Naturally enough many manufacturers have a set of US infantry in their World War II range, and when Esci decided to start adding figures to their range of vehicles, their first product was this set, subtitled 'Marine Corps'.

The men are dressed in what might be termed the classic look, 'utilities' of a loose shirt (termed a jacket) and trousers together with the M1 helmet. They wear the leggings that were often discarded by the troops themselves in hot climates, and are extremely lightly equipped - most only carry a canteen and entrenching tool. Packs are provided, but are separate and must be glued in place. As so often the uniform is not wrong but much too neat and consistent to really convey the appearance of these troops when in action. Presumably the designer considered the regulations rather than photos of the actual men in the field.

The poses are a fairly standard bunch, and once again are very reminiscent of the Airfix 1/32 soft plastic set. Differences include the standing and kneeling firing figures having swapped weapons, as have the prone figures, with the rifle replaced by an ammunition belt for the machine gun. However this second crewman is positioned to feed from the right when he should be feeding from the left. Although this is a hard plastic kit, most of the figures come complete, so there is very little opportunity to vary the poses.

The standard of sculpting is good, with good proportions and detail. Apart from being added to their base most figures require no assembly, and there is no significant flash, although some do have circular mould marks on their backs. The weapons used are reasonable, so this is a fair set of figures, though it does not offer anything that can't be found in soft plastic elsewhere.