Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale =9139=96=9145 Series Kit No.
6491; Hunting the Partisans Yugoslavia 1943; 81 parts in grey styrene; retail price US$10.95Advantages: new positions and another new Italian figure
Disadvantages: machine gun team cannot be placed on level surface
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all German and Axis fans
DML has released another of their very nice =93Gen1" figure sets with four figures: three in SS smocks and one Italian Bersaglieri, as they would be dealing with Tito=92s partisans in the Balkans in 1943.
The Germans are all in combat poses. One man is prone throwing a grenade, and two others are operating an MG34 in the German position where the lead man (ammo bearer) holds the bipod next to his shoulder and the gunner fires from that position. (I always wondered if the loader went deaf from this as the muzzle is right next to his ear, but far be it from me to let common sense intervene!) The Italian is running forward in a semi-crouch with his rifle at waist level.
The figures are all new but the weapons come from older sets =96 #6087 (German Naval Troops - Dieppe 1942), #6105 (German Wehrmacht Infantry
- Operation Barbarossa 1941) and the generic MG34 offered with some of the armored vehicle kits.
The set artwork now lists the artist as Carlos Chagas so at least DML is now giving other artists credit. But they still skimp on the painting work, showing unpainted but assembled figures and only a miniature of the box art for reference and call-outs.
Overall, however, it will be appreciated by German and Italian fans for getting some more variety in =93action=94 poses.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell