andrei383
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- Joined
- Feb 29, 2012
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Introduction
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) security mission in Afghanistan is made up of several nation's military forces. One of the countries part of the ISAF is the Czech Republic and Czech model company, SKP Model, has brought this operation into the 1/35th scale with their resin Logar Patrol figure.
About the Figure
The figure depicts a Czech ISAF soldier on patrol/on guard during their 2008 operations in the Logar Province of Afghanistan. As according to the box art, the figure wears a uniform in the vz. 85 two-color desert pattern with load bearing equipment/body armor in the vz. 95 leaf pattern. Also, there is a scarf around the neck. The chest rig holds magazine pouches for both the rifle and pistol, and also a radio. The soldier carries a vz. 58 assault rifle with an M4 style stock and a front quad-rail system. Attached to that is an M68 CCO red dot optic on top and a vertical grip on the bottom. The pistol is in a drop-leg holster strapped to the right leg. Lastly the figure wears knee pads, the right one on the knee and the left one strapped around the ankle.
Packaging
The figure comes in a 50mm x 110mm x 30 mm top opening cardboard box. The box is extremely sturdy and definitely protects the parts from damage. Inside, the parts come in 2 plastic bags, one for the figure and constituent pieces, and one holds the weapons sprue. The bags fit snugly in the box and keep the hard, blue-grey resin from moving around.
Parts
Head: The head is very well cast (a trend to follow with the other parts) with good detail in the helmet, straps, and even the frame of the sunglasses can be distinguished. The radio microphone is also nicely molded. The face itself is also cast well and seems anatomically correct. Even the ears under the rim of the helmet are molded well. Unfortunately my copy came with three very small casting bubbles on the helmet but these are easily fixed and thankfully are the only defects on this part.
Body: The body is also very well cast. The clothing folds are realistic. The chest rig has 6 magazine pouches for the vz. 58 assault rifle, 2 magazine pouches for the pistol, and a radio. Here again we see the detail added to this figure: the quick release buckles on the pouches are detailed down to the small tabs that hold it closed. All the straps on the figure are nicely detailed too. The right leg has a locating hole to attach the pistol holster. At at the very bottom, the boots are really well done. The only casting defects on my copy is quite an amount of flash between the legs but besides that there isn't anything to worry about.
Arms: The right arm has nice detail, especially on the patches on the arm. Even the Czech flag is detailed and will be an exercise in painting! The left arm is posed to hold the vertical grip on the rifle and there's also good detail on the patches. There isn't any casting defects on my copy but the casting stubs will require care to remove so as not to destroy any detail.
Weapon Sprue: The weapon sprue contains (from left to right): gun charging handle, vz. 58 assault rifle (and the right hand), M68 CCO optic, and pistol holster. The rifle is nicely detailed with some sharp detail in the Picatinny rail system and even the vent holes in the handguard. The hand holding the rifle is has good glove detail but with a finger on the trigger, the figure is not practicing good weapon safety! The M68 CCO optic also shows great detail with even the front and back hollowed and should look the part with a drop of gloss for the lenses. The pistol holster is fairly plain but I believe this is accurate. Unfortunately, this sprue shows the worst defects of all the pieces with fairly heavy flash around the pieces. Also, my copy has a broken gun barrel which hopefully can be salvaged as there isn't any aftermarket vz. 58 rifles, especially in this unique configuration. However, one must remember that casts will vary and you may get a perfect casting.
Conclusion
In closing, the figure represents a nice foray into some of the more obscure topics not commonly seen in the 1/35th modeling world. However, as such, you may have difficulty integrating this figure into a diorama as the Czech military operated with Pandur II, BMP-2, and Iveco LMV's in the Logar province, vehicles which are not available in plastic (at the time of this review) with the exception of the old Zvezda/Revell BMP-2. Also, there are no other Czech ISAF figures that I know of which could be displayed together.
However, these problems aside, the SKP Model Logar Patrol figure is very well detailed and very well cast with the exception of the weapon sprue (again, your castings may vary) and would definitely make a nice and unique addition to your stash of modern 1/35th scale figures. Definitely deserving a solid 7/10 (8/10 for perfect castings).
