MiniArt 1/35 Japanese Tank Crew
By Don Barry
Kit# 35128
MSRP: $23.00 USD
Good day fellow modelers. The subject of this review is a five figure set of Imperial Japanese Army tank crewmen. Two figures appear to be posed in the turret of their vehicle, one standing on the outside, one sitting cross-legged on the ground, and an officer type with sword, saluting. The kit consists of two half-sized sprues of fairly hard, medium grey styrene containing 57 parts. All are used. A small parts map is included, while assembly and painting directions are depicted in color on the back of the box. Five colors are called out, with reference codes for Vallejo, Testor’s, Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, Mr. Color, and Life Color. Personal equipment includes four long sword bayonets, five pistols and ammunition pouches, as well as a sword, map case, and binocular case for the officer. Goggles for each figure wearing the tanker helmet are provided. The castings very cleanly molded, with faint parting lines, and no flash seen on my review sample. The figures exhibit good Oriental facial features, as well as crisply molded straps, realistic uniform texturing, and very well rendered details overall. The figures were assembled and painted per box directions, using Tamiya colors. One dark wash was applied, followed by basic dry brushing gave the results you see in the accompanying photos. There were no assembly problems and no filler needed, with only a light sanding of joints needed. This set is highly recommended for dressing up any number of Japanese armored vehicles from WW II. My sincere thanks to MRC for providing this review kit. Happy modeling!
