Zvezda German Reconnaissance Team 1939-1942 review

Part of my Finnish WW2 war game army - under the Rapid Fire! rules - is a two figure OP team for each artillery howitzer. I was wondering how I would modify my PSC figures to make a realistic looking observation team when I happened across a nice little set from Zvezda that seemed to fit the bill.

Zvezda's German Reconnaissance Team 1939-1942  is a four figure set that includes two prone observers, one crouching radio operator and one crouching map reader. The figures are multipart models which allows for some very realistic and interesting poses.

They are made out of a hard plastic which is quite easy to clean up with a fine file, though there is no flash and seams are neat and light. Though I have to say that some of the joins are a little ill-fitting and will have to be filled with putty.

The detail is very nice and the faces are quite expressive, though some detail is missing where Zvezda feels that that detail would escape close examination (for example, on the chest when arms partially cover it). But, as mentioned, it is the quality of the poses that makes these figures stand out.

While you do only get four figures (for £2.99) this group is, of course, modelled in some quite specialist  poses, ones that you won't normally get in some of the larger box sets from the likes of Revell or Airfix. At least not in this level of quality.

Which brings me to the figures stature when compared to other makes. They are, of course, larger than Airfix figures but a good match for Revell. They are smaller (thinner) than the chunky PSC figures though, which is a bit of a problem for me as I want to use these along side my PSC 'Finns'.

This really is a wonderful set, despite some of the vague detail in the uniforms and the badly fitting joints, the realism of the very dynamic poses makes up for this. My particular favourite is the guy making notes on the map, though the radio operator is also excellent.

If, like me, you are on the look out for a forward artillery observation team, or a general reconnaissance set of German figures, then these are well worth the very affordable cost.

Highly recommended.

Above: A nice touch is that Zvezda includes two sets of bases. One large base so you can include all the figures on one mini-diorama and also four individual smaller bases should you wish to use them separately.

Next: Turning these Germans into PSC compatible Finns.