Master Box’s latest release, German Elite Infantry Eastern Front, WWII Era, is a new set of 1/35 scale figures. The set has very minimal flash and no ejector pin marks. The few mold lines present are easily removed with a sharp blade. There set includes no decals and no painting instructions. You will need to copy what you see on the box’s illustration. There are no part numbers on the sprues; however, the back of the box has a picture of each sprue with the part numbers listed next to each part. In addition, there are two inset photos depicting the camouflage painting options for the figure’s smocks, but there no paint callouts listed for the camouflage colors. You will have to use your own references to choose the colors.

I found that the figures went together without a lot of shaping and filling. They are not balanced, so they can stand without pins or glue. The weapons fit into the figure’s hands fairly well and are nicely made. However, you will need to make several slings for the rifle, machine gun, and the ammo boxes. The ammo boxes are depicted hanging from the rifle butts and will require the slings to make the arrangement look acceptable. I also suggest that you paint the figure before adding any of the personal equipment and ammo belts, as you will not be able to reach any of the recessed areas for the detailed camouflage painting.

As mentioned, the painting of these figures will require quite a bit of research and thought before attaching any of the extra equipment and ammo. The photos on the back will give you general idea of what the colors should be, but again, my advice is to review your figure references to find the proper colors. I used the following references:

• Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal items of the German Soldier 1939-1945 by Agustin Saiz, published by Casemate (ISBN 978-1-932033-96-0)
• Wehrmacht Camouflage Uniforms & Post War Derivatives by Daniel Peterson, published by Windrow & Greene (ISBN 1-85915-005-5)
• Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS by Michael Beaver, published by Schiffer Publishing (ISBN 0-88740-803-6)

Master Box is becoming the leading provider of vignettes in a box. All you need to do is add a building from MiniArt and you have an instant diorama. The kit is very well done; it is better than my figure painting makes it look. I highly recommend it.

My thanks to Dragon Models for providing the review sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.