Reviews : Tamiya US Infantry Weapons Set

I bought these for 28mm sci-fi wargaming scenery bitz, a purpose that this scale is technically way too big for, but given the weirdness of 28mm heroic scaling, and the freedom that sci-fi and fantasy offers, I figure a lot can be handwaved here, especially for larger figures like power armor, ogres, and the like. The price feels like a steal when I consider all the stuff that comes in the box - a great variety of WWII era guns - even if the detail is a bit soft, a little flash/mold-lining was present here and there, and some of the sculpting a bit dodgy (I'm looking at you, gas mask!) On the whole though, this stuff should work pretty well for my purpose (for example, the suspicious-looking sniper rifles quickly trimmed down and combined with styrene rod into 28mm shotguns, and the pistols look great as-is with 28mm figures! The heavy machine guns with minor modification to disguise them a little look fine on 28mm sci-fi vehicles, and the bullet-belts and ammo boxes make great additions to 28mm figures, vehicles, and dioramas; the flame-thrower tanks will make fun greeblies to add to vehicles and the like. Other bits will mount nicely on the interior walls or weapon racks of 28mm vehicle and building interiors, out of clear sight but where they can suggest a little visual interest through windows and hatches....) I'm sure they'd be just fine for use as 1/35 scale tank stowage, or customizing 1/35 scale figures, or building dioramas in that and similar scales; the weapon selection seems to be geared toward WWII but will probably also work for later periods extending up to post-apocalyptic and, with a little creativity, even beyond. Not a perfect kit, but at this price, it's hard to complain!

I really like this kit and find it useful. I already used an M3 grease gun SMG for the tank crew in the Tamiya M41 bulldog kit. It has atleast 2 or more of every weapon and has 2 complete weapon sprues.. It is necessary for korean war and early vietnam kits and diaoramas, because it has not only the ww2 m1. but also the late production full auto m2 carbine with 30 round mags attached and m3 grease gun smgs.It also has optional late ww2 and post war. fighting knife and bayonets.I think the 50 cals and 30 cals mg's are decent but not as detailed as the academy kit, but definitly more durable. For colors i would recommend a medium brown for the wood, od for various things, and. gunmetal or darkish gray to simualate the parkerized finish on US weapons. These weapons were not just used by the US either but also allies and friends like West Germany, korea, south vietnam, Japan, italy,. enemies like the communist nations and terrorists also. The m1 carbines were also used in late ww2 by axis when captured. So axis figures could be given them for a very unique and realistic diaorama. Thompson smgs would be used by british commandos and as lend lease to chinese in the 40s and alter used by north korea and china in the korean war.

When I bought this kit I thought I was going to get a modern, state-of-the-art Tamiya molding. Unfortunately when I opened the box I almost cringed. The detail was poor and really showed the age of the set - it was first molded in 1981. The detail, while there, was not crisp. The guns lacked many features that should've been present if this was a modern molded kit. In other words, the detail is very, very soft. The good things about this kit are the pistols, the M3 Grease Gun, the flame thrower and the 57mm recoilless rifle. They are molded rather well and would look nice when used. About the 57mm rifle, however, the sight/scope should be cut off and then mounted to the side and further forward. But it should still sit so the actual scope is above the rifle, it just mounts on the side. As it comes it sits on the top of the gun and too far back. Other than those pieces I would only use the rest for practice or for little bits and pieces that won't be noticed easily in a build.

These are great quality with zero flash, and seam lines are almost non existent. You get double of everything, as there is twin identical sprues. I really liked the small black vinyl tubing they supply for the flame thrower so your figures can pose with the flame thrower held in any position. The stands for the larger guns are a little delicate when gluing together but Tamiya even built in a gluing jig into the sprue frame itself to assist in lining up the stand legs. Well thought out! A great asset to have on hand for any build or diorama. At an amazing price you can't afford to pass up! Definitely recommend!!

I love just how many types of guns are included in this set. Also getting two of each provides spares for future projects. Since the weapons are all 1/35 scale they complement not only infantry figures, but also many tank and other vehicle sets. However, like most other 1/35 scale infantry guns, these require a skilled and steady hand in painting (my hint - paint all guns on the spruces except those requiring assembly - paint these after gluing). This set is definitely worth the price.

Though the weapons in this set are small, the detail is wonderful. Gluing the larger machine guns to their tripods proved challenging, however. Also, something I did not know when I first bought the kit, was that the instructions provided were written only in Japanese (or Chinese, I'm not sure). Regardless, the illustrations on the instructions were not too hard to use. Overall,I still liked the kit very much. (Note: One must use the box cover as their painting guide.)

Tamiya is a very respected model maker in the market. But even giants do slip. And sometmes they do fall. THis is a slip and a near fall. The injection of the rifles and machine guns is poor at best. Their tips like to bend in impossible directions. And almost to a piece the absence of detais is shocking. This is a no-no for the serious modeler. The newbie could use that as reference of what NOT to do in the future. Shame on you Tamiya

I ordered this set to go with an M151 and an M113 in a Vietnam War diorama. The detail was perfect and there was no flashing. My only complaint was that there were no M16 rifles. However that was not the manufacturer's fault. A nice surprise was that the set came with two of each gun in two identical sprues. I would highly recommend this item.

This is an older Tamiya set and the detail is a bit rough on some parts, but overall a great kit! Fantastic variety of weapons and even ammunition for the mortar, etc. The flame thrower is a must for any Pacific Theater battle scene. Great set that really complements dioramas or armor models well.

Many acurate models to choose from in this package. Making the supply,kits more complete. The recipiant of this gift was very pleased, adding it to their collections.

This is an excellent weapons set. I've just started painting them and found them to be very sharply molded. The detail is great!

Typical TAMIYA. And excellent service. The detail on these small pieces is amazing. They will be agood addition to my project.

This kit is probably 35-40 years old and it shows in the flash and lack of fine details. I do like the bazooka, though.

Pieces all have very good detail. Look forward to using them to enhance a diorama.

Very nice set of US WW 2 weapons. Really adds detail to a diorama or figures.

I have used this set to replace other weapons. Really enjoyed it.

Some were almost too small to do anything with but good quality.