I just got in a couple of figures from Evolution Miniatures — a WW2 Soviet tank crewman and soldier — with an idea to use them with a civilian figure in a small vignette of a street in occupied Berlin of 1945. While we wait to see if that ever becomes actuality, I may as well review them for you.
- Evolution Miniatures
- Soviet Tanker (1943-45)
- EM-35134
- Soviet Soldier (1943-45)
- EM-35152
- 1/35th scale
Starting with the box art, it’s hard to discern details in the slightly fuzzy low-res printing, and the face painting is not the most inspiring, but I’m not buying these to sit on a shelf.
Let’s take a look at the infantryman.
The first thought which struck me is “why is he wearing goggles?” He’s not a tanker; nor a ski trooper in winter. After that, I’m out of explanations. Perhaps he just digs their style. Thinking about it, I’m slightly bothered by the ushanka (fur hat) because it limits my vignette to a colder season rather than the beginning of the occupation. Some figure producers may well have provided two types of headgear…
After scrutinising the box’s contents, I’m a little disappointed. I’ve painted Evolution figures before — the Russian T-60 Crew and Scout — and they were nicer than this. In fit, they are comparable: neither is as neat as some other companies can produce. However, in casting quality and surface finish, the T-60 set is superior to this guy.
The most obvious flaw is the large hole in the goggles. Looking beyond that, there is quite a lot of surface cleanup to do and some of the parts interfaces will need adjustment. I hate having to tackle that particular job as it can be so difficult to get right.
There is less to say about the tank crewman. There are fewer parts — just the head and a sidearm holster, the fit is OK, and the surfaces are cleaner with only one small casting bubble on the face.
But that’s the minus column filled. In the plus column, there is the natural-looking, conversational pose of both figures, which complement each other really well. Then there is the fact that Evolution Miniatures is one of very few figure producers which are dedicated to Second World War Soviet subjects instead of just churning out yet more German stuff. More non-German things in modelling, please.
Yes, this is a Russian company, which will be a red line for some modellers and that’s understandable. I can't ignore it entirely, for sure. However, without knowing the company owner’s political position, I want to avoid conflating the nationality of a company with the actions of a state.
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