The siege of Bastogne, and the wider Battle of the Ardennes, are very famous actions of the Second World War, when US forces were cornered in the town and withstood attacks by the Germans until they were relieved and the German advance stopped. However, this is not the first time that Italeri have made a battleset on this subject, and our page on their earlier product can be seen here, while our page on their even earlier set of Battle of the Bulge shows just how popular a subject this has been for this manufacturer. The main difference between this set and the earlier incarnations is that this includes the now-standard laser-cut MDF building kit. However, we shall begin as always with details of the figures to be found here.

The previous Bastogne set had very appropriate figures, and Italeri stuck with the same formula, so this set has exactly the same as those in the previous set, which are:

• 1 set of Italeri German Infantry (Winter Uniform)
• 2 sprues from the set of Italeri US Infantry (Winter Uniform)

As regards armour, this set contains:

• 1 of Italeri Sherman M4A3E2 Jumbo (7520)
• 1 of Italeri KPFW. V Panther Ausf.G (7504)

For accessories, the box contains just the one set:

• Battlefield Accessories

Finally of course, we have the large laser-cut MDF building, and this time we have a ruined house corner, as seen below.

While the figures are the same as before, the other components are mostly different, but are still appropriate. The corner house is as good a building round which to construct an engagement as any, although this is included at the expense of some armour and smaller accessories.

As always, the box includes a number of pictures of the finished diorama as might be made from this set, assembled, painted to a high standard and arrayed with a nicely done base with great snow effects. You would need to be a skilled modeller to deliver the same high quality diorama as that shown here, but the contents of the box are at least a good starting point.

The figures and kits in this set are well made, and all the components work well for the subject. Even if you never achieve the quality of the diorama shown on the box, this is another fun set with plenty of play potential or the start of a really nice model scene.