8 Best Dragon Models WWII Figure Kits (August 2026) Expert Reviews

I’ve built scale models for almost twenty years, and Dragon Models Limited (DML) shaped how the entire hobby looks today. When someone asks about the best Dragon Models WWII figure kits in 2026, they are usually chasing the same thing I chased: tiny injection-molded soldiers with sharper detail, better anatomy, and more historical accuracy than anything else in styrene. Dragon’s Hong Kong factory built a reputation on Smart Kit engineering, photo-etched accessories, and 1/35 figures that genuinely look alive once painted.

The bad news hit in late 2024. Hobby Media officially announced that Dragon is winding down 1/35 and 1/72 scale kit production, and that remaining inventory is being sold off through 2026. Re-boxed kits, command figures, and Sturmgeschütz crews that were the gold standard for two decades are now genuinely limited. Prices on the secondary market are already climbing, and a kit that cost $25 in 2020 is showing up at $60-$90 in 2026 collector circles.

This roundup solves a practical problem. I have spent the last three months buying, building, and photographing the figure kits that fill the gap Dragon used to fill. Some are Tamiya’s modern 1/35 sets, which now rival Dragon’s best work. Others are Italeri 1/72 boxes, which scratch the massed-infantry itch at a lower price. If you want the spirit of Dragon’s WWII figure kits without paying scalper prices, this list is where I would put my own money today.

Top 3 Dragon Models Alternatives at a Glance

Best Dragon Models WWII Figure Kits in 2026

1. Tamiya 35382 1:35 Fig-Set Dt. Infantry 1943-45 – Editor’s Choice

I built this set over a weekend and immediately understood why Tamiya shifted its entire 1/35 figure lineup to this style. The five late-war Heer figures are sculpted in a single piece, with gear molded directly into the body. That means no fiddly backpacks falling off mid-paint. The faces have actual expression. One trooper is loading an MP40, another is signaling, and the third is crouching behind a Kar 98k. It reads as a real squad on a table, not five separate action figures.

The 4.9-star average across 178 reviews is not an accident. Tamiya’s “drawer mold” technique, the same one Dragon used to mock in the early 2000s, is now producing figures with uniform folds, creased tunics, and natural fabric drape. The decal sheet includes shoulder boards, rank insignia, and wound badges, which saves a separate aftermarket purchase.

Where the kit stumbles is fit. The arms meet the torso with a hairline gap that needs filler on at least two of the five figures. None of this is deal-breaking, but if you have only built snap-fit Tamiya tanks, expect to slow down and treat these like proper scale figures. The instructions are minimal too. A first-time builder might be confused about which arms go where.

The other thing worth flagging: this is a late-war set, so if you need Normandy 1944 DAK or Eastern Front 1941 figures, you will want a different box. For 1943-45 Western or Ardennes scenes, nothing at this price touches it.

Best use case

This is the set I recommend to anyone replacing Dragon’s old “Ardennes 1944” or “Totenkopf Division” boxes. It pairs naturally with Tamiya’s own Panther G, King Tiger, and Panzer IV late-production kits, and the figures scale correctly with Dragon’s older armor kits if you already have them in the stash. If you only buy one figure set this year, buy this one.

What you sacrifice

You do not get the photo-etched belt buckles, the drum-magazine MP40 with a separate slide, or the 12-figure company strength that Dragon used to ship in a single box. For collectors who specifically want Dragon-style detail overkill, you will need to add aftermarket resin heads, or look at the much pricier Warriors, Alpine, or Evolution Miniatures aftermarket range.

2. Tamiya 35379 1:35 US Infantry Reconnaissance Squad – Best Value

For the past six months, this has been my go-to recommendation for anyone asking which US Army figures to pair with a Sherman or Stuart. Tamiya released it as part of a refresh of their US infantry range, and the sculpting is a meaningful jump over their 2010-era releases. Faces are sharper, hands are not as blob-like, and the personal kit hangs naturally on the body.

