Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series Kit Number 6345; Gebirgsjaeger 1940-1941; 69 parts in grey styrene; price estimated at US $10.98
Advantages: uncommon subject given good treatment; nicely done 5 cm mortar
Disadvantages: some details skimped on
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for German figure modelers who want a change of pace
In 1986 I recall being down at the AFRC complex in Garmisch, Germany, and discovering that the Germans had the Gebirgsjaeger (literally mountain hunter) training school there next to the US facilities. The Germans took great pride in their mountain units, and even then kept much of the same uniform style (short pants with knee socks) and their famous "Edelweiss" badges.
DML's latest figure set is of their linear forebearers, namely four Gebirgsjaeger from 1940-1941. This is one of the conventional DML sets, not Gen2, but is still a nice set with good basic poses. All four figures come in combat uniforms with long pants but with "bergsteiflen" or mountain boots. Two figures are talking and observing, each wearing a different style of mountaineer's jacket and with one of them gesturing with his pipe. The other two make up a 5 cm infantry mortar team. Both of them have the special carrier harness for the mortar and ten rounds of ammunition on their backs.
These two are the more interesting, as they have to wear their kit differently from normal German infantry and thus are unique figures. They are more difficult to display, however, as one is leaning up against the side of a hill to emplace the mortar and his comrade is sprawled next to him to feed him the ammunition.
The figures are typical DML "non-Gen2" types with each one consisting of six basic parts - legs, arms, torso, and head. As a result there is no definition to the soles of their boots, which are actually quite rugged in appearance with good-sized tread. There is no slide molding used with this set, and only three single-piece Kar 98K rifles are provided for weaponry. Also, the 5 cm mortar rounds are molded in bas-relief in their case, which does not look very realistic. One does have an entrenching tool carrier less the tool itself, which also adds interest.
Overall, however, and with the usual excellent paintings by Ron Volstad they can be made into a nice group with more of a training aspect than some of the other sets.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell