waist of figure D where the belt buckle is. The jerkin on figure F has separate flaps at the front which are commendably thin. The fit of these is fairly good but filler may be required. The figures work out at around 50-51mm which is about 5’8’’ or so.
Painting and decals:
No decals are provided and none needed for the Pixie suits. Insignia wasn’t worn on these at all. Figures E and F would benefit from rank and other insignia and for this you will have to resort to the AM transfers of Archers depending of course on what rank/unit you wish to portray.
When it comes to painting the Pixie Suits I would probably recommend going for the tan rather than the camouflage versions…I’ve not seen any period photos of the camo version in use even though examples exist. These great colour pictures from the Imperial War Museum show tankies of the 4th Battalion, the Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Division, Holland, November 1944. The pictures are...
© IWM (TR 2566).
© IWM (TR 2568)
© IWM (TR 2570)
© IWM (TR 2571)
Berets would be black, of course, for RAC troops. The Reconnaissance Corps would wear the khaki beret from October 1942 up to the point they were integrated into the RAC in 1944, where upon they were supposed (but didn’t always) wear black ones. So if portraying Recce troops a khaki beret could be more appropriate depending on the timeframe.
Conclusion:
This is a great set of figures to place alongside your British/Commonwealth or Polish tank or fighting vehicle or can be used as a small vignette, and they provide a great crew for Bronco’s Humber scout and armoured cars. Those in Pixie Suits especially are also suitable for many other vehicles and a wide range of periods as described in my introduction, making them very versatile. The two figures in BD also have a wide range of uses making them very flexible figures, with a little tweaking.
The figures are accurate and well detailed. I would certainly class them as extremely good. Compared to the aforementioned resin alternatives Bronco certainly wins on value…in the UK a single resin figure in a Pixie Suits retails at over £11 while a single figure from this set will set you back a mere £2.00. Great therefore for modellers on a budget or those requiring large numbers of figures.
For something unique try swapping for those excellent heads from Hornet; a great compromise between the two options; styrene Vs resin.
I have no hesitation recommending this set.
Thanks to Bronco for the review sample.
References:
• British Army Uniforms and Insignia of World War Two; B Davis, Arms & Armour Press 1993.
• The British Army, 1939-45: North-West Europe; M Brayley & M Chappell, Osprey Publishing 2001.
• Canadian Forces in World War II; R Chartrand & R Volstad, Osprey Publishing 2001.
• World Army Uniforms Since 1939; Mollo, McGregor, Smith and Chappell, Blandford Press 1981.
• World War II Tommy, British Army Uniforms European Theatre 1939-45 in Colour Photographs; M Brayley and R Ingram, Crowood Press 2007
Like buses kits tend to turn up en mass. Once upon a time if you wanted British/Commonwealth AFV crews especially in ‘Pixie Suits’ you would have to turn to the resin manufacturers. Not now with two new kits in circulation one from Bronco and one from MiniArt. This review is of Bronco’s new release, set # CB 35098 WWII British/Commonwealth AFV Crew.
The British/Commonwealth tankies of WWII wore the same basic temperate uniform as other troops, the Battledress (BD) Serge, 1940 Pattern BD or the 1942 ‘Austerity Pattern’ BD. Later in the war (Sept 1944) saw the widespread issue of the tan coloured ‘Oversuit, Tank Crews’ (more popularly called the ‘Pixie Suit’) although some crew still had available the practical and warm ‘Jerkin, Leather’; a left of from the first war. Late in the war a rarely seen 'Oversuit, Tank Crew, Camouflaged’ was introduced although production only lasted a short time, reverting back to tan post war.
The Pixie Suit was issued to British and Commonwealth tank crews (and others I.E Polish tank troops), armoured reconnaissance, engineers using AFV's incl. AVRE and LVT4 and artillery crews in SPG's.
It was a great item of clothing for the harsh winters in Europe of 44/45, although the tan Pixie Suit was still in production right up to the 1960's........and lasted in service into the early 1970's.
The kit:
The figures come in Bronco’s usual open ended box. Artwork by Andrey Karaschuk is superb. The boxart suggests to me that the figures are designed with Bronco’s Humber scout and armoured cars in mind, with figure F also being supplied in their new British Version M24 Chaffee (see Mike’s excellent review here on MSChttp://modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=miniart&action=display&thread=1750).
The construction, parts plan and painting instructions are on the back. The parts are numbered on the sprues, although it isn’t really difficult to identify what parts go where IMHO. The box contains two sprues in a plastic bag for the figures. It total there are 45 parts of light tan injection moulded styrene to make six figures; four in Pixie Suits and two in Battledress (one of these also wears a leather jerkin). The figures are in the usual multipose style with separate arms, legs, heads, and in some cases hands.
