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Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Dambusters Raid May 1943Wing Commander Guy Gibson
A special MSC Forum review of this fabulous figure from Mitches Military Models
Review by: Scratchmod
Kit # # CF/1
Scale: 200mm
Contents : Full resin Figure - 12 parts
Price is £65 which includes international shipping.
Sculpted by Maurice Corry
HistoryInformation taken from an article in the 1999 World War II magazineIn early 1943 Commander Guy Gibson commanded the newly formed the 617 Squadron whose members were selected by Gibson himself. The squadron was to fly new, and modified Lancaster MKIIIB bombers on special low flying raids to destroy damns in order to suffer a blow to the German factories along major rivers.
Training of the crews included low level flying at 60feet and night flights. This was vital since the raids were to be flown at night and at low level. The bombs used were designed by aeronautical engineer Barnes Neville Wallis. The bombs were cylinder shaped drums filled with RDX explosives and were designed to skip along the surface of the water, hitting the damn and sinking to 30 feet where it then detonated blowing a large hole in the damn under the water surface.
In order for the raids and bombing to be successful the bombs had to be dropped 60 feet above the water and 425 yards from the damn. Special brackets in the planes belly were designed to carry the bombs, and also a mechanism that rotated the drums counterclockwise. Converging searchlight beams on the water’s surface indicated the bomb release height.Gibson, flying aircraft G-George, led the May 16th 1943 raid on the Mohne damn. The squadron attacked several targets successfully. The Mohne damn was breeched, flooding a 50 mile area.
The kitThe kit comes in a sturdy black cardboard box, the resin parts are all in one zip lock bag, and it’s all padded with bubble wrap to protect the parts. The main parts (6) are of the upper torso and legs, both arms , boots and the head. Smaller parts consist of one hand (the other is in his pocket) and misc other small parts such as straps with buckles, a hand holding a pipe and the long end of the pipe.
Upon opening the box, which I noticed was heavy, I was surprised to see such a large resin figure. I have done 200mm busts in the past but never a full resin figure in this scale so it was a bit of a surprise at first.
The images to the right show the parts in the kit and just how big they are.
Click to enlarge
After the removing the parts from the bag I inspected them for flaws such as air bubbles or mold alignment and seams. All the parts are extremely well detailed and the casting is equally as good. My first thought was that this had to be from a 3d printer or similar. All parts are cast in light and darker gray resin with some very minor cleaning up to do. One of the straps in my review sample was broken off the casting block, but not too much of an issue to fix. There are some large casting blocks to remove but this is expected from a large 200mm full resin figure like this. The detailing and edges just seemed too perfect. The box art is what you get in the box, an awesome kit.
Below are views of the torso and upper legs. The detailing of the uniform and the parachute harness can be seen. I also dry fitted the left arm to show the relaxed hand in pocket pose.
Click on the images to view the slide show in full size.
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The figures boots are well detailed , with straps and a very nice representation of the front zipper, with pull. The tops of the boots are flat with no recess where the figures legs get glued to.
For such a large and heavy figure I’d recommend drilling corresponding holes in the lower leg and top of boot to glue a stiff wire so he is more rigid.
Here you can also see that the resin parts are in two shades of gray, but I don't think there is anything behind that other than a dark and light batch of resin.
Left: Next we move onto the two arms and his right hand that is holding his pipe.
The casting here is also very good, crisp and clean with no visible signs or air bubbles or any other flaws.
The left arm is a bit rough where the hand would be, but this is not an issue since it will be inserted into his pocket.
The right hand and pipe bowl look good. I would however drill out the pipe bowl a bit for more realism.
The figures head is a very nice piece and being a separate item from the torso will make painting much easier. The eyes and ears are crisply detailed, especially the ears. The overall expression on his face is of a happy one, and not a serious stare or grin. His cap is cocked back a bit on his head revealing more of his forehead and some hair.
The below images are of the remaining small parts in the kit. My review sample had one small part broken, the strap at the buckle, but this could have happened in the post...we know how that goes. This part can be easily fixed.
The figures uniform looks fantastic with lots of detail that will stand out when painted. He is wearing his harness with no chute and he’s standing in a very relaxed position with the left hand deep into his pocket. He looks like he’s ready to climb into his plane.
Conclusion
This is a 70th anniversary figure of the dambusters figure kit and although we are going into the 71st year, it is still an amazing kit. For those interested in the history of the Dambusters there are books and online information on the dambusters and Guy Gibson.
Overall the casting of the parts is very good with no, or very little to be cleaned up besides the casting blocks. The figure once assembled has some weight to it and stands pretty tall. This is a kit worth getting.
I’d like to thank Ross of Mitches Military Models for supplying MSC with this review sample.
You can find this and other great figures and busts on their website.