This "first look" review takes a closer look at Pit-Roads plastic injection mold, 1/350 scale IJN figures.
With the sudden flood of plastic 1/350 IJN figures to hit the market, Pit-Road throws their hat into the ring with a set of 120 sailors that are both pre-painted and in three dimensions (as opposed to the pre-painted flat PE figures or unpainted 3D figures).
There are two sprues with 20 different poses per sprue and three of each sprue. So you get 40 different figures overall with three copies each.
Pit-Road upholds their reputation for high quality with this great value for the variety and the low cost point. Not having to paint each and every one of the little guys will be a huge time (and headache) saver for most builders.
The uniforms are the white Class 2 type. There are barely any seam lines; the paint points are tight and look good. The builder will only have to touch up the soles of the feet after detaching from the sprue. A very light wash to bring out the details and a final seal of dull coat will really make these guys pop.
Since the box is marked "Set 1", I can't wait to see what's coming up- blue Class 1 uniforms and pilots perhaps...?
SUMMARY
Highs: Excellent variety of poses, nice pre-painted quality. Great price, especially when one considers the time savings!Lows: No Class 1 uniforms, but this is really nitpicking...Verdict: 40 different sailors in three dimensions, pre-painted, and only three
About Dade W. Bell (Karybdis) FROM: MARYLAND, UNITED STATES
I'm a third generation modeler who builds a little of everything (mostly Japanese)- all while being a 45 year old hermit who lives a happy, simple life, with my fiancée (author Jaclyn Dolamore) and three cats.
My father was an MM3 aboard the USS Saratoga (CVA-60), my grandfather was in one of the...
Very nice little guys. Not only would it be nice to get some pilots but also some little fellas for the DKM and USN. What the heck some British guys would be nice as well.
Thanks Dade!
Personally I think Dade was a bit harsh in his rating. 40 different poses in 3d.at $16.... that alone warrents a 100% in my book. If you want blue, just paint them yourself like the Hasegawa figes. Now the only important thing who has them or is going to get them. This is a must have item
Hi Steve,
My reasoning for giving it a 95% was that I think the set could have been perfect if in place of one "set" of Class 2 white sprues, there could have been a "set" of Class 1 blue sprues (for a total of 2:1). At that point, the set truly would become pretty much all you need to outfit most ships. But by having the entire set be Class 2, there is a significant uniform class missing that keeps the set from being all you need. I think that's worth a mere 5% reduction.
As for painting the figures to be what you want, that goes against the very nature of what the product is and how it's reviewed-- which is as a pre-painted set.
BTW, you mentioned Hasegawa making figures. I haven't seen these figures- do you have a link?
Thanks guys!
OOPS! I meant Fujimi. My Kongo goodie order is finally on the way from Japan. Does Pit Road come under a different name. I went searching for these little guys and the only company that even showed having Pitt Road was Hobby Link Japan and they don't list this item yet.
Hi Steve,
Here's the page for them on Hobby Link Japan. They're very popular and on backorder already:
http://www.hlj.com/product/PITPSM-01
HLJ is also taking pre-orders for Set II found here:
http://www.hlj.com/product/PITPSM-02?nav=rss
Aoshima's Hobby World Japan also has Set II for pre-order:
http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/PIT08090109.aspx
Hobby World Japan and HLJ also have some JMSDF guys for pre-order:
http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/PIT08090110.aspx
I've got my pre-orders in sight unseen due to how impressed I was with Set I.
Pit-Road usually works in conjunction with Skywave or Trumpeter, but in this case, the product is released under their own name.
Hey guys, Pit-Road's IJN Seamen Set 2 is out at HLJ. I decided not to grab this set (or the JMSDF set also just released) because I don't think I'll ever show any of my 1/350 ships at sea. And having figures on something mounted to a stand seems weird to me. I can't explain it- that's just me. So anyway, I pass the torch to anyone else who may want to buy these and review them. They look beautiful! And this set covers my gripe with Set 1 as this one contains guys in blue and khaki, so now all classes are represented.
IJN Seamen Set 2
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