Dear all,

What sets me apart from the rest of Planeteers posting threads on this side of the website? A. I don't paint before posting most of my threads. B. Flattering the subject even before you come in here.

But as always, NOT technically a review. Chit-chat if you will.

Recently I don't get to paint, or even prime, or even pin my kits. I work in HK, while most of my kits are housed in a small room in mainland China, all over the table and smelling not too good (and it's a small room). To fill that void in the most time-efficient way, I window-shop in HK model shops, both conventional and kinky ones. For the previous, Eastern European imports remain a reliable source of excitement and thrill, as was when I lived in UK.

This is a Master Box set. To avoid rights issues, no link provided here. But it is easy to spot on the homepage as this is quite recent (chances are the excellent set has been under your radar).

The "pay for it!!!" spot is on the grandma, who actually proved to be a bit of a hassel (see the putty? More putty at the sides) But she is really impressive as a sculpt. The understated breast shapes and richly textured rural clothings explain why MB is where it is in the market right now.

A pleasant surprise is the pre-teen girl, getting most of the attention here. She is a much easier build. The figure is far from womanly, but instantly relatable. I would vote for her in Oscar.

Do check out the box art while I take time to build the rest. Economical and rich in details, this kind of figure modelling guarantees a very sweet few day (or evenings).

This is not a review.

I would agree Michael, these figures are subtle and quite impressive with their simple and elegant forms, injection molded plastic at that!

BTW, linking is encouraged!

Michael: I agree re the MB Civilian sets. . .

Hello Michael:

Thank you for posting these new Civilian 1:35th scale sets by Master Box. I
recently purchased several of them from Sprue Brothers before they were
all sold out. We rarely see good small scale civilians for those of us who like
to do vignettes and dioramas. And during War time, regardless of the epoch,
the Civilian population is a major part of the conflict. And there are so many
touching stories in regards to Civilian and Soldier interaction.

And re 1:35th scale the animal kits available are not that good. So many of
the smaller animals such as chickens and geese, etc. are too big for scale.
Yes, there is the old Tamiya Farmyard set. And the mule is quite good, as well
as the German Shepherd dog. But that is it.

So I was so glad to see Master Box come out with a milk cow set. And I now
have two of them. The fit is not good, but no problem for a good model
builder. I see all kinds of possibilities with their cows and goats, with
a small little girl riding on the back of the cow, heading for the barn, or a
cow lose from the fence eating the daisies in the garden. . . All kinds of
touching scenes can take place on a Civilian road or on a cow pasture trail.

I am thinking thru about 10 ideas with cows right now. And I can say
emphatically that the headline, "We Moooooooooosed you" is NOT going
to be on the name plate for what the vignette base ends up being.

The Miami Jayhawk
Jayhawks on the the Elite Eight Rock Chalk

Hello Rick,

You might be glad to know that I bought the above set AND the cows &goat set together. I had no doubt about the civilian set but asked to see the content before paying for the animals because, like you said, too much dissappoint has gone before. I had the Tamiya set too and was quite proud of what I did to one of the birds.

Bizarrely, I built one of the cows before laying hands on the civilian figures. Some filling had to be done, and joining the neck with torso demands some educated guesses. But I am reasonably happy. Might try to introduce one vein or two. And I intend to push my own limits not least by reshaping & painting the udders a certain way, and faithfully (something along the line with my acne attempts with Soviet bust)

It is very nice to learn about fellow hobbylists' specific ideas on diorama, as it affords a glimpse into someone else's imaginationa and leanings, which is always enjoyable. I look forward to your master pieces based on these great kits. Rest assure you will get there first. I don't even get to prime a thing the way I live now.

Cheers, Gordy!

http://www.mbltd.info/3567.htm

Hm, those Masterbox figures seem to get better and better. The civilian sets I find particularly impressive.
Thanks for posting!

Cheers,
Adrian

Michael: So good of you to further comment. . .

Michael:

Sumpin' told me to check this thread once again. And sure nuff you and
Ferris added comments to the thread. I appreciate your further comments on
this topic. And certainly, you are so kind to speak of my work. I do so
appreciate it Michael. Such fine ladies and gentlemen, with good maners
on this web site. I don't take it for granted, as I think of some of the past
web sites I used to frequent and the boorish ill manners behavior
demonstrated by some. There is enough conflict in life without that. Right?

Yes, the cow figures do need some work and some putty to get a really nice
looking cow. Master Box does not put pins and attachment anchors (not sure
that is the best way to explain that concept from very old kit offerings) in
any of the two halves that come together to create the body of the mooooo
cow. And like you, I did have to really work with the udder and the four
fawcets to get a good fit and natural looking cow figure. I drilled holes in the
four necessary areas of the udder and then used pieces of plastic rod for the
four tits. Can we write that word in this forum, when we're talking about
dairy moooo cows? I would like to think so???? Later when the four rods
were cured re the glue, I trimmed and filed them to the correct length.

Rather exhilerating(sp, sorry) to a small degree, I might say. . .

Again, thanks for your further comments, Michael and good luck with the
project. As you may know, . . . and it took me many years to realize, . . it
is NoT the destination. . . but the journey. . . don't overlook the fun while
your getting there.

Ricardo Jayhawker

I have recently bought a kit from HobbyTerra (Ucranian site) of Masterbox and a village House from Miniart. Both of the kits impressed me for the quality of the injected figures and walls.
The figure set was the ´who´s That?´kit wich cost me only US$ 11,50. Quite a bargain considering the quality and details on each of the 6 figures. 6 russians and 6 germans, by the way.
It will take some time but hopefully I´ll post the results at this forum.
I´m sure I´ll pick that civilian kit up sometime in the future.

Hi Rick,
Now I really want to see your progress with the cows. That sounded very involving and fun! And you are welcome. Many would know I behave wildly on this forum once in a while. So manner-wise I am not so sure I am up to the "Planet" standard.

Hi Felipe, I concluded my UK modelling years with the purchase of "Who's That". I love that set as much as any other. Look forward to your progress with them. I am especially interested to see how masters like you guys render these beautiful sculptures, they are so full of details.