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Remember the days (decades) when IJA ground forces were limited to two Chi-Ha tanks, two rare SPGs, and infantry without heavy weapons?
Then Waterloo1815 released their 70mm gun and AT set but it was Strelets who came as an entire game-changer. With all the sets they did over the last few years the Western Allies are in serious danger so it might be time to call in the Red Army! (And the Chinese, for that matter, hint hint.)
The new sculpts seem to have been done by a committee, though. Lifelike poses (like the one dragging an ammo box, called the Superjapanese sans cape on Benno's forum) mixed with an obese Warlord all prone and lazy, yet another upright "shoot me I'm an officer" pose and a gunner caught in the act of stealing a shell next to excellent crew figures actually touching their weapon, plus two simple but good-looking little gun versions:
I like them, as I do all of Strelets Jap artillery, I would like to see a big gun, like the Vickers guns moved from Singapore and used on the islands later invaded by the US. I would use it on the Airfix gun emplacement,to replace the toy one in the set.
I'm always happy to see more Japanese artillery crew, and these look nicely done. The little 37mm Type 11 looks good too. It wasn't a very effective weapon, and it was used much more extensively in China than later on in the Pacific; so less useful than one of the better Japanese guns would have been. There's also a small mis-match between the crews and the guns, I think. Aside from crew members standing up -- judging by the combat pictures, everybody stayed very low when using this gun -- one of the guns is in transport mode, with the tubes fitted on the front for the crew to carry it. There are no crew in carrying positions, though, so we'll need to snip off those tubes to get the gun back into firing mode (or else create some carrying crew from the earlier Strelets sets). The gun crews here will be very useful for other weapons, though, and I'll certainly use them for that.
Very pleased to see this gun . We now have a nice collection a lighter Japanese guns but I agree with Alan ; it would be nice to see one or two heavy artillery pieces too.
Also, without trying to belittle the U. S. war effort, they were not alone in defeating the Japanese. 14th Army, KNIL and even French troops have been suggested here before, but the even bigger gap is the lack of Chinese.
Japan was de facto at war with the Soviet Union from 1935 to 1941 (see battles of Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol). It would be great to have Soviet summer uniform infantry in Strelets' new sculpting style. They would certainly be welcomed by anyone doing the 1939 invasion of Poland, too.
So HAPPY That Strelets has lounched the Japanese Range.
After years of doing "frankenstein" to get more Japanese troops, finally a Producers that is releasing FANTASTIC figures and poses!!
WELL DONE STRELETS:
Keep the good work up and hope to see other set, maybe unusual ones :wink: