Introduction:

Stalingrad is a company from Russia specialized in producing 1/35 scale resin figures. Alexander Zelenkov, the creative force behind the company, is an extremely gifted sculptor and his miniatures are among the very best on the market today.

Stalingrad recently released figures depicting a group of Afghan mujahideen. This review covers one of these figures, Afghan Rebel (S-3604), while the reviews of other miniatures from the group can be accessed here: link.

Review:

The figure set arrived safely packed in a well designed hard cardboard box. The box art image on the front shows the painted miniature and presents a very nice example of what talented hands can do with this kit.

Two zip-lock bags contain three pieces of this set:

- full body,
- head,
- hands with weapon.

The pieces are cast in grey-greenish resin. The cast is really good and I found no air-bubbles, seam lines or flash on the pieces. Although the resin feels a bit soft to the touch, I didn't notice the details on the pieces are soft. Quite the contrary, the details are sharp and very nicely delivered.

As for the assembly... I made a mistake during the cleanup process and removed too much of the neck from the figure's head piece. This resulted in a gap between the head and the torso which needed to be filled with putty. I had no problems fitting the hands with the weapon to the arms.

The figure depicts Afghan rebel squatting, with a weapon in his hands. This is a typical pose for Afghan men as they rarely sit directly on the ground, instead squatting on their heels, feet flat on the ground. The sculptor captured the pose perfectly, as it is well balanced and very realistic. The figure wears the usual Afghan country costume of long shirt and loose trousers, pukhoor wool blanket and turban. Armed with AKMS, under-folding stock version of the AK-47, this figure means business.

Based on his appearance, I think the figure can be used as mujahideen from the Soviet-Afghan war, or a fighter from more recent Middle Eastern conflicts.

Conclusion:

Afghan Rebel (S-3604) is another great figure from Stalingrad. Sculpted by a very talented sculptor, the figure is perfectly posed and features loads of details. It is well cast in resin and pretty easy to assemble.

This is one of the best Afghan figures on the market today and, with the rest of the rebel group, it could make a great focal point of many Middle Eastern dioramas.