Tamiya
1/35 Feldmarschall Rommel & German Infantryman
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 This
two-figure kit was just released this year and the packaging is a departure
for Tamiya; the white box features large illustrations of both a German
infantryman and Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Both are well done, but
they are clearly line drawings that have been colored in, not the full-blown
paintings we are accustomed to seeing on Tamiya figure packaging, dating
back to the 4-figure Fallschrimjager kit that featured four paratroops.
All but one of the sides of the box is bare, as is the back. Gone are
the detailed paint guides and close-ups of the equipment in the kit.
It appears Tamiya is implementing cost-saving measures in the packaging
department – good news for the corporate office, bad news for those
of us who like to look at the pretty pictures.
 Inside,
the kit more than makes up for the deficiencies of the new packaging.
The paint guide that we might have seen on the back of the box in Technicolor
is instead provided in the form of a black-and-white folded one-pager.
This is fine for Rommel, but may be tough to follow for the intricate
painting called for in doing the camouflaged reversible winter smock
and trousers worn by the infantryman. However, the winter fatigues could
easily be painted white to represent snowbound surroundings - a scheme
that fits the nature of the clothing.
 Tamiya
appears to be making a serious effort to give its resin competitors a
run for their money with this kit. The detail is not quite as crisp as
it would be with resin, but it’s a reach for a plastic mold, superior
to any plastic figure kit I’ve seen so far. For example, the Rommel
figure is no less than 15 pieces, including a 2-piece peaked officer’s
cap (fortunately the bill of the cap is not a separate piece, as this
can be a real pain to assemble), separate shoulder epaulets, head, goggles,
binoculars, and collar for his tunic. The one drawback may be that the
boot halves will likely require putty and sanding to look right. It would
have been better for Tamiya to follow Italeri’s lead in this area
and make the boots separate pieces if they wanted  to,
but not divide them into halves. This makes unnecessary work for the
modeler, in my opinion, as the payoff does not match the effort that
appears to be required to get Rommel’s boots to look right. Finally,
four arms are provided for the Field Marshall, offering the modeler a
choice of two poses: hands clasped behind his back, or hands on his hips.
The Infantryman appears to be circa 1943 or 1944, the giveaway being
the MP43 or MP44 assault rifle he is carrying. Like Rommel, his boots
are separate pieces, but unlike Rommel, they follow the Italeri pattern
and are single pieces, not halved. The infantryman himself consists of
eight pieces, including a separate head and piece for the hood of his
reversible smock. His basic equipment is a ration bag, bayonet, and six
magazine pouches for the MP44 – these last
appear superior to any resin offerings, which are generally molded onto the
figure and not as detailed as Tamiya’s.
 This
kit is loaded with extras, to the point that it’s a mini-weapons
and accessories kit. Tamiya lavishes the modeler with not one, but two
MP44’s, with four magazine pouches between them; two Gewehr 43 rifles;
one MG42 machine gun, with two belts of ammunition, a separate bipod
in the folded position, and a tool kit; one panzerfaust antitank weapon;
five gas mask carrying cases; one pair of binoculars; one map case; five
water bottles, two with the drinking cups removed; one Walther P38 holster;
one Luger P08 holster; one bayonet; three “potato masher” stick
hand grenades; five entrenching tools; one field cap; five helmets, three
of them fabric covered; and five ration bags.
Conclusion
Tamiya has produced a great kit, going back to amenities of yesteryear
in providing a small plastic base for each figure. With effort, any careful
modeler of moderate skill can produce a quality build from this new offering. |
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