This set of paratroopers from Revell was a latecomer to their already extensive range of World War II sets. US Paratroopers saw service from late 1942 until the end of the War, and took part in many famous actions, so their inclusion in a range that tried to be comprehensive was a must.

With many of their World War II sets Revell were different from their rivals by concentrating on the later part of the war. That philosophy has been followed here as these men wear the 1943-style uniform, a later style than the sets from Airfix and Esci. Many paratroops wore this uniform on D-Day, and all wore it by September 1944. The details are correctly sculpted apart from the skirt pockets on the jackets, which were concealed and had pointed flaps, but it is good to see details like the leg ties and the extra compresses strapped to the helmets.

The poses are the usual mixture for a World War II set plus some that help identify these as paratroopers. The most obvious example is the man pulling in his parachute. This figure comes as one piece with the risers, and the base is separate and incorporates the rest of the parachute. The risers look unnatural as they only curve downward some way beyond the man's hands, but otherwise this is a fair figure that fits together quite well. The other obvious paratrooper is kneeling opening a bag that has been dropped separately. The other poses are good and look natural with the notable exception of the man kneeling firing, who has his legs much further apart than we think humanly possible (certainly more than we could achieve), never mind likely.

Several different weapons were available to paratroopers, and many are included in this set. They include the Thompson sub-machine gun, the M3 sub-machine gun, the Garand rifle and carbines. One man has a Browning automatic rifle, though he has left both the carrying handle and the bipod attached when these were normally discarded to save weight. The .30 Browning M1919A4 light machine gun comes as a separate piece which fixes to the base, along with the operator and ammunition box. This fit is a little awkward but the model is a good one.

Though the detail is fair on these figures, it is not as clear and sharp as on some sets, particularly the Esci set. However there is little flash, and both the accuracy and the lively poses are very good. This was not Revell's finest work, but it remains a serviceable set.