Masters for this set can now be seen here.

http://www.strelets-r.com/Pages/Set.aspx?SetID=284&M=M

Some useful figures.
Sniper, radio operator, flamethrower, 81mm & 150mm mortars, NCO & officer, tripod mounted binoculars ...
This will really add some aspects of the WWII IJA that were in 1/72 non-existant so far.

I have been waiting for this set forever! Thank you Strelets. (now if only I could get US Marine heavy weapons or artillery, my Pacific campaign can finally start in earnest, but one thing at a time).

Just wanted to put this on your radar. I like everything about this Japanese HW set, especially the radioman and general officer (they will join all my Japanese armies from Philippines 1941 to Okinawa).

There are 5 WWII US Marines sets out there, but:

Atlantic is worthless.

Airfix 1st version has good poses but really poor detail. They have a flamethrower and bazooka, but no mortar, heavy MG or BAR.

Airfix 2nd version has a bazooka and heavy MG, but no flame thrower, no BAR and not even an officer.

Revell has no bazooka or heavy MG, but they do have a BAR, officer and flamethrower.

Only the Waterloo 1815 has an oddly sculpted mortar, and it is the only one that has a radioman. These sets aren't always compatible in look and it would be nice to get them all in one set that matches each other like your IJA HW set. The Matchbox and ESCI sets that have some of these things are often dressed like late war US Army, so I can't always use them.

As examples, I would love a set that included poses similar to:

radio operator

http://imgs.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/parenting/2010/04/27/army_radio540x361

carrying ammo or supplies (real useful)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CMwHkcZpEps/Us12qN-6ViI/AAAAAAAAAVI/1PsO4KppSYw/s1600/marxmarinesmgteam.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cmpqszPHa8s/Us2x312-R-I/AAAAAAAAAVY/-NwNkPbzspc/s1600/marxmarinesmgteamII.jpg

60mm like this (but in Marine uniforms):

http://www.bnamodelworld.com/weapons-ammo-accessories-dragon-models-dr-75024

And if they were in Marine uniforms, this Tamiya set shows good radioman, 81mm morter, etc:

http://www.super-hobby.pt/zdjecia/2/7/3/1153_1_tam35086_1.jpg

Arlin, I'd advise you to get the IMEX Korean War minis - they can pass as late war US marines (and ARVN for Vietnam too, I'll use them as such) and have tons of great looking miniatures. Water-cooled machine gun, radiomen, figures with rifle grenades, and you can convert the Bren into a relatively passable BAR...

The Airfix second set has plenty of officers! Contrary to toy soldier tradition, they carried the M1 carbine which was designed to replace the sidearm carried by officers, artillerymen and weapon crews. The iconic figure waving a pistol is just a myth. (Incidentally the same goes for German British officers who carried SMG's)

Now that ends the good news because the Airfix set - despite what it says on the box, is not a USMC set as they are wearing army uniforms and equipment. That just leaves the Revell set with it's ill defined weapons - overlong carbines (or are they spindly BAR's?), short Garands and miniature SMG's, including a tiny M3 which never was sent to the Pacific anyway. Correct uniform and gear, but no .30 LMG or mortar and no Corpsman.

The Waterloo 1815 set has a couple of nice poses and some nasty ones; it does have a .30 LMG but they totally failed to get it right, and modeled it back to front so it would fit a seated figure. Totally useless. Oh, and another silly "officer" hunting ducks or clay pigeons with his .45 in the air......

So yes please Strelets, work your magic on a decent set of USMC to fight those Japs!

Hi Stuart

I can't say if the the USMC used the M3 SMG in the Pacific but I can assure you that the U.S. Army did. Many years ago, I saw a photo of my dad, since lost, in the Philippines holding one.

Pat Brennan

Hi Pat, was your Dad a tanker? Army infantry units had just six SMG's per company, and these were 'pool' or extra weapons issued at the captain's discretion (for fighting patrols etc), so there weren't that many around. The grease gun was widely issued to armored vehicles though, replacing the Thompson as part of the standard load out. The guns were part of the vehicle's inventory rather than being issued to the crewmen directly - which is why you see them popping up in photos of the Russian front occasionally.

The Marines did eventually use the M3 smg, but far too few and too late to justify putting them in a set of WWII USMC infantry.

https://books.google.com/books?id=DC0VDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA30&ots=Hs7719MBtN&dq=M3%20SMG%20in%20the%20Pacific&pg=PA30#v=onepage&q=M3%20SMG%20in%20the%20Pacific&f=false

And the M3 in the Revell set is vastly undersized and looks more like a child's toy. Sub machine guns as a whole are vastly over represented in this hobby anyway and are something of a curse of plastic figure sets; especially considering that fewer than 10% of WWII soldiers were ever actually armed with them!

There is a lot to like in this set, like the X straps on the puttees, or the radio operator's glasses. The figures are interacting with the mortar and the range finder, which is great.

I would have preferred another loader instead of one officer though. Two figures look as if straight from an Atlantic or Esci box: the mortar operator with his right arm way behind his body and the NCO with spread legs as if on horseback. Nothing a little hot water couldn't fix though.

The first weapon must be the Japanese version of the Lewis machine gun:
http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/pacific/makin/pacific-captured-type-92-lewis-on-tripod-makin/
Given the huge number of Japanese machine guns already available in 1/72, a type 11 37mm infantry gun might have been a better choice. The gunner would probably survive longer if prone.

Finally, I wished the mortars' triopods were as detailed as the rangerfinder's.
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/jp_150mortar/

Maybe this can still be fixed before producing this most useful set. Regards, Pa

Delighted with this, lots of room still for a set 2 , my big wish is that these figures stand 22-23 mm tall when stood up, so they can be used side by side with other makes of figures. Set 2 , well there are no heavy machine guns with loaders and ammunition in our scale, no Japanese field artillery, plus the Japanese moved big guns captured at Singapore for example and installed them on the islands in the Pacific, the Americans encountered them on several islands, and given how well you have done heavy guns this one seems a no brainer to me, well done strelets.

looking again, this needs two sets, your trying to squeeze too much in to one and compromising it as a result, more crew for the mortars , at least three men for each, save the machine gun and flamethrower for set two.

Very nice set! If the end product is as good as the Masters this set should sell well. I'd like to see some opponents for them. A Marine heavy weapons set would be
great.

The box art is up as well now - had not noticed it before:
http://www.strelets-r.com/Pages/Set.aspx?SetID=284&M=B

I still hope Strelets will make some changes as discussed here, and that the figures will be as short as befits a WW2 Japanese - that would make this set a seller.

Related to the topic - any chance for a Paratrooper heavy weapons set? If not, I'll resort to converting them, but it'd be nice.