Girl with an oar is a classic example of Socialist Realism style in sculpture and it was symbolising a model of a healthy person used for promotion of sport and physical culture in Soviet Union in 1930s. Initially such monuments were created by sculptor I. Shadr using a student of Moscow institute of sports as an example. It was 12 meters in height with a bronze pedestal. The sculpture was criticized and moved from Moscow to Lugansk. However, Shadr made another one based on a female gymnast and this monument was standing in Gorky Park until it was destroyed by German air attacks in 1941. In addition, another sculptor Romual Iodko created his version of the Girl with an oar. It was dressed in a swim suit with right leg placed on a small cube. This variant was very popular and was copied in alabaster for many parks all around Soviet Union.
Review
This is another resin figure produced by Armor35 in their “Monuments” series and it comes in a small cardboard box with parts sealed in small zip lock plastic bags. The sculptor of this figure is Andrey Malygin and to me he has captured the original very well.
We have 4 resin parts for the monument and 1 round base. The body is cast together with the head and the facial features are well captured. We see a figure of fit woman (in 1930s standards) with quite developed muscles in a swimsuit typical for that time period. Her right leg is raised a little, similar to the original sculpture. The hands are separate parts and they are well sculptured as well. The right hand holds the oar and there is a small resin connector that needs to be removed. The left hand is slightly bent in the elbow and is held next to the body. Both hands have very good connectors and on the images taken for this review I simply inserted them into their locations. No putty should be necessary when you assemble them (I did not locate them well enough for the photographs).
The casting quality is quite good, but there were several bubbles on my sample as well as mold line on the left side of the body. The figure is cast in a rather soft type of resin and it should not be a problem to polish these areas a bit to remove the seam. The bubbles can be filled with CA glue without any issue as well.
Conclusion
I think it is a good figure (monument) that would look good in any setting based in USSR after 1935 – be it a scene from World War 2 or post war. I have also seen someone paint one of these figures as a real woman – so what you use it for is only limited by your own imagination.
SUMMARY
Highs: Original figure (monument) that would be suitable for USSR based scene. Lows: Some casting defects in my sample.Verdict: Recommended.
Our Thanks to Armor 35! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
Hermann; this model and Girl with Ribbon are both 75mm high. They are made for 1/35, about 8-9 foot statues for 1/35. 75mm tall works out well for 1/20-1/24 scales if these are painted as figures instead of monuments.
Fred, I agree, the defects are very rare in my experience. But as they were here I need to mention that for honest review. First time in my experience from Armor35 as well.
Roman, that link to the painted figure is wonderful! Where did you find her? Thank you!
I like painting monuments because they were sculpted of metals and stones. Granite, I think I would paint with a variety of grays, using stippling to simulate the texture of the aggregate. Granite can be grey, red, or pink and has a lot of shades but I can not think of ever seeing a statue in the latter.
Metal statues can be beautiful when painted fresh, and especially with an oxidized patina. I think this series of monuments should be very popular.
Comments