Introduction:

Marine equipment is not typically described as being "heavy," but exceptions can be made when "heavily armored" and "heavily armed" are also part of the description. At close to 70 tons, the M1A1 Abrams is among the heaviest tanks in the world, but it more than makes up for its heft with tremendous firepower and surprising maneuverability. The principal battle tank of the Marine Corps, the M1A1 provides armor-protected firepower in support of Marine ground forces.

(source: https://www.marines.com)

Review:

Assault Models recently introduced two modern USMC tank crewmen to their 1/35 scale miniature catalogue. This review covers the second USMC tanker of the pair: Tankman, the US Marine Corps (AM35011), while the first tanker is reviewed here: link.

The figure is supplied in a hard plastic box, featuring an image of assembled and unpainted figure. The kit consists of 5 pieces safely secured in a zip-lock bag:

- full body,
- right arm,
- left arm,
- head,
- helmet microphone.

The pieces are perfectly cast in grey resin. Not only there are no imperfections in the resin whatsoever, but the pieces also feature a ton of details wonderfully delivered in scale. Just check that tiny microphone boom... I don't think there are many companies willing to the try casting something as fragile as this. A lot of care should be taken when cleaning the microphone though, but extra patience is well worth it in the end. As for the assembly, the pieces fit really well and the figure is very easy to construct.

The figure represents a USMC tank crewman pointing to an object in the distance. The figure wears Improved Modular Tactical Vest (IMTV) over his flame-resistant NOMEX CWU-27/P coveralls. As for the headgear, the figure sports Combat Vehicle Crewman (CVC) Helmet. I complimented the sculptor on a very impressive work on the first USMC tanker, and I have to do the same with this figure... I like the folds of the NOMEX suit, as they convey the properties of the material really well, the numerous zippers and pockets on the suit, as well as all the PALS loops on the IMTV... I took my time to research some of the reference images I had on USMC garb and gear and, as far as I can tell, the uniform and the equipment are accurately depicted and very nicely delivered in scale.

When asked what modern figures they would like to see released, one of the most frequent answers voiced by modelers is: "We need more Marines, and we definitely need more Marine tankers!". Well, here they are... USMC Tankman (AM35011) and his pair figure, USMC Tankman (AM35010), are both great figures which work really well together and should complement your modern day USMC M1A1s perfectly.

Conclusion:

USMC Tankman (AM35011) is a very nice 1/35 scale figure. It is sculpted really well and perfectly cast in resin. Also, it is very easy to assemble, with lots of details all around.

As far as I know, there are no Marine tankers in 1/35 scale on the market featuring the latest USMC gear. With their USMC tank crewmen, Assault Models delivers two figures which fill the gap perfectly.

Big thanks to Pavel from Assault Models for this review sample.