Introduction:

‘Tank Man’ is the nickname of an unidentified man who stood in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military violently suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with shopping bags in his hands, the man repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and smuggled out to a worldwide audience. The photo turned into one of the most iconic images of all time.

The sheer strength of this photo — one unarmed man confronting a column of tanks — resonated with the entire globe, with the ‘Tank Man’ becoming the symbol of courage and bravery.

Review:

Royal Model’s latest figure release is Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989 (823), a 1/35 scale figure depicting the unknown man standing in front of Chinese Army tanks.

The kit comes in a vacuum-sealed hard cardboard box featuring an image of built and painted figure. Opening the box reveals a bag with resin pieces additionally protected in bubble wrap. The kit consists of 7 pieces cast in grey resin. The cast is very impressive and I found no imperfections in the resin whatsoever. The details are well defined.

The part cleanup is pretty much straightforward. However, I would suggest caution when removing carrier blocks from both arms; the blocks should be carefully cleaned to avoid damage to figure shoulders which could in turn impair the fit of these pieces. Also, some extra patience is needed when cleaning the thin bag handles as those are delicate and easy to damage.

The fit of the pieces is excellent. Protrusions and indentations in corresponding parts help in optimal placement of main figure pieces. The putty work was kept to a minimum. The choice of travel bag / shopping bag can be fixed to the left fist with the completed figure looking very realistic.

The figure can be used as the Tank Man, reconstructing the famous Tienanmen square scene with a Type 59 tank model, or as an Asian civilian in various post WWII diorama settings.

Conclusion:

Tank Man, Tienanmen 1989 (823) from Royal Model is impressively cast and easy to assemble figure kit. But above all else, the beauty of this miniature is in what it represents… the courageous protest for freedom of speech, freedom of press and an act of defiance against government corruption… even if it means standing in front of running tanks.

Well done Royal Model!