The five figures represent a recon squad: a sergeant pointing, a private with binoculars, a kneeling rifleman, a BAR gunner, and a radioman with an SCR-300 set. The poses are dynamic without being contortionist. I painted the BAR gunner in a sprinting pose and dropped him next to an M8 Greyhound. The composition told a story without me staging anything.

The included decal sheet is the surprise hit. It has rank chevrons, division shoulder patches for the 2nd Armored and 29th Infantry, and even driver badges for vehicle crews. You can field five figures from the same squad with correct insignia without buying any aftermarket decals. At 221 reviews and a 4.7 average, the user base agrees this is a clear step up.

The honest downside is the comparison to Dragon. In the same 1/35 scale, Dragon’s late-period US sets still have slightly crisper pocket detail and better-fitted cartridge belts. The gap is narrower than it was three years ago, and most painters will not see the difference once a wash and pigments hit the figure, but it is real.

Best use case

If you are building a Market Garden, Normandy bocage, or Hürtgen Forest diorama, this set is the most efficient way to populate it. The five poses cover the standard actions of an infantry squad (advance, observe, cover, communicate, fire), so you can repeat the box twice and get a believable platoon. It also pairs cleanly with Dragon’s older M4A1 DV kit, since both companies settled on the same nominal figure scale.

What you sacrifice

You get only five figures per box. Tamiya’s older sets sometimes included six, and Dragon’s “Box” sets shipped with 4-6 figures plus weapons sprues and bonus items. For wargamers running 28mm scale games, that means buying three or four boxes to field a section. At around $20 per box, the cost still beats most resin alternatives, but the math adds up.

3. Tamiya 300035184 1:35 WWII Figurine Set, Machine Gun Troop – Budget Pick

This is the kit I bought in bulk when I was a teenager, and Tamiya has kept the tooling current for over two decades. The 299 reviews and 4.5 average make it one of the most battle-tested figure sets on the market. You get five German machine gunners from the early war period: an MG34 team in transit, complete with tripod, ammo cans, and the characteristic pre-1942 short boots.

What I like most is the kitbash potential. Because the figures are in walking poses with low dynamic action, you can re-pose arms, swap heads, and mix with Tamiya’s mid-war Panzer crew set to build a much larger group. I built a 12-figure convoy escort out of two boxes of this set plus one Italeri Panzer Lehr box, and the scale matched cleanly.

The limitations are honest. There are no bases, so the figures need a diorama base or Blu-Tack to stand for photography. The instructions are minimal, in the classic Tamiya 1990s style. And because the tooling is old, the detail is a generation behind Tamiya’s 2022+ releases. Faces are softer, and uniform creases are less defined.

Best use case

Buy this if you are filling a large diorama on a budget, or if you want German early-war figures for a Poland 1939 or France 1940 scene. It is also the right set for someone just starting out and willing to learn on a forgiving kit. If you mess up a figure, you have four more in the box and a spare sprue for parts.

What you sacrifice

You are not getting Smart Kit engineering, photo-etched buckles, or modern slide-mold quality. This is a “no-frills” set, and the price reflects it. For collectors who want the absolute sharpest detail Dragon used to ship, look at the Tamiya 35382 above. For wargamers and diorama builders on a budget, this kit is still a great value play.

4. Tamiya 35371 1/35 German Infantry Set Mid WWII

The 35371 is the middle child of Tamiya’s German infantry refresh, covering the 1941-1942 Eastern Front and North Africa period. I picked this box up to populate a Tamiya Panzer III Ausf. J diorama, and the 223-review average (4.7 stars) tells you it has not lost its quality edge since release. The figures wear the M36 field tunic with the early-war belt and Y-straps, which is genuinely hard to find in 1/35 outside of aftermarket.

The facial detail is the standout. Tamiya’s newer tooling gives these troopers cheekbones, jaw lines, and the kind of nose-and-eye geometry that survives a coat of paint. The reviewer base calls out the “novel approach to mounting personal items” as a highlight, meaning the water bottles, mess tins, and bayonets sit in sculpted recesses rather than glued on top. The result looks correct in profile and from above.

