SA Obertruppfuhrer Gruppe Hochland 1933

By Adrian Hopwood Company – Thunderbird Miniatures Price – £27.25 Scale – 1/8th Material – Resin Code – TB9001 Sculpted by – Jim Rice This bust gives me a real problem. I’ve got to admit that the subject is both colourful and unusual, and that alone is attractive. Either on the competition table, on a display stand at a show, or just in the cabinets at home, I think this one will stand out for the uniform colours and being just that little bit different. Casting is very clean, although the box art only gives one shot of the front of a painted example, and there’s nothing inside the box to suggest colours, historical notes or a rear view of the painted piece to help the prospective buyer. But….. Yes, there’s a “but”…… That facial expression ! What’s going on there ? I’m not sure what the sculptor has been attempting here - is it a secretive wink ? Is it a sneering grimace ? I just can’t work it out. Because of this, I think quite a lot of people will pass over it when it comes to getting the wallet out; and that’s a shame. There’s a lot of positives to this model, and because it’s a common scale, there should be plenty of option to swap out that head for something different – see, an unusual subject, different uniform, and a simple conversion. What more could you ask ? Seeing as you’re going to change the head anyway ( well you were, weren’t you ? ), you’ll need to rebuild the chinstrap that seems to be on the box art, but somehow doesn’t appear on the kit. There’s also a small belt missing off the cooking tin strapped to his back ( the buckle and most of the belt is there on this latter, just one strap from the buckle that goes off behind the tin to nestle between it and the backpack needs adding – a short bit of foil or such will do ). Now I might seem to be knocking this bust a bit, what with the comments about the expression and the lacking belt and chinstrap, but honestly I think this covers a gaping hole in “between World Wars” history that really has little or no model offerings out there. For the sake of a couple of small additions, and if you really want to, then change the head, it’s a nice model that you really should have if you’ve and interest in European history of the first half of the 20th century. Thanks to Matt and Celine at El Greco Miniatures for sending this along for review, the model is available from them at the address below, or by visiting their website. Adrian. El Greco Miniatures 63 Glebe Drive Brackley NN13 7BX United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364 Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk