This is another component in the large Zvezda range of Art of Tactic game pieces. This time the subject is the famed German Mountain troops, and as usual we have four figures to consider. We picture these above, individually based, although they can also be grouped together on a single large base to act as a game piece. The first figure is in a relatively straight-forward firing pose, and the third is simply crouching with submachine gun in hand, but the other two are very much in mountain-type poses. One is apparently coiling a rope while the other is scaling a representative piece of cliff face, making him one of the most imaginatively presented figures we have ever seen.

The uniform is also fairly straight-forward, being the ordinary tunic and trousers with anklets or short puttees and short boots, all topped off with the peaked cap. Detail is occasionally extremely shallow and hard to see, but generally these are really nicely produced and while they do not wear any of the specialist clothing such troops might have in the mountains, they are all accurately done. Two have large rucksacks which surprisingly seem to be without external pockets, but do have the gasmask case correctly held horizontally across the back. The other two also have this case, but they lack the carrying strap which should be holding it, so it looks like it is attached to the belt.

Despite our minor concerns, these are very nicely done figures, and look great as a little tableau for display or a game. Although all the figures have some element of assembly, everything fits well enough to not need gluing, and while just four figures won’t get you far in depicting these men in a real scenario (for which the Airfix and Caesar figures work better), this little set is still a nice product to own.