Tamiya 12622 - 1:350 Crew Set

Tamiya crew figure set for 1:350 scale ship models

A ship model without a crew always stays slightly abstract — it is the tiny figures on deck that finally show how vast the modelled vessel really is. Tamiya 12622 is a set of 144 plastic crew figures in 1:350 scale, intended for ship models in this scale, including the Yamato battleship, the I-400 submarine and the USS Enterprise carrier from the Tamiya catalogue.

The figures are moulded in six different poses, 24 pieces of each — among them a saluting sailor, a sailor pointing ahead and one standing with a hand behind his back. This variety lets you populate the forecastle, the bridges and the gun positions without the repetition that would betray a single repeated casting. The figures are unpainted, so uniform colours and detail work are up to you. The ship model is sold separately and is not included in this set.

What's in the box:

• 144 plastic crew figures in 1:350 scale
• Six different poses, 24 figures of each (including a saluting, a pointing and a hands-behind-the-back sailor)

Set specifications:

• Scale: 1:350
• Product code: 12622
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Type: crew figures for ship models
• Material: plastic
• Intended for: 1:350 ship models, including the Tamiya Yamato, I-400 and USS Enterprise
• Figures unpainted — painting required
• Ship model sold separately — not included in this set

1:350 crew figures – a sense of scale and life on deck

Crew figures are one of the simplest and at the same time most effective ways of bringing a ship model to life. The human silhouette is a natural reference for the eye: only when a sailor a few millimetres tall stands next to a main turret does the viewer really feel the size of the vessel. A populated deck turns a static model into a scene — the deck stops being an empty surface and becomes a workplace for hundreds of people.

Figures in 1:350 scale are very small, so precision modelling tweezers and a sharp hobby knife are worth having at hand. Many modellers find it convenient to paint the figures while still on the sprue — a base uniform colour first, then small accents and a gentle detail highlight — and only then cut them free and glue them to the deck. It also pays to plan the layout in advance, grouping figures around gun positions, along the railings and near the gangways so that the composition looks natural.

About the ships this set is intended for:

The set is designed to complement Tamiya's 1:350 ship models — vessels as different as Yamato, the largest battleship ever built, the Japanese submarine I-400, one of the largest submarines of the Second World War, and the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

Each of these ships carried a large crew — gun crews and anti-aircraft positions, deck hands, officers on the bridges. That is exactly why crew figures change the way a finished model is perceived: they restore a human scale and remind us that behind every turret and every station stood real people.

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya is a Japanese company from Shizuoka, in business since 1946 — originally as a timber works, and from the 1960s as one of the most recognisable plastic model manufacturers in the world. The brand built its position on precise tooling, clear instructions and predictable parts fit. Alongside its kits, Tamiya develops a range of detail-up accessories for its own models: figures, metal parts, photo-etched parts, wooden decks, and modelling chemicals and tools. The 1:350 ship accessories are designed as a complement to the company's line of ship models.