Dragon-Models
Svetlana Review
By Frederic Richter
Nov 6, 2004, 00:13

Svetlana, Dragon's female Soviet sniper comes in two different versions, a rooted hair version and a molded hair version. I purchased the "special edition molded hair" version...here are my thoughts:

Figure and body:
Nice changes from the older body. The legs and arms are sturdier and more articulated. Her midriff is still far too skinny, even for a super model type but especially for a Russian combat sniper. Her elbows are better and can be bent without fear of breaking. Her feet seem to be the new problem, when you move them they often seem to fall off. Even though they snap right back on, this is still an obvious flaw. Her neck is very skinny, even for a young girl. I'm guessing the average age of a female sniper was under 25 and as young as 18, so she's probably a young Russian girl. Still, her body is too skinny for a Russian sniper, more Anna Kornikova and less like a female soldier. Her hands are much improved from Winonna's and certainly Elsa's. Her legs could be a bit more articulated and her head is not nearly as nice as her prototype's was. Less Russian looking in the stereotypical sense, as she's blonde, her eyes are big and a somewhat strange shape and it's either a bad paint job are they're trying to make her look like she has eyelashes. The rooted hair version is "pretty" but this is more customizable IMHO. Her hair easily comes off and can be moved and repositioned like a wig, as strange as that may sound. She looks better with it tilted forward a bit. A new paint job may help as well. Overall the face is a disappointment. Rating: ***

Amboea camouflage two piece suit:
Nicely done, but first let me tell you the flaws. My main complaint is the pants, the fly has seams loose, so it appears dragon's QC is slipping. The camo may be a bit dark, but Russian stuff varied greatly considering the sheer numbers and conditions it was produced under. There are drawstrings on her wrists, neck, hood and waist. They are somewhat hard to pull and tie especially on her hood. Her hood can be opened and worn down, so that her tunic, etc., will be exposed, but can also be pulled up, snapped shut and tied tight. I wish they had made the pants a bit baggier so perhaps male figures could wear them. Marketing strategy I suppose. Rating: *****


M42/M43 tunic:
Nice tunic, fits her well. Can be worn buttoned or opened, comes with shoulder boards, her rank is a private. Nice that they include buttons on the sleeves in the right color.
Rating: ****

Boots:
Smaller sculpt of jackboots, IMHO the older ones would have been fine...many Russian women were fairly large and would wear standard men clothing and boots so male ones would have been fine.

Belt with Mosin Nagant ammo pouches:
Nice, small belt...very narrow. Pouches are the same as Mishas. Rating: ***

Canteen:
Same as misha but painted Green. Rating: ***

M91/30 Mosin nagant sniper rifle with PE scope:
The PE scope had a longer range than the PU scope and later in the war replaced all the PU scopes. The Mosin nagant is a really nice piece, same as misha...very nicely done. The only difference is the bolt is in horizontal position, which I believe is a factory mistake.
Rating: *****

Binoculars:
Really nice sculpt but the sling is really poorly done. Oh well. Rating: **

Underwear:
White jersey panties and white sports type bra. The Bra is really bad because the elastic keeps snapping and the bra keeps falling down, so I just took it off. Kind of a dumb item, I would have preferred a pilotka, which they could have used for other figs, as opposed to a bra and panties. Rating:*

Final Rating: ***
Nice figure but her head sculpt is mixed and she could have used some more gear but still a nice figure.
Packaging: ***
Standard dragon packaging...Nice Volstad artwork
Figure: **
Nice but has some flaws...Especially her feet.
Accessories: **
How come misha gets so much for the same price, and Svetlana so much less? I suppose because of production costs. Both the coveralls and the new body were new items, for new camo screens and molds, etc. But still something besides underwear would have been nice. Would a sidecap have been much to ask for?
Price: **
$30 or so, maybe less if you find her on sale.


© Copyright 2006 by JoeWorld-OnLine.com