As always its good to be able to share my thoughts on releases this time we have from a company called HQ Model Kits .

Who are they , well its a one man band as the owner told me ...his name Felipe Margem , the company produces and ships from Florida , and was originally a garage kit company began by Felipe to produce those models not normally released by others,the first release was the mermaid which sold out others have followed

Felipe is a member of PF his user name fmargem

Not a company I knew much about ,so its really good to share this review so I was pleased to see that they have also released other models in larger scales (see link) including this one we will look
at.
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/hq-model-kits-products.78053/

The release was announced here on PF http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/wwi-german-home-guard.77901/ as well as social media

Whats the subject : German Home Guard

As you can see its a WW1 subject of the Landwehr or Home Guard , men normally considered unfit for front line service but they still served in the Landwehr , suffering the harshness of war , guarding supply depots and the likes but even so they also did serve in the line as the need for manpower got more as the war progressed .

One of the harshest fronts to serve on was the Eastern one , incredibly cold winters and sentry duty was a real hardship to be put on , all manner of clothing was used to protect against he cold , including long fur trimmed coats . Of course conditions were often as harsh in the other front ie the Western.

Our Landwehr is lucky he has a warm coat ..no doubt passed between each ongoing sentry.

The model is based on this postcard sent wishing a happy new year in 1918 (this has been colourised)

References are easy to find here are a couple to look out for the first is extremely good.

Continued in next post

Nap

Lets see what we have:

Title: WW1 German Home Guard

Reference: N/A

Scale: 1/9th

Material: Lt Gray Resin

No of parts: 10 (11 with insert)

Sculptor: Carl Reid

Caster: Joel Nelson

Box Art: Kirill Vladimirovich Kanaev.

Produced by Felipe Margem

The shipping was direct from the caster as the original stock qty had sold out, this is direct from the US ,on taking the parcel wrapping off I was greeted by a shipping box with the parts inside but no actual model box , this is of no consequence as it not only does the job but it keeps the costs to HQ down ..a big consideration for the smaller companies.

Proudly stamped on the end of the box there was the Hq Model Kits logo

The parts were all carefully held in bags ,surrounded by bubble wrap , the parts consist of the main torso , head, helmet, , 2 straps for this , gasmask container and a base.


Also we have the Rifle and Strap and the pipe and to avoid and damage these were secured onto a hard backing ...a nice thing to see being done.

Also included is a postcard sized insert with the box art on it , great colour reproduction of the artists work , one side being a full view , the other has several viewpoints .

In order to use all my pictures I will look at the torso first followed by the remaining parts

Without doubt this is a sculpt from Carl , doing what he does best , a sculpt with great character , looking at the reference he used , all I can say is well done mate you have got this spot on .

Something must be said about the casting ...its EXCELLENT and very very smooth ( bit like your reviewer..lol) so a well done to Joel.

Prep

As a result of the quality casting this is minimal , needing only to fit the straps , the gas mask container, the head and helmet ( you might wish to fit this after painting separately), Rifle and the left hand with pipe.

The Main Torso..obviously the largest piece , the coat is open showing the uniform jacket , the collar is a good shape , no rank marking are on it as in the box art this was beautifully painted on !!,there is a strap hanging down fro the container , this has a cut out area on the tunic with a locating hole.

The lining and collar of the coat is heavily sculpted to recreate the correct look as per reference , and it looks great , this is a great chance to get those washes on it , painting in the colours of your choice ., arms are held angled one holding the strap for the rifle the other his beloved pipe , a moment of calm in a long cold sentry duty.

Moving down to the waist there is a belt with a part of the pouches showing on the right ( could be either the 3 version or the single pouch ( I have included both in the review references) , the belt buckle is nicely done with the Landwehr crown clearly visible.

Continued in next post

Nap

Onto the remaining parts

The Head , a typical head from Carl , nicely sculpted , , facial features are of a older man with strong cheekbones , the eyes and nose are good of course , the ears have been sculpted so the helmet fits properly his sports a rather well kept and large moustache his mouth held together enjoying his pipe. , under the chin we see the strap , good idea making it easier to fit the remaining pieces , fit to the neck area of the torso is clean and sits well.




The Helmet , this was something that could have been the wrong shape , but no its a lovely bit of work , the shape is excellent , rivets are in the right place , the helmet rim is good and the casting as a result is super smooth , no flashing or plug to deal with .
These helmets were often painted in camo or left plain , some were painted white , the choice is upto you



Gas Mask Container , a simple cylinder to hold this oh so vital item , never away from the soldier , gas was the most feared attack., even though its a simple piece , the definition of the lid and the edges is sharp ,fit is simple by means of a plug cast on.


Rifle...a Mauser Gewehr 98 pattern , the working parts are well represented , trigger details are good , a nice representation of the weapon , fit is good as there is a matching cut out on the torso ( remember its at an angle) I would suggest you fit the rifle strap first.( this has nice buckle detail on it , fit of the strap is again easy .



The Pipe , this is being held in the hand , naturally in position , a long stem version , a valued item , perhaps brought from his home or sent by his wife who all he has to remember is a faded picture, the pipe giving the soldier a moment of pleasure in the hell of war , the bowls were often decorated with patriotic scenes , Iron Cross motifs , the choice is yours again , the shape is good , the fingers are nicely done holding the lower edge.



Finally the Base a good base is provided , textured surface as seen on others from Carl , perfectly suitable , fit to the underside of the torso is fine , I would say pin it as well if you choose to use it.

Final Thoughts

This was my first piece from HQ Model Kits and I certainly hope its not my last , sculpting is "a la Carl Reid" a very talented man no doubt about that , casting is excellent with thought going into the packaging , no real issue using the shipping box IMO. This is a great subject and a nice release from HQ .


For more information contact them by e mail at:

hqmodelkits@gmail.com

Or you could message Felipe via PF

Thanks to for the review piece

Cheers to you all for looking in ..Enjoy your modelling

Nap

Here is some more shots of the Box Art ..top artist

ENJOY

Nap

Hi ,

If you e mail ( details at end of review) Felipe I am sure he will be delighted to help , or you coukd PM him via PF

Nap

Cheers Felipe .


Believe me if it was anything wrong I use my way for words..lol

It is a very nice piece plenty to do and we all look forward to seeing your version

Glad the reference are of some help , Dans post with the pipe bowls us a good reference as well

Happy painting

Nap