Master Box Shots Fired, The Heist Series

The two figures are made up of a total of 32 parts of injection moulded plastic on a single sprue. The parts carry a good level of detail with fine mould lines that are relatively easy to remove. While most are minor, a prominent mould line runs across the top of the head from ear to ear on each figure. To remove the line, it was necessary to rework the hair on each head to bring back some of the detail lost when cleaning up the seam.

Prior to assembly, access for painting was considered. Except for the M4 carbine being treated as a separate item, both figures were able to be fully assembled as there was no issue in getting access with a paint brush.

The build was uncomplicated and followed normal practices in the assembly. This began by joining the separate legs/lower torso together. This gave a strong structure to build the rest of the figure on. This was followed by joining the upper torso, which comes in two halves, to the legs. Contours at the joint between the torso and arm are well designed allowing the parts to slide together easily without leaving a gap. This helps greatly in aligning the arms.

Each figure has one hand which is separate, useful in lining up the weapon held by each officer. The final stage of assembly was the addition of Items of equipment to be found on the officer’s belt.

Having completed the assembly, the uniform and equipment worn was painted in acrylics using Tamiya paints. Hands and faces used Vallejo flesh tones.

One drawback in the kit is the lack a decal sheet. Given the complexity of the shoulder patches this would have been a welcome addition. It is possible to print to scale a copy of the shoulder flash to paper then work it onto the figure using PVA glue.

For purposes of showing a potential setting for the figures, a low cost option was chosen. Purchasing a 1:24 scale Mercedes car made by Braha and costing under £6, the vehicle provided the backdrop for the figures, mimicking the box art.

The groundwork was kept simple with a sheet of vac-formed paving slabs used as a road surface and a wall section from a railway parapet used as a low wall. To detail the setting an aluminium off cut was used to create a sign for the nearby bank. The figures were then placed in the act of protecting the wounded female civilian.

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