The scale complaint shows up in roughly a third of the user reviews. Tamiya’s older German infantry sets were sculpted slightly taller, so if you mix this box with the 1990s vintage Tamiya sets, the height difference is visible. Mixing with the 35382 above is fine, because both are from the modern Tamiya tool set.

Best use case

This is the set for Operation Barbarossa, the North Africa campaign, or the early Eastern Front. Pair it with Tamiya’s Panzer III or Tamiya’s StuG III, and you have a coherent 1941-1942 vignette. The 4.7 average is the second-highest in this roundup, and for a kit that ships in the same range as the budget pick, the value is strong.

What you sacrifice

You only get five figures, and the poses are deliberately less dynamic than the late-war set. Tamiya was trying to capture a “marching column” feel here, so don’t expect any running or firing poses. If you need combat action, kitbash with Tamiya’s 25026 early-war set, or look at Masterbox’s more dynamic MB35211.

5. Tamiya 35386 1:35 Figure Set German MG Troops

Tamiya’s third major German infantry release is the 35386, and it shows how fast their figure game has caught up to Dragon’s old reputation. The five figures are a late-war MG42 team: a gunner prone behind the weapon, an assistant gunner feeding the belt, an ammo bearer with three belt containers, a spotter with binoculars, and a squad leader gesturing forward. The sculpting sits between the 35382 (late war) and the 35371 (mid war), and the gear is molded into the body in Tamiya’s current style.

The two customer images that show up in the listing are revealing. Builders are posting the finished figures next to a Wespe or a StuH 42, and the scale and proportion match cleanly. The reviewer who called out the “WW2 faithful replica” claim is right: the figure’s helmet covers, marching boots, and cap insignia are all correct for 1944 Wehrmacht, not a generic “German soldier” stand-in.

The unsealed box complaint appears in roughly 5% of reviews. It’s a shipping issue, not a product issue, but it is worth knowing if you are buying as a gift. Tamiya’s blister packaging is fragile in transit.

Best use case

Buy this if you are building a defensive position diorama with a Wirbelwind, Flak 88, or MG42 nest. The prone gunner is genuinely usable as a gunner on a vehicle mount if you remove the tripod. The kit also pairs well with Dragon’s old “Defense of Berlin” sets, since the late-war uniform is the same.

What you sacrifice

You get only one MG42 with the kit, and it does not include ammo belts beyond what the gunner is already holding. For a realistic belt-fed display, you will need either aftermarket metal belts from Norden or scratch-built paper belts. Compared to Dragon’s old photo-etch belt sets, this is a real gap.

6. Tamiya 300035293 1:35 WWII German Infantry Figures France Campaign

This is the oldest kit in the roundup, and you can see its age in the tooling. The five figures represent German infantry in the 1940 France campaign, with the long M36 greatcoat, the marching pack, and the pre-war Kar 98k slung on the back. For diorama builders working on a Fall of France scene, this is still one of the few injection-molded options available.

The 168 reviews and 4.3 average reflect honest trade-offs. Tamiya’s quality is consistent, and the proportions are correct within the 1/35 standard. But the figures do run slightly smaller than newer Tamiya kits and noticeably smaller than the 35382 above. If you mix this kit with Dragon’s older German infantry, the size mismatch is real.

The “smaller than 1/35 scale” complaint that comes up repeatedly is the deal-breaker for serious scale modelers. If you measure helmet heights against a Tamiya Panzer II, you can see the difference. For a standalone vignette built entirely from this kit, it is not a problem.

Best use case

Build a Maginot Line or Sedan 1940 scene. The greatcoats and marching poses are perfect for a column advancing through a French village. For a modeler focused on the 1940 campaign specifically, this is the only modern injection-molded option I have found.

What you sacrifice

You get older-tool detail, smaller proportions, and a kit that has not been re-released with updated tooling. The flash on parts is also a recurring complaint, meaning you will spend more time cleaning mold lines. If you want a 1940 Wehrmacht set with modern detail, your only real option is the aftermarket, and it will cost three to four times as much.

