Dragon 1/35 U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division (Italy 1945) Plastic Model Kit

The troops of the 10th Mountain Division cautiously crawled forward up the rocky slope in an assault on German defensive positions. Suddenly, a lone sniper shot rang out and one of the American soldiers dropped to the ground clutching his thigh and groaning with pain. Under cover, his fellow soldiers gather around in concern as they wait for a medic to race to the scene. All are wearing ski parkas and mountain-troop pattern trousers to guard against the bitter winter conditions encountered in the Italian mountains.

This is the type of scene being depicted in Dragon’s latest 1/35 scale Gen2 figure set. Indeed, this is the first ever 1/35 figure set from any manufacturer to feature soldiers from this famous division! First activated on July 15 1943, the 10th Mountain Division entered the war late, with first combat being joined in Italy in January 1945. Designed to operate in harsh conditions and mountainous terrain, the division fought in places like the Po Valley and in the vicinity of Bologna. The modern 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is nowadays based at Fort Drum in New York, and still specializes in fighting in harsh conditions. The Dragon Gen2 set offers four soldiers dressed in cold-weather clothing, including one wounded man sitting on the ground. By clever engineering and parts separation, the parkas and trousers have been sharply molded with superior detail. Weapons in evidence include a BAR, M1 rifle, M1 carbine and Thompson submachine gun, all of them produced to the very highest Gen2 standards. This fine set is a rare subject –before now, nonexistent! - and figure modelers will find myriad uses for these finely sculpted soldiers.