Plastic Soldier Review - Preiser German Mortar and Crew

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Preiser

Set 72517

German Mortar and Crew

All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)

Stats

Date Released	Unknown
Contents	5 figures and 1 mortar
Poses	5 poses
Material	Plastic (Very Hard)
Colours	Grey

Average Height

25 mm (= 1.8 m)

Review

This very small set simply delivers one 8cm infantry mortar and a crew of five. The 8cm model was very widely used by the Wehrmacht throughout the war, and the model here is extremely well done and very fine. Indeed the correct proportions mean items like the support are very thin and fairly fragile, although the hard plastic with which the whole set is made minimises any risk of damage, as well as making the various parts glue together firmly.

The five crew are all in interesting and unusual poses which are quite valid and have been achieved by having the figures made up of several parts (see the image of the sprue for details). On the face of it the crew have relatively low detail, but in fact they are all wearing camouflage smocks so little detail is required. All also wear the long boots that were more common early in the war. However despite the simple clothing there is a little something missing in the sculpting of these figures. Detail is reasonable but not brilliant, and the face of the prone man is almost featureless. Still these interact with the mortar in a very pleasing way and while they do not come with any sort of base (which only the two standing poses would need anyway), they can be grouped to make a satisfactory mortar team.

Added to the package is the usual collection of accessories that Preiser put in their WWII sets as pictured with the sprue. It includes much that is not particularly relevant to this particular set but is still nice to see, even though most of the kit items would not fit comfortably on the clothing these men wear.

The set delivers exactly what it claims in the title, with some very good poses quite well produced and accurately researched. The delicate mortar itself is the stand-out piece here, but everything works well and maintains the high standards of this manufacturer.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	10
Pose Quality	10
Pose Number	10
Sculpting	9
Mould	10