Links
SKP Model Product Page: http://www.skpmodel.eu/product.php?id_product=50
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) security mission in Afghanistan is made up of several nation's military forces. One of the countries part of the ISAF is the Czech Republic and Czech model company, SKP Model, has brought this operation into the 1/35th scale with their resin Logar Patrol figure.
About the Figure
The figure depicts a Czech ISAF soldier on patrol/on guard during their 2008 operations in the Logar Province of Afghanistan. As according to the box art, the figure wears a uniform in the vz. 85 two-color desert pattern with load bearing equipment/body armor in the vz. 95 leaf pattern. Also, there is a scarf around the neck. The chest rig holds magazine pouches for both the rifle and pistol, and also a radio. The soldier carries a vz. 58 assault rifle with an M4 style stock and a front quad-rail system. Attached to that is an M68 CCO red dot optic on top and a vertical grip on the bottom. The pistol is in a drop-leg holster strapped to the right leg. Lastly the figure wears knee pads, the right one on the knee and the left one strapped around the ankle.
Packaging
The figure comes in a 50mm x 110mm x 30 mm top opening cardboard box. The box is extremely sturdy and definitely protects the parts from damage. Inside, the parts come in 2 plastic bags, one for the figure and constituent pieces, and one holds the weapons sprue. The bags fit snugly in the box and keep the hard, blue-grey resin from moving around.
Parts
Head: The head is very well cast (a trend to follow with the other parts) with good detail in the helmet, straps, and even the frame of the sunglasses can be distinguished. The radio microphone is also nicely molded. The face itself is also cast well and seems anatomically correct. Even the ears under the rim of the helmet are molded well. Unfortunately my copy came with three very small casting bubbles on the helmet but these are easily fixed and thankfully are the only defects on this part.
Body: The body is also very well cast. The clothing folds are realistic. The chest rig has 6 magazine pouches for the vz. 58 assault rifle, 2 magazine pouches for the pistol, and a radio. Here again we see the detail added to this figure: the quick release buckles on the pouches are detailed down to the small tabs that hold it closed. All the straps on the figure are nicely detailed too. The right leg has a locating hole to attach the pistol holster. At at the very bottom, the boots are really well done. The only casting defects on my copy is quite an amount of flash between the legs but besides that there isn't anything to worry about.
Arms: The right arm has nice detail, especially on the patches on the arm. Even the Czech flag is detailed and will be an exercise in painting! The left arm is posed to hold the vertical grip on the rifle and there's also good detail on the patches. There isn't any casting defects on my copy but the casting stubs will require care to remove so as not to destroy any detail.
Weapon Sprue: The weapon sprue contains (from left to right): gun charging handle, vz. 58 assault rifle (and the right hand), M68 CCO optic, and pistol holster. The rifle is nicely detailed with some sharp detail in the Picatinny rail system and even the vent holes in the handguard. The hand holding the rifle is has good glove detail but with a finger on the trigger, the figure is not practicing good weapon safety! The M68 CCO optic also shows great detail with even the front and back hollowed and should look the part with a drop of gloss for the lenses. The pistol holster is fairly plain but I believe this is accurate. Unfortunately, this sprue shows the worst defects of all the pieces with fairly heavy flash around the pieces. Also, my copy has a broken gun barrel which hopefully can be salvaged as there isn't any aftermarket vz. 58 rifles, especially in this unique configuration. However, one must remember that casts will vary and you may get a perfect casting.
Conclusion
In closing, the figure represents a nice foray into some of the more obscure topics not commonly seen in the 1/35th modeling world. However, as such, you may have difficulty integrating this figure into a diorama as the Czech military operated with Pandur II, BMP-2, and Iveco LMV's in the Logar province, vehicles which are not available in plastic (at the time of this review) with the exception of the old Zvezda/Revell BMP-2. Also, there are no other Czech ISAF figures that I know of which could be displayed together.
However, these problems aside, the SKP Model Logar Patrol figure is very well detailed and very well cast with the exception of the weapon sprue (again, your castings may vary) and would definitely make a nice and unique addition to your stash of modern 1/35th scale figures. Definitely deserving a solid 7/10 (8/10 for perfect castings).
Links
SKP Model Product Page: http://www.skpmodel.eu/product.php?id_product=50