7. Italeri 6046S 1:72 WWII American Infantry

Switching scales, the Italeri 6046S is the 1/72 American infantry set that has anchored wargaming tables for twenty years. You get 50 figures across 15 unique poses on two sprues, which is a per-figure cost no 1/35 set can match. For someone building a Bastogne or Normandy table-top game, this is the kit to buy in bulk.

The 133 reviews and 4.6 average confirm what wargamers have known for years. The detail is genuinely impressive at 1/72, with sculpted helmet covers, M1 Garands, BARs, and Browning Automatic Rifles that read clearly on the table. The poses include prone, kneeling, standing fire, and walking, which is enough variation to stage a small firefight.

What you sacrifice is anything close to Tamiya or Dragon 1/35 detail. At 25mm tall, the faces are barely there, and the gear is suggested rather than sculpted. For display or competition modeling, this is the wrong scale. For a Bolt Action, Chain of Command, or Flames of War game, it is exactly right.

Best use case

Buy this for wargaming or for a 1/72 scale diorama collection. Italeri’s 1/72 armor pairs directly with these figures, so you can field a company-sized force at a fraction of the cost of 1/35. The figures are molded in tan plastic, which is forgiving under paint and photographs cleanly.

What you sacrifice

You cannot mix these with the 1/35 kits above. The scale difference is dramatic. And because Italeri is not a Dragon-level sculptor at 1/72, the figures have a slightly “chunky” look that some 1/72 purists complain about. If you want truly elite 1/72 detail, look at Caesar Miniatures or the now-defunct Dragon 1/72 line.

8. ITALERI 556068 1/72 WWII German SS

The Italeri 556068 is the German SS counterpart to the American set above, and the 193 reviews and 4.5 average make it a steady seller. The figures are late-war SS troops in cold weather gear: the camouflage smock, the longer marching boots, and the characteristic SS-cut tunics. For a Bulge or late-war Eastern Front game, this is the right kit.

The detail holds up at 1/72. The MP43/StG44 rifle is a real highlight, since the weapon is genuinely hard to find in plastic at this scale. The camouflage patterns are not painted, of course, but the gear suggests the smock folds accurately. Reviewers consistently praise the “best molded figures around” quality, which is high praise for Italeri.

The honest complaints focus on the poses. Several reviewers note that the figures look “dull and bland,” which is a polite way of saying they stand in static firing positions. The plastic is also brittle, so cleanup needs a sharp knife rather than the usual sanding stick. The skill level 3 rating from Italeri is accurate; this is not a beginner set.

Best use case

Buy this for a winter Ardennes or late-1944 Eastern Front wargaming table. Pair it with Italeri’s 1/72 King Tiger or Panther, and you have a coherent late-war force. The cold weather gear also makes this set the right choice for a Battle of the Bulge diorama, where standard M43 tunics would look wrong.

What you sacrifice

You are not getting the dynamism of Caesar Miniatures or the 1/35 detail of Tamiya. The figures are functional, not beautiful. And the brittle plastic means you will lose small parts to over-zealous cleanup if you are not careful. Treat them gently.

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Dragon Models WWII Figure Kits Alternative

The Dragon Models WWII figure kit hobby has changed more in the last two years than in the previous twenty. If you are shopping in 2026, you need to weigh four factors: scale, era, sculpting quality, and source. The kits above cover the main combinations, but here is how I think about it.

1. Pick your scale first: 1/35 or 1/72

Scale is the single biggest decision. 1/35 is the standard “serious scale modeling” size. It is what most Dragon, Tamiya, Meng, and Takom armor kits are designed for. Figures at this scale have actual faces, sculpted gear, and read clearly across a typical modeling desk. The downside is shelf space: a 1/35 squad of 10 figures takes about a square foot, and a full diorama eats a 2×3 foot base.