Details of the paints required feature on the box reverse include four paint manufacturers; Gunze Sangyo, Hobby Color, Tamiya, and Humbrol.
Figures A-D; are all dressed alike in Pixie Suits and berets, with ammunition boots. Two have radio headsets, one as a handset moulded in his hands requiring just the leads providing from fine wire to finish them off. Two figures have hoods on their suits while two do not providing some variety. These figures are suitable for the 1944-early 1970’s for a wide range of vehicles making them very versatile (although for anything post war I would just check the headsets and handset are appropriate).
Figures E-F; are both dressed in early BD Serge or 1940 pattern and berets, with ammo boots and gaiters. One is depicted on the box sitting in the top of a Humber Scout Car in the style of Michael Caine in the film A Bridge Too Far, although the resemblance doesn’t extend as far as the styrene parts. This figure (E) is wearing a 1937 pattern belt with a ’37 Pistol Case and Ammunition Pouches. The pistol case is very well done and is supplied as a separate part, the ammo pouches are moulded in situ and are very accurate for such small items. He is holding a pair of binoculars, again provided as a separate part, although this is lacking in detail IMHO. The strap for the bino’s is moulded in place which I don’t like (being picky though) and the headset will need wires adding as per the figures above.
The final figure is dressed as per the one above but he also has the cold weather ‘Jerkin, Leather’, a garment left over from WW1. Leaning against a vehicle having a brew this figure is very versatile and with a change of head can be changed to represent any soldier from any arm of the service…infantry, logistics, medics etc. The possibilities are never-ending.
Overall all the figures have excellent detail, are well moulded and free from flash although there are some very fine seam lines. The uniforms are accurate and hang naturally, with good creases, folds, buckles and straps etc. The faces are very good for styrene, well defined with good character. The fingers aren’t as good though, being I would say about average although acceptable.
Construction:
For the review I made up two figures; D and F. A little clean up was required; just like most if not all styrene figures. Fit is very good with just a small gap on the waist of figure D where the belt buckle is. The jerkin on figure F has separate flaps at the front which are commendably thin. The fit of these is fairly good but filler may be required. The figures work out at around 50-51mm which is about 5’8’’ or so.
Painting and decals:
No decals are provided and none needed for the Pixie suits. Insignia wasn’t worn on these at all. Figures E and F would benefit from rank and other insignia and for this you will have to resort to the AM transfers of Archers depending of course on what rank/unit you wish to portray.
When it comes to painting the Pixie Suits I would probably recommend going for the tan rather than the camouflage versions…I’ve not seen any period photos of the camo version in use even though examples exist. These great colour pictures from the Imperial War Museum show tankies of the 4th Battalion, the Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Division, Holland, November 1944. The pictures are...
© IWM (TR 2566).
© IWM (TR 2568)
© IWM (TR 2570)
© IWM (TR 2571)
Berets would be black, of course, for RAC troops. The Reconnaissance Corps would wear the khaki beret from October 1942 up to the point they were integrated into the RAC in 1944, where upon they were supposed (but didn’t always) wear black ones. So if portraying Recce troops a khaki beret could be more appropriate depending on the timeframe.
Conclusion:
This is a great set of figures to place alongside your British/Commonwealth or Polish tank or fighting vehicle or can be used as a small vignette, and they provide a great crew for Bronco’s Humber scout and armoured cars. Those in Pixie Suits especially are also suitable for many other vehicles and a wide range of periods as described in my introduction, making them very versatile. The two figures in BD also have a wide range of uses making them very flexible figures, with a little tweaking.
The figures are accurate and well detailed. I would certainly class them as extremely good. Compared to the aforementioned resin alternatives Bronco certainly wins on value…in the UK a single resin figure in a Pixie Suits retails at over £11 while a single figure from this set will set you back a mere £2.00. Great therefore for modellers on a budget or those requiring large numbers of figures.
For something unique try swapping for those excellent heads from Hornet; a great compromise between the two options; styrene Vs resin.
I have no hesitation recommending this set.
Thanks to Bronco for the review sample.
References:
• British Army Uniforms and Insignia of World War Two; B Davis, Arms & Armour Press 1993.
• The British Army, 1939-45: North-West Europe; M Brayley & M Chappell, Osprey Publishing 2001.
• Canadian Forces in World War II; R Chartrand & R Volstad, Osprey Publishing 2001.
• World Army Uniforms Since 1939; Mollo, McGregor, Smith and Chappell, Blandford Press 1981.
• World War II Tommy, British Army Uniforms European Theatre 1939-45 in Colour Photographs; M Brayley and R Ingram, Crowood Press 2007
Will modify ASAP.