As one of the most important participants in the Second World War it is only natural that there are now many sets of Soviet troops available in this hobby. Plastic Soldier themselves have made such a set, but this contained mostly men armed with rifles and submachine guns, and so lacked all the heavier infantry support weapons that were increasingly deployed as the war went on and the Red Army moved on to the offensive. This present set therefore addresses that need, and allows the customer to choose the proportions of each that they buy, which certainly meets with our approval.
The top row reveals the classic heavy machine gun of the Red Army, the Maxim M1910. One model has the gunner sitting and using the weapon while the other is a classic model of two infantryman pulling the weapon which has been done several times before. The guns are both pretty good models, and both are mounted on the very common wheeled Sokolov rig, which is also properly done apart from the wheels, which are thin and solid with only a light engraving to suggest the spokes that should actually be there. For the weapon being fired the water cooling elements are missing, as they often are, but just as importantly no one is feeding it any ammunition. None of the figures in the box are doing this, and the No.2 gunner suggested by the box artwork is empty-handed and doing something we could not understand but is apparently leaning on the weapon or his crewmate.
The next row shows another brace of the same weapon – this time the PTRS anti-tank rifle. Again one is in use and one is on the move, and again the models are pretty good with fair detail. The pose of the prone gunner is a little odd as he would normally be steadying his weapon with his left hand rather than holding it to his side, but the No.2 is good and the soldier carrying the gun is particularly appealing. The fourth figure is a generic NCO who is holding his binoculars high in the air and a quite awkward and flat pose.
Moving down again we come to a 50mm mortar. The Soviet Union used several models but this is the 50-PM 41, which was unusual in having no bipod. Not previously made in this hobby, this is a pretty good model, and while it was not the most numerous of the Soviet 50mm mortars it is nice to see it reproduced here. The two crewmen are in fairly classic but entirely appropriate poses, and complement the mortar nicely.
As the Red Army began to drive the invaders back the need was for mortars with a longer range, and by the last year of the war all the 50mm mortars had been withdrawn from service in favour of the 82mm versions. Our bottom row shows just such a weapon, which has a rectangular baseplate and no wheels so seems to be the 82-PM 36 or 82-PM 37. Later mortar models were also widely used, but this one is fine too and a good little model. The two standing crewmen are fine, but the kneeling NCO pose is fairly flat and uninspiring.
The uniforms of the figures are typical, with the classic gymnastiorka tunic, long boots and steel helmet. Kit is quite light, with a few having the drawstring pack but most having just a canteen. All have double rifle ammunition pouches on the belt, even though not all would have had a rifle. Ideally many would have been issued with pistols, but such issue was uneven and here only the NCOs are so armed. Nevertheless the uniform is accurate and properly done.
These figures are made in quite a hard plastic which talks glue well, which is just as well as there is a middling amount of putting together to be done here (see the sprue image). As well as the weapons several of the crew come in multiple parts, but these fit together well and make for some very realistic poses. However as we have said some of the one-piece figures are unnecessarily flat in our view. Detail is excellent with no flash and no unwanted plastic, and the style matches perfectly with the infantry set from the same company.
Anyone purchasing the infantry set will certainly need some of this one to go with them, and while it is all too easy to think of weapons that were not included here this is still a pretty good range, and the producers seem to have made some effort to include weapons not previously available from anyone. While we were not thrilled by the NCO poses everything else here is more than satisfactory and wargamers in particular will appreciate the opportunities such a set as this offers them, while everyone else can just enjoy some well-produced figures.