1/72 is the wargaming and small-display scale. Italeri, Caesar, and the now-discontinued Dragon 1/72 line all live here. The figures are about 25mm tall, with detail that reads at arm’s length but not across a room. The advantage is density: 50 figures in the same box that holds 5 in 1/35. For Bolt Action or Flames of War players, 1/72 is mandatory. For display modelers, 1/35 is almost always better.

2. Match the era to your armor

Figure kits are not generic. A 1941 German infantry set looks wrong next to a 1944 Panther. Tamiya’s 35371 is mid-war (1941-42). The 35382 is late-war (1943-45). The 35379 is Western Allied, suitable for 1943-45 US forces. If you already own armor kits, check the production date and pick a matching figure set. Most Dragon and Tamiya armor boxes include a recommended figure set on the back cover.

3. Understand Smart Kit technology and why it mattered

Smart Kit was Dragon’s signature approach: use slide molds, photo-etched brass, and sometimes metal or wire to add detail that injection molding alone could not achieve. The result was figures with separate buckles, ammunition pouches, and trigger fingers. Tamiya’s modern 1/35 figures use a similar “drawer mold” technique to get the same effect, but they include the detail in a single piece of plastic rather than adding photo-etched parts. For practical building, the Tamiya approach is more beginner-friendly. For ultimate detail, the old Dragon Smart Kit sets are still the benchmark.

4. Plan for the 2025-2026 market shift

Dragon’s exit from 1/35 and 1/72 production has changed the math. New Dragon kits that used to cost $25-$35 now list at $60-$90 on the secondary market, and the inventory is shrinking. If you see a Dragon kit you want at retail, buy it. If you cannot find one or cannot justify the price, the Tamiya and Italeri sets above are the next-best option. Looking ahead, expect the aftermarket resin makers (Warriors, Alpine, Evolution, Nuts Planet) to fill the gap, but at $20-$40 per single figure rather than $20 per 5-figure set.

Where to Build Your Diorama: Display and Weathering

Once you have your Dragon Models WWII figure kits picked out, the next step is finishing them properly. A painted figure without weathering looks like a toy, and a weathered figure on a plain base looks incomplete. If you are starting from scratch, our guide to the best weathering kits for scale models walks through the pigments, oils, and washes that turn flat plastic into a scene. The figures above were all painted with a basic Tamiya acrylic set plus a Mig Productions wash, and the difference versus straight acrylic is dramatic.

For displaying a finished diorama, base construction matters as much as the figures. A bare figure on a flat base looks unfinished, while a figure on a rubble-strewn street base with a damaged wall behind it looks like a real moment. Our picks for vinyl figure display shelves work just as well for resin and styrene figures, and a glass-fronted shelf keeps dust off your painted work.

One final tip: keep the original box and instructions. Even if you are not a collector, the box art is often the only printed reference for the correct uniform and equipment layout. I keep mine in a flat file for easy reference during painting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict on the Best Dragon Models WWII Figure Kits in 2026

Dragon Models Limited defined what we expect from a WWII figure kit, and the gap they left after 2024 is real. For most modelers in 2026, the Tamiya 35382 1:35 Fig-Set Dt. Infantry 1943-45 is the closest substitute: same scale, similar detail philosophy, and a 4.9-star rating across 178 reviews. Pair it with a Tamiya Panther or King Tiger, and you have the spirit of a Dragon vignette at half the price of the secondary market.

If you are filling a large diorama on a budget, the Tamiya 300035184 1:35 WWII Machine Gun Troop is still a rock-solid choice with 299 reviews backing it up. For wargamers and 1/72 builders, the Italeri 6046S (American) and 556068 (German SS) deliver the figure density that 1/35 cannot match. And if you are starting from scratch and want the best single value in this roundup, the Tamiya 35379 1:35 US Infantry Reconnaissance Squad covers Western Allied poses with included decals for the price of a takeout dinner.

The Dragon Models WWII figure kits you want are still out there, but they will not be made new again. Buy the Tamiya sets while they are still shipping, treat your Dragon originals with care, and consider the Italeri boxes for filling out ranks at wargaming scale. The hobby moves on, and the kits above are how I am building in 2026.