Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale =9139-=9145 Series Kit No.
6538; Gebirgspioniere Metaxas Line 1941 - Gen2 Gear; 121 parts in grey styrene; estimated cost US$14.99
Advantages: four related figures in combat poses; come with items associated with combat engineers
Disadvantages: =93Gen1" weapons
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all German dioramists and engineer fans
The European armies have always used the term =93pioneers=94 not as trailblazer or settlers as we in the US think of the term, but as a synonym for =93Combat Engineers=94. These troops have never been well served in 1/35 scale figures, so this is a set of interest for any fans of the =93picks and shovels=94.
While this set is for =93mountain=94 troops (Gebirgsjaeger) the only real difference between them and regular combat engineers are the mountain boots with leg wraps. The set provides a team of engineers planting the German equivalent of a Bangalore torpedo under a =93tanglefoot=94 barbed wire arrangement while using pistol fire and grenades to keep the defenders=92 heads down. One man emplaces the explosive charge while a second one cuts the top wire strands with cutters.
The figures are typical DML =93Gen1" types consisting of six parts each (head, torso, legs and arms) with both generic =93Gen2" accessories and specific items on the main parts tree. These include two bags of =93potato masher=94 grenades, two separate grenades, a hand for the thrower with another grenade in place, wire cutters with the long arms in the figure=92s hands and the head as a separate part (this could be difficult to align properly) and a separate hand and Luger for the NCO firing on the enemy.
The box art is unsigned but not bad, and the kit uses the =93stick here=94 and =93follow the box art=94 form of directions.
Overall this is a nice set and at least something different for a change.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell