tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76696353335994551362024-03-09T21:45:45.168-05:00WWII Plastic Toy SoldiersDedicated to exploring the world of Plastic Toy Soldiers. The focus is WWII figures & vehicles in 1:32 (54mm), although there's also a bit of Vietnam. If you grew up playing with them or simply love to collect them, this is the place for you. The posts are organized by Manufacturer & by Country/Service branch. Use the menu of labels on the right side of the blog to find what interests you. Comments are welcome. Please note that this site uses Google Analytics & AdSense cookies.Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-66633939420135422002024-02-25T10:45:00.000-05:002024-02-25T20:29:11.926-05:00Introducing the German Waffen SS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> The latest addition is the Plastic Platoon Winter Elite German Infantry at the bottom of the post.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">_______________________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Waffen-SS was the armed branch of the National Socialist Party. A large number of its members were volunteers. Many of them were hard core believers in the party ideology; many others saw themselves engaged in a crusade against Bolshevism. In any case, that made them a highly motivated fighting force to deal with. The Waffen-SS also raised multiple divisions with conscripts from the occupied territories, many of them ethnic Germans. The 38 SS Divisions fought alongside the regular German Army and were under control of the German Army High Command. Their legacy has been tainted because several Waffen-SS units committed crimes against POWs and civilians, and because they were part of the overall SS organization which was responsible for many of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Nonetheless, as a military fighting force, they earned themselves a reputation as elite troops.</div>
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The Waffen-SS was often outfitted with cammo clothing. In the pictures below you can see two platoons. One of them is wearing the spring/summer cammo pattern in green and the other one is wearing the fall pattern with orange/brown tones. Towards the end of the war, the uniform code was fairly relaxed, if for no other reason that they were suffering substantial supply problems. I've tried to reflect that in the painting scheme of these figures, who are wearing different types of clothing throughout the unit. You may notice that some figures appear in both sets, while some others appear only in one of them, so if you want to see all the figures produced by a given manufacturer you will need to look at both sets and identify the unique poses. In terms of manufacturers, this is a service branch that was not covered broadly in the past, but has received better coverage recently. Let's take a look. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VAfYUWRclsQ/Tl7Xk-TCXrI/AAAAAAAAARg/WSP7RDeh6Ow/s1600/SSGreenConte.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Waffen SS" border="0" height="152" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VAfYUWRclsQ/Tl7Xk-TCXrI/AAAAAAAAARg/WSP7RDeh6Ow/w320-h152/SSGreenConte.jpg" title="Conte Waffen SS" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Conte Waffen SS</div>
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Nice mix of cammo smocks and regular field grey uniform items. Notice also the helmet covers. I really like the second guy from the right. A very dynamic pose conveying lots of action. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yOHpgCjWb8/Tl7XlhN3QvI/AAAAAAAAARk/dKT2qakUFfc/s1600/SSGreenConteInf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte German Infantry" border="0" height="154" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yOHpgCjWb8/Tl7XlhN3QvI/AAAAAAAAARk/dKT2qakUFfc/w320-h154/SSGreenConteInf.jpg" title="Conte German Infantry" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Conte German Infantry</div>
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These are a few figures taken from the regular German Infantry set and made to wear cammo trousers to give me a few extra poses/weapons to complete the set. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jPUNxHil__g/Tl7ozTHoUoI/AAAAAAAAASY/S7hubxu49f4/s1600/SSGreenItaleri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Italeri German Elite Troops" border="0" height="158" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jPUNxHil__g/Tl7ozTHoUoI/AAAAAAAAASY/S7hubxu49f4/w320-h158/SSGreenItaleri.jpg" title="Italeri German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Italeri German Elite Troops</div>
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Notice how Italeri shied away from calling them Waffen-SS. I wonder if it really makes a difference in terms of sales. Anyhow, some of their figures are wearing extra layers to keep warm which suggests that these men were fighting in the very early spring. You will see why that matters a bit further below.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjOT5eWOA1c/Tl7XnbuyNRI/AAAAAAAAARs/m56ozS_s0Gw/s1600/SSGreenTSSD1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD German Elite Troops" border="0" height="171" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjOT5eWOA1c/Tl7XnbuyNRI/AAAAAAAAARs/m56ozS_s0Gw/w320-h171/SSGreenTSSD1.jpg" title="TSSD German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I</div>
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Toy Soldiers of San Diego also called them elite troops. Nonetheless, they came out with a very good set. First manufacturer that I am aware of to produce mounted WW II troops. The machine gun team is also very well done.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GOS_LkGIxEs/Tl7Xnyjqh1I/AAAAAAAAARw/PzUTCdMNukY/s1600/SSGreenTSSD2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD German Elite Troops" border="0" height="145" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GOS_LkGIxEs/Tl7Xnyjqh1I/AAAAAAAAARw/PzUTCdMNukY/w320-h145/SSGreenTSSD2.jpg" title="TSSD German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II</div>
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Some more nicely sculpted poses. The guy on the left offers a bit of drama to any scene he participates in. The man with the sniper rifle is wearing one of those tent quarters (Zeltbahn) which could be joined with another 3 parts to make a tent in the form of a pyramid to get some protection from the elements.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-19M090tQXbU/Tl7Xo4hbCRI/AAAAAAAAAR0/aGffiTtt2Cw/s1600/SSGreenTSSDWinter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD Germans in Long Coats" border="0" height="152" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-19M090tQXbU/Tl7Xo4hbCRI/AAAAAAAAAR0/aGffiTtt2Cw/w320-h152/SSGreenTSSDWinter.jpg" title="TSSD Germans in Long Coats" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD Germans in Long Coats</div>
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Well, these guys are not really Waffen SS, but I threw them in to get a few more poses and also to further relax the uniform code in the unit. Since we are assuming they are fighting in the early spring, a coat might have come in handy.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PK3ivLCG1M/Tl7XvTVWkhI/AAAAAAAAAR4/0Mw7kdhQLvo/s1600/SSOrangeConte1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Waffen-SS" border="0" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PK3ivLCG1M/Tl7XvTVWkhI/AAAAAAAAAR4/0Mw7kdhQLvo/w320-h145/SSOrangeConte1.jpg" title="Conte Waffen-SS" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Conte Waffen SS - Part I</div>
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This is the first set of the fall cammo pattern. This one contains the commanding officer, which can actually be used to command the spring troops as well. The guy who is looking back is wearing field grey trousers in this set.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mLV59YBYlGQ/Tl7XwOHP6nI/AAAAAAAAAR8/lWHiTvWsqY0/s1600/SSOrangeConte2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Waffen-SS" border="0" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mLV59YBYlGQ/Tl7XwOHP6nI/AAAAAAAAAR8/lWHiTvWsqY0/w320-h149/SSOrangeConte2.jpg" title="Conte Waffen-SS" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Conte Waffen SS - Part II</div>
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This set contains two figures that were not present in the spring cammo set. Can you find them?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-810QQ4y6rho/Tl7Xw0K_a9I/AAAAAAAAASA/e-U35PXP3sg/s1600/SSOrangeConteInf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte German Infantry" border="0" height="138" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-810QQ4y6rho/Tl7Xw0K_a9I/AAAAAAAAASA/e-U35PXP3sg/w320-h138/SSOrangeConteInf.jpg" title="Conte German Infantry" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Conte German Infantry</div>
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As with the green set, I recruited a couple of regular army guys to complete the set, and also because your squad can always use an extra MG-42. The guy who is leaning/running as he fires is one of my favorite Conte figures, so he was easy to include.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CwbHINxwnc/Tl7Xx9btZKI/AAAAAAAAASE/uxVfcTUn_NE/s1600/SSOrangeCTSMPC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MPC and CTS German Infantry" border="0" height="161" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CwbHINxwnc/Tl7Xx9btZKI/AAAAAAAAASE/uxVfcTUn_NE/w320-h161/SSOrangeCTSMPC.jpg" title="MPC and CTS German Infantry" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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MPC and CTS German Infantry</div>
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These two guys also came with regular infantry sets. The green set already had a prone guy with an MG-42, so we had to balance that out. The CTS sniper man is wearing cammo clothing which made him an ideal candidate for this unit. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t2fEMMtQGYI/Tl7X1CWXaLI/AAAAAAAAASI/zp73xPzpZFs/s1600/SSOrangeItaleri.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Italeri German Elite Troops" border="0" height="143" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t2fEMMtQGYI/Tl7X1CWXaLI/AAAAAAAAASI/zp73xPzpZFs/w320-h143/SSOrangeItaleri.jpg" title="Italeri German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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Italeri German Elite Troops</div>
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Nice inclusion of a panzerschreck figure. This was the German equivalent of a bazooka, but with a more powerful 88mm round, which earned it its nickname 'panzer terror'.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-CvUrREU10/Tl7X4OGlWsI/AAAAAAAAASM/FmN4VtTaqbQ/s1600/SSOrangeTSSD1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD German Elite Troops" border="0" height="167" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-CvUrREU10/Tl7X4OGlWsI/AAAAAAAAASM/FmN4VtTaqbQ/w320-h167/SSOrangeTSSD1.jpg" title="TSSD German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I</div>
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This picture is showing the second mounted figure, including a different horse.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4UKeCJIVytg/Tl7X6nStfXI/AAAAAAAAASQ/G1v4cljcEO4/s1600/SSOrangeTSSD2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD German Elite Troops" border="0" height="142" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4UKeCJIVytg/Tl7X6nStfXI/AAAAAAAAASQ/G1v4cljcEO4/w320-h142/SSOrangeTSSD2.jpg" title="TSSD German Elite Troops" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II</div>
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Showing the same figures from the spring set from a different angle.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3t3wRClYb_s/Tl7X9YSgh1I/AAAAAAAAASU/LVU7SiwJvwM/s1600/SSOrangeTSSDWinter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD Germans in Long Coats" border="0" height="142" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3t3wRClYb_s/Tl7X9YSgh1I/AAAAAAAAASU/LVU7SiwJvwM/w320-h142/SSOrangeTSSDWinter.jpg" title="TSSD Germans in Long Coats" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
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TSSD Germans in Long Coats</div>
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Containing two new guys that were not painted for the spring set. Note also how underneath the coat you can see a bit of the cammo pattern in the guy who is running. Again, assuming they were fighting in the late fall, coats would have been appropriate.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LfmCfrTmoag/UChPZYu0GrI/AAAAAAAABxs/83HwDECFjw0/s1600/CTS+Assault+Germans+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops" border="0" height="194" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LfmCfrTmoag/UChPZYu0GrI/AAAAAAAABxs/83HwDECFjw0/w320-h194/CTS+Assault+Germans+1.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part I</div>
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CTS just released a new set of German 'Assault Troops'. Considering that most of them are wearing cammo smocks I am going to paint them as Waffen SS, to go along with the other figures depicted on this post. I like that some of the poses are a bit different from what has typically been done in the past for such weapons. For instance, the panzerschreck is held by a prone guy and the man operating the MG 42 is not actually firing it, but urging on his comrades.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsTu0PD3qg4/UChPaPNsXWI/AAAAAAAABx0/unt7aoxuNIQ/s1600/CTS+Assault+Germans+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops" border="0" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsTu0PD3qg4/UChPaPNsXWI/AAAAAAAABx0/unt7aoxuNIQ/w320-h178/CTS+Assault+Germans+2.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part II</div>
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These other poses are also nice and interesting. Note the guy with the flamethrower on the right, and the guy pulling the cord off the hand grenade. The guy surrendering is not my favorite as I prefer fighting poses, but even that is original. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HA49ENkiNhY/VDC7o1ll8tI/AAAAAAAAEvE/g21LDN2XdPk/s1600/TSSD%2BGerman%2BSS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD German Infantry expansion set" border="0" height="183" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HA49ENkiNhY/VDC7o1ll8tI/AAAAAAAAEvE/g21LDN2XdPk/w320-h183/TSSD%2BGerman%2BSS.jpg" title="TSSD German Infantry expansion set" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD German Infantry expansion set</div>
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These are some recently released German guys that complement the TSSD German 'Elite Troops'. They will paint well as SS guys in cammo gear or as regular Landser wearing winter gear, as they go well the Germans with long coats, with the nice added touch that they come with a different head gear. You can't see well in the picture, but the man on the right is holding/throwing a grenade also. The only thing to complain about is that they only released four poses. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE13X9_6QGY/XfVsfjkoi-I/AAAAAAAAFr4/qXd0oGaW4A4-qmhLSBGJR9ZzJHBL7fPxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BElite%2BInfantry%2BWaffen%2BSS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)" border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE13X9_6QGY/XfVsfjkoi-I/AAAAAAAAFr4/qXd0oGaW4A4-qmhLSBGJR9ZzJHBL7fPxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h214/Mars%2BGerman%2BElite%2BInfantry%2BWaffen%2BSS.jpg" title="Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)</div>
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I love that Mars has thrown its hat into the WWII 1/32 ring, and are coming up with sets that had not received as much attention in the past. As far as this 'Elite Infantry' set, I have to say that it is just OK. For some reason the way the clothes look on the legs of these figures seems a bit artificial. Either too baggy, or the men's legs are too skinny to fill them... not sure what's going on. I also found it amusing that they preferred to avoid calling the set Waffen SS and went with 'Elite Division'. Anyhow, the poses are dynamic enough for my taste, and they could easily be used as regular infantry if you also wanted to avoid depicting Waffen SS troops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJpr8aYITooVOYXSBF6zLtqUW6Mzy0P0CDCjFUTAxXSggs8S1VVHXmenMti4AANKbS43kgPTW8HmpUXd7kqX21NK27tbxCewayZg_A_sSgKqu_wkmpJRBuJXkk842rf7WSnjUr7EodsmmVw0CNswbAaKKN2EysO7O4UhOL310_qdoGbeLOSHLWfYXL4Q=s2740" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="2740" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJpr8aYITooVOYXSBF6zLtqUW6Mzy0P0CDCjFUTAxXSggs8S1VVHXmenMti4AANKbS43kgPTW8HmpUXd7kqX21NK27tbxCewayZg_A_sSgKqu_wkmpJRBuJXkk842rf7WSnjUr7EodsmmVw0CNswbAaKKN2EysO7O4UhOL310_qdoGbeLOSHLWfYXL4Q=w320-h176" title="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">By now it should be clear to anyone reading this blog that I love Plastic Platoon's figures. They've set a new standard in the Plastic Toy Soldier world with their amazing level of detail and the energy and high level of action in their poses. That's mostly true with this set as well, except that in this set the faces have gone off the rails. They definitely over did them. I don't know if the intention was to depict these men as evil, but their expressions resemble that of possessed zombies or something along those lines. Other than that, this set is just as exciting as any of their prior ones. Just look at the man firing the machine gun a-la-Rambo. Or the man on the right with the Stg 44. Really well posed and detailed. The sniper is also very nicely done, although with that big rock underneath him, it limits the places where he could be posed. Still a great set and looking forward to set 2 of PP's Waffen SS figures. </div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZbCxY5aTS1ayJn8JW_mZFgct_ns3Y091avAGfOHZFUHisIR7gZ9LFZUH4IySouHsOX7OIal_-Mo1sqytFS0U1STuBapT7D6zE8oAIp9aPjBLxDG01k9FezrovhdFtEmmNy9uIxzeG5GuPR30Ff-VoXUf4gtSvCJL0VjW_baw77vZ0aDYxLgwFWtIrA=s3424" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division" border="0" data-original-height="1938" data-original-width="3424" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZbCxY5aTS1ayJn8JW_mZFgct_ns3Y091avAGfOHZFUHisIR7gZ9LFZUH4IySouHsOX7OIal_-Mo1sqytFS0U1STuBapT7D6zE8oAIp9aPjBLxDG01k9FezrovhdFtEmmNy9uIxzeG5GuPR30Ff-VoXUf4gtSvCJL0VjW_baw77vZ0aDYxLgwFWtIrA=w320-h181" title="Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is an interesting set for a couple of reasons. Originally, when the pre-release pictures came out, they were published by company called Vympel, but later it seems that Hanomak purchased the rights and began distributing it. This caused a bit of confusion. Also, the original pictures had 6 figures in it, however one of them was of a slightly larger scale, so Hanomak decided to not release it as part of this set. Probably a good decision. These five poses are true 1/32 scale, meaning, smaller than the 'Big 1/32' scale that Hanomak uses for their other figures. In terms of the figures themselves, they are all nicely sculpted, and good action poses. My only criticism is that they also require you to glue some of the hands/weapons to the figures. The molds have pins and holes in them to help with this but the rubbery material makes them useless because the pins bend when you try to put them into the holes. So the only solution is to slice off the pins and glue them as best as you can line up the arms with the hands. The other criticism is that the hands that come wit the weapons are smaller than the hands that come attached to the arms. Not very noticeable, but not great either. What I really like is the cammo foliage on the helmet of the second guy from the left, in addition to his overall stance. A great pose. And the machine gunner is also very nicely done. A unique variation on the pose. The sandbags are a separate piece so you can place your machine gunner behind a wall or any other protection you want. Lastly, the fact that most of them are wearing cammo smocks -even the commander- means that when these guys are painted they will look even more interesting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRczq33Ep7GMtvYT98sCs_d7GxfAA4cfqoOUEp0MGpmhEQJdJDkUj5tS7im6iPETnmQMS0J_NRJM9RVfgMbmEU4sbFhF8LxiOPa7CwNTJIqUWY5JKeb2OKlmL4j3F8pIjpClIg5mhJ1Au5F3cPShcMuqpIf_Ofo7TbA1wyijfzJF4n_fio72DNKwHUXQ/s2173/Plastic%20Platoon%20Waffen%20SS%20Heavy%20Weapons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="2173" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRczq33Ep7GMtvYT98sCs_d7GxfAA4cfqoOUEp0MGpmhEQJdJDkUj5tS7im6iPETnmQMS0J_NRJM9RVfgMbmEU4sbFhF8LxiOPa7CwNTJIqUWY5JKeb2OKlmL4j3F8pIjpClIg5mhJ1Au5F3cPShcMuqpIf_Ofo7TbA1wyijfzJF4n_fio72DNKwHUXQ/w320-h202/Plastic%20Platoon%20Waffen%20SS%20Heavy%20Weapons.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons</div>PP's second set of Waffen SS Troops has not disappointed. It's only five figures, but they are all very well done. The faces are not as extreme as in the previous set, although still a bit in that sharp style, particularly the machine gunner. The machine gun is probably the crown piece in this set, and I am pretty sure that's why there are only five figures in this set. The machine gun by itself with its elaborate base was probably more work to make than a figure. That's how detailed it is. The man firing the gun, is actually cast separately and placed on the base by hooking up his hands to the machine gun's handle. The ammo holder is a separate figure, and the base of the gun has a notch that fits perfectly with the ammo box so that you don't have to guess where to place him. The panzerschreck team is also very well posed and detailed and it's definitely good to have a loader with it. The fifth man is interesting because he seems to be firing a captured Bren gun. In terms of gear you can tell that these guys were late war guys. They are wearing a mix of cammo smocks and regular uniforms, helmets with and without covers, most of them wear puttees and shoes, although the panzerschreck loader is wearing leather boots. And the ammo loaded on the MG team is carrying an StG 44 assault rifle, which as the model name suggests, came out in the last phase of the war. This set is now very hard to get, so I was very happy to be able to get my hands on one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/s3295/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="3295" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/w320-h162/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And speaking of German winter troops, Plastic Platoon has recently come up with this really nice set! The level of detail on these figures is exquisite. You can even see the fleece lining on the hood of the coats, and you can make out the helmets' insignia. The uniforms are all very authentic, the thickness of the figures is consistent with all the layers of clothing they are wearing, and the captured subMG is a nice touch. The most interesting pieces in this set are the two guys making up the MG team. The reason for that is that the MG itself, along with the hands of the man firing have been sculpted attached to the man where the MG is resting. This means that when you assemble them together, you really need to make sure they line up perfectly. Luckily they do. The other implication is that you can never deploy them separately, unless you took the time to perform some delicate conversions. Another great set from Plastic Platoon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s3177/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="3177" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a good follow up complement to the previous set. The winter gear is just right. I really like the details like the sheepskin on the inside of some of the coats, or the cloth wrapped around their heads. Another interesting detail is the guy wearing the cap with the ear flaps. Initially I couldn't tell if that was a German or a Soviet cap, but upon closer inspection I realized that it has a German eagle insignia on the front. In terms of poses, I usually prefer fighting poses over wounded guys, but in this case, since these are part of the second set, I am OK with this wounded pose, particularly because it goes well with the medic moving towards him with the bag. Interestingly enough, the medic is holding a pistol just in case. The pose I like the most is the man exchanging the magazine. We don't get many of these, so it is a nice touch. The two other guys, are just good, solid firing poses. Overall a nice set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div>
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Here's a post of the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-stand-at-siegfried-line.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Waffen SS in action defending the Siegfried line</span><span style="color: cyan;">.</span></a></div>
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Here are some pictures of the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Waffen SS fighting the British in Normandy.</span></a></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-78168009322408114332024-02-21T20:10:00.000-05:002024-02-21T20:12:30.826-05:00Introducing the German Infantry<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"> The latest addition is the Plastic Platoon Winter German Infantry at the bottom of the post.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">_______________________</div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>This post is a consolidation of several German Infantry posts I had previously made. It probably needs a bit more editing, but at least for now it provides a central location to see all the German Infantry figures made by all manufacturers.</span><div><div style="text-align: center;">______________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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One downside of trying to assemble larger units is that most of the time you end up having to deploy multiple guys with the same pose in order to make your numbers. That is still the case for most countries/branches of the service that participated in WWII. In recent years, a series of new sets have improved the situation for American GIs and for Soviet Infantry. However the ones that have really made it possible for me to get to my magic number have been the German Infantry. A company -100 strong- of unique poses. All painted in the same style to blend them into a single unit. Note that I avoided pre-painted figures and figures that had winter uniforms or cammo smocks. I also tried to stick to 'action/battle' poses, therefore you won't see any marching guys or dead guys. Lastly, I did not want to have more than 10 prone figures. The chosen ones are featured below, grouped by manufacturer.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5oB3Fe2vzQY/TfWBcBsqb0I/AAAAAAAAABA/JdgL8jaCPSw/s1600/1-conteofficer-Set1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 1" border="0" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5oB3Fe2vzQY/TfWBcBsqb0I/AAAAAAAAABA/JdgL8jaCPSw/w320-h126/1-conteofficer-Set1.jpg" t8="true" title="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 1 </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P6YDWLKpCnU/TfWBd2-j9NI/AAAAAAAAABE/nEZOiFTMgaI/s1600/2+-contephone_mg2-Set2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2" border="0" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P6YDWLKpCnU/TfWBd2-j9NI/AAAAAAAAABE/nEZOiFTMgaI/w320-h136/2+-contephone_mg2-Set2.jpg" t8="true" title="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2 - First Half</div>
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Note that Conte introduced plug-in arms which allows the creation of new poses by just exchanging the weapon/accessory. In the case above, the guy with the MG-42 is the same figure as the guy with the phone.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_QhfrJzcS80/TfWBfACqeyI/AAAAAAAAABI/QJ0FLsjZyKY/s1600/3+-+ConteRunningFlash-Set2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2" border="0" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_QhfrJzcS80/TfWBfACqeyI/AAAAAAAAABI/QJ0FLsjZyKY/w320-h144/3+-+ConteRunningFlash-Set2.jpg" t8="true" title="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 2 - Second Half</div>
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Again, by using pluggable arms, I was able to create four figures out of two base running guys.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEbxu_mYYs8/TfWBhAURmlI/AAAAAAAAABM/0NXHtSfgeW0/s1600/4+-+contemgteam-Set3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 3" border="0" height="152" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEbxu_mYYs8/TfWBhAURmlI/AAAAAAAAABM/0NXHtSfgeW0/w320-h152/4+-+contemgteam-Set3.jpg" t8="true" title="Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 3" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles German Infantry Set 3</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySOP3H_rz14/TfWBjMVwXzI/AAAAAAAAABQ/sVFEe7DUrDo/s1600/5-Airfix+InfFlash2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix German Infantry" border="0" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySOP3H_rz14/TfWBjMVwXzI/AAAAAAAAABQ/sVFEe7DUrDo/w320-h161/5-Airfix+InfFlash2.jpg" t8="true" title="Airfix German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix German Infantry</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-99_xWVZO3Gc/TfWBlgu3e7I/AAAAAAAAABU/EEBviM5C2oc/s1600/6-AirfixAKFlash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix Afrika Korps" border="0" height="164" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-99_xWVZO3Gc/TfWBlgu3e7I/AAAAAAAAABU/EEBviM5C2oc/w320-h164/6-AirfixAKFlash.jpg" t8="true" title="Airfix Afrika Korps" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Afrika Korps</div>
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Here I borrowed figures from a different 'branch of service', but once they are painted they look like German Infantry, which I guess is what they actually were. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CORgLjHKGtI/TfWBnmUcCSI/AAAAAAAAABY/uUZHclmzhjU/s1600/7+-BMC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMC German Infantry" border="0" height="153" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CORgLjHKGtI/TfWBnmUcCSI/AAAAAAAAABY/uUZHclmzhjU/w320-h153/7+-BMC.jpg" t8="true" title="BMC German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC German Infantry</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1P2Yl4OZcM/TfWBpgtx6cI/AAAAAAAAABc/rmiTfvHTnrU/s1600/8-CTSb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry" border="0" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1P2Yl4OZcM/TfWBpgtx6cI/AAAAAAAAABc/rmiTfvHTnrU/w320-h144/8-CTSb.jpg" t8="true" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry - Part I</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6trahYYqSQ/TfWBrFfx0oI/AAAAAAAAABg/3QkysVtENc0/s1600/9-+CTSa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry" border="0" height="138" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6trahYYqSQ/TfWBrFfx0oI/AAAAAAAAABg/3QkysVtENc0/w320-h138/9-+CTSa.jpg" t8="true" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Infantry - Part II</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2WBqhWjaqA/TfWBs9ASuXI/AAAAAAAAABk/2QUe0e63v1w/s1600/10-ESCI2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ESCI German Infantry" border="0" height="145" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2WBqhWjaqA/TfWBs9ASuXI/AAAAAAAAABk/2QUe0e63v1w/w320-h145/10-ESCI2.jpg" t8="true" title="ESCI German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI German Infantry</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DGAVdkzr-G4/TfWBvMdteKI/AAAAAAAAABo/CMreyBDwnuk/s1600/11-MarxA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marx German Infantry" border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DGAVdkzr-G4/TfWBvMdteKI/AAAAAAAAABo/CMreyBDwnuk/w320-h171/11-MarxA.jpg" t8="true" title="Marx German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Marx German Infantry - Part I</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9i5dVM12tSM/TfWBxmtp30I/AAAAAAAAABs/BkMSdA1jmHk/s1600/12-MarxBFlash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marx German Infantry" border="0" height="148" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9i5dVM12tSM/TfWBxmtp30I/AAAAAAAAABs/BkMSdA1jmHk/w320-h148/12-MarxBFlash.jpg" t8="true" title="Marx German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Marx German Infantry - Part II</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A6DU10keZ3o/TfWBz8ob3dI/AAAAAAAAABw/5wGP7djsJ8w/s1600/13-matchbox2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Matchbox German Infantry" border="0" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A6DU10keZ3o/TfWBz8ob3dI/AAAAAAAAABw/5wGP7djsJ8w/w320-h170/13-matchbox2.jpg" t8="true" title="Matchbox German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox German Infantry</div>
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Note that to the right there is a bazooka/panzerschreck guy which to my knowledge is not part of the original set. It came in a bucket of clones, but it must be based on Matchbox figures as the sculpting and all his equipment is just like the other guys'.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHxAniDvguo/TfWB2XCt-qI/AAAAAAAAAB0/PTjGJX_iuVQ/s1600/14-MAtchboxAKFlash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Matchbox Afrika Korps as German Infantry" border="0" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KHxAniDvguo/TfWB2XCt-qI/AAAAAAAAAB0/PTjGJX_iuVQ/w320-h155/14-MAtchboxAKFlash.jpg" t8="true" title="Matchbox Afrika Korps as German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox Afrika Korps</div>
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Again, here I borrowed from another 'service branch', but they look like normal infantry...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFpZ026k9X8/TfWB4wTiMPI/AAAAAAAAAB4/d5yB-cDsTsE/s1600/15-MPC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MPC German Infantry" border="0" height="158" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFpZ026k9X8/TfWB4wTiMPI/AAAAAAAAAB4/d5yB-cDsTsE/w320-h158/15-MPC.jpg" t8="true" title="MPC German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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MPC German Infantry</div>
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These guys are not my favorite. A bit too stiff for my taste, but I included some of their poses so that they would be represented.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5ThVA_hqbk/TfWB8curMZI/AAAAAAAAAB8/PWv_SANZQis/s1600/16-Revell_Marx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Revell Afrika Korps & Reproductions of Marx 6" figures" border="0" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5ThVA_hqbk/TfWB8curMZI/AAAAAAAAAB8/PWv_SANZQis/w320-h155/16-Revell_Marx.jpg" t8="true" title="Revell Afrika Korps & Reproductions of Marx 6" figures" width="320" /></a></div>
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Revell Afrika Korps (left) & Reproductions of Marx 6" figures (middle, right)</div>
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Same branch story with the Revell guy. The manufacturer of the 54mm versions of the 6" Marx guys is unclear to me. I bought them advertised as SWTS figures (Steve Weston Toy Soldiers), but I have not been able to confirm that claim. He does not mention them on his web site.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KErL5rBtDZQ/Tfa3vmL8n5I/AAAAAAAAACE/kR9mkZ7e-M0/s1600/17-CompanyFormed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="German Infantry Plastic Toy Soldiers" border="0" height="139" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KErL5rBtDZQ/Tfa3vmL8n5I/AAAAAAAAACE/kR9mkZ7e-M0/w320-h139/17-CompanyFormed.jpg" t8="true" title="German Infantry Plastic Toy Soldiers" width="320" /></a></div>
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The whole unit.</div>
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In the pictures above I described all the German Infantry poses that I have already painted. Those pictures left out some poses that I decided not to paint. Below are the missing poses from the sets shown above.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oo8BbgQzmXE/T0Ed-sI8AmI/AAAAAAAABCw/cm29ag4Jb_E/s1600/MPC+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MPC German Infantry" border="0" height="205" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oo8BbgQzmXE/T0Ed-sI8AmI/AAAAAAAABCw/cm29ag4Jb_E/w320-h205/MPC+German+Infantry.jpg" title="MPC German Infantry" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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MPC German Infantry</div>
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The prone guy was left out because I had set myself a limit of 10 prone figures, and he was on the longer/taller side. The guy on the left did not seem like he would fit well on a war-game. He would fit better in a football game asking for the ball to be thrown at him. The guy on the right got disqualified because of his sculpting. He looks like a 2-D figure.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlUWp0YiiAY/T0Ed_2ZTzrI/AAAAAAAABC4/UBrAlQshyxA/s1600/Marx+Marching.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marx German Infantry Marching Soldier" border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlUWp0YiiAY/T0Ed_2ZTzrI/AAAAAAAABC4/UBrAlQshyxA/w160-h320/Marx+Marching.jpg" title="Marx German Infantry Marching Soldier" width="160" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Marx German Infantry Marching Soldier</div>
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This guy did not make it simply because he would not be of much use in a war-game where you want more action/fighting poses. But I do like him. I actually plan on painting him and about 49 other marching guys that I have been collecting to make a nice parade scene at some point.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--yOfe3SgzlY/T0EeBz4Mq6I/AAAAAAAABDA/546XXqZWkQg/s1600/BMC+German+Prone+MG+Team.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMC German Infantry MG Team" border="0" height="206" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--yOfe3SgzlY/T0EeBz4Mq6I/AAAAAAAABDA/546XXqZWkQg/w320-h206/BMC+German+Prone+MG+Team.jpg" title="BMC German Infantry MG Team" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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BMC German Infantry MG Team</div>
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This machine gun team was cut because of similar reasons as the MPC prone guy. I already had 10 prone figures and these were the least well sculpted of them all. Even to take this picture I had to find an angle that would make them look a bit better.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ogwNKcJV-6s/T0EeFDSIQcI/AAAAAAAABDI/yuAgS10TLn8/s1600/BMC+German+Dead+2+-+Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMC Dead German Infantry Soldier" border="0" height="186" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ogwNKcJV-6s/T0EeFDSIQcI/AAAAAAAABDI/yuAgS10TLn8/w320-h186/BMC+German+Dead+2+-+Copy.jpg" title="BMC Dead German Infantry Soldier" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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BMC Dead German</div>
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At the time I painted all the other German figures I thought that there was not much use for a dead guy on a war-game. Since I started working on this blog however, I have come to realize that these poses would make the posts with battle scenes more realistic, so now I wish I had painted them. I guess I will get to it at some point.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTs_IAb_QqU/T0EeHpenxdI/AAAAAAAABDQ/DVwHACrI5VM/s1600/Conte+German+Dead+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles Dead German Infantry Soldier" border="0" height="182" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTs_IAb_QqU/T0EeHpenxdI/AAAAAAAABDQ/DVwHACrI5VM/w320-h182/Conte+German+Dead+2.jpg" title="Conte Collectibles Dead German Infantry Soldier" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Conte Dead German</div>
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Same story here. Good sculpting by Conte. Even their dead guys look good.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYkoZGxUC1E/T0EeJnTHtyI/AAAAAAAABDY/FJSIpxglVmk/s1600/Marx+German+Dead+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marx Dead German Infantry Soldier" border="0" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYkoZGxUC1E/T0EeJnTHtyI/AAAAAAAABDY/FJSIpxglVmk/w320-h196/Marx+German+Dead+2.jpg" title="Marx Dead German Infantry Soldier" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Marx Dead German</div>
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The last of the three casualties.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The following pictures are all the German Infantry sets that I have acquired after I posted the ones above.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUXNsASoeTw/TocgBM5gosI/AAAAAAAAAYs/rJHzo7lFUOk/s1600/Atlantic+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Atlantic German Infantry" border="0" height="158" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OUXNsASoeTw/TocgBM5gosI/AAAAAAAAAYs/rJHzo7lFUOk/w320-h158/Atlantic+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Atlantic German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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This set reminds me of the Airfix poses. The guys are a bit thinner, but many of them are in very similar positions. Note that the prone guy on the left is supposed to be operating a machine gun, but I bought these on eBay his machine gun was missing. Maybe that's why nobody outbid me! I've got a few other MGs as among my loose accessories, so eventually, when I paint them I will provide him with a weapon.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3U8BIUxBJhQ/TocgCO_474I/AAAAAAAAAYw/MTvQsHCnpZk/s1600/Atlantic+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Atlantic German Infantry" border="0" height="152" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3U8BIUxBJhQ/TocgCO_474I/AAAAAAAAAYw/MTvQsHCnpZk/w320-h152/Atlantic+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Atlantic German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The prone guy throwing a grenade is a good idea, but the figure is not well balanced, so you need to prop him up a bit from the front if you want to avoid having his feet stick up in the air. A little rock or tree stump will do the trick. In this picture I used his neighbor's foot.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VIT2XJOyJ1Y/T0EmkupeTII/AAAAAAAABDg/u6OSIzX1hXo/s1600/Dulcop+Germans+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VIT2XJOyJ1Y/T0EmkupeTII/AAAAAAAABDg/u6OSIzX1hXo/s320/Dulcop+Germans+1.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Dulcop German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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These guys were hard to come by. In fact I only managed to get 7 out of the 8 poses. The guy who is firing from the kneeling position is missing. A few of the poses resemble Airfix a little bit. Perhaps what I like the most is the variety of weapons.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DhYHtAE_9gY/T0EmlmRPZxI/AAAAAAAABDo/gOEgwUcQAIs/s1600/Dulcop+Germans+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dulcop German Infantry" border="0" height="224" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DhYHtAE_9gY/T0EmlmRPZxI/AAAAAAAABDo/gOEgwUcQAIs/w320-h224/Dulcop+Germans+2.jpg" title="Dulcop German Infantry" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Dulcop German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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There are a couple of funny details though. Not how some men seem to be sculpted in a different scale. Also, the helmet on the guy on the left. Was that meant to be a paratrooper helmet or did they just did not sculpt the edge well enough? Anyhow, a nice set to round up your collection.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IAPZpmttsCk/UQ7qxiv-reI/AAAAAAAADK0/VD25sSZh4mk/s1600/Dulcop+German+Infantry+Kneeling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dulcop German Infantry" border="0" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IAPZpmttsCk/UQ7qxiv-reI/AAAAAAAADK0/VD25sSZh4mk/w320-h236/Dulcop+German+Infantry+Kneeling.jpg" title="Dulcop German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dulcop German Infantry - Part 3</div>
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This is the last man in the set. He came in a different plastic. Not just the color, but it is also harder and feels a bit easier to break. If not for the color, he seems to have been cast from an original mold. As you can see, he is a typical pose in most infantry sets. His carbine seems to be a bit small, but other than that he is a solid guy. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJ532GCmEtM/UMzckruGCNI/AAAAAAAAC24/JiPrS-wF3G0/s1600/Lido+Germans+set.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido German Infantry" border="0" height="205" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJ532GCmEtM/UMzckruGCNI/AAAAAAAAC24/JiPrS-wF3G0/w320-h205/Lido+Germans+set.jpg" title="Lido German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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These guys are pretty rare. The poses are fairly decent and a bit less common. There are a couple other poses out there that I am trying to get my hands on. The three with color on them were painted by a previous owner, but they used to come in plain grey. The guy on the right is operating a flamethrower. The original figure used to have a flame at the tip, but this one is missing it.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFjtv0_UZvo/ULJlx5psdwI/AAAAAAAACz0/wOUuESsH3wk/s1600/Lido+Germans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido German Infantry" border="0" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFjtv0_UZvo/ULJlx5psdwI/AAAAAAAACz0/wOUuESsH3wk/w320-h222/Lido+Germans.jpg" title="Lido German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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Here is a close up of the two guys in their original color. As you can see, they are well detailed, down to the facial expressions. The main thing that jumps out as being a bit off is the machine gun that the man on the left is holding. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv75zvI8z5Y/USLBLB0u1hI/AAAAAAAADRs/AWfLAkXIeJ0/s1600/Lido+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" border="0" height="167" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv75zvI8z5Y/USLBLB0u1hI/AAAAAAAADRs/AWfLAkXIeJ0/w320-h167/Lido+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part I</div>
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I recently found the whole set of Lido Germans. They are not originals, but at least I got all 8 poses. </div>
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One of the 'new' poses is the second guy from the right. Not my favorite one though. He is about to throw a grenade, but he is in a very awkward position, and the grenade is not even German. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XGzDBwDZew/USLBLZSHGSI/AAAAAAAADR0/li8mSbxMnF4/s1600/Lido+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" border="0" height="185" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XGzDBwDZew/USLBLZSHGSI/AAAAAAAADR0/li8mSbxMnF4/w320-h185/Lido+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part II</div>
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The other two new poses are the ones on the left. Another grenade thrower -with a real German grenade and a man engaged in hand to hand combat. These two are much better and round up the set nicely.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BeHmIvfi44U/USLBLYvCr3I/AAAAAAAADRw/fIIzhwgj9Rs/s1600/Lido+German+Infantry+Comparison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" border="0" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BeHmIvfi44U/USLBLYvCr3I/AAAAAAAADRw/fIIzhwgj9Rs/w320-h191/Lido+German+Infantry+Comparison.jpg" title="Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido German Infantry Hong Kong Clones - Part III</div>
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Since they are clones, I wanted to show them next to the original figures to show the difference in size. Since the molds are generated from actual figures, some shrinkage is inevitable as you can appreciate from the picture.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUwz1FYXNd4/ULJly4tWZQI/AAAAAAAACz8/aP32oph3a9Y/s1600/Trojan+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trojan German Infantry" border="0" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUwz1FYXNd4/ULJly4tWZQI/AAAAAAAACz8/aP32oph3a9Y/w320-h183/Trojan+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Trojan German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Trojan German Infantry</div>
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This is another scarce set. They appear to have been produced factory-painted, although as you can see, not with the most accurate color scheme. The level of detail is not as good as what you would expect from original figures. They almost feel like clones. Maybe they are and I just got duped when I bought them!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHV1RPUYx2g/T9_RSZgtx3I/AAAAAAAABpA/IbifdK-t-uw/s1600/CTS+German+Medics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team" border="0" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHV1RPUYx2g/T9_RSZgtx3I/AAAAAAAABpA/IbifdK-t-uw/w320-h177/CTS+German+Medics.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team - Part 1</div>
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This is a recently released set from CTS. It contains a mixture of medics and casualties. It is nicely detailed and when painted they will blend very well with other German figures, such as Conte's. The only thing to criticize about these figures is the shape of some of the helmets, which seem to have a softer edge than expected -like the kneeling guy's helmet.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8rSVlw96H7k/T9_RTZ4lD1I/AAAAAAAABpI/FCrqX3Qla50/s1600/CTS+German+Medics+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team" border="0" height="246" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8rSVlw96H7k/T9_RTZ4lD1I/AAAAAAAABpI/FCrqX3Qla50/w320-h246/CTS+German+Medics+2.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers German Medical Team - Part 2</div>
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Here you have one more casualty -who does not seem to need any more medical attention, a man carrying a stretcher and a presumed prisoner. Not sure what the prisoner has to do with the medical team, but since these are all non-fighting poses, I can see how he fits in in that respect. Overall a nice set from CTS who will go very well with the FOV ambulance.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nsBjlwHGzxY/UChUYs28_SI/AAAAAAAAByQ/_0wqVhQInds/s1600/CTS+Artillery+PAK+40.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew" border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nsBjlwHGzxY/UChUYs28_SI/AAAAAAAAByQ/_0wqVhQInds/w320-h171/CTS+Artillery+PAK+40.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew - Part 1</div>
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CTS just released a set that was sorely missing: an artillery crew. Italeri had also produced a PAK 40 with crew, but you had to buy them as a set, so you could not really staff any artillery pieces purchased without a crew. Well, now you can. The set comes with an observer/officer and two loaders.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hGkCLQhrJ0/UChUZw1AsvI/AAAAAAAAByY/nRYQ-1YXDWM/s1600/CTS+Artillery+88.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew" border="0" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hGkCLQhrJ0/UChUZw1AsvI/AAAAAAAAByY/nRYQ-1YXDWM/w320-h202/CTS+Artillery+88.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers Artillery Crew - Part 2</div>
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This crew can also be deployed to serve an 88 gun. They look equally good and the size of the shell might be more in line with an 88.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-01gnf_WwiQU/TocgDybEYuI/AAAAAAAAAY0/BRHEbzrLK9o/s1600/21C+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Infantry" border="0" height="145" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-01gnf_WwiQU/TocgDybEYuI/AAAAAAAAAY0/BRHEbzrLK9o/w320-h145/21C+German+Infantry.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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21st Century Toys released several series of German Infantry over 8 or 10 years. Some of them were released with their playsets. Unfortunately I did not keep track of what figures came with each set, but I have tried to group them in the pictures by the paint scheme used, which should not be that different from how they were grouped when they were released. Overall, 21C Toys did a nice job with the sculpting and paint work. The first series though were made of a plastic that was a bit brittle and some of the weapons would break, but that was improved in the later series.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNU0YlZV2cI/TocgEvmsMnI/AAAAAAAAAY4/i4m-Qqcvqe4/s1600/21C+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Infantry" border="0" height="153" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNU0YlZV2cI/TocgEvmsMnI/AAAAAAAAAY4/i4m-Qqcvqe4/w320-h153/21C+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The only thing I don't like about these figures is that the men come glued to the base and sometimes they glued them way off-balance as you can see in a couple of the guys in this picture. I suppose you can try to fix that yourself, but I have not wanted to risk breaking them by trying to pull them apart from the base.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--V3VJxtKpwo/TocgFlVYspI/AAAAAAAAAY8/AtVc0JAYjco/s1600/21C+German+Infantry+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Infantry" border="0" height="164" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--V3VJxtKpwo/TocgFlVYspI/AAAAAAAAAY8/AtVc0JAYjco/w320-h164/21C+German+Infantry+3.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 3</div>
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While some of these guys are not action/combat poses, they come handy for scenes where you need some guys in guard duty. Forces of Valor has released some accessories that are ideal for road blocks and go very well with some of these guys.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrzmWoipFkM/TocjjvenP6I/AAAAAAAAAZk/8Uc7qpXPefc/s1600/21C+German+Infantry+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Infantry" border="0" height="147" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OrzmWoipFkM/TocjjvenP6I/AAAAAAAAAZk/8Uc7qpXPefc/w320-h147/21C+German+Infantry+4.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Infantry - Part 4</div>
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This was among the last and best series released by 21C. Note that the base is different and also the quality of the painting and even the sculpting is improved. The base for the prone guy is a bit too bulky for my taste and forces you to set him in an urban setting, but the nice thing is that the figure can be removed from the base, so you get the best of both worlds.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IEfrKnnCz0/WDHRZQ6s1SI/AAAAAAAAFdA/EKR1uPsbwOMhHqHUAAQVi2y8c2KSimxVQCLcB/s1600/21C%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BConversion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Infantry" border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5IEfrKnnCz0/WDHRZQ6s1SI/AAAAAAAAFdA/EKR1uPsbwOMhHqHUAAQVi2y8c2KSimxVQCLcB/w320-h266/21C%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BConversion.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Infantry - A conversion</div>
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This is a guy that came with along with a building I bought. It's put together well enough that I think it deserves a spot on the page. It's really just the lower body from one guy with the upper body from another, but it turned out nicely.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QyDicG8zg2I/WDHMjW4gSXI/AAAAAAAAFc0/heH_48mZkSoPvAiShZO8V7Zofbw9sDOIwCLcB/s1600/21C%2BGerman%2BPAK%2Bcrew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21C Toys German Infantry PAK crew" border="0" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QyDicG8zg2I/WDHMjW4gSXI/AAAAAAAAFc0/heH_48mZkSoPvAiShZO8V7Zofbw9sDOIwCLcB/w320-h146/21C%2BGerman%2BPAK%2Bcrew.jpg" title="21C Toys German Infantry PAK crew" width="320" /></a></div>
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21C Toys German Infantry PAK crew</div>
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These are some nice figures to staff your PAK or most other small caliber artillery pieces in your armies. The sculpting is of the same quality as the later 21C sets, which means that they are well proportioned and detailed. In terms of the poses, I definitely like the guy holding the shell, but the other two are very similar. It would have been good if one of them was posed as if more actively operating the equipment. Anyhow, I am still glad I came across them. I did not know they existed back when 21C was in production. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i7oPtSZwipM/TocgMc0kGCI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/HxuKCXXmiNA/s1600/DSG+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="First Gear German Infantry" border="0" height="142" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i7oPtSZwipM/TocgMc0kGCI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/HxuKCXXmiNA/w320-h142/DSG+German+Infantry.jpg" title="First Gear German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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First Gear German Infantry</div>
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These are new production figures of the old Britains Deetail figures. They only make six poses and they have given them bases with round corners. The uniform is painted grey which makes more sense to me than the blue of the originals.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N26raTWtvpQ/TocgG22s4wI/AAAAAAAAAZA/S7U3dYUZLno/s1600/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail German Infantry" border="0" height="138" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N26raTWtvpQ/TocgG22s4wI/AAAAAAAAAZA/S7U3dYUZLno/w320-h138/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Britains Deetail German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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These are the original figures. I have placed them in the same order as the new First Gear guys for ease of comparison. As I said, I am not sure why they gave them blue uniforms, but I still like them. There is something special about these old figures with a heavy, metal base that makes them just cool to have.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_TS1yowMrc/TocgHoSMizI/AAAAAAAAAZE/8XIEFAYObMY/s1600/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail German Infantry" border="0" height="147" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_TS1yowMrc/TocgHoSMizI/AAAAAAAAAZE/8XIEFAYObMY/w320-h147/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Britains Deetail German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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Here are a few more poses. Note that some of these guys were manufactured in two parts, with arms that can move up and down, but can also come apart. That can sometimes be a problem and some of the guys that you can buy second-hand are sometimes missing arms. Note that a few of these guys still retain some of the stickers on the side of their helmets. A couple of rare poses are the guy with the flamethrower and the guy marching.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIe75J7IgOk/TocgKDpO5sI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XqwhOzHky-w/s1600/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail German Infantry" border="0" height="153" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIe75J7IgOk/TocgKDpO5sI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XqwhOzHky-w/w320-h153/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+3.jpg" title="Britains Deetail German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail German Infantry - A few modifications</div>
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Now, here is a more common pose. Unfortunately most of the guys I have in this pose are missing their weapon, which in the original seems to be an anti-tank rifle. So I have given these guys a variety of weapons/accessories and tried to make something good out of the situation.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gh6h3nfX-Rs/TocgI4hjCWI/AAAAAAAAAZI/bLRutTzcewQ/s1600/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+Mortar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail German Infantry - Mortar Set" border="0" height="268" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gh6h3nfX-Rs/TocgI4hjCWI/AAAAAAAAAZI/bLRutTzcewQ/w320-h268/Britains+Deetail+German+Infantry+Mortar.jpg" title="Britains Deetail German Infantry - Mortar Set" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail German Infantry - Mortar Set</div>
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Here is another nice set. The mortar can actually 'fire' mortar shells. It has a small spring inside and a little lever on the back that compresses it so that when it is released, the shell is fired. Unfortunately I do not have any of the shells that came with it, but you can improvise your own kind of shells and have some fun lobbing some shells at the opposing army.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpEr8YbaQmw/TocgPr6jHjI/AAAAAAAAAZY/x8e8oYQ9Ldc/s1600/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor German Infantry" border="0" height="153" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpEr8YbaQmw/TocgPr6jHjI/AAAAAAAAAZY/x8e8oYQ9Ldc/w320-h153/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Forces of Valor German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 1</div>
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These are the first series of FOV German Infantry. The paint job on the figures is very realistic and the poses depict a decent level of action. The sculpting is on the bulkier side, particularly when it comes to details like hands and facial expressions. The bases are also detachable and they constantly come off.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OT0iygBOW6U/TocgOejRebI/AAAAAAAAAZU/Mr5X6YlEZrw/s1600/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor German Infantry" border="0" height="156" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OT0iygBOW6U/TocgOejRebI/AAAAAAAAAZU/Mr5X6YlEZrw/w320-h156/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Forces of Valor German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 2</div>
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This is the most recent set of FOV German Infantry. They still have the same detachable base system, but the sculpting of hands and faces has improved. This set comes with a nice MG mounted on a tripod. The plastic for the MG however is really flexible and you will need to spend some time straightening it with hot water. Hopefully it stays that way, as mine hasn't.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uuz3yDsrJc/TocgQ7U6yvI/AAAAAAAAAZc/8gBNBpfr-oM/s1600/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor German Infantry" border="0" height="191" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uuz3yDsrJc/TocgQ7U6yvI/AAAAAAAAAZc/8gBNBpfr-oM/w320-h191/Forces+of+Valor+German+Infantry+3.jpg" title="Forces of Valor German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor German Infantry - Part 3</div>
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These were actually released before the previous set, but as you can see, they are not meant for battle, but rather for some specific diorama scenes. The sculpting of these guys is actually better than that of their other figures. You can tell that they were made by the same people that sculpt the guys that come with the FOV vehicles.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mW5y5Sb3hwY/UdC2sNfr-7I/AAAAAAAAD4Y/SQCq1JZ3Bd0/s1600/Starlux+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" border="0" height="190" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mW5y5Sb3hwY/UdC2sNfr-7I/AAAAAAAAD4Y/SQCq1JZ3Bd0/w320-h190/Starlux+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part I</div>
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I was pleasantly surprised by this set. My first set of Starlux figures. The poses are 60 mm in scale, but are really close enough in size to 54mm that they blend quite well with the rest of the 1/32 guys. The sculpting is nice and detailed, and the poses well balanced and proportioned. Quite surprising for the time when they were made. My only complaint is the paint job. I am not sure if this is how they were painted at the factory or if the previous owner gave them a touch up. Particularly the faces/eyes are a bit odd.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDbyi3cRcIM/UiNmU018fsI/AAAAAAAAD5g/kfoniJ_7SgI/s1600/Starlux+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" border="0" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDbyi3cRcIM/UiNmU018fsI/AAAAAAAAD5g/kfoniJ_7SgI/w320-h272/Starlux+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part II</div>
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Here are two more figures that I recently found. Unfortunately one of them had the rifle tip broken, but they are still quite nice and match the other guys perfectly. I like the stance of the man on the right. He really looks ready for some action.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-blcbFlwT9VI/Uj-PodxXrdI/AAAAAAAAEAc/em5FIxN6PSo/s1600/Starlux+German+Infantry+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" border="0" height="211" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-blcbFlwT9VI/Uj-PodxXrdI/AAAAAAAAEAc/em5FIxN6PSo/w320-h211/Starlux+German+Infantry+1.jpg" title="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part III</div>
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Here are a few more guys. By now I am starting to realize a manufacturing pattern used by Starlux. If you pay attention, the manufactured the bodies and arms separately and then they glued different arms to different bodies to create a large combination of figures. Conte used the same approach with his first set of Germans.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZl1mF20V1o/Uj-PoeRPmoI/AAAAAAAAEAY/9BzZYFhCTa0/s1600/Starlux+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" border="0" height="215" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mZl1mF20V1o/Uj-PoeRPmoI/AAAAAAAAEAY/9BzZYFhCTa0/w320-h215/Starlux+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part IV</div>
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A not very common pose is the one carrying the anti tank rifle.</div>
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And we also have an officer wearing a field cap.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uoRwUFOfd00/WDJStfuqwZI/AAAAAAAAFgk/zgJSEWE-hoUVe_buRIscW8hRLdrcQme7QCLcB/s1600/Starlux%2BGerman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uoRwUFOfd00/WDJStfuqwZI/AAAAAAAAFgk/zgJSEWE-hoUVe_buRIscW8hRLdrcQme7QCLcB/w315-h320/Starlux%2BGerman.jpg" title="Starlux 60 mm German Infantry" width="315" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60 mm German Infantry - Part V</div>
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Another kneeling man. Not sure what he was holding on his left arm, as it has come off. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AcfJiqX9UI/Vm2Ia4TTWOI/AAAAAAAAFRs/Th6YpQHsgtg/s1600/Starlux%2BGerman%2BMarching%2BBand.jpg"><img alt="Starlux German Marching Band" border="0" height="210" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AcfJiqX9UI/Vm2Ia4TTWOI/AAAAAAAAFRs/Th6YpQHsgtg/w320-h210/Starlux%2BGerman%2BMarching%2BBand.jpg" title="Starlux German Marching Band" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux German Marching Band - Part I</div>
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These are just three poses. I just thought I'd let you see how they look from the other angle. I don't know how many there were in the original set, but I'd bet there must be more. These will probably go well marching with the Marx guys, as they are also stepping forward with the left foot and are the same scale. I might also combine them with the Atlantic SA set which come with flag and standards, although those are lifting the right foot.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-idOc1q9tho4/WDJSt8YohzI/AAAAAAAAFgo/BJQfDGFdnbAWwhev5_92D9Cu9ciqKwcSACLcB/s1600/Starlux%2BGerman%2BMarching%2BBand.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux German Marching Band" border="0" height="195" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-idOc1q9tho4/WDJSt8YohzI/AAAAAAAAFgo/BJQfDGFdnbAWwhev5_92D9Cu9ciqKwcSACLcB/w320-h195/Starlux%2BGerman%2BMarching%2BBand.jpg" title="Starlux German Marching Band" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux German Marching Band - Part II </div>
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Three additional poses and a second version of the officer, this time with the unbroken scabbard. Of these, poses, I have to say that hands down, the best pose is the flag bearer. A very good find which will add a lot visually to the parade scene. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vu9T_dXNYLo/UvfPWgg0FTI/AAAAAAAAEUw/OBU9nu5NW3I/s1600/Elite+Command+Germans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elite Command German Infantry" border="0" height="182" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vu9T_dXNYLo/UvfPWgg0FTI/AAAAAAAAEUw/OBU9nu5NW3I/w320-h182/Elite+Command+Germans.jpg" title="Elite Command German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elite Command German Infantry</div>
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This is a set of 4 metal figures representing Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and some of his infantrymen. Compared to other metal figures, like King and Country and so on, they are not as nice. In fact, I bought them thinking that they were plastic figures as that is the focus of my collection. As far as the resemblance with Rommel, I think it requires a bit of imagination to get there. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsGrf3HYCAo/UDrGXrVj_dI/AAAAAAAACSE/Mchv9761m2k/s1600/AIP+Germans+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry" border="0" height="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsGrf3HYCAo/UDrGXrVj_dI/AAAAAAAACSE/Mchv9761m2k/w320-h172/AIP+Germans+1.jpg" title="Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry - Part I</div>
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Lastly, if for some reason you find that you don't have enough German Infantry options you can always throw in some late WWI guys. These already had steel helmets. The only thing that is noticeably outdated is the use of the puttees up to the knee. Most WWII German soldiers used ankle puttees during the second half of the war when leather became scarce and jackboots were no longer manufactured. But I have seen one picture of a WWII officer wearing puttees up to the knee, so that opens the door for these guys!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WnY2ahzFN5g/UDrGYuj2L3I/AAAAAAAACSM/zYf6vlPl13o/s1600/AIP+Germans+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry" border="0" height="183" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WnY2ahzFN5g/UDrGYuj2L3I/AAAAAAAACSM/zYf6vlPl13o/w320-h183/AIP+Germans+2.jpg" title="Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Armies in Plastic WWI German Infantry - Part II</div>
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As you can see, the AIP figures are not the most detailed -for instance, the faces look a little plain. The poses in some cases do not show enough movement for my taste, or the movement does not 'flow' as is the case with the grenade man on the right. Still, they are good enough if you need to add extra manpower to your unit.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8NQdQ2sttQ/VDAnF0A94VI/AAAAAAAAEsU/_Izzvp35k0Y/s1600/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BGermans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" border="0" height="175" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8NQdQ2sttQ/VDAnF0A94VI/AAAAAAAAEsU/_Izzvp35k0Y/w320-h175/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BGermans.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry - Part I</div>
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Here is a sample of Timpo Swoppets German Infantry figures. A bit hard to find, particularly with helmets and weapons. As you can see, some of the poses are better than others. I personally prefer the three guys in the middle over the two on the sides which are leaning in a bit of an unusual way. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7lWNygVnJk/VMz1sycOp2I/AAAAAAAAE90/GHrBS3vz2Z0/s1600/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BGermans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" border="0" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7lWNygVnJk/VMz1sycOp2I/AAAAAAAAE90/GHrBS3vz2Z0/w320-h237/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BGermans.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry - Part II</div>
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A couple more guys. The only new thing in this picture is the torso of the man throwing the [missing] grenade. The other torso and the two sets of legs were already depicted in the previous picture, but nonetheless, the nice thing about the swoppet system is that you can recombine them to create new poses as is the case with the man on the right. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GywoHCUnn_k/WDJcCQnPfhI/AAAAAAAAFhA/aXIg7M65QvsxZCyTpOIS0zlhGBIGkg6xACLcB/s1600/Timpo%2BSwoppet%2BGermans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GywoHCUnn_k/WDJcCQnPfhI/AAAAAAAAFhA/aXIg7M65QvsxZCyTpOIS0zlhGBIGkg6xACLcB/w320-h220/Timpo%2BSwoppet%2BGermans.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry - Part III</div>
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A more complete grenade thrower and the officer's upper body as a rifleman.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTwVhvscceE/UsdsvZVzT2I/AAAAAAAAEOA/A0Q8VM-WURI/s1600/Timpo+German+Mortar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Mortar Team" border="0" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTwVhvscceE/UsdsvZVzT2I/AAAAAAAAEOA/A0Q8VM-WURI/w320-h215/Timpo+German+Mortar.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Mortar Team" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Mortar</div>
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I am quite happy with the state that this set is in. All parts seem to be there, including helmets, and as you can see, it was a fairly decent set. In addition to the actual mortar and its crew, it also comes with a few extra shells and a detachable bush which can be swapped for another plant of your choice :-). A nice addition to the collection.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJot3fAFI9k/V0D8t-8huAI/AAAAAAAAFbM/DrCDq7WagAYE7BtJJTScQPGiphD8ZHseQCLcB/s1600/Timpo%2BGerman%2BSeries%2B1%2BPart%2BI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1" border="0" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CJot3fAFI9k/V0D8t-8huAI/AAAAAAAAFbM/DrCDq7WagAYE7BtJJTScQPGiphD8ZHseQCLcB/w320-h166/Timpo%2BGerman%2BSeries%2B1%2BPart%2BI.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1 - Part I</div>
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Initially I thought these guys were German paras due to the shape of the helmet. Later I learned that they were the first attempt from Timpo to make German Swoppets. They are basically the same figures as the GIs, but cast in shades of Grey. There are supposed to be 7 of them, and I can actually count 7 distinct torsos and 7 sets of legs, but I don't know which were originally attached to which. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WJ68_-canvQ/V0D8t9Z2_LI/AAAAAAAAFbI/Esk486ATtEMANgGUH6EtVZVCgpexx4b8ACLcB/s1600/Timpo%2BGerman%2BSeries%2B1%2BPart%2BII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1" border="0" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WJ68_-canvQ/V0D8t9Z2_LI/AAAAAAAAFbI/Esk486ATtEMANgGUH6EtVZVCgpexx4b8ACLcB/w320-h153/Timpo%2BGerman%2BSeries%2B1%2BPart%2BII.jpg" title="Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets German Infantry Series 1 - Part II</div>
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As you can see, some of these guys would barely be able to see with those oversized helmets. </div>
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I must admit that I am very happy that they gave it another try at making Germans, as Series 1 was not their best work. And I still think they might be better suited as paras being used as regular infantry.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JswsGglwCy8/UvfwPHndFSI/AAAAAAAAEWA/q6Nvb41p58U/s1600/Speedwell+German+Infantry+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speedwell German Infantry" border="0" height="174" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JswsGglwCy8/UvfwPHndFSI/AAAAAAAAEWA/q6Nvb41p58U/w320-h174/Speedwell+German+Infantry+1.jpg" title="Speedwell German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Speedwell German Infantry - Part I</div>
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These are not quite 54mm. They are at the most 50mm in size. They are very rare and therefore a bit pricey. At the same time, the sculpting is nothing extraordinary. The poses are a bit stiff and the level of detail is not quite there. Also n terms of the color scheme that they came painted in, it is also a bit unusual. Perhaps they could be used as Afrika Korps troopers. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzKNh9776gk/UvfwPFLAKPI/AAAAAAAAEWE/o-isitkjJRk/s1600/Speedwell+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speedwell German Infantry" border="0" height="224" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzKNh9776gk/UvfwPFLAKPI/AAAAAAAAEWE/o-isitkjJRk/w320-h224/Speedwell+German+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Speedwell German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Speedwell German Infantry - Part II</div>
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Here are a few more poses. From what I've heard, I am still missing one additional pose: an officer with a moveable arm holding binoculars Note that these guys have different head gear. The man on the right seems to be wearing a paratrooper helmet. Again, the poses are a bit stiff.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lnY2W49jbo/WDI7CtbZnTI/AAAAAAAAFeg/lFqvW6m0IBgSkzwZxcTsC8BMqb5CDFX5wCLcB/s1600/Speedwell%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BGerman%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speedwell German Infantry" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lnY2W49jbo/WDI7CtbZnTI/AAAAAAAAFeg/lFqvW6m0IBgSkzwZxcTsC8BMqb5CDFX5wCLcB/w304-h320/Speedwell%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BGerman%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Speedwell German Infantry" width="304" /></a></div>
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Speedwell German Infantry - Part III</div>
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Here is the man at the far right of the prior picture, this time in the AK color scheme. I think I like him better like this. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PKE2e0U1zw/WDI7C4o5TfI/AAAAAAAAFek/WT2TkNejz9QHRapi9Q_1kIxJ5jOgJ_7kACLcB/s1600/Speedwell%2BGerman%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BOfficer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speedwell German Infantry" border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PKE2e0U1zw/WDI7C4o5TfI/AAAAAAAAFek/WT2TkNejz9QHRapi9Q_1kIxJ5jOgJ_7kACLcB/w317-h320/Speedwell%2BGerman%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BOfficer.jpg" title="Speedwell German Infantry" width="317" /></a></div>
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Speedwell German Infantry - Part IV</div>
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And here is the commander. Unfortunately, missing an arm. You can tell that it was not resting at the waist as there is no hand left behind, but based on the rest of the body, it could not have been doing something very exciting. Or maybe he was doing the nazi salute and that's why someone chopped it off? </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fi5r-1sEZbE/Uzb4MeXeb7I/AAAAAAAAEeM/4VQEPrZcT70/s1600/Cherilea+German+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cherilea 60mm German Infantry" border="0" height="221" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fi5r-1sEZbE/Uzb4MeXeb7I/AAAAAAAAEeM/4VQEPrZcT70/w320-h221/Cherilea+German+Infantry.jpg" title="Cherilea 60mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cherilea 60mm German Infantry</div>
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These are old Cheriela DAK figures, cast in darker colors to represent regular German Infantry. As you can tell there must have been multiple iterations based on the colors represented. One thing to note is that even if they are cast in darker tones, the laced up boots and the officer's (Rommel?) shorts still give away the fact that they were originally sculpted as Afrika Korps figures. In terms of the sculpting, it is well done in terms of the posing and the level of detail. There are two more poses in the set. One wounded man crawling and another one charging forward.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UseYRSWX5LA/U-ayI4IJo5I/AAAAAAAAEoM/pux25VbWS8o/s1600/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN German Infantry" border="0" height="181" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UseYRSWX5LA/U-ayI4IJo5I/AAAAAAAAEoM/pux25VbWS8o/w320-h181/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+1.jpg" title="DGN German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN German Infantry - Part I</div>
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This is one of the weakest sets. The figures are under scale and the detail is not what it could be. For instance, the shape of the helmets is definitely not the distinctive German style. While they did try to add the ledge at the bottom, it did not turn out quite right. The bipod on the kneeling machine gunner is also quite large and the barrel a bit short. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82IcBSvW3YY/U-ayJHq3hdI/AAAAAAAAEoU/3sRgW0ev97Q/s1600/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN German Infantry" border="0" height="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82IcBSvW3YY/U-ayJHq3hdI/AAAAAAAAEoU/3sRgW0ev97Q/w320-h170/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+2.jpg" title="DGN German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN German Infantry - Part II</div>
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Here you can also see how some of the figures are quite short, particularly the grenade thrower. The mortar man also poses a bit of a challenge when it comes to getting him to stand straight and not fall over.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSGFG8RY1IQ/U-ayJRKR_EI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/vU4XpoflCyg/s1600/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN German Infantry" border="0" height="205" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSGFG8RY1IQ/U-ayJRKR_EI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/vU4XpoflCyg/w320-h205/Armies+of+the+World+Germans+3.jpg" title="DGN German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN German Infantry - Part III</div>
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These are the best poses when it comes to head gear I think. Only the sub mgs are a bit on the larger side. Other than that, these figures are fairly decent. This is another set for which I only have 11 poses.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPladJ_ec44/VKHGIDYmdtI/AAAAAAAAE8U/53LlnS34eDg/s1600/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BApproach%2Bto%2BStalingrad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon German Infantry - Approach to Stalingrad" border="0" height="191" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPladJ_ec44/VKHGIDYmdtI/AAAAAAAAE8U/53LlnS34eDg/w320-h191/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BApproach%2Bto%2BStalingrad.jpg" title="Dragon German Infantry - Approach to Stalingrad" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dragon German Infantry - Approach to Stalingrad</div>
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These are the basic 4 poses. There is a 5th pose with each set which is much harder to find. Seems like they intentionally produced it in smaller quantities to make it a more appealing collectible. As you can see, the figures are very well detailed and the paint work is done quite nicely. I bought these guys as a set of 12 figures which had 3 of each pose. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIHrC7qmc88/VKHGIIZ3KhI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/5zyheJ5jzsw/s1600/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BBarbarossa%2B1941.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon German Infantry - Barbarossa 1941" border="0" height="168" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIHrC7qmc88/VKHGIIZ3KhI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/5zyheJ5jzsw/w320-h168/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BBarbarossa%2B1941.jpg" title="Dragon German Infantry - Barbarossa 1941" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dragon German Infantry - Barbarossa 1941</div>
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The weapons and the bases have to be glued to the figures. As you can see, some of the bases have a slight grade on them and might make the figure seem like it is not standing straight. Also the thickness of the bases is not ideal in my opinion. These guys do not depict much action, but other sets do have poses in fighting poses.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsDAOqFnCsQ/VQRCsI38cLI/AAAAAAAAE_8/v-NyrsnIPjQ/s1600/Dragon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat" border="0" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsDAOqFnCsQ/VQRCsI38cLI/AAAAAAAAE_8/v-NyrsnIPjQ/w320-h188/Dragon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" title="Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat - Part I</div>
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Here's another nice set from Dragon. It is missing one of the basic figures -the man aiming his sub MG from a standing position- as well as the 'special' pose -each set has a pose that is only present about 2% of the time-. I have to say that I really like the detail, the quality of the sculpting and even the paint job. I am still not a big fan of the bulky bases. Will probably replace them at some point. One thing to note though is that the bayonet attached to the waist is a bit brittle. As I was inserting the men to their bases one of them broke off just from me holding the figure a bit tightly.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pSiJDQzcqw/VR_rXIqpIEI/AAAAAAAAFBE/9AuF067Wx3I/s1600/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BWinter%2BCombat%2BFiring%2BSubMG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat" border="0" height="222" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pSiJDQzcqw/VR_rXIqpIEI/AAAAAAAAFBE/9AuF067Wx3I/w320-h222/Dragon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BWinter%2BCombat%2BFiring%2BSubMG.jpg" title="Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dragon German Infantry - Winter Combat - Part II</div>
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I managed to find the fourth guy of the basic poses in the Winter Combat set. Another very well done figure by Dragon. One interesting thing is the lighter color for his leather subMG magazine pouches. It's possible that was done intentionally for cammo purposes. Now I just need some Siberian troops to go against these guys!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhJy6uVm008/VRbZFrT9VaI/AAAAAAAAFAo/SJck-u5uBNg/s1600/Dragon%2BCanDo%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BKrakhov%2B1943.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon German Infantry - Krakhov 1943" border="0" height="195" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhJy6uVm008/VRbZFrT9VaI/AAAAAAAAFAo/SJck-u5uBNg/w320-h195/Dragon%2BCanDo%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BKrakhov%2B1943.jpg" title="Dragon German Infantry - Krakhov 1943" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dragon German Infantry - Krakhov 1943 </div>
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This time I managed to get my hands on all five poses of the set. To my surprise, the fifth 'special', & rare pose is just one of the other poses in a different paint scheme. He is the second one from the left, wearing the cammo smock. Again, as with the other sets from Dragon, the detail is really nice. The poses could use a bit more action, but they are still a notch better than just marching or standing guys. At least these guys have their weapons ready. About the bases, I won't say anything anymore.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZUFLMU9O3o/VlnQYFnBOCI/AAAAAAAAFRA/wiONha484HU/s1600/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" border="0" height="210" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZUFLMU9O3o/VlnQYFnBOCI/AAAAAAAAFRA/wiONha484HU/w320-h210/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" title="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elastolin 70mm German Infantry - Part I</div>
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These are some Elastolin combat/action poses. Note how even though they are supposed to be action poses, many of them tend to be standing fairly straight. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfC450Qih9A/VlnQYbfBSyI/AAAAAAAAFRI/zAwqPopDjmU/s1600/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" border="0" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfC450Qih9A/VlnQYbfBSyI/AAAAAAAAFRI/zAwqPopDjmU/w320-h186/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" title="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elastolin 70mm German Infantry - Part II</div>
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The two guys in the middle are the ones displaying the most movement. Other than the straight bodies, the figures are fairly nice. The fact that they come factory painted/molded in colors is a nice plus. I certainly hope I can get my hands on a few more. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbKdRj_u-oQ/VlnQYTYKnCI/AAAAAAAAFRE/ZTwcAV4k9fo/s1600/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" border="0" height="178" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbKdRj_u-oQ/VlnQYTYKnCI/AAAAAAAAFRE/ZTwcAV4k9fo/w320-h178/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.jpg" title="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elastolin 70mm German Infantry - Part III</div>
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BTW, you can tell that they were sculpted by a different hand than the parade poses as they are a bit thinner. I tried placing the marching guys from this picture next to the Elastolin parade figures and you can certainly tell the difference. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLWJ3qG8EQI/VlnQYwU50BI/AAAAAAAAFRM/yd7zXa0VDPw/s1600/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" border="0" height="158" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GLWJ3qG8EQI/VlnQYwU50BI/AAAAAAAAFRM/yd7zXa0VDPw/w320-h158/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.jpg" title="Elastolin 70mm German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elastolin 70mm German Infantry - Part IV</div>
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The spotter will make a good complement to either the machine gunner or the sniper, as the sniper does not have a scope on his rifle. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ci0pmCHLLw/WDTnkT-SUpI/AAAAAAAAFiA/99kyUibvRlEWouE1s49iQhgbznPYbfaTgCLcB/s1600/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BSwoppet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elastolin Swoppet" border="0" height="243" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ci0pmCHLLw/WDTnkT-SUpI/AAAAAAAAFiA/99kyUibvRlEWouE1s49iQhgbznPYbfaTgCLcB/w320-h243/Elastolin%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BSwoppet.jpg" title="Elastolin Swoppet" width="320" /></a></div>
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Elastolin Swoppet</div>
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I found this guy by chance. I did not know that Elastolin had released a line of swoppet figures. Unfortunately, I don't have his original weapon, but I hope I can find him something that is not too undersized for him among my assortment of 1/32 weaponry. Also, the colors could be better, but compared to other swoppet figures from other manufacturers, they are not any worse. Anyhow, an interesting and unique figure. I hope to run into the rest of his squad at some point. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--c2yZ9DTtTs/VoAtTtDuGhI/AAAAAAAAFR4/ogRAA7hXn1s/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BAssault%2BSection%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section" border="0" height="197" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--c2yZ9DTtTs/VoAtTtDuGhI/AAAAAAAAFR4/ogRAA7hXn1s/w320-h197/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BAssault%2BSection%2B2.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section - Part I</div>
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This assault section contains a good number of automatic weapons. Particularly well suited for the task is the man firing the Sturmgewehr 44. It's also an interesting touch to have a man firing an MG 42 off the hip. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ye-1I_mzWzY/VoAtTg_1kII/AAAAAAAAFR8/WN5SkPJnl7U/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BAssault%2BSection%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section" border="0" height="165" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ye-1I_mzWzY/VoAtTg_1kII/AAAAAAAAFR8/WN5SkPJnl7U/w320-h165/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BAssault%2BSection%2B1.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Assault Section - Part II</div>
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The rest of the section is armed with rifles with fixed bayonets in case the assault runs into close quarter combat. The bayonets are a bit tricky to glue as there's not much contact surface to work with, but with a strong glue, they stay in place just fine. There's an extra bayonet for the man firing, but I chose to leave that one off. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T6VeO1u_NeQ/VoAtTsnCZcI/AAAAAAAAFSA/tyR1rYHAh9I/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BDefense%2BSection%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section" border="0" height="166" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T6VeO1u_NeQ/VoAtTsnCZcI/AAAAAAAAFSA/tyR1rYHAh9I/w320-h166/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BDefense%2BSection%2B1.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section - Part I</div>
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As you might agree, the most interesting pose in this section is the standing machine gunner, particularly because of the tripod. Note also that instead of having the ammo fed by a belt, it has a drum attached to it. A really nice pose. The officer is a variation of the officer in the assault section, with different arms. The man on the left with the assault rifle is also nicely done. The ammo carrier is OK. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VORnJVNKkp8/VoAtT1niJ0I/AAAAAAAAFSE/LXfQa-snfnY/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BDefense%2BSection%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section" border="0" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VORnJVNKkp8/VoAtT1niJ0I/AAAAAAAAFSE/LXfQa-snfnY/w320-h186/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BDefense%2BSection%2B2.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Defense Section - Part II</div>
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As you would expect with a defense section, there are also some guys crouching. Based off the same base body, they have managed to create four poses. The man on the left is actually a sniper. the man on the right has a grenade launcher attached to its rifle. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBxjw5yhkw4/VoAtUP5JfoI/AAAAAAAAFSM/BqQDrtXIEjY/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BHQ%2BSection%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section" border="0" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBxjw5yhkw4/VoAtUP5JfoI/AAAAAAAAFSM/BqQDrtXIEjY/w320-h182/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BHQ%2BSection%2B1.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section - Part I</div>
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The HQ section has a few additional heavy weapons. The panzerschreck team is another well done couple poses. There's also a phone operator, which is based on the same body as the man with the panzerschreck. The man with the assault rifle is a repeat of the one in the defense section.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OcBCLeNd6SU/VoAtUGpd4mI/AAAAAAAAFSQ/2SwSkVEPWhE/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BHQ%2BSection%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section" border="0" height="175" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OcBCLeNd6SU/VoAtUGpd4mI/AAAAAAAAFSQ/2SwSkVEPWhE/w320-h175/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BHQ%2BSection%2B2.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - HQ Section - Part II</div>
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The rest of the section gives us another standing machine gunner (yes!), a panzerpfaust, another sniper, another ammo carrier, and yet another officer, with the same arms as the one from the defense section, which I've posed differently to create some variety.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCHxEbzo-eI/VoAtUQJ0YSI/AAAAAAAAFSU/PFk3vIXvTY8/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCHxEbzo-eI/VoAtUQJ0YSI/AAAAAAAAFSU/PFk3vIXvTY8/s320/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section - Part I</div>
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This section features another superb couple poses operating the machine gun, and the MG itself. You get two of these in the set. You also get two of the crouching poses on the left. Rounding up the set are three men leading the teams. One is the officer shown here. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5majclmEPTc/VoAtUbGUvRI/AAAAAAAAFSY/1E6Yy-1ZG4w/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section" border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5majclmEPTc/VoAtUbGUvRI/AAAAAAAAFSY/1E6Yy-1ZG4w/w320-h192/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B2.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section - Part II</div>
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Then there are also two other officers (NCOs?) wearing helmets and also holding binoculars. </div>
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I posed one with the binoculars at eye level. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNvUH6xUa5k/VoAtUrvivSI/AAAAAAAAFSk/L-SFhStVoLY/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section" border="0" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNvUH6xUa5k/VoAtUrvivSI/AAAAAAAAFSk/L-SFhStVoLY/w320-h203/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMG%2BSection%2B3.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - MG Section - Part III</div>
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The other one I posed with lowered arms. He could be tapping the shoulder of one of the machine gunners or simply signaling to cease fire. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rs4dqYdwu3k/VoAtUkxKorI/AAAAAAAAFSg/CpceGX_jqv0/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" border="0" height="224" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rs4dqYdwu3k/VoAtUkxKorI/AAAAAAAAFSg/CpceGX_jqv0/w320-h224/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B1.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section - Part I</div>
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The mortar section is also very well done. One thing to point out about the mortar teams as well as the machine gunners is that their arms are manufactured very precisely so that they can only be attached in a specific position, which is very helpful so that they line up just the right way, as the left and right arms need to meet in just the right place. Many of the other guys allow you to rotate the arms and pose them at any angle that you wish.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TW_hXe6HFeQ/VoAtU4N42mI/AAAAAAAAFSs/7G48MeeoWyQ/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TW_hXe6HFeQ/VoAtU4N42mI/AAAAAAAAFSs/7G48MeeoWyQ/w320-h225/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B2.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section - Part II</div>
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This set also comes with three different officers/NCOs and just as I did with the MG section, I've posed them slightly differently to create some variety,</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWNpP5UwwwQ/VoAtVJscnGI/AAAAAAAAFSo/pRaEekyBvRI/s1600/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" border="0" height="221" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWNpP5UwwwQ/VoAtVJscnGI/AAAAAAAAFSo/pRaEekyBvRI/w320-h221/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BGermans%2BMortar%2BSection%2B3.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section" width="320" /></a></div>
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Expeditionary Force German Infantry - Mortar Section - Part III</div>
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A frontal view of the mortar, as well as the last officer with binoculars at eye level. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkonTTctt8Y/YAMz1jNH50I/AAAAAAAAF7M/lubtfJzUY9gm3gaIfyGMn-IFWFEioqCtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5041.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkonTTctt8Y/YAMz1jNH50I/AAAAAAAAF7M/lubtfJzUY9gm3gaIfyGMn-IFWFEioqCtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h217/IMG_5041.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are smaller than the first set of Germans, but they are still larger than 'big 1/32' scale. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Each set has 9 figures, and I purchased 2 sets so that I could assemble a greater variety of poses by combining different arms/weapons, heads, and bodies. In this picture I meant to display the figures I assembled with the base body that's stepping forward with the left foot. Only afterwards did I notice that there two base bodies in this picture. The differences are very subtle, mostly in the tunic, and one has a grenade tucked in the belt. I would have preferred to see more noticeable differences in the placement of the feet. Setting that aside, as you can see, I was able to make quite a few poses with them. Sometimes just rotating the head a bit give the figure a different attitude. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nEvJr-GVCC4/YAMz1lWcqWI/AAAAAAAAF7I/i3lB1yUtk1AbX3CgYiwnOri0tHzcQGl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5044.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2048" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nEvJr-GVCC4/YAMz1lWcqWI/AAAAAAAAF7I/i3lB1yUtk1AbX3CgYiwnOri0tHzcQGl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h193/IMG_5044.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These are the poses I was able to assemble with the base body that is stepping forward with the right foot. Again, thanks to the variety in weapons and heads, you can get a good range of fighting poses from a grenade thrower, to a panzerfauster (a late war weapon), a charging man, a firing man, etc. BTW, another sign that these are late war Germans is the absence of jackboots, and also the prevalence of cammo tunics and helmet covers. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmKZh_QuKgQ/YAMz1uTMcuI/AAAAAAAAF7Q/HxHtFUlDmh8YJA2WS0l_Cmq9nPMG_1maACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_5043.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="2048" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmKZh_QuKgQ/YAMz1uTMcuI/AAAAAAAAF7Q/HxHtFUlDmh8YJA2WS0l_Cmq9nPMG_1maACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h190/IMG_5043.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Late War German Infantry - Part III</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These last batch is also stepping forward with the left foot. The two on the right side of the picture are using the same base body as as the first batch. The 4 on the left are using the last type of base body, which has the back foot pointing forward instead of sideways. Again, a more pronounced difference in the base body would have been preferred. The set came without one of the heads, so for now the guy on the far left is headless. Expeditionary Force will be shipping it to me with my next order. All in all, I like the set's range of arms/weapons and heads, but the base bodies could have been a bit more interesting and diverse. </div></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zt4oI4w4oz0/Vq1KHijBcqI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/WNHiX5O-slQ/s1600/Forces%2Bof%2BValor%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor German Winter Troops" border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zt4oI4w4oz0/Vq1KHijBcqI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/WNHiX5O-slQ/w320-h172/Forces%2Bof%2BValor%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" title="Forces of Valor German Winter Troops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor German Winter Troops</div>
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These guys actually came as 'accessories' for the tanks. They were not released as a figure set. Because they were meant to ride/fight from a tank, I had to customize a couple of them. for instance, the man on the right, would be sitting on a tank, but I made him sit on a box handing out panzerpfausts. The man on the left was supposed to be standing on the tank firing a machinegun, so I made him stand on a box, and fire a panzerschreck. Overall, a nice set of figures, with a nice degree of action in them. I will have to paint a few more Germans with winter outfits to complement them. I will also add bases to the other two to make them more stable. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hhd-0IBFon0/XmVLC8IBOpI/AAAAAAAAFvU/bYzTYRmHZ58jnHS-fFrtKJ-8eYTyWxffQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hhd-0IBFon0/XmVLC8IBOpI/AAAAAAAAFvU/bYzTYRmHZ58jnHS-fFrtKJ-8eYTyWxffQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h160/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" title="Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)</div>
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This is another good set. A nice set of poses, with authentic looking winter gear. Maybe one less kneeling pose, in exchange for a prone guy would have been a good call, but still a nice set for which there were not many options previously. The only other figures that I recall, which would go well with these are the four 1/35 Dragon Can.Do German winter combat troops and the four miscellaneous German winter troops which came with some of the FOV vehicles shown above. So these will augment that squad nicely. Fortunately, the size of these 1/32 figures is not too big, so they will all blend well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWyOc9LEyfM/YLUyM4k1S9I/AAAAAAAAF_Q/0jR7uFL3m4oJdLmg1k8jXuCxZAm8XnwJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BNight%2BHunters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Night Hunters" border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWyOc9LEyfM/YLUyM4k1S9I/AAAAAAAAF_Q/0jR7uFL3m4oJdLmg1k8jXuCxZAm8XnwJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h188/Mars%2BGerman%2BNight%2BHunters.jpg" title="Mars German Night Hunters" width="320" /></a></div>Mars German Night Hunters</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a very unique set. First of its kind as far as I am aware of. Before Mars made it, I wasn't even aware that the German military had fielded such 'Nachtjäger' units. What makes them special is that they were equipped with infrared lights that enabled them to 'see' the enemy in the dark. A huge advantage at the time. The equipment was a bit bulky due to the batteries that it required and had to be carried as a backpack. Not all the figures are equipped this way, which allows you to mix some of these guys with other regular 'daylight fighting' units. My only criticism about this set is that some figures have their arms tucked in so closely to their bodies that it distorts their size. I understand that the sculptor is trying to account for the challenges involved in manufacturing, by trying to eliminate the empty space between the arms and the body so that the figures can be released from the mold, but in some cases it really impacts the pose, like the guy in the middle of the picture. Even so, another nice and special set from Mars. Keep them coming!<br /></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys look like they are going through a rough winter, but at least they have coats. The officer is definitely not freezing. The details like the scarf wrapped around the head, and the helmets wrapped in white sheets give these figures a very authentic winter fighting look. Particularly nice in this set is the two man team operating what appears to be an MG 34. Very well done. Probably the best German winter troops that have been made. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZZALGJvgA/X8HKON5XMtI/AAAAAAAAFz0/PSmLJxadR2UF5CghxrnTx1V8C2MUSlVCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BStalingrad.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZZALGJvgA/X8HKON5XMtI/AAAAAAAAFz0/PSmLJxadR2UF5CghxrnTx1V8C2MUSlVCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BStalingrad.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As is customary, Plastic Platoon has treated us to another beautiful set. And while German Infantry is a set that has been made many times before, I love to have them in a set of this level of quality and detail, and in fact, I wish there were more poses to go with them. You can tell that these guys are still in the early stages of the Stalingrad campaign, at the end of summer when it still made sense to roll up your sleeves while fighting. As far as the type of poses, other than the wounded guy who is having to defend himself, the other guys do not seem to be under much pressure. Another clue that this was still early in the campaign, before things got bad for them. The highlight of this set is probably the mortar team. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V78T7Zw_Fbs/YKE6B-WVJFI/AAAAAAAAF9g/CAG2xSnZzZQza4mp0nM2en20HjoxcZmWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="2048" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V78T7Zw_Fbs/YKE6B-WVJFI/AAAAAAAAF9g/CAG2xSnZzZQza4mp0nM2en20HjoxcZmWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h205/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's another nice set from Plastic Platoon depicting German snipers as well as some of the German men who would be likely targets of the opposing Soviet snipers. The poses are highly reminiscent of the characters in the movie Enemy at the Gates, where you see Vasily Zaitsev and his fellow snipers take out German soldiers doing things like laying down phone cable, going on a food run, or the officer taking a shower... The set also contains a military policeman, which is might be a first in my collection. The sculpting and detail on the figures is exquisite, as usual. The equipment on the back of the soldiers is quite elaborate, and I also like how the officer has been sculpted a bit overweight, hinting at the inequities in the distribution of supplies, particularly at this time of the Stalingrad siege. The wrapping on the seated sniper's rifle is also very well done. All in all a great set to complement the ones that came before. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwSvIBvrl74/X_JA6ho7BEI/AAAAAAAAF6I/2gxIkfp16ocWAILtb36W7hpRUFXJLtfngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="2048" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwSvIBvrl74/X_JA6ho7BEI/AAAAAAAAF6I/2gxIkfp16ocWAILtb36W7hpRUFXJLtfngCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h210/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Given that I like my figures to be in action/fighting poses, the figures I selected do not include any guys standing guard or just walking. This first set are guys running into battle. Note that the range of weapons represented is quite nice. I really like the guy carrying the panzerschreck rockets on his back, and also the guy carrying the panzerschreck itself. One thing I should have noticed is that most of these guys seem to be running with the right foot forward. I should have taken advantage of the ability to mirror the figures to get some more stepping forward with the left foot. Also interesting is the guy who seems to have just taken a bullet and is crumpling down. Not a big fan of casualty poses given their limited use, but this one can still be part of a charging unit, which is why I ordered it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzDCUBZsDtU/X_JA6jbpU_I/AAAAAAAAF6A/cgEv2HOFPNwK9BJHwkd1TrpJKbvFWT8xACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2048" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzDCUBZsDtU/X_JA6jbpU_I/AAAAAAAAF6A/cgEv2HOFPNwK9BJHwkd1TrpJKbvFWT8xACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h220/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's another batch of men advancing. Only one guy is running forward -again, leading with the right foot. The rest are being a bit more cautious. I should also add that once these figures are painted, they look really nice. I have not painted any myself, but a FB buddy -Emil- has and the color brings out a lot of the details that otherwise fades a bit in the plain resin finish. Speira mentioned that even just priming them will do a lot to bring out the details. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMbD8MhKftw/X_JA6vAzufI/AAAAAAAAF6E/GPZUSTLT2UY1rOI1HStHvjO1PaqIA4bPACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="2048" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMbD8MhKftw/X_JA6vAzufI/AAAAAAAAF6E/GPZUSTLT2UY1rOI1HStHvjO1PaqIA4bPACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h218/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part III</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This batch is mostly firing from a standing position, plus the ammo handler for the panzerschreck. One thing that caught me a bit by surprise is that the machine gunner seems to be firing at a low angle. I suppose he could be used on top of a Normandy beach bluff, firing down on the D-Day landings, or on the second level of a Berlin building trying to hold back the Soviets. In general I prefer my firing poses to shoot at the same level that they stand as that is less limiting, but we'll find a good firing location for this guy. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE_ETRiVFNc/X_JA7FBgzoI/AAAAAAAAF6M/1kp01G7lPr4FMhd6gObNb_CkKyuYNyEEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE_ETRiVFNc/X_JA7FBgzoI/AAAAAAAAF6M/1kp01G7lPr4FMhd6gObNb_CkKyuYNyEEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h230/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part IV</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This last batch are my crouching poses. Good for defensive actions, where it's better to take cover and/or make yourself a smaller target. I find the grenade thrower a bit interesting. Most grenade men, are usually in the throwing position, but it makes sense that before throwing, they ought to spend some time contemplating what would be the most effective way to throw it, or simply waiting for a gap in the opposing fire to make their move. There are two other poses that I like here because they are not fully kneeling. I can see how these guys might be switching between standing/firing and crouching, or maybe they simply want to maintain a small profile while they fire on the go. All in all, a very nice batch of figures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KIyb-34qMY/YaEy3OFJZgI/AAAAAAAAGDs/ZUvhFKRT0H4m1nDZzBWwGOVQyGE1hfdAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="2048" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KIyb-34qMY/YaEy3OFJZgI/AAAAAAAAGDs/ZUvhFKRT0H4m1nDZzBWwGOVQyGE1hfdAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h206/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part V</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A few more German Infantry figures to supplement the platoon. Most notable here are the mortar team and the rifle grenade man. The prone machine gunner is also handy, although a pose that is easier to come by in other sets. And then there's the guy advancing with the MG at the waist. That one is a more unique pose. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-InkPKZoAYWU/YaEy248nlLI/AAAAAAAAGDk/TkU6xMW9B_Y630482OHnRifr-Ovwh6rPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2048" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-InkPKZoAYWU/YaEy248nlLI/AAAAAAAAGDk/TkU6xMW9B_Y630482OHnRifr-Ovwh6rPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h219/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part VI</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And a few more heavy weapons. The MG team just needs some sandbags or a short wall to make it all work well together. The rest of the squad is ready to lend some support to their flame thrower buddy as he sets off on his mission. What's interesting about this batch is that all of them are wearing late war puttees, except for the flamethrower guy who is wearing some very nice leather boots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnRCzOPuYXCsb4Q8a07mFszNVbBvyUUm03aGlRiQfO8jOsxqGJ1oltJA7AJ3t4PO0fYjpDwyCSsQfczo_EMWOR2CTydbZvZVTcQDgIPbnMgSEqgh7hGVOyO7JALd8_VkcWfel214Jyj63-NkUL3WSpTv2UHUrYqCPVysiPjBHEtLB8FZXwJpVL6FPlJA=s1618" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Infantry Officer" border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1618" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnRCzOPuYXCsb4Q8a07mFszNVbBvyUUm03aGlRiQfO8jOsxqGJ1oltJA7AJ3t4PO0fYjpDwyCSsQfczo_EMWOR2CTydbZvZVTcQDgIPbnMgSEqgh7hGVOyO7JALd8_VkcWfel214Jyj63-NkUL3WSpTv2UHUrYqCPVysiPjBHEtLB8FZXwJpVL6FPlJA=w320-h211" title="Hanomak German Infantry Officer" width="320" /></a></div>Hanomak German Infantry Officer<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Hanomak has produced a few extra figures that you can purchase separately. This is a German officer who is surrendering. H is nicely detailed, wearing gloves, spectacles, and his briefcase is lying at his feet. Note that he is also wearing a Y-harness, typically worn by the infantry men to attach and carry their kit/gear. So maybe this guy was a frontline officer, but he looks a bit too polished to me. More like a staff officer who would hang out at the rear, where he would not need to carry around a kit. What do you think? There are three other individual poses that I did not buy. All of them are German casualty figures (one of them a Mountain Troop), lying flat on the ground, too neatly for how you would expect a body to fall, so I took a pass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSK4doHKurGKjrYJGOTuqqo9c14oN3kmMoDWEjLEWfxpw0Zee3XLy3pMEiD4vqdI1xZHAFjwx5x3bvZJ5X4Hp6zp80HMPENjZ_iAGJ_cpE9sFjnxnD-w47hlTqBRVtedj0CK6Tasn5KRFss7yQvuAv2YZx-kws6s5y1Y0PpLsgPCJ4pWQqp-7k296kw/s2962/IMG-8964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Penal Battalion" border="0" data-original-height="1709" data-original-width="2962" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSK4doHKurGKjrYJGOTuqqo9c14oN3kmMoDWEjLEWfxpw0Zee3XLy3pMEiD4vqdI1xZHAFjwx5x3bvZJ5X4Hp6zp80HMPENjZ_iAGJ_cpE9sFjnxnD-w47hlTqBRVtedj0CK6Tasn5KRFss7yQvuAv2YZx-kws6s5y1Y0PpLsgPCJ4pWQqp-7k296kw/w320-h185/IMG-8964.jpg" title="Hanomak German Penal Battalion" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak German Penal Battalion</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak's interpretation of a penal battalion seems to be one in which troops would be heavily engaged in hand-to-hand combat. As you can see, several of these guys are fighting with knives and one of them is even wielding a wrench. I do find it odd though that one of them would be carrying his knapsack at that time. My favorite man in this set is the machine gunner, although we'll need to find the right wall/foxhole/sandbag position to place him so that he can rest the MG. The other two figures are not my favorite ones. The officer's pose and his attitude do not match that of the other figures. You'd expect that if the men are engaged in heavy fighting, the officer would be directing the action and most likely also participating in the fighting. And then there's the casualty figure. I've never been a big fan of those guys. I'd much rather get another action pose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q-cWmsUBYIUtf0tIadq38a-fjUlW_IFaw2dDt95Rbgk8JQPginUhQHQRCXbKXIO-ScrB8xDn2NMn2XfEqnCPz5EYbHWtKD3KS29VS8d7bcvesN8uTMDZmRPJcE8Mfcey-dmI0HilM6mA8mW32eiE14hmZzl5VhcXOnXhqQ6lWz7yWodu73Iwth-LZg/s1669/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Summer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1669" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q-cWmsUBYIUtf0tIadq38a-fjUlW_IFaw2dDt95Rbgk8JQPginUhQHQRCXbKXIO-ScrB8xDn2NMn2XfEqnCPz5EYbHWtKD3KS29VS8d7bcvesN8uTMDZmRPJcE8Mfcey-dmI0HilM6mA8mW32eiE14hmZzl5VhcXOnXhqQ6lWz7yWodu73Iwth-LZg/w320-h190/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Summer.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This set represents a Goliath and its crew. The Goliath was essentially a tracked, mobile mine that could be operated remotely. Plastic Platoon came up with a set that contains two such crews. This is the one with summer/non-winter uniforms. As far as I recall, only Revell had produced a Goliath with one operator as part of its set of combat engineers. The figures are nicely done as usual and the officer is done in such a way that he could easily be deployed in other missions without the Goliath. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqWjCI8AlXc6piMI8TojEkfBwQ954ck3XH3R2egqJ-8sfzInW4FNvp639FA_Tkqr-DKhj8RiAvlo-qpe5pZR7dVxLuMadV8cFBtLY0dWd3K85pDrQL4m6QyKs4tG71tVYPFq3jmMtai0i75IOicfaHVftDoPt47gSyjrxed-ofyhOXB3gXc1xda1oaA/s1318/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Winter%20b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1318" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqWjCI8AlXc6piMI8TojEkfBwQ954ck3XH3R2egqJ-8sfzInW4FNvp639FA_Tkqr-DKhj8RiAvlo-qpe5pZR7dVxLuMadV8cFBtLY0dWd3K85pDrQL4m6QyKs4tG71tVYPFq3jmMtai0i75IOicfaHVftDoPt47gSyjrxed-ofyhOXB3gXc1xda1oaA/w320-h219/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Winter%20b.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the second half of the set. The main difference is that the crew is wearing long coats. Similarly to the summer crew, the officer, who seems to be intensely engaged, could be easily deployed to coordinate other missions. The Goliath itself comes in four pieces that can be snapped together relatively easily. I suppose that if you want you can glue them together, but in my case that was not necessary. All in all this set scores high both on uniqueness and sculpting detail. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunsbh7rEkNX6MljrVzdjQDpKwzQbc5NvdEiwipF-ZZMahQInGWhw5zFZHgyzt5RxIf6wGv0IKA1VhfD-HjwK_RB2Mjlp_bmYqP-gqwcTUuBbFR-tOYqSInoiW7T_INvDGo-t_pvd60h0-kZjD6VAbv9MZkqQPFoszZqeOHtv4Z-3Zc_pDzqOvgwp7Fg/s1394/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Summer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1394" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunsbh7rEkNX6MljrVzdjQDpKwzQbc5NvdEiwipF-ZZMahQInGWhw5zFZHgyzt5RxIf6wGv0IKA1VhfD-HjwK_RB2Mjlp_bmYqP-gqwcTUuBbFR-tOYqSInoiW7T_INvDGo-t_pvd60h0-kZjD6VAbv9MZkqQPFoszZqeOHtv4Z-3Zc_pDzqOvgwp7Fg/w320-h237/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Summer.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are half of the MG set. Similarly to the Goliath set, one crew is wearing summer uniforms and the other one is dressed up for the winter. Besides that, the MGs are also a bit different, at least the bases. For instance, this base contains some urban rubble, including a metal beam, which makes it well suited for a setting such as Stalingrad. Some will like this level of detail, but others will likely think that this constrains the set unnecessarily to a specific setting. In my case, I do have a few buildings like that, so they will fit just fine once they are painted. As usual, the figures are very nicely detailed, so this is a MG team that is worth incorporating into my army.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLWzIBhE_tg4_7s_a2OKzPYHpQYJzVTbAUDtB4V3v1mtGniq2JeQ9IjxB58BCIrvbvJvAFcKZAl9wdPt5alR6VH50t9MgyCFu_DlYeQeK-pMSq7r27MS-mzR93kJeH16eaS_CMHHdFLce0ujkZjdPdpnqGq3hTH0KBqyYsZhOzBUq0l8yw6mpQEZ7w/s862/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Winter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="862" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLWzIBhE_tg4_7s_a2OKzPYHpQYJzVTbAUDtB4V3v1mtGniq2JeQ9IjxB58BCIrvbvJvAFcKZAl9wdPt5alR6VH50t9MgyCFu_DlYeQeK-pMSq7r27MS-mzR93kJeH16eaS_CMHHdFLce0ujkZjdPdpnqGq3hTH0KBqyYsZhOzBUq0l8yw6mpQEZ7w/w320-h224/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Winter.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The other MG team is bundled up for winter operations. In addition to the long coats, you can tell that they are wearing other layers underneath. A nice detail is the cloth cover (typically white) on the man firing the gun. Another nice detail is the fact that you can see his corporal insignia on the sleeve of his coat. Lastly, another detail that sets Plastic Platoon's sculpting apart is how he also has the collar of his coat turned up for a bit of extra protection against the wind. A great addition to my unit of German winter troops!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD_ZoxeXzopxrTYRwIfHe6WNihlZ6g9Z47iwaY9eK4-dYXRPbbK7TDGu4rduHaPzB4R7hasnzSJt856wO8hCutcz-s6qFfZXmkAdrQNMqnDuDQmb2UJRA1xpUbPjSwQtiKM-Hx9JyFbT-YcIy-pdLDSa3sXH2HbGd5fNtfJhffFtHNyJKKSmbHByGLw/s2561/Mars%20German%20Tank%20Hunters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Tank Hunters" border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="2561" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD_ZoxeXzopxrTYRwIfHe6WNihlZ6g9Z47iwaY9eK4-dYXRPbbK7TDGu4rduHaPzB4R7hasnzSJt856wO8hCutcz-s6qFfZXmkAdrQNMqnDuDQmb2UJRA1xpUbPjSwQtiKM-Hx9JyFbT-YcIy-pdLDSa3sXH2HbGd5fNtfJhffFtHNyJKKSmbHByGLw/w320-h190/Mars%20German%20Tank%20Hunters.jpg" title="Mars German Tank Hunters" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars German Tank Hunters</div>This is a highly specialized set focused on infantry anti-tank tactics. It comes with a nice variety of weapons, including land mines, panzerschrecks (with and without shield), a panzerpfaust, a panzerknacker (hollow charge), and even an improvised bundle of potato mashers. The one weapon that is missing is the anti-tank rifle (panzerb<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">ü</span>chse), probably because it fell out of favor by mid-war as armor thickness increased. But still it might have been a good thing to have one instead of three panzerschrecks. I actually don't know if these guys would have been deployed as an independent unit or if they are simply a set meant to represent the range of options used for this purpose. I think I will sprinkle them across my other German infantry units rather than have them all as one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s04dnbQYrermc8MPOLX1Gw0BN5jb1PiDE0s04wksqXvUVs1XCN3AlG88cozz-yHixwcQhBQ6Hf8GHkk2ZXjZKglUqdk2fmaIA88xBNL0i829_T8WSMFGUt7AvqbIbFfX-o2aquuw1sf0PAfjl4bvCIXJWDJ3Nixdwu_4_NYafyNvbfytw03XXCKMrg/s1601/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1601" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s04dnbQYrermc8MPOLX1Gw0BN5jb1PiDE0s04wksqXvUVs1XCN3AlG88cozz-yHixwcQhBQ6Hf8GHkk2ZXjZKglUqdk2fmaIA88xBNL0i829_T8WSMFGUt7AvqbIbFfX-o2aquuw1sf0PAfjl4bvCIXJWDJ3Nixdwu_4_NYafyNvbfytw03XXCKMrg/w320-h213/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I got these guys mostly because of their outfits. I like how they are all bundled up for the cold weather of the eastern front (or maybe they are part of the Ardennes offensive?). I also like how there a some guys who are taller/shorter than the others, as it happens in real life. But I wasn't thrilled about the fact that most of them are simply walking or standing around. Other than the poses, the sculpting is fairly nice, well proportioned, with good level of detail -look at those folds in the clothing, the scarves around their heads, and the leather of the boots. These guys are also in Big 1/32 scale, which makes them feel pretty solid.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3bIwwippHkkB280y3hG74HbllpAfwPRNje3n8RN7HuLbwLPLOxN2nO_wJAQBopivO5TJpHr10HyeI3VXTSuOOW5VUvdsR9i1wWavfxg985CrFba9g2eQw0UHfVQUk1dxBplIB-4Dd6wwI1O7pnOycoL2YxBnIEJaXLMVkaYQMZmHm7SLeP-6JA0rsg/s1458/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1458" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3bIwwippHkkB280y3hG74HbllpAfwPRNje3n8RN7HuLbwLPLOxN2nO_wJAQBopivO5TJpHr10HyeI3VXTSuOOW5VUvdsR9i1wWavfxg985CrFba9g2eQw0UHfVQUk1dxBplIB-4Dd6wwI1O7pnOycoL2YxBnIEJaXLMVkaYQMZmHm7SLeP-6JA0rsg/w320-h227/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The mix of weaponry across the 10 figures is also adequate. There are a couple of heavy MGs, 3 subMGs, one officer with a pistol, and three rifle men. And then you also have a bit of variety in the head gear, with couple of them wearing caps instead of helmets, or some of them wearing the cap under their hood of their jacket, and many of them wearing heavy mittens - I guess you had to take those off to be able to pull the trigger. The best pose of them all is the guy on the far right who is charging forward while getting ready to fire his subMG. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/s3295/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="3295" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/w320-h162/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And speaking of German winter troops, Plastic Platoon has recently come up with this really nice set! The level of detail on these figures is exquisite. You can even see the fleece lining on the hood of the coats, and you can make out the helmets' insignia. The uniforms are all very authentic, the thickness of the figures is consistent with all the layers of clothing they are wearing, and the captured subMG is a nice touch. The most interesting pieces in this set are the two guys making up the MG team. The reason for that is that the MG itself, along with the hands of the man firing have been sculpted attached to the man where the MG is resting. This means that when you assemble them together, you really need to make sure they line up perfectly. Luckily they do. The other implication is that you can never deploy them separately, unless you took the time to perform some delicate conversions. Another great set from Plastic Platoon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s3177/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="3177" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a good follow up complement to the previous set. The winter gear is just right. I really like the details like the sheepskin on the inside of some of the coats, or the cloth wrapped around their heads. Another interesting detail is the guy wearing the cap with the ear flaps. Initially I couldn't tell if that was a German or a Soviet cap, but upon closer inspection I realized that it has a German eagle insignia on the front. In terms of poses, I usually prefer fighting poses over wounded guys, but in this case, since these are part of the second set, I am OK with this wounded pose, particularly because it goes well with the medic moving towards him with the bag. Interestingly enough, the medic is holding a pistol just in case. The pose I like the most is the man exchanging the magazine. We don't get many of these, so it is a nice touch. The two other guys, are just good, solid firing poses. Overall a nice set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see a post of the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/german-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German company in action.</span></a></div>
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Here are some pictures of <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-paratroops-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Paratroops in action.</span></a></div>
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Here you can see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Waffen SS in action.</span></a></div>
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</div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-76364318100270985612024-02-18T12:28:00.002-05:002024-02-25T20:52:06.088-05:00Plastic Platoon - Toy Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added German and Soviet Troops from Kursk, German Volkssturm and German Infantry from Battle of Berlin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Plastic Platoon is a relatively recent entrant into the 1/32 Plastic Toy Soldier world. Founded by Mikhail Glikin, a fellow toy soldier collector and enthusiast, they are based out of St Petersburg in Russia. Their first sets came out around late 2017/early 2018, and were focused on the Vietnam War. In 2019, to my good fortune, they expanded their range to cover WWII and since then they have added other topics and periods, such as pirates, US revolutionary war (American &British), US Cavalry, Indians, and I am sure there will be more to come. From the beginning they came out swinging, setting a new standard for realism and creativity in their sculpting. When I first saw their figures I experienced the same level of excitement and enthusiasm as when I first held my first Conte soldiers, and more recently my first Publius figures. They are truly detailed and historically accurate. The only thing not to like about their figures is that they are pricey, at about $50-$60 a set, and with the pandemic, they only got more expensive. Apparently that's because their molds can only produce 25 sets before they have to be replaced in order to maintain the level of detail and quality, which is also why they only release limited runs of about 300 sets. <span style="text-align: center;">I just wish my budget would allow me to get more of them, or that they could get their molds to last longer so that they could lower the price point. Even so, I am very happy that they have joined the hobby and I truly look forward to all the amazing sets that they have yet to conceive of and produce. Without further ado, let's take a look at what they have produced so far regarding WWII!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uTA6z8cPgw/XfWAqvEVvpI/AAAAAAAAFsk/XXS3BOGueC8X0xPFkINwpHPUOHyNEhX0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1" border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uTA6z8cPgw/XfWAqvEVvpI/AAAAAAAAFsk/XXS3BOGueC8X0xPFkINwpHPUOHyNEhX0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h215/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B1.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1</div>
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Plastic Platoon brings sculpting and action poses to a new level. Their German Paras are supposed to represent the early war troops which were dropped on Crete, and are for sure my favorite German Paras. You can tell that they were just dropped on the island because most of them are still wearing their knee pads, and at least one of them is still wearing his harness. Can't say enough about the level of realism of these figures. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CeCQaG2MzI/XfWAqv9g1YI/AAAAAAAAFso/M9nvR0z8M60x9sZuMEYmir3FlC-Ratp6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2" border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CeCQaG2MzI/XfWAqv9g1YI/AAAAAAAAFso/M9nvR0z8M60x9sZuMEYmir3FlC-Ratp6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h223/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B2.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2</div>
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Here are another six poses released as part of a second set, also representing the Paras involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete. What's most interesting for me is that several of them are wearing same life jacket worn by the Luftwaffe pilots. It took me a bit of research to figure out what I was looking at, but you can actually find photographs depicting men in this outfit. It makes sense when you think about the fact that they were flown to jump into an island, so if the plane was shot down or, if they were blown out to see during the landing, a Schwimmweste would have come in handy. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKaSwBPCWPM/XfWArx5CHvI/AAAAAAAAFss/zIpSBgKnRp8YGAhQB92rmJ2TLLTTHMqPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3" border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKaSwBPCWPM/XfWArx5CHvI/AAAAAAAAFss/zIpSBgKnRp8YGAhQB92rmJ2TLLTTHMqPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h225/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B3.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3</div>
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This third set was a bit unusual. We got two more Paratroopers, three drop containers, and one Greek Partisan. I suppose this is useful and original, but if you ask me, I would have preferred if it had come with more German figures and the containers were extras or could be purchased separately. Also, I am not a big fan of figures that are so coupled together that you can't deploy one of them in a separate situation. What's interesting about this set is that one of the figures can grasp the handle of one of the containers so that it looks like he is pulling it. Also the level of detail, even on the containers is very nice. Each container is labeled with a different letter or symbol, and the contents are rich and diverse.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIzgkRcH4So/XfaG0Lom7CI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/Mlh-5vBTHSwuEA70LBNH_8aXDDoGkXOvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BBritish%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon British Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIzgkRcH4So/XfaG0Lom7CI/AAAAAAAAFtQ/Mlh-5vBTHSwuEA70LBNH_8aXDDoGkXOvACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h194/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BBritish%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon British Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon British Infantry</div>
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This set is meant to represent the British defenders of Crete who fought against the German Paras. Again, characteristically well made, with lots of action and intensity. You can tell that these guys were involved in close quarters fighting. Worth highlighting is who I think might the the Sarge, holding a pistol on one hand, and brass knuckles on the other. A feisty bunch to come up against, although as we know, they were eventually subdued, although at no small cost, which is one of the reasons why German Fallschirmjaegger were no longer used in drops after that. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVFSJYRIGGg/XfaGxQ9OqnI/AAAAAAAAFtI/4-e7hD5GZikXRV1nq1rQqkHg9cQLLYVAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Greek Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yVFSJYRIGGg/XfaGxQ9OqnI/AAAAAAAAFtI/4-e7hD5GZikXRV1nq1rQqkHg9cQLLYVAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h226/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Greek Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon Greek Infantry</div>
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I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this set. It was great that they chose to make Greek troops, which until now, had not been paid attention to in the hobby. But it would have been good if they had made at least eight poses or so. Instead, PP chose to release three other figures representing Greek Partisans to round up the set. That essentially gave us too little of both. As far as the three Greek infantry figures go, they are well made and I do like that one of them conveys the emotion that must have overcome them as an army of Paratroopers suddenly dropped on them.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2rWMHvjnJM/XfaGy7vcx_I/AAAAAAAAFtM/L3dcNhmkEtIw-kF6P13qzvZ3b_lv0hyWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BPartisans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans" border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2rWMHvjnJM/XfaGy7vcx_I/AAAAAAAAFtM/L3dcNhmkEtIw-kF6P13qzvZ3b_lv0hyWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h215/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BPartisans.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans</div>
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This is the second half of the set. Plus the partisan figure of set 3 of the German Paras. I just put him next to his comrades in the picture so that you can see how it fits with them. What's nice about these figures is to see the men in their local garb. I don't know if that's what they would have worn going to battle, but it certainly makes them look more authentic. There's also a partisan woman. She is dressed in more 'modern' clothes of that time. Interesting to see that these guys seem more determined to fight than the Greek infantry figures, although it stands to reason that these guys lived on the island and the Greek troops were most likely sent there from other parts of Greece to defend it. That would certainly influence their level of resolve.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vAAE6tDjqcc/X8HKO0tHkRI/AAAAAAAAF0A/UIG-AV1lGT8PHau-XZc-_ny5aHrxIzlrACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="2048" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vAAE6tDjqcc/X8HKO0tHkRI/AAAAAAAAF0A/UIG-AV1lGT8PHau-XZc-_ny5aHrxIzlrACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h189/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another superb set from Plastic Platoon. The details on the figures is exquisite. Worthy of note is the carriage for the Maxim machine gun that one of the men is transporting on his back. It is simply amazing. Note also how the man is also carrying the front shield for the gun on his left hand. And the gun itself, carried by the officer is also quite nice. The other figures are also very well done. One of them carrying a capture German submg. The only thing not to like about them is that the plastic is very soft and the bayonete of the man on the right is simply impossible to straighten, even with the tried and tested hot/cold water technique. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvDtPprLtck/X8HKPITXlMI/AAAAAAAAF0E/JSFZswGBg6kEZezgltOfR7u5vh1NzEZWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2048" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvDtPprLtck/X8HKPITXlMI/AAAAAAAAF0E/JSFZswGBg6kEZezgltOfR7u5vh1NzEZWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h193/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A great set depicting the intensity of close quarter combat happening in an urban theater. These naval infantry figures would be equally at home in Stalingrad or Sevastopol, and they will be a great complement to Publius' and Pegasus' naval infantry troops. Again, the plastic is a bit soft, and that makes the tips of the weapons point in odd directions, but other than that, the sculpting -level of detail and action- on these figures is exceptional. I can't wait to see how realistic they look with some paint on them!</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys look like they are going through a rough winter, but at least they have coats. The officer is definitely not freezing. The details like the scarf wrapped around the head, and the helmets wrapped in white sheets give these figures a very authentic winter fighting look. Particularly nice in this set is the two man team operating what appears to be an MG 34. Very well done. Probably the best German winter troops that have been made. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLYXULlaxUk/X8HKN5pRf_I/AAAAAAAAFzw/uo9ACyzYtKQIFN7tK95-F2GH9Raas850ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroopers - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2048" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLYXULlaxUk/X8HKN5pRf_I/AAAAAAAAFzw/uo9ACyzYtKQIFN7tK95-F2GH9Raas850ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h195/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroopers - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Paratroopers - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys not only get points for being well done, but they also deserve extra credit for uniqueness. I don't think anybody had made German Paras in a winter setting. I am glad that we got some poses in this set that are better suited for close quarter combat, as the other Leningrad Soviets needed some opponents to fight in the rubble of those buildings. The desperation and urgency displayed by the guy who is using his helmet to balance the fight is palpable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j8vPd2csXw/X8HKOb8PvNI/AAAAAAAAFz8/kUF3NC511iMzmQWLox4nHU247wHEtGX8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BAssault%2BTroops.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Assault Troops - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="2048" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j8vPd2csXw/X8HKOb8PvNI/AAAAAAAAFz8/kUF3NC511iMzmQWLox4nHU247wHEtGX8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h196/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BAssault%2BTroops.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Assault Troops - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Assault Troops - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another beautiful set from Plastic Platoon. I love how well you can see the dents on the body armor of these guys. Of course, a good range of fighting poses, and weaponry represented, including a flamethrower, a grenade launcher, a Degtyerev DP light MG, and of course, the popular PPSh-41 subMG. All of them sculpted with extreme detail. The poses are also versatile enough to be used in a variety of urban warfare actions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZZALGJvgA/X8HKON5XMtI/AAAAAAAAFz0/PSmLJxadR2UF5CghxrnTx1V8C2MUSlVCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BStalingrad.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rAZZALGJvgA/X8HKON5XMtI/AAAAAAAAFz0/PSmLJxadR2UF5CghxrnTx1V8C2MUSlVCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2BStalingrad.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As is customary, Plastic Platoon has treated us to another beautiful set. And while German Infantry is a set that has been made many times before, I love to have them in a set of this level of quality and detail, and in fact, I wish there were more poses to go with them. You can tell that these guys are still in the early stages of the Stalingrad campaign, at the end of summer when it still made sense to roll up your sleeves while fighting. As far as the type of poses, other than the wounded guy who is having to defend himself, the other guys do not seem to be under much pressure. Another clue that this was still early in the campaign, before things got bad for them. The highlight of this set is probably the mortar team.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V78T7Zw_Fbs/YKE6B-WVJFI/AAAAAAAAF9g/CAG2xSnZzZQza4mp0nM2en20HjoxcZmWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="2048" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V78T7Zw_Fbs/YKE6B-WVJFI/AAAAAAAAF9g/CAG2xSnZzZQza4mp0nM2en20HjoxcZmWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h205/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's another nice set from Plastic Platoon depicting German snipers as well as some of the German men who would be likely targets of the opposing Soviet snipers. The poses are highly reminiscent of the characters in the movie Enemy at the Gates, where you see Vasily Zaitsev and his fellow snipers take out German soldiers doing things like laying down phone cable, going on a food run, or the officer taking a shower... The set also contains a military policeman, which is might be a first in my collection. The sculpting and detail on the figures is exquisite, as usual. The equipment on the back of the soldiers is quite elaborate, and I also like how the officer has been sculpted a bit overweight, hinting at the inequities in the distribution of supplies, particularly at this time of the Stalingrad siege. The wrapping on the seated sniper's rifle is also very well done. All in all a great set to complement the ones that came before. </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5O45X3OQtg/YKk1aoBWWbI/AAAAAAAAF9o/QuGIPwRoIZUQdOd3kX9vrQsf7XazGKg2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5O45X3OQtg/YKk1aoBWWbI/AAAAAAAAF9o/QuGIPwRoIZUQdOd3kX9vrQsf7XazGKg2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h208/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BSnipers%2BHunters%2Band%2BPrey.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Soviet 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This set is the complement to the German Hunters and Prey figures that are so reminiscent of the characters in the movie Enemy at the Gates, where you see Vasily Zaitsev and his fellow snipers take out German soldiers, as Vasily dukes it our against German sniper ace Major König. Note how they have accurately included both a male and a female sniper. The other figures, like the officer or the phone operator, I suppose represent the targets for the German snipers. It is also noteworthy that optionally, the wounded man and the fighting medic on the right can be placed side by side, with bases that have been specifically designed to fit with each other. As always with Plastic Platoon, the level of detail is top-notch. A great set to display in the ruins of Stalingrad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPlUk8fW6xo/YLGMqpdIg7I/AAAAAAAAF-Q/LcyIWadh8kgy-5GTTrSl2tn9XNsF8P95ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BScouts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts" border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPlUk8fW6xo/YLGMqpdIg7I/AAAAAAAAF-Q/LcyIWadh8kgy-5GTTrSl2tn9XNsF8P95ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h217/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BScouts.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you are looking for a tough and daring raiding party look no more. Plastic Platoon's Soviet Scouts are full of grit and intensity. Are they engaged in a fighting retreat or are they springing up an ambush on an unsuspecting enemy? Whatever the case may be, these guys seem ready for it! These guys' outfits are relatively simple by Plastic Platoon's standards. All of them are wearing the typical Soviet cammo smock/suit, which should make them look quite interesting if you chose to paint them. In terms of weaponry, they are packing a good amount of heat. With the exception of the officer, they are all firing automatic weapons. From a German Maschinenpistole to the more ubiquitous PPSh-41 with its different ammo magazines, and then there's the guy firing off the hip what appears to be a 'conscripted' German MG34. Of this set, my favorite pose is the man throwing the hand grenade. Not only is his stance just right -which is not always the case for grenade throwers- but what about that mustache? I think that gives him bonus points. All in all a really nice set, representing a branch of service rarely depicted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51Agp_MOjAI/YKrdKCeMFEI/AAAAAAAAF9w/BfOZ8pLGLacBXzH4CiEgho39JY3SmMsngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="2048" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51Agp_MOjAI/YKrdKCeMFEI/AAAAAAAAF9w/BfOZ8pLGLacBXzH4CiEgho39JY3SmMsngCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h182/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is Plastic Platoon's first set outside of the Eastern Front, and even though we already have a nice range of Japanese Infantry released by previous manufacturers, it is definitely a welcome set, given the exquisite level of detail and sculpting typically delivered by their figures. Take for instance, the writing on the flag attached to one of the rifles. I can't read Japanese, but it feels like it's real! But even beyond the little details and the action-packed sculpting, these poses are also nicely diverse, covering a good range of weapons, headgear, and equipment. The only thing that I noticed which seemed a bit odd to me is that the flag that we just mentioned would be 'floating' upwards. As fast as that man is running, I have a hard time imagining that the flag would defy gravity that much. But let's not get picky. It is still an amazing set that should be charging at the US forces trying to take their island!</div></div><div><br style="text-align: left;" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJoJHRcZ4t0/YLGMntUjdeI/AAAAAAAAF-M/5h8CgWR7y8YfliGJDgKtwiw1zjri7cbQACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BUS%2BMarines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Marines" border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="2048" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJoJHRcZ4t0/YLGMntUjdeI/AAAAAAAAF-M/5h8CgWR7y8YfliGJDgKtwiw1zjri7cbQACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h189/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BUS%2BMarines.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon US Marines" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon US Marines</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The perfect complement to PP's Japanese Infantry set. These guys remind me a bit of Austin Miniatures' marines in the shape of the bodies and heads, slim and tall figures, but with nicer sculpting and detailing. The six poses are good fighting poses, and they cover a nice range of headgear (covered helmet, with netting, plain), clothing styles (tucked vs loose pant bottoms, rolled up sleeves, shirtless, ripped pants, etc.), weapons (Thompson sub mgs, BAR, rifle/bayonet, shotgun w/bayonet(!) and my favorite, the flamethrower) and equipment (backpack, pouches, bandoliers, etc.) I also enjoyed the facial expressions. I am not surprised anymore by the fury and intensity displayed by a couple of them. This time I was more impressed by how the BAR gunner seems so concentrated. Is he aiming at something in the distance, or is he simply laying down covering fire with determination? You'll need to figure that one out yourself when you setup your scene...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_AGyRMLkeg/YaEyWDIYz1I/AAAAAAAAGDY/4YLDHvBHKWUecTFUx-3DWX-VGV4sP5sqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Naval Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_AGyRMLkeg/YaEyWDIYz1I/AAAAAAAAGDY/4YLDHvBHKWUecTFUx-3DWX-VGV4sP5sqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h214/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Japanese Naval Infantry<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Until recently, the great majority of Japanese plastic troops available have been regular Japanese Infantry, so it is nice and refreshing to see a different service branch being depicted. The challenge now is to find enough other poses to form a substantial fighting unit. But that's a good problem to have. As usual with Plastic Platoon, the sculpting is superb. The poses are good action poses and the detail is crisp and rich. For instance, you can clearly see the insignia showing that these guys are marines, and a few of them also wear Japanese flags on their head/helmet. Another feature that is unique about them is that they all carry a gas mask on their back. I wonder why this has only been depicted with these naval infantry guys. And then you also have a man wearing a bullet-scarred breast plate, similar to those worn by the Soviet scouts. Speaking of that guy, I do think that he could have been sculpted with a wider stance. If you throw a grenade with your legs so close to each other, you are relying primarily on arm strength for the throw... then again, maybe he thinks that the can get pretty close to the objective given the extra protection that he is wearing? :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDF7LMjco9KmQQ5269cDS78N9NOqY43sRmHiBpCBy6VZ2zDXL5_bECGWgVdZipxwgdVoIVFNEabma10-CJh6tPzsCzyBaHcqlo6Nq_DTTBCWt_VVjor34lil2SyTUWZWRQ-OnbiLTmE66trnQHlkObC6dcTbX7Jub2JdZ-vk7Qb2_e8MKznEzw1F73YQ=s1732" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Fukuryu Diver" border="0" data-original-height="1644" data-original-width="1732" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDF7LMjco9KmQQ5269cDS78N9NOqY43sRmHiBpCBy6VZ2zDXL5_bECGWgVdZipxwgdVoIVFNEabma10-CJh6tPzsCzyBaHcqlo6Nq_DTTBCWt_VVjor34lil2SyTUWZWRQ-OnbiLTmE66trnQHlkObC6dcTbX7Jub2JdZ-vk7Qb2_e8MKznEzw1F73YQ=w320-h304" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Fukuryu Diver" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Fukuryu Diver</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This guy was meant to be part of the Japanese naval infantry set, or at least he was released at the same time as them. I just got him separately. He is definitely a 'character' figure. Not one of which we will be trying to build a whole unit. The challenge is also to find the right setting to pose him. The best scene would be to place him under water approaching the hull of a ship in a harbor. But that's a tricky scene to setup. And also when you think about it, I doubt they really had that many opportunities to perform such operations. Anyhow, the amount of equipment and detail on this diver is really intricate. Lots of hoses and straps, which make him a figure worth studying and taking a look at every now and then just to enjoy the detail. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2_AYYmN9UWnD3LBzJboaf2GLIEDqOBPu9liqBQG5MTGst1sGu4xl4O_g4LnDSKcxbgy4ACH-XL8A8odfoGFoCfkbDwKKsSEy0nLIMLcZHBZEePNAG-boxf2rhCgCFrSm9ppKy7Z3hrbSMjPuKUqiUKF5GBl42pbFvhWiFvWDl3cDSArS7e7HPeLPkxA=s1891" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Paramarines" border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="1891" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2_AYYmN9UWnD3LBzJboaf2GLIEDqOBPu9liqBQG5MTGst1sGu4xl4O_g4LnDSKcxbgy4ACH-XL8A8odfoGFoCfkbDwKKsSEy0nLIMLcZHBZEePNAG-boxf2rhCgCFrSm9ppKy7Z3hrbSMjPuKUqiUKF5GBl42pbFvhWiFvWDl3cDSArS7e7HPeLPkxA=w320-h201" title="Plastic Platoon US Paramarines" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon US Paramarines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys are a nice complement to the first set of Marines. Initially I thought that other than the fact that there's a 7th man with them who clearly is a pilot -maybe he crashed or had to bail out on the same mission that dropped the Paramarines- there wasn't much to indicate that these guys were paratroopers, but then it hit me that they are clearly wearing jump boots. I wonder if after the jump that was still a good type of footwear for tropical islands. Maybe it was better at keeping the sand out, but if it did get in, I would have hated having to undo the shoe laces every so often to empty the sand. Anyhow, great poses as usual, with good variety of weaponry. The machete guy is a nice touch. And in terms of detail, look at the ding on the helmet of the second guy from the left. Looks like he literally dodged a bullet! The pilot is one guy that I probably won't have a lot of use for. I might have preferred another Paramarine, but I won't complain. Another great set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJpr8aYITooVOYXSBF6zLtqUW6Mzy0P0CDCjFUTAxXSggs8S1VVHXmenMti4AANKbS43kgPTW8HmpUXd7kqX21NK27tbxCewayZg_A_sSgKqu_wkmpJRBuJXkk842rf7WSnjUr7EodsmmVw0CNswbAaKKN2EysO7O4UhOL310_qdoGbeLOSHLWfYXL4Q=s2740" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="2740" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJpr8aYITooVOYXSBF6zLtqUW6Mzy0P0CDCjFUTAxXSggs8S1VVHXmenMti4AANKbS43kgPTW8HmpUXd7kqX21NK27tbxCewayZg_A_sSgKqu_wkmpJRBuJXkk842rf7WSnjUr7EodsmmVw0CNswbAaKKN2EysO7O4UhOL310_qdoGbeLOSHLWfYXL4Q=w320-h176" title="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By now it should be clear to anyone reading this post that I love Plastic Platoon's figures. They've set a new standard in the Plastic Toy Soldier world with their amazing level of detail and the energy and high level of action in their poses. That's mostly true with this set as well, except that in this set the faces have gone off the rails. They definitely over did them. I don't know if the intention was to depict these men as evil, but their expressions resemble that of possessed zombies or something along those lines. Other than that, this set is just as exciting as any of their prior ones. Just look at the man firing the machine gun a-la-Rambo. Or the man on the right with the Stg 44. Really well posed and detailed. The sniper is also very nicely done, although with that big rock underneath him, it limits the places where he could be posed. Still a great set and looking forward to the set 2 of PP's Waffen SS figures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRczq33Ep7GMtvYT98sCs_d7GxfAA4cfqoOUEp0MGpmhEQJdJDkUj5tS7im6iPETnmQMS0J_NRJM9RVfgMbmEU4sbFhF8LxiOPa7CwNTJIqUWY5JKeb2OKlmL4j3F8pIjpClIg5mhJ1Au5F3cPShcMuqpIf_Ofo7TbA1wyijfzJF4n_fio72DNKwHUXQ/s2173/Plastic%20Platoon%20Waffen%20SS%20Heavy%20Weapons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="2173" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRczq33Ep7GMtvYT98sCs_d7GxfAA4cfqoOUEp0MGpmhEQJdJDkUj5tS7im6iPETnmQMS0J_NRJM9RVfgMbmEU4sbFhF8LxiOPa7CwNTJIqUWY5JKeb2OKlmL4j3F8pIjpClIg5mhJ1Au5F3cPShcMuqpIf_Ofo7TbA1wyijfzJF4n_fio72DNKwHUXQ/w320-h202/Plastic%20Platoon%20Waffen%20SS%20Heavy%20Weapons.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons</div>PP's second set of Waffen SS Troops has not disappointed. It's only five figures, but they are all very well done. The faces are not as extreme as in the previous set, although still a bit in that sharp style, particularly the machine gunner. The machine gun is probably the crown piece in this set, and I am pretty sure that's why there are only five figures in this set. The machine gun by itself with its elaborate base was probably more work to make than a figure. That's how detailed it is. The man firing the gun, is actually cast separately and placed on the base by hooking up his hands to the machine gun's handle. The ammo holder is a separate figure, and the base of the gun has a notch that fits perfectly with the ammo box so that you don't have to guess where to place him. The panzerschreck team is also very well posed and detailed and it's definitely good to have a loader with it. The fifth man is interesting because he seems to be firing a captured Bren gun. In terms of gear you can tell that these guys were late war guys. They are wearing a mix of cammo smocks and regular uniforms, helmets with and without covers, most of them wear puttees and shoes, although the panzerschreck loader is wearing leather boots. And the ammo loaded on the MG team is carrying an StG 44 assault rifle, which as the model name suggests, came out in the last phase of the war. This set is now very hard to get, so I was very happy to be able to get my hands on one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisKsGip9M8x4PLdCoKmox01h-JEiSLT838zs3p8al-2OnS4VjYuab4tl5fT6IYK9myI-3R3KaRHSragq85qUo_Tx2SOKZvdy-KMLa1RAthgB0KFtUybIUo2jLwTOSZ3D1wP0JOIaxdtMA01aXg-It20sjMD3byCOgCkRgaJgUzITEx350gHzYe-323dQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="2996" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisKsGip9M8x4PLdCoKmox01h-JEiSLT838zs3p8al-2OnS4VjYuab4tl5fT6IYK9myI-3R3KaRHSragq85qUo_Tx2SOKZvdy-KMLa1RAthgB0KFtUybIUo2jLwTOSZ3D1wP0JOIaxdtMA01aXg-It20sjMD3byCOgCkRgaJgUzITEx350gHzYe-323dQ=w320-h162" title="Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div></div>Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a very nice set. It contains a crew for a Browning Heavy MG, a bazooka team, a BAR man, and an officer coordinating the action through a radio. The center piece of this set is the heavy machine gun itself, and not just the gun, but the base. I know that some folks prefer plain/neutral bases so that they can be placed in a variety of settings, but in the case of these marines, I do think that the heavily detailed base adds to the set. The other figures are nicely sculpted, as usual, with a high degree of action in them. A couple of them show bullet dents in the helmet, which is a nice bit of detail. The other creative touch is the trophy sword tucked away in the backpack of the BAR man. Lastly, the expression on the officer captures very well the intensity of battle without overdoing it as was the case with some of the prior German sets. Overall a great addition to the WWII range, and a great support unit for the other Marines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkMZCSUy6kIFmFUpVymnKKg-vhi1TAB5LVqrIS-mWJvpW8jPRvNXoiX6PeaM6WQ2Ppv1ZaQSoADd0tuvszWUVVpKuPa665IObMvWQm4E-e1NvH0AlUWxtdNDRaei8Efsli11YYnKLqc-PTnQVtva6hlb5cFJmtDLD_LpM86dT9GSZgMO7wS8RgN85g/s1584/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Artillery%20crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1584" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkMZCSUy6kIFmFUpVymnKKg-vhi1TAB5LVqrIS-mWJvpW8jPRvNXoiX6PeaM6WQ2Ppv1ZaQSoADd0tuvszWUVVpKuPa665IObMvWQm4E-e1NvH0AlUWxtdNDRaei8Efsli11YYnKLqc-PTnQVtva6hlb5cFJmtDLD_LpM86dT9GSZgMO7wS8RgN85g/w320-h201/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Artillery%20crew.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is an exciting set for a couple reasons. The first one is simply that there are not that many Japanese artillery crews or artillery pieces out there. The Deetail recoilless rifle comes to mind, but that's it as far as I remember. And then there's the fact that the figures and the gun are so well sculpted and detailed. I believe this gun is a Type 92, 70 mm howitzer. The gun comes in several pieces which can be easily attached together. Glue seems to be optional. In terms of the figures, my favorite one is the man operating the sight and elevation lever. The fact that he is straddling the gun gives it a nice touch. The officer and the loader complement the crew very nicely. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9j4zpNCbKd5CJ8K2TolDNKrRgGWzo4M8JAHYMmKaheWHFcaH7TVaz0zKV_XC8b5z8F8zBJuc1JyNbommKymk-eZWG26mFno1C885Ehx0CID_48lah22FE7rEyx5xlNqWI_f0fuM_3tJAPVNxPt_NfXpAsChiP6u2MlCZpwgZ3kLgw_cVU7jc1D7Ysw/s1173/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Machine%20Gun%20team.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1173" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9j4zpNCbKd5CJ8K2TolDNKrRgGWzo4M8JAHYMmKaheWHFcaH7TVaz0zKV_XC8b5z8F8zBJuc1JyNbommKymk-eZWG26mFno1C885Ehx0CID_48lah22FE7rEyx5xlNqWI_f0fuM_3tJAPVNxPt_NfXpAsChiP6u2MlCZpwgZ3kLgw_cVU7jc1D7Ysw/w320-h239/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Machine%20Gun%20team.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons - Part II</div><div>This MG crew is part of the same heavy weapons set. The MG is a separate sculpture itself and the man firing it can be seated on the base separately. The ammo feeder lines up just right to be able to feed the belt into the MG. This is thanks to a notch in the bases. As you can see, the whole set is rich in detail. From the bullet holes in the sandbags to the Japanese writing on the side of the ammo box. or the hobnails on the boots. The facial features on the men are also extremely well done. The only thing that is less than ideal on this set is the amount of flash on the figures. It is quite a bit and it is also hard to remove. You can still see some left on the leg of the ammo handler. Other than that. this set is a great addition to my Japanese troops.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q-cWmsUBYIUtf0tIadq38a-fjUlW_IFaw2dDt95Rbgk8JQPginUhQHQRCXbKXIO-ScrB8xDn2NMn2XfEqnCPz5EYbHWtKD3KS29VS8d7bcvesN8uTMDZmRPJcE8Mfcey-dmI0HilM6mA8mW32eiE14hmZzl5VhcXOnXhqQ6lWz7yWodu73Iwth-LZg/s1669/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Summer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1669" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Q-cWmsUBYIUtf0tIadq38a-fjUlW_IFaw2dDt95Rbgk8JQPginUhQHQRCXbKXIO-ScrB8xDn2NMn2XfEqnCPz5EYbHWtKD3KS29VS8d7bcvesN8uTMDZmRPJcE8Mfcey-dmI0HilM6mA8mW32eiE14hmZzl5VhcXOnXhqQ6lWz7yWodu73Iwth-LZg/w320-h190/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Summer.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Summer Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This set represents a Goliath and its crew. The Goliath was essentially a tracked, mobile mine that could be operated remotely. Plastic Platoon came up with a set that contains two such crews. This is the one with summer/non-winter uniforms. As far as I recall, only Revell had produced a Goliath with one operator as part of its set of combat engineers. The figures are nicely done as usual and the officer is done in such a way that he could easily be deployed in other missions without the Goliath. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqWjCI8AlXc6piMI8TojEkfBwQ954ck3XH3R2egqJ-8sfzInW4FNvp639FA_Tkqr-DKhj8RiAvlo-qpe5pZR7dVxLuMadV8cFBtLY0dWd3K85pDrQL4m6QyKs4tG71tVYPFq3jmMtai0i75IOicfaHVftDoPt47gSyjrxed-ofyhOXB3gXc1xda1oaA/s1318/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Winter%20b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1318" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqWjCI8AlXc6piMI8TojEkfBwQ954ck3XH3R2egqJ-8sfzInW4FNvp639FA_Tkqr-DKhj8RiAvlo-qpe5pZR7dVxLuMadV8cFBtLY0dWd3K85pDrQL4m6QyKs4tG71tVYPFq3jmMtai0i75IOicfaHVftDoPt47gSyjrxed-ofyhOXB3gXc1xda1oaA/w320-h219/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Goliath%20Team%20Winter%20b.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry Goliath Crew - Winter Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the second half of the set. The main difference is that the crew is wearing long coats. Similarly to the summer crew, the officer, who seems to be intensely engaged, could be easily deployed to coordinate other missions. The Goliath itself comes in four pieces that can be snapped together relatively easily. I suppose that if you want you can glue them together, but in my case that was not necessary. All in all this set scores high both on uniqueness and sculpting detail. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunsbh7rEkNX6MljrVzdjQDpKwzQbc5NvdEiwipF-ZZMahQInGWhw5zFZHgyzt5RxIf6wGv0IKA1VhfD-HjwK_RB2Mjlp_bmYqP-gqwcTUuBbFR-tOYqSInoiW7T_INvDGo-t_pvd60h0-kZjD6VAbv9MZkqQPFoszZqeOHtv4Z-3Zc_pDzqOvgwp7Fg/s1394/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Summer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1394" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunsbh7rEkNX6MljrVzdjQDpKwzQbc5NvdEiwipF-ZZMahQInGWhw5zFZHgyzt5RxIf6wGv0IKA1VhfD-HjwK_RB2Mjlp_bmYqP-gqwcTUuBbFR-tOYqSInoiW7T_INvDGo-t_pvd60h0-kZjD6VAbv9MZkqQPFoszZqeOHtv4Z-3Zc_pDzqOvgwp7Fg/w320-h237/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Summer.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Summer Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are half of the MG set. Similarly to the Goliath set, one crew is wearing summer uniforms and the other one is dressed up for the winter. Besides that, the MGs are also a bit different, at least the bases. For instance, this base contains some urban rubble, including a metal beam, which makes it well suited for a setting such as Stalingrad. Some will like this level of detail, but others will likely think that this constrains the set unnecessarily to a specific setting. In my case, I do have a few buildings like that, so they will fit just fine once they are painted. As usual, the figures are very nicely detailed, so this is a MG team that is worth incorporating into my army.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLWzIBhE_tg4_7s_a2OKzPYHpQYJzVTbAUDtB4V3v1mtGniq2JeQ9IjxB58BCIrvbvJvAFcKZAl9wdPt5alR6VH50t9MgyCFu_DlYeQeK-pMSq7r27MS-mzR93kJeH16eaS_CMHHdFLce0ujkZjdPdpnqGq3hTH0KBqyYsZhOzBUq0l8yw6mpQEZ7w/s862/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Winter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="862" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWLWzIBhE_tg4_7s_a2OKzPYHpQYJzVTbAUDtB4V3v1mtGniq2JeQ9IjxB58BCIrvbvJvAFcKZAl9wdPt5alR6VH50t9MgyCFu_DlYeQeK-pMSq7r27MS-mzR93kJeH16eaS_CMHHdFLce0ujkZjdPdpnqGq3hTH0KBqyYsZhOzBUq0l8yw6mpQEZ7w/w320-h224/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20MG%20Team%20Winter.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry MG Crew - Winter Uniform</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The other MG team is bundled up for winter operations. In addition to the long coats, you can tell that they are wearing other layers underneath. A nice detail is the cloth cover (typically white) on the man firing the gun. Another nice detail is the fact that you can see his corporal insignia on the sleeve of his coat. Lastly, another detail that sets Plastic Platoon's sculpting apart is how he also has the collar of his coat turned up for a bit of extra protection against the wind. A great addition to my unit of German winter troops!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/s3295/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="3295" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVrXzu9xDBOqzeQmb99cTIxNfcQ1amyHPTFP2SBKobbgGieyvJka3FZW2bjTLj8PPjIIthZuq2MkV9COSDTyi6jmrmWdPuPuIqJDRtUCXQTfGrHDAyw-Ot22tUMQKNLGDrWO1Ncsz3Swc6pgStoWNnfPkfb4v2gLrT8zoy_JtOiHZLGLxM-jZhaRwgw/w320-h162/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Winter%20Infantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And speaking of German winter troops, Plastic Platoon has recently come up with this really nice set! The level of detail on these figures is exquisite. You can even see the fleece lining on the hood of the coats, and you can make out the helmets' insignia. The uniforms are all very authentic, the thickness of the figures is consistent with all the layers of clothing they are wearing, and the captured subMG is a nice touch. The most interesting pieces in this set are the two guys making up the MG team. The reason for that is that the MG itself, along with the hands of the man firing have been sculpted attached to the man where the MG is resting. This means that when you assemble them together, you really need to make sure they line up perfectly. Luckily they do. The other implication is that you can never deploy them separately, unless you took the time to perform some delicate conversions. Another great set from Plastic Platoon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s3177/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="3177" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m6j7etTATrgVefr9Xs0edXgeLDJ4-a0dLoEs5dLyQs0DCkbOJejRuBwmqXfZZ0HX5TNKzaUjOBpElHdlH8W-qn9AGCTcS1kWwNv9FZu2uW_1RWhHr42B6i7kMUjyuq6YNa1lEXjmN6j_9_tBxyBVtqHXnle4L-aB1hoK7-uXrrT2s_ugsZZES1pNFhFD/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys are a good follow up complement to the previous set. The winter gear is just right. I really like the details like the sheepskin on the inside of some of the coats, or the cloth wrapped around their heads. Another interesting detail is the guy wearing the cap with the ear flaps. Initially I couldn't tell if that was a German or a Soviet cap, but upon closer inspection I realized that it has a German eagle insignia on the front. In terms of poses, I usually prefer fighting poses over wounded guys, but in this case, since these are part of the second set, I am OK with this wounded pose, particularly because it goes well with the medic moving towards him with the bag. Interestingly enough, the medic is holding a pistol just in case. The pose I like the most is the man exchanging the magazine. We don't get many of these, so it is a nice touch. The two other guys, are just good, solid firing poses. Overall a nice set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT3JsrYpRsT4BEgyuyjwAeTtN1tfE5zc7NbrEL9Oyj4t-47OvoJbjMQ7Qi1RYck_UsIfesB0Z8CkV6Y1JVPr93tAfP8sWAR2v4AaGxYwvjdjeeEBOzUchg4ZnFZ_jExJYotVAKhthReDQ9TsTiNQ-OAvB-4EXWbEWSlnDSd8dzu7D81JmSLtCGICW5Eir/s2631/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="2631" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT3JsrYpRsT4BEgyuyjwAeTtN1tfE5zc7NbrEL9Oyj4t-47OvoJbjMQ7Qi1RYck_UsIfesB0Z8CkV6Y1JVPr93tAfP8sWAR2v4AaGxYwvjdjeeEBOzUchg4ZnFZ_jExJYotVAKhthReDQ9TsTiNQ-OAvB-4EXWbEWSlnDSd8dzu7D81JmSLtCGICW5Eir/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Infantry%20Kharkov%20-%20light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry Kharkov</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a nice counterpart to the German winter troops. Their outfits display a good variety of styles, from the padded suits, to the long coats, the man wearing the balaclava, and the guy with the winter smock which I will likely paint white. One thing I really like about this set is that all the figures are in an attacking mode. Most of them are firing on the move. The only one who is standing, although still firing, is the commander. The squad is also handling a decent variety of weapons. The most interesting one is the grenade launcher. And the Molotov cocktail can always come in handy against German armor. Can't wait for these guys to face off against the winter Germans on the eastern front!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9PQQKoVtMDdUWuY7ixlh0yIuDyeGJ4lIVjuIG2Nv50W6jYO2ieWnLHtkmEGkgA49l5ZGKkEXV52LQt551cLGGtk89vLLjv7q3VOx_YZce6jsnn414m33ortUi878IChBAoXWWJsF7xrLwIm4BGSxhyFIoLjwRqIKRFzLhr8Phwj8_UxPK2zZaxwDIquU/s2216/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Winter%20-%20front%20w%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="2216" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9PQQKoVtMDdUWuY7ixlh0yIuDyeGJ4lIVjuIG2Nv50W6jYO2ieWnLHtkmEGkgA49l5ZGKkEXV52LQt551cLGGtk89vLLjv7q3VOx_YZce6jsnn414m33ortUi878IChBAoXWWJsF7xrLwIm4BGSxhyFIoLjwRqIKRFzLhr8Phwj8_UxPK2zZaxwDIquU/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Winter%20-%20front%20w%20light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Winter Dress - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These guys will be a nice extension to the Soviet winter troops above. The set comes as several parts that need to be assembled: the base, the assistant, the shooter, and the shooter's rifle/arm. The assistant is wearing a one piece winter smock, while the shooter is wearing a two piece suit. The PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle looks big and powerful. The only thing that is not ideal is that it gets bent a bit easily. I will try to give it the hot/cold water treatment and see if I can straighten it out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k0CiGUHVz-B8ZFsp0o9MrzgvOJddrh9sEWvygEobOZebYjyWcPefziuFfmLriIRSfn2c-wG2ds6f5kIlkHgqegKtUaf33dSDkmyhgwyZk01FD_oWLuXRnz9yb4Ul8OLnP_O5au83IoHJEuyUpOqjAHxRudlMhmJRaxVjDEPFpdQcqIHfUTc3OIrQGrx_/s2193/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Winter%20-%20back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="2193" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k0CiGUHVz-B8ZFsp0o9MrzgvOJddrh9sEWvygEobOZebYjyWcPefziuFfmLriIRSfn2c-wG2ds6f5kIlkHgqegKtUaf33dSDkmyhgwyZk01FD_oWLuXRnz9yb4Ul8OLnP_O5au83IoHJEuyUpOqjAHxRudlMhmJRaxVjDEPFpdQcqIHfUTc3OIrQGrx_/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Winter%20-%20back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Winter Dress - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's the look from behind, which makes it easier to appreciate the differences in the uniforms. One thing to be aware of is that the base bends a bit upwards so the manufacturer has glued a couple of bits of plastic under the back side. This keeps the base from rocking back and forth, but it will permanently lift up the back side. Which is why I pushed some snow close to the base. That hid it well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk7-y716NTBtsDxfhSsSoNBP54X2AnHUYSY8k1nuMxGRnD7zSzuPJuJJ2VfseRk-3wjSJPxQYA15iCb56yg1rG6cOz0cFOC8c6L6p4eHB_dlDo7aiGFNrbep42eU2zTv0DiSoNulE1WHYFVjzcP2fKSd3jT-tDSv4tZmFlwUmH0aGm9_kLDb09fC4RmL7/s1351/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Summer%20-%20front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1351" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk7-y716NTBtsDxfhSsSoNBP54X2AnHUYSY8k1nuMxGRnD7zSzuPJuJJ2VfseRk-3wjSJPxQYA15iCb56yg1rG6cOz0cFOC8c6L6p4eHB_dlDo7aiGFNrbep42eU2zTv0DiSoNulE1WHYFVjzcP2fKSd3jT-tDSv4tZmFlwUmH0aGm9_kLDb09fC4RmL7/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Summer%20-%20front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Summer Dress - Part I</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTCrHfYJQXfA49vRuvvwLA2gFdNL63UAyUz6UcYRIVF20odefdhsI-O7Srfh_VM9NYlHW0bqi2dP7inIV80EMROjuYORgQHaOciEnMT9AFeID4A8S5XY6i9vj6SDm6C8RJtSknd2rj9m22B1UgTy9WyGaBiK2rMIcnPmEGkTMu8Tn2Kyso7SQ7TLczAR-/s1592/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Summer%20-%20back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1592" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTCrHfYJQXfA49vRuvvwLA2gFdNL63UAyUz6UcYRIVF20odefdhsI-O7Srfh_VM9NYlHW0bqi2dP7inIV80EMROjuYORgQHaOciEnMT9AFeID4A8S5XY6i9vj6SDm6C8RJtSknd2rj9m22B1UgTy9WyGaBiK2rMIcnPmEGkTMu8Tn2Kyso7SQ7TLczAR-/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Antitank%20Rifle%20Team%20Summer%20-%20back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Summer Dress - Part II</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fzGX-VFnJRInzuF6Dr3kiI4r38SvFKT2dtwmU-AxM3NP0gKVxeiTQOWvwVJxPHor82QxBZuz_WnfStK3TmZvTZ4hB156yshUTlfoh5Dp4pnxE53hlPy6WPUMuWe-2KymfN0DQiIHeAPTvDTTGz4djP9dsDhymkyb5BHMdk17X0TXwVCEfEZ8C7SsPQWh/s2927/Plastic%20Platon%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tankers%20Kursk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1676" data-original-width="2927" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fzGX-VFnJRInzuF6Dr3kiI4r38SvFKT2dtwmU-AxM3NP0gKVxeiTQOWvwVJxPHor82QxBZuz_WnfStK3TmZvTZ4hB156yshUTlfoh5Dp4pnxE53hlPy6WPUMuWe-2KymfN0DQiIHeAPTvDTTGz4djP9dsDhymkyb5BHMdk17X0TXwVCEfEZ8C7SsPQWh/s320/Plastic%20Platon%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tankers%20Kursk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Soviet and German Tankers, Battle of Kursk</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_slC7-yAzw0a7A2agT0RVVdSVsgsl7PbpXQJbbtl_d_3IF93tJceelmhXejZzYr1hJb-btK6aV9-iSid37K2R1PTuMWkjUP5ajmWAvQ9th5CxmeYm7stdcV-2obVrxtr3zW0MCGNHZ-N9h5QRjFAZErnSwHg4ZM7ENnZvg9AebPScxXbX0ytX9jnCfpyh/s2071/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kursk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="2071" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_slC7-yAzw0a7A2agT0RVVdSVsgsl7PbpXQJbbtl_d_3IF93tJceelmhXejZzYr1hJb-btK6aV9-iSid37K2R1PTuMWkjUP5ajmWAvQ9th5CxmeYm7stdcV-2obVrxtr3zW0MCGNHZ-N9h5QRjFAZErnSwHg4ZM7ENnZvg9AebPScxXbX0ytX9jnCfpyh/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Infantry%20Kursk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry, Battle of Kursk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinI8jfJ04mYCPlboEAZ_lJEeA6WKUvU1Jt3IjZlmaTEsw-7sqhqvn2Zop-mX_cAwrjT2BJTbRwVyO5Zj6ZYiCvVdRGiYwZ0LrtpsdcPlCrvjMNQcnVzIDmufoL7jFWXkaHZwOM1qAThWuae6IMgJzcvLSjA_8TLSOaniI0QFGVyoI_LL_iCPlBJO59jPpu/s2430/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Infantry%20Kursk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1585" data-original-width="2430" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinI8jfJ04mYCPlboEAZ_lJEeA6WKUvU1Jt3IjZlmaTEsw-7sqhqvn2Zop-mX_cAwrjT2BJTbRwVyO5Zj6ZYiCvVdRGiYwZ0LrtpsdcPlCrvjMNQcnVzIDmufoL7jFWXkaHZwOM1qAThWuae6IMgJzcvLSjA_8TLSOaniI0QFGVyoI_LL_iCPlBJO59jPpu/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Soviet%20Infantry%20Kursk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry, Battle of Kursk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jnkzArrI6djv1wpk2fI8FP9N_blNqMH9GWSSOfFntK4a9qXuHxn4TfYAHFFOmUXtvrHlBeyjtIik3rKeJLKXWt71F6luT6dyfjwrhPyL16stKDUw6f90hbNBr53PfJ2vf8mWMtolAsW8n32zq6jkvXQqsQnwLZAYQDPJWA9ddmK9lmImZINzz2sObew8/s2187/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Volkssturm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2187" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jnkzArrI6djv1wpk2fI8FP9N_blNqMH9GWSSOfFntK4a9qXuHxn4TfYAHFFOmUXtvrHlBeyjtIik3rKeJLKXWt71F6luT6dyfjwrhPyL16stKDUw6f90hbNBr53PfJ2vf8mWMtolAsW8n32zq6jkvXQqsQnwLZAYQDPJWA9ddmK9lmImZINzz2sObew8/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20German%20Volkssturm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Volkssturm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyhcYjVcqMbSdHeSLYbUEG_mhMC0TY_MlB5RDPqKqyxnPt33h4Yku3Owi_2wFu3KBl_gh7O4oQ_vn1dcdGASid7UikTlqe0dBfCsZCb2gdq8MJZb_wWN42bmg4KySZkdtzuMqwR7IZJatVd0hhYjUAtPcsbSOpBQ6B75uBi8uSbV7oGWnMKeZxmveLyGC/s2882/Plastic%20Platoon%20Berlin%20German%20Infantry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2882" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyhcYjVcqMbSdHeSLYbUEG_mhMC0TY_MlB5RDPqKqyxnPt33h4Yku3Owi_2wFu3KBl_gh7O4oQ_vn1dcdGASid7UikTlqe0dBfCsZCb2gdq8MJZb_wWN42bmg4KySZkdtzuMqwR7IZJatVd0hhYjUAtPcsbSOpBQ6B75uBi8uSbV7oGWnMKeZxmveLyGC/s320/Plastic%20Platoon%20Berlin%20German%20Infantry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon German Infantry, Battle of Berlin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/01%20-%20Troops%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20-%20Troops%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/03%20-%20Troops%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/06%20-%20Troops%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/07%20-%20Troops%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/10%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/11-%20Vehicles%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/13%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/14%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-recent-and-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Recent and New Makers</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-18997268598891227792024-01-08T21:35:00.001-05:002024-01-27T14:21:33.760-05:00Introducing the British Long Range Desert Group<p>The British <span style="text-align: center;">Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) aka as Long Range Patrol (LRP)</span> was a unit of the British Army that specialized in reconnaissance and raids deep behind enemy lines. They operated primarily in the North African theater of operations, initially against the Italians, and later on against the Germans. The unit was formed in the summer of 1940. Initially staffed by New Zealanders, it later added men from other Commonwealth countries. The unit was never larger than 350 men, and their main goal was to gather intelligence on enemy troop movements, defenses, strength, etc. as opposed to engaging in direct combat. Their main means of transportation were Chevy or Ford trucks<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">and the Willys Jeep which was issued from summer 1942 onwards to the patrol commander and sergeant. The LRDG men were organized into patrols, which varied in size over time, but could be 15-18 men led by an officer in 5 or 6 vehicles. Each patrol had a medic, a mechanic, a navigator and a radio operator, and a corresponding vehicle was outfitted to serve that role. </span>The LRDG would sometimes escort and guide other units such as the SAS in raiding missions behind enemy lines. One raid that stands out in the record of the LRDG, is the raid on the Italian airfield at Barce, code named Operation Caravan. This mission involved 47 men, 10 trucks, and 4 jeeps traveling 1150 miles deep into enemy territory, where they destroyed 32 Italian bombers. Unfortunately, while the raid was successfully, the team lost most of its vehicles during and after the operation. Only one truck survived the mission which was used by the doctor to evacuate 8 wounded men. 10 men became POWs and the rest ended up having to evade capture on foot until they were able to make contact with other British patrols. When the Axis forces were defeated there in 1943, the LRDG transferred to the Eastern Mediterranean, operating in Greece, Italy and the Balkans, where they performed a series of parachute drops to perform reconnaissance and sabotage missions until the end of the war in Europe when they were disbanded. In terms of toy soldiers, until recently, I had not come across any representing this service branch. Fortunately a new set was just released. Let's take a look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX7dNgbZYjSfD34pbBi805SGD7_HKfN6By5QmyObmkvCE8YHT0etsy1LRxPfdu4wxo9jzOyyVCPWr8362cE6BpWxpfaQLmc85bQL7nZZN1YH-NB6udGrsW_gneJT3TroeTzdUCgX-ujlGKH9PhIb8cjnvljSNMExwkz83eZn1D2goPqCRMEbEvdH_VuW3/s3670/ww23d%20British%20SAS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="3670" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX7dNgbZYjSfD34pbBi805SGD7_HKfN6By5QmyObmkvCE8YHT0etsy1LRxPfdu4wxo9jzOyyVCPWr8362cE6BpWxpfaQLmc85bQL7nZZN1YH-NB6udGrsW_gneJT3TroeTzdUCgX-ujlGKH9PhIb8cjnvljSNMExwkz83eZn1D2goPqCRMEbEvdH_VuW3/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can tell these guys look rugged from spending a lot of time in the desert in long range patrols. They are dressed accordingly with short trousers, turbans and have not had a shave in a while. The range of weapons represented is good, although with strong preference for submachine guns. The sculpting is OK in the sense that there's not a lot of fine detail, and also the poses are standing a bit too straight for my taste. Nonetheless, given that this is the first set of British desert scouts that I incorporate into my army, I am quite happy with them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX9TbHHGKeCQxO2ULVdQzvQCNX8lCWVCZwIGG8EeVH1P1_dp-hXDH2Oi-ljFEHKq0D0dGz1albhIF0iIt2_0JptrP_qyQFbFecl1QDP6aWDaHRBjY7kuNlBSCRcVBWEWKzMkJ3RwUC7xLyVm0J50WHd1piNbcHGzIX2cUEqKB74GBLGUAOW6qgGLMlwel/s2446/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Jeep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="2446" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX9TbHHGKeCQxO2ULVdQzvQCNX8lCWVCZwIGG8EeVH1P1_dp-hXDH2Oi-ljFEHKq0D0dGz1albhIF0iIt2_0JptrP_qyQFbFecl1QDP6aWDaHRBjY7kuNlBSCRcVBWEWKzMkJ3RwUC7xLyVm0J50WHd1piNbcHGzIX2cUEqKB74GBLGUAOW6qgGLMlwel/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Jeep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Jeep</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Aside from the foot soldiers, this vendor also offers a couple of vehicles to enable them to go on their missions deep behind enemy lines. One of them is this jeep. It is also 3D printed and comes with a driver and a copilot operating a dual machine gun. You also get a couple of guys that you can throw in the back. Note in this picture also that one of them is wearing a beret. That's because this maker also prints these figures with different head gear. I ordered them with turbans, but the owner was nice enough to throw a few extras in and this is one of the additional guys I got. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbppxa_z2VXB_yrbYk1FhApiSSELST79bNzjiFjSYi1If8ugGJJForchAJAvT1Rw33uC3B0FvFfO2PmdyierqgPFU8EChtJQqp26WbTwz-Z8wPKZow3rU3UGWnN1xR6xm93LqhSGQ9w0lAjM4uYt-OajppzDXekxIsA6XprFfAbCz6nlciXQNAXdaXKpxC/s2204/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1605" data-original-width="2204" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbppxa_z2VXB_yrbYk1FhApiSSELST79bNzjiFjSYi1If8ugGJJForchAJAvT1Rw33uC3B0FvFfO2PmdyierqgPFU8EChtJQqp26WbTwz-Z8wPKZow3rU3UGWnN1xR6xm93LqhSGQ9w0lAjM4uYt-OajppzDXekxIsA6XprFfAbCz6nlciXQNAXdaXKpxC/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Truck - Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This truck is a bit larger and can fit 4 or 5 guys in the back in addition to the driver and copilot, who is also operating a dual machine gun. The man standing in the back is also handling a dual MG, so these guys are well armed with a 360 degree field of fire. The vehicle appears to be a Chevy 30CWT 1 1/2 ton truck and it is reasonable well built for a 3D printed vehicle and it does not have the layering that some 3D printers create. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRDmpIOltXzgJV_E4gHAM79OcxPTinxjBL0IQoxdF5fB2qUeLH_bqvlL3cB76GRVLddXr2OENB-WwYb4dlHBPx6G4QW1NuYeVEdpNN54_XlGT81-wQO7ib52SDqiXFt2rwHSvP1-a7Ix9H2WNwRKfewllhCUbtMIn_GP9JryByrsiuVRWRtDfryE1opO/s2073/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="2073" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRDmpIOltXzgJV_E4gHAM79OcxPTinxjBL0IQoxdF5fB2qUeLH_bqvlL3cB76GRVLddXr2OENB-WwYb4dlHBPx6G4QW1NuYeVEdpNN54_XlGT81-wQO7ib52SDqiXFt2rwHSvP1-a7Ix9H2WNwRKfewllhCUbtMIn_GP9JryByrsiuVRWRtDfryE1opO/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Truck - Part 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the same Chevy truck from a different angle. Note that despite this being an American-made truck, the driver is sitting on the right side of the cabin, as is the case in Britain. Not that it would matter much while driving off road in the North African desert, but I suppose when they were back at base, driving among other fellow country men it was better to keep to the familiar norms. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/british-commonwealth-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to see more British Commonwealth Troops</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/finished-british-infantry.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of British Infantry figures</span></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of British Infantry in action</span></a>.</div></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-32213686522678859412024-01-04T20:25:00.006-05:002024-01-13T18:40:20.221-05:00Introducing the British Paratroops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added WW23D.com British Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The development of the British airborne forces began in 1940 following the successful German airborne operations that summer. The first British airborne raid, Operation Colossus, took place on Italian territory on Feb of '41 and by November of that year, the 1st Airborne division was officially formed. These troops were actually capable of being dropped by parachute or landing by glider, and once they were even landed from the sea, into the heel of Italy. A few other small operations followed during the mid-part of the war, such as a raid on a radar station on the French coast and a raid on a heavy water facility in Norway and some brigade size landings in North Africa. The 1st Division also took part in the invasion of Sicily and the Italian mainland. By 1943 a second division, the 6th was formed. This division went into action for the first time on D-Day, capturing the famous Pegasus Bridge among other objectives. It fought on in Normandy for 3 months. Around the time that the 6th was withdrawing from France, the 1st Division took part in Operation Market-Garden, perhaps the British Airborne's most dramatic engagement of the war. In a book aptly titled 'A Bridge too Far' Cornelius Ryan tells the story of how the 1st Division held out for 9 days in the town of Arnhem under intense pressure, waiting for the ground troops which were supposed to relieve them after only 2 or 3 days. Eight of the bridges leading up to Arnhem had eventually been secured, but the 9th one had not and out of approximately 10,000 men originally in the division, less than 2000 managed to get evacuated. The 6th Division went on to fight a couple more campaigns. At the end of the year, it was rushed to help stop the German's Ardennes offensive and in March of '45 they participated in Operation Varsity, a combined arms crossing of the Rhine. In terms of figure availability, there is actually a decent number of British Paratroops that have been released by several manufacturers. Let's take a look.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tq60ZbTTxlU/To476DOuuKI/AAAAAAAAAeU/a-FSI3s3gS8/s1600/01+Airfix+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tq60ZbTTxlU/To476DOuuKI/AAAAAAAAAeU/a-FSI3s3gS8/s320/01+Airfix+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Paratroops</div>
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A good mix of poses. Some of these guys look like they just landed and are moving on to their objective. Some others are already engaging the enemy. A good set from Airfix as usual.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svACbaTevBE/VHkbIYUneLI/AAAAAAAAEv8/dq4pktNoWmA/s1600/AirfixBritishParaSeries1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svACbaTevBE/VHkbIYUneLI/AAAAAAAAEv8/dq4pktNoWmA/s1600/AirfixBritishParaSeries1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Paratroops - Series 1 - Part I</div>
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This is one of the rare Airfix Paras which Airfix made before they switched to the set which has become the standard one. I should say that in terms of the sculpting and poses, the second series is indeed superior to the first and it is easy to understand why Airfix decided to replace them. I once ran into the whole set at a soldier show, before I knew what they were. They were priced a bit on the expensive side, so I passed on them, Years later, when I realized what I had held in my hands, it became clear to me that I should have bought them and that they had actually been priced quite well given how rare they are... This one I got in a large set of mixed figures that someone did not bother to sort out and classify. A bit of a lucky break for me. <span><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/biz/toysoldierhq/zair1stbritparas.jpg"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Here you can see the rest of the poses</span></a> </span>courtesy of Toy Soldier HQ.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3FpLgwdN8w/WDIPcgerXQI/AAAAAAAAFdY/3nr5UfNO9xQZflEaBfho5eF4DWCpx9xBACLcB/s1600/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1%2Bfiring%2Bupwards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3FpLgwdN8w/WDIPcgerXQI/AAAAAAAAFdY/3nr5UfNO9xQZflEaBfho5eF4DWCpx9xBACLcB/s320/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1%2Bfiring%2Bupwards.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Paratroops - Series 1 - Part II</div>
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Here is another guy from the set, firing off into the sky. Now the question is, what could he be firing at? In theory, his unit is the one doing the drop... The enemy would not drop on top of them, since after all, they are already behind enemy lines. I suppose he could be firing at a strafing fighter... In terms of the sculpting, I just wish they had given him a slightly more relaxed stance. Maybe the knees, slightly bent? At any rate, I am glad I ran into him. Only 5 more poses to go!</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SBirc6h4IRg/WDIPclKfIpI/AAAAAAAAFdU/j7YNt_sZN14TdJ3Bm2sggtH0Am89Jjq7gCLcB/s1600/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SBirc6h4IRg/WDIPclKfIpI/AAAAAAAAFdU/j7YNt_sZN14TdJ3Bm2sggtH0Am89Jjq7gCLcB/s320/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Paratroops - Series 1 - Part III</div>
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OK, so I had a bit of a lucky break and found a batch of about a dozen paras in pretty good shape. Out of those, we have 3 more new poses. Out of these three, the kneeling, firing guy is my favorite. Now we are just missing the man walking holding his sub mg at his side.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIsve6gT82c/XfaNuE6CGHI/AAAAAAAAFts/rCpNK7-eOBccngmrVvg6kT1IWOuzr8GiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIsve6gT82c/XfaNuE6CGHI/AAAAAAAAFts/rCpNK7-eOBccngmrVvg6kT1IWOuzr8GiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Airfix%2BBritish%2BParas%2BSeries%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Paratroops - Series 1 - Part IV</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Here's the prone bazooka man. These guys are not easy to find, but I was lucky to run into a batch of 10 or so. Unfortunately, I already had most of them, except for the bazooka man of which it had two. On to keep looking for that elusive last pose! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaxuUP3qesM/To477LjvdEI/AAAAAAAAAeY/vn03wAKMSO8/s1600/02+Conte+British+Paras+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaxuUP3qesM/To477LjvdEI/AAAAAAAAAeY/vn03wAKMSO8/s320/02+Conte+British+Paras+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles British Paratroops - Part 1</div>
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About a decade back, Conte came into the plastic toy soldier scene with several D-Day playsets, which included among others, the British Paratroops. Not only did he bring a new level of realism to the sculpting and posing of the figures, but he also did it in a much larger scale than previous manufacturers, releasing a total of 16 poses!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4A6NPhZDbzg/To469SYhoXI/AAAAAAAAAdw/rp2Xg9upZ14/s1600/03+Conte+British+Paras+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4A6NPhZDbzg/To469SYhoXI/AAAAAAAAAdw/rp2Xg9upZ14/s320/03+Conte+British+Paras+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles British Paratroops - Part 2</div>
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The Conte figures are a bit on the larger side of 54 mm, but all the other positive attributes make that a detail easy to overlook. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2dHFiydD1U/To46-rdjfLI/AAAAAAAAAd0/2Qwuncyxo3Q/s1600/04+Conte+British+Paras+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2dHFiydD1U/To46-rdjfLI/AAAAAAAAAd0/2Qwuncyxo3Q/s320/04+Conte+British+Paras+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles British Paratroops - Part 3</div>
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A good mixture of weapons, headgear, and poses.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPTreeTe-Pc/To46_qS1q7I/AAAAAAAAAd4/hlNnDMMEuWM/s1600/05+Conte+British+Paras+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPTreeTe-Pc/To46_qS1q7I/AAAAAAAAAd4/hlNnDMMEuWM/s320/05+Conte+British+Paras+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles British Paratroops - Part 4</div>
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Even the three guys who are standing firing are all different.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7dGET3Ixfe0/To47A2BxuOI/AAAAAAAAAd8/HJY1q8xHfTw/s1600/06+Revell+British++Paras+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7dGET3Ixfe0/To47A2BxuOI/AAAAAAAAAd8/HJY1q8xHfTw/s320/06+Revell+British++Paras+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Revell British Paratroops - Part 1</div>
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Revell made these guys in 1/35 scale, so you might not want to place them right next to the Conte guys. A nice set for the most part. The second guy from the left is the one guy that I don't find that great. And the guy pulling his parachute is a nice, unique pose, but of course, you can only use him in some limited scenes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSwki7WeLyQ/To47B_ddJFI/AAAAAAAAAeA/tUmfVr5cJCE/s1600/07+Revell+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSwki7WeLyQ/To47B_ddJFI/AAAAAAAAAeA/tUmfVr5cJCE/s320/07+Revell+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Revell British Paratroops - Part 2</div>
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Another interesting detail is the weapons canister. The picture does not show it clearly, but it is actually separate from the figures. I found these guys manufactured in two different plastic colors, as seen above, with green being the most common. BTW, I am not sure if they are still being produced as I have not seen them in a while. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPZXEZFHb70/U0CKu6sPSNI/AAAAAAAAEes/xrvx9_vcaj4/s1600/ESCI+British+Paratroops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPZXEZFHb70/U0CKu6sPSNI/AAAAAAAAEes/xrvx9_vcaj4/s1600/ESCI+British+Paratroops+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI British Paratroops - Part 1</div>
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Here is another unique set from ESCI. Also pretty hard to find. So much that I wasn't even aware that it existed until one of our readers pointed it out to me. The figures are actually pretty decent and in my opinion, better posed than the other ESCI sets. They are using a good range of small arms and even their helmets show a bit of variety, some having a cammo net and some without.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqPbacdyNb4/U0CKuKNNY7I/AAAAAAAAEek/VzqDDskt0hA/s1600/ESCI+British+Paratroops+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UqPbacdyNb4/U0CKuKNNY7I/AAAAAAAAEek/VzqDDskt0hA/s1600/ESCI+British+Paratroops+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI British Paratroops - Part 2</div>
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I particularly like the man charging forward with the Bren gun. One of the more dynamic ESCI poses that I have come across. I don't care that much for the guy standing guard. The guy on the right is one of those funny poses... he seems to be turning at the same time that he is running forward, but yet he is a bit too straight for that amount of movement taking place all at the same time. Anyhow, a good addition to the British paras. Maybe they can help hold Arnhem one more day...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNIdpVLE3jI/UGh9eADltMI/AAAAAAAACTE/cUt7Of1RvpE/s1600/21C+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNIdpVLE3jI/UGh9eADltMI/AAAAAAAACTE/cUt7Of1RvpE/s320/21C+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys British Paratroops</div>
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I was not aware that 21C Toys had made this set until I ran into it by chance on eBay. They are actually quite nice. I bought 3 sets and the paint job varies from one set to the next, but overall they are nicely finished. The poses are the kind of action pose that I prefer and I also like the variety of weapons that they carry into action. A good addition to the collection!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WY2w9jRR5Dc/To47CrOF3tI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BpJxeOEhFsY/s1600/08+Charben+54mm+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WY2w9jRR5Dc/To47CrOF3tI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BpJxeOEhFsY/s320/08+Charben+54mm+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charbens British Paratroops - Part I</div>
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These seem to be recasts of figures made in the 60s or 70s. On the small side of 54mm. The most interesting guy is the one with the flamethrower. I don't know if this is historically accurate, but it still makes for a unique addition to the unit.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kn_LkBZjCM0/VHkoMig7RvI/AAAAAAAAEwY/RdmC4aS7GFs/s1600/Charbens%2BBritish%2BPara%2BRed%2BBeret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kn_LkBZjCM0/VHkoMig7RvI/AAAAAAAAEwY/RdmC4aS7GFs/s1600/Charbens%2BBritish%2BPara%2BRed%2BBeret.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charbens British Paratroops - Part II</div>
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Here is a sixth pose. For some reason the newer recasts do not come with it, but I ran into it in a large batch of mixed figures. Perhaps the mold got lost for this one. Note that it has the same base style and also the pose resembles very much the grenade thrower in the British 8th Army Charbens set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>
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<img alt="" id="id_1cea_f967_b82d_1603" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3Y5a32ekUVL7fZkdx9p5gg13zJ03hE7j0mG9qb_ekEsjbCj_Zmrp3AA-nL8" style="height: auto; width: 392px;" title="" tooltip="" /></div>
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Charbens British Paratroops - Part III</div>
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And here are the first five poses as they were originally released.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgbNzZo1eDI/T1JzbomwbrI/AAAAAAAABKY/VmYx80YoDnY/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paratroopers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgbNzZo1eDI/T1JzbomwbrI/AAAAAAAABKY/VmYx80YoDnY/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paratroopers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 1</div>
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These are two figures that I stumbled upon on eBay. They are standing a bit too straight for my taste, but they are also old, so we can give them a bit of a break. Anyhow, once they are painted they will be a good addition to the unit, providing their specialized services. I wonder what the guy on the right is supposed to be carrying on his back. Does not look like the usual field pack. Is it supposed to be his parachute? But if he is already operating the mortar, doesn't that mean that he already jumped?</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7Cl-upTfo8/T9VX2o10wtI/AAAAAAAABoo/tuopkEwh5bU/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7Cl-upTfo8/T9VX2o10wtI/AAAAAAAABoo/tuopkEwh5bU/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 2</div>
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Here are some more guys from this set. They are not in the best shape. A couple of them have broken weapons but they still give an idea of what the original poses looked like. The guy on the right is an interesting pose. I am not sure what he represents. Is he supposed to be pulling his parachute? or maybe he is supposed to be in the air, in the middle of a jump?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3GmBawiw_M/UHC_Oi81zzI/AAAAAAAACVw/pX0HeGGtdGw/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paras+w+Crawler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3GmBawiw_M/UHC_Oi81zzI/AAAAAAAACVw/pX0HeGGtdGw/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paras+w+Crawler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 3</div>
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A couple more guys that I recently got in a mixed lot. The guy who is crawling is interesting. He seems more like he is doing some push ups. I would have made him with at least one knee on the ground. The man with the binoculars is fairly decent. Too bad it has lost all its paint.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2f8qdnlxmjg/UHC94nlhUgI/AAAAAAAACVo/e87aTGwqvxs/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paras+bayonet+and+bazooka.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2f8qdnlxmjg/UHC94nlhUgI/AAAAAAAACVo/e87aTGwqvxs/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paras+bayonet+and+bazooka.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 4</div>
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A few more guys in much better condition. The bazooka guy seems to be based off the same figure as the standing man aiming with the rifle, or most likely the other way around, which explains why the rifleman is holding the rifle that way. The flamethrower guy is just a better version of the one in the previous picture which has the flame missing. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpWEBK_zLwE/UI7bIzWmOYI/AAAAAAAACek/bh3EwW1ssEE/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paras+Prone+-+MG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpWEBK_zLwE/UI7bIzWmOYI/AAAAAAAACek/bh3EwW1ssEE/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paras+Prone+-+MG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 5</div>
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Three more figures from the set. Well actually the guy on the left showed up already in one of the earlier pictures, but the weapon was broken, so I included him again since I just got the same figure in better shape. The other two are nice additions. I like the guy who is crawling quite a bit. The MG is also a good addition to the unit, giving it a bit more firepower. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kN9eVCkBYcI/U0CqOxcd6KI/AAAAAAAAEgM/aKzVHd030WI/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Para+Round+Helmet+Grenade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kN9eVCkBYcI/U0CqOxcd6KI/AAAAAAAAEgM/aKzVHd030WI/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Para+Round+Helmet+Grenade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 6</div>
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And yet one more guy who I found by chance, without knowing that I was missing him, in a large batch that I bought, also without knowing what exactly was in it. I guess every unit needs a good grenade thrower, and here he is. He does not seem to be winding up much for the throw though... let's see how far he manages to throw that. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTjp2hFHaC8/UMzY8vyEpoI/AAAAAAAAC2g/AC60Hw0MeHc/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Para+Seating.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTjp2hFHaC8/UMzY8vyEpoI/AAAAAAAAC2g/AC60Hw0MeHc/s320/Lone+Star+British+Para+Seating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 7</div>
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This is one more guy I just ran into. He is just sitting down, as if he were riding on a plane waiting to jump. To setup such a scene, you would need several of them and they are not easy to find, so I doubt I'll ever get around to that. I should clarify that I did not see any manufacturer marks on him, so I am just assuming that he is a Lone Star figure because he really resembles the other ones.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3I-olSmVw/UbkkdC7StdI/AAAAAAAAD34/F60Knvia7OU/s1600/Lone+Star+Jeep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d3I-olSmVw/UbkkdC7StdI/AAAAAAAAD34/F60Knvia7OU/s320/Lone+Star+Jeep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 8</div>
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So I think I found the set that the sitting para belong to, or at least one where they can be used more appropriately. This is a Willys Jeep made by Lone Star. Presumably issued to the British Paras through Lend Lease :-)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ2Qg1eOb24/VHk6LqRjKrI/AAAAAAAAEyI/HHKj-t9CS1U/s1600/Lone%2BStar%2BBritish%2BPara%2BBren%2BGun.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ2Qg1eOb24/VHk6LqRjKrI/AAAAAAAAEyI/HHKj-t9CS1U/s1600/Lone%2BStar%2BBritish%2BPara%2BBren%2BGun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Paratroopers - Part 9</div>
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Here is one more British Para. This guy happens to be the machine gunner for this Bren gun carrier, although his MG does not really look like a Bren gun. If he's not the actual gunner, then it's a big coincidence that he fits so well on the seat that has the MG opening... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uWGwjmvsLVU/UI7bLgaFfsI/AAAAAAAACes/l2KHOvnzByo/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Paras+Modern.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uWGwjmvsLVU/UI7bLgaFfsI/AAAAAAAACes/l2KHOvnzByo/s320/Lone+Star+British+Paras+Modern.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Lone Star British Modern Paratroopers</div>
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This guy came with some of the WWII paras. At first I did not notice that he was from a more modern set. As you can see, the only thing that stands out is the weapon. So if you are not too selective, you can include him in your WWII unit. I probably will. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4adSj8MAFo/T1K51jxeKjI/AAAAAAAABKg/i3xmHyb0HLY/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Red+Berets+OK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4adSj8MAFo/T1K51jxeKjI/AAAAAAAABKg/i3xmHyb0HLY/s320/Lone+Star+British+Red+Berets+OK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Red Berets - Part 1</div>
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These guys are post WWII figures, but if you overlook the automatic weapons, they could fit well with the rest of the guys. The flamethrower is a good complement to the other sets. I don't know exactly how many poses were produced. First I found these four and later on I found two more (see below).</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cobx0W6RQO4/T1K52sTcekI/AAAAAAAABKo/dAIKfBp81ys/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Red+Berets+2+extra+poses.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cobx0W6RQO4/T1K52sTcekI/AAAAAAAABKo/dAIKfBp81ys/s320/Lone+Star+British+Red+Berets+2+extra+poses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Red Berets - Part 2</div>
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I just received these two other poses. The plastic is a bit brittle as they arrived in multiple pieces. Note how the arm holding the grenade is reattached as well as the head of the other guy. Too bad because there aren't that many of these figures left around.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQP9QP8SOHo/UI7bN9luK0I/AAAAAAAACe0/laWmDA67B1g/s1600/Lone+Star+Red+Beret+British+Para+Kneeling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQP9QP8SOHo/UI7bN9luK0I/AAAAAAAACe0/laWmDA67B1g/s320/Lone+Star+Red+Beret+British+Para+Kneeling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Red Berets - Part 3</div>
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And here is one more guy that I was missing from the set. The guy firing from a kneeling position. A classic post in most sets. Fairly well executed in this case. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-81KMyniFWTo/U0Cq-iK6tdI/AAAAAAAAEgU/9PyqO8ckzKI/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Red+Beret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-81KMyniFWTo/U0Cq-iK6tdI/AAAAAAAAEgU/9PyqO8ckzKI/s1600/Lone+Star+British+Red+Beret.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star British Red Berets - Part 4<br />
Here is one more guy who I was missing. Also, one of those that I was not aware of and who came in a larger batch of figures, so I guess I got lucky. He is displaying a good degree of movement, which is how I like them. BTW, this is almost the same pose as the modern para a few pictures earlier. Initially I thought all they had done was change the helmet. I think I'll let you find the rest of the differences!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KcdRA_geK8/T0FMRADcOgI/AAAAAAAABFA/XOkX5cWh788/s1600/Cherilea+Red+Berets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KcdRA_geK8/T0FMRADcOgI/AAAAAAAABFA/XOkX5cWh788/s320/Cherilea+Red+Berets.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Cherilea 60mm British Red Berets</div>
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I recently found these guys on eBay. There are supposed to be 6 of them, but I have only found 5. Based on the weapon of the guy on the right they seem to be modern figures, but I think that once you paint them to match the WWII guys they will fit right in.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0__cP1zM7cI/T1Jv9fLTzSI/AAAAAAAABKA/9hbsQetPunU/s1600/Cherilea+British+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0__cP1zM7cI/T1Jv9fLTzSI/AAAAAAAABKA/9hbsQetPunU/s320/Cherilea+British+Infantry.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
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Cherilea 60mm British Red Berets - Continued</div>
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Here is the last guy that was missing from the set. I got him after I made the initial post. Not the most exciting pose, but it rounds up the set of six nicely.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H0ZKwJlece4/To48KwcjOrI/AAAAAAAAAec/qJKB3EBV6HQ/s1600/09+Crescent+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H0ZKwJlece4/To48KwcjOrI/AAAAAAAAAec/qJKB3EBV6HQ/s320/09+Crescent+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Crescent 60mm British Paratroops</div>
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These are original figures from about 40 years ago. They are 60mm. I am unable to fully establish if they are paratroops or commandos. I'll probably just end up painting them as both. Note that they come with a mortar which is lacking in the other sets.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPec7hDWgys/To48MTMnkBI/AAAAAAAAAeg/u5svXJdJ6sM/s1600/10+Britians+Deetail+British+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPec7hDWgys/To48MTMnkBI/AAAAAAAAAeg/u5svXJdJ6sM/s320/10+Britians+Deetail+British+Paras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail British Paratroops - Set 1</div>
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These guys are actually modern Paratroops, but I like the poses quite a bit and the antitank weapon could come in handy so I've decided to recruit them into the unit. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UyygVR8-LTE/Vj4p-CSi_QI/AAAAAAAAFQY/bejFvKCera4/s1600/Britains%2BDeetail%2BBritish%2BPara%2BHoly%2BGrail%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UyygVR8-LTE/Vj4p-CSi_QI/AAAAAAAAFQY/bejFvKCera4/s320/Britains%2BDeetail%2BBritish%2BPara%2BHoly%2BGrail%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Super Deetail British Paratroops - Set 2 - Part I</div>
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This is one of the other four super rare poses that collectors refer to as the 'Holy Grail' set. Unfortunately, I was only able to get my hands on one of them, even though all four of them were up for auction. But as expected, they were highly sought after. In terms of the figure, I really liked the pose and sculpting of the figure. The manufacturing left a bit of a defect on the neck. My understanding is that the Super deetail figures were made by casting the parts separately and then putting them together with heat, which might explain the neck. Anyhow, it is still a great piece and I am glad I have at least one of them. Maybe I get lucky again and manage to find the rest of his unit at some point. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-epPIqBnKciA/Vj4p-HBktqI/AAAAAAAAFQc/tXRh8IHhMNE/s1600/Britains%2BDeetail%2BBritish%2BPara%2BHoly%2BGrail%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-epPIqBnKciA/Vj4p-HBktqI/AAAAAAAAFQc/tXRh8IHhMNE/s320/Britains%2BDeetail%2BBritish%2BPara%2BHoly%2BGrail%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Super Deetail British Paratroops - Set 2 - Part II</div>
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Another angle, in which you can appreciate his movement a bit better.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vT7bSTIS-1M/Vf18_6qInVI/AAAAAAAAFLg/07iwjE9Oc-c/s1600/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BBritish%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vT7bSTIS-1M/Vf18_6qInVI/AAAAAAAAFLg/07iwjE9Oc-c/s320/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BBritish%2BParas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets British Paratroops</div>
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These guys are wearing the distinctive red beret. They come with the typical webbing used by British Army units as well as a backpack. They also have a good range of weapons. I particularly like the Sten gun. The poses as obviously influenced by how you combine the torsos with the legs, but I should say that some of the leg stances are not the best. It also looks like the legs might have come from another set, or they made the Paras in a couple of color schemes. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlhixkKpCBY/To47GkkeD9I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/BSojArXATqs/s1600/11+Airfix+Modern+British+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlhixkKpCBY/To47GkkeD9I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/BSojArXATqs/s320/11+Airfix+Modern+British+Infantry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Modern British Infantry</div>
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Lastly, these guys are also modern British Infantry, however, the camouflage that they are wearing on their helmets makes them look similar to the paratroops, and their poses are also quite nice, so I am thinking that once they are painted as paras, they'll fit just fine. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRFRnVDtuMo/UTVOwE-I6sI/AAAAAAAADWo/tY8WB-o5vqc/s1600/Airfix+Modern+German+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRFRnVDtuMo/UTVOwE-I6sI/AAAAAAAADWo/tY8WB-o5vqc/s320/Airfix+Modern+German+Infantry+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Modern German Infantry - Part I</div>
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Same with these guys. But they are so well sculpted that I could not resist getting a batch of them and incorporating them into my ranks. Even though they are German, I think I could use them as British paras.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PqPo_EIk8Ko/UTVOwLLMmcI/AAAAAAAADWs/IU7L0vsITQw/s1600/Airfix+Modern+German+Infantry+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PqPo_EIk8Ko/UTVOwLLMmcI/AAAAAAAADWs/IU7L0vsITQw/s320/Airfix+Modern+German+Infantry+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Modern German Infantry - Part II</div>
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In typical Airfix fashion, the poses are full or action and include plenty of realistic detail. Even the folds on their clothes are all in the right places. Out of this batch, I really like the guy firing his sub MG from the waist and how he leans into it.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KNKb3nBQ9ik/WDTuOfjYIiI/AAAAAAAAFiw/Y9hKg9R9zL80ecacn1hIBaa9eJ22UFoFwCLcB/s1600/Unknown%2BBritish%2BRed%2BBeret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KNKb3nBQ9ik/WDTuOfjYIiI/AAAAAAAAFiw/Y9hKg9R9zL80ecacn1hIBaa9eJ22UFoFwCLcB/s320/Unknown%2BBritish%2BRed%2BBeret.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rocco (Royce & Co) British Paratrooper</div>
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This guy who came with a mixed set of figures. He is closer to 50mm than he is to 54mm, and appears to have come factory painted. Unfortunately, there are no marks on him to give us a hint about who manufactured him. If you happen to know, please leave a comment so that we might be able to find him some other guys from his unit. Update: one of our readers has identified him as one of the figures made by Rocco (Royce & Co.). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxeBuv0vZsgcQdvMTwjtyAjtQivcSkfY8bw194F0biL4rCypZqe8SvBF-zUkDVf0gmc23z0IqPhE-pSlgIRyAzOMpJzFi2xmhkSe732MDxizcAPU9gGhsbjxWm2Gikklw2rE08ozvg9Rt2lBYQ_8HmYPQWHur0L3QI3YoyWm16NLHWKugUObCfCYLvWJP/s3117/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2071" data-original-width="3117" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxeBuv0vZsgcQdvMTwjtyAjtQivcSkfY8bw194F0biL4rCypZqe8SvBF-zUkDVf0gmc23z0IqPhE-pSlgIRyAzOMpJzFi2xmhkSe732MDxizcAPU9gGhsbjxWm2Gikklw2rE08ozvg9Rt2lBYQ_8HmYPQWHur0L3QI3YoyWm16NLHWKugUObCfCYLvWJP/s320/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Paratroops - Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These men look ready to join their comrades in Arnhem. There are 9 of them so I decided to split them into two groups for the pictures so that you can see them better. From this first group, my favorite one is the one on the left, kneeling on one leg and leaning forward while firing his sub MG. The one on the right reminds me of the pose from one of the Conte British paras. And the other 3 just seem to be walking on patrol on their way to liberate some Dutch town before the Germans turned on the heat on them. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4WBstSxPQHjTSxK4Ev4YyavfK4qXN2vZKdOFE-YHIM4aImfS_yRm7q13QleXlsbYsx1op66yoQ9AtpRliUGqwNc-3RL20jYfd-Ix2sQXpygpQg8rEMkaeIqJN2SrKbn4X-3X22hYiqwy0oJijhS6mWo92P-DpqiHC_6SdonuUWsT5kf3Y4yBL_QgPxHQ/s2614/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1591" data-original-width="2614" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4WBstSxPQHjTSxK4Ev4YyavfK4qXN2vZKdOFE-YHIM4aImfS_yRm7q13QleXlsbYsx1op66yoQ9AtpRliUGqwNc-3RL20jYfd-Ix2sQXpygpQg8rEMkaeIqJN2SrKbn4X-3X22hYiqwy0oJijhS6mWo92P-DpqiHC_6SdonuUWsT5kf3Y4yBL_QgPxHQ/s320/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Paratroops - Part 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a bit more adequate for a battle scene. The two guys in the middle are very similar to each other, except that they have the opposite foot forward and one of them is flexing his back knee a bit. The other difference is the type of sub MG. One of them has a sten gun with the magazine on the side, while the other one doesn't. The guy on the left is a pretty standard pose, and the one on the right reminds me of a pose I have seen in another set, but I can't quite place him. Let me know in the comments if he also rings a bell. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/british-commonwealth-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to see more British Commonwealth Troops</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/11/d-day-plus-1-british-paratroops-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">the British Paratroops in action.</span></a></div>
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Click here to see a <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-us-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">description of US Airborne troops</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see a <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-current-project.html"><span style="color: cyan;">description of regular British Infantry</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of British Infantry in action</span></a>.</div>
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Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-11472790725973084242024-01-04T20:25:00.004-05:002024-01-04T20:29:59.244-05:00Introducing the British Commandos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added WW23D.com British Commandos</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The British Commandos were an elite formation within the British armed forces. Their rigorous training program with a high drop out rate made them highly selective. Their training emphasized the development of immediate, instinctive reactions. To achieve that they conducted drills under very real combat-like conditions repeatedly until the desired behavior became second nature. The book 'Up Close and Personal' by David Lee has a very detailed description of their training, history and some of their main operations. He indicates that about a third of the training focused on weapons (including their famous Sykes knife and even foreign weaponry), another third on fieldcraft (the art of moving stealthily), unarmed combat and ropework, and the other third was spent on boating, map reading, marches, night training, demolition and drill. Each Commando unit consisted of approximately 450 men, all of them volunteers. The Commandos took part in many operations throughout the war. Many were small raids, but they were also deployed in larger scales, as was the case during the Normandy landings. One of their most famous raids was the one on Dieppe. Even though the operation was a disaster for the Canadian infantry involved, No. 4 Commando performed exceptionally well neutralizing a coastal battery in advance of the main landing. As far as plastic troops go, there are a few options out there. Let's take a look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iuTBXbh2HL0/TpeK0w6MvUI/AAAAAAAAAgI/9E3WQhxHYio/s1600/Airfix+Commandos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" oda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iuTBXbh2HL0/TpeK0w6MvUI/AAAAAAAAAgI/9E3WQhxHYio/s320/Airfix+Commandos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix British Commandos</div>
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Not the most exciting set from Airfix. Except for the man throwing the grenade, the other guys seem rather static. The guy who is kneeling is also missing a base, so he's easy to knock over. My favorite guy in this set is the prone guy. There had to be at least one of them displaying their famous knife. Note that they are also wearing a woolen cap instead of the steel helmet worn by traditional infantry units.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMl3gupBHa8/TpeK2ROVW9I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/uPudWdmQBZg/s1600/Atlantic+Commandos+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" oda="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMl3gupBHa8/TpeK2ROVW9I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/uPudWdmQBZg/s320/Atlantic+Commandos+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic British Commandos - Part 1</div>
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These guys are wearing their distinctive green beret. I find this set one of the best ones from Atlantic. The sculpting and the poses are well proportioned and dynamic. The weapons are diverse. They have even provided them with a bazooka man. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lw-KrXL_4UU/TpeK49Rn-sI/AAAAAAAAAgY/-JVtW_l9uAM/s1600/Atlantic+Commandos+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" oda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lw-KrXL_4UU/TpeK49Rn-sI/AAAAAAAAAgY/-JVtW_l9uAM/s320/Atlantic+Commandos+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic British Commandos - Part 2</div>
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A few more good poses. The only thing I find a bit funny is the Mae est on some of these guys. I wonder if they really wore those going into action. BTW, it was recently brought to my attention that these guys were also released as Italian Naval Infantry by Atlantic. The set was called 'Battaglione San Marco'. In an interesting twist of fate, the San Marco unit fought against British Commandos at Tobruk on the night of September 13 1942. That would be an interesting scene to recreate with these figures. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cjzt6X6gE9w/TpeK5z716sI/AAAAAAAAAgg/QlqpSsIBbto/s1600/Crescent+Commandos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" oda="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cjzt6X6gE9w/TpeK5z716sI/AAAAAAAAAgg/QlqpSsIBbto/s320/Crescent+Commandos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Crescent British Commandos</div>
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These are 60 mm figures from the 60's I believe. I actually don't know for sure if they are Commandos or Paratroops -I've seen them labeled either way- but I plan to use them as both. Once they are painted I think they will fit in well, and having a mortar guy on the unit and another bazooka man can't hurt.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSfDQaWTsmw/TpeK9DyikdI/AAAAAAAAAgw/WX_QW8ro2sA/s1600/Matchbox++Commandos+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" oda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSfDQaWTsmw/TpeK9DyikdI/AAAAAAAAAgw/WX_QW8ro2sA/s320/Matchbox++Commandos+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox British Commandos - Part 1</div>
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I think this is one of those sets in which Matchbox outdid Airfix. They also have a very good variety of poses and weaponry. The only thing missing is some heavy weapons. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FtAmd1ttwQc/TpeLX1fVXFI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Tqa4kkaLabA/s1600/Matchbox+Commandos+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" oda="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FtAmd1ttwQc/TpeLX1fVXFI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Tqa4kkaLabA/s320/Matchbox+Commandos+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox British Commandos - Part 2</div>
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The guy with the ladder is a nice touch, but I have to admit that I don't have much use for him in most battles. They do offer a good selection of prone guys. The guy in the middle is very similar to the Airfix guy. I wonder which one came out first. The kneeling guy is going to be my overall commander once I have them all painted. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-52aV7XbZF34/TpeLB6Yi7mI/AAAAAAAAAg4/FBhMxaC4xN4/s1600/Matchbox+Commandos+in+raft+with+Airfix.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" oda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-52aV7XbZF34/TpeLB6Yi7mI/AAAAAAAAAg4/FBhMxaC4xN4/s320/Matchbox+Commandos+in+raft+with+Airfix.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix & Matchbox British Commandos</div>
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Here is a nice combo. The boat and rower are Matchbox figures. The Bren gunner is an Airfix guy providing support. I guess there is some advantage to him not having a base after all. Like the ladder guy, this one also requires a very specific scene.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXLCviF5ymo/UI7p2BHvlpI/AAAAAAAACkU/BSmwrLRx1V4/s1600/Crescent+Swoppets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXLCviF5ymo/UI7p2BHvlpI/AAAAAAAACkU/BSmwrLRx1V4/s320/Crescent+Swoppets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Crescent 'Movables' British Commandos</div>
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These guys are analogous to the Britains Swoppets. You can remove their weapons and body parts to combine them into different poses/figures. In my opinion, the level of detail and realism is not quite there, however due to their uniqueness, they deserve a spot in the collection. I think they came in sets of 7, so there is one missing from this picture.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBXwM7lC-ko/Vf18_80gjWI/AAAAAAAAFLc/rF35Hm3uKOg/s1600/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BBritish%2BBlacxk%2BBerets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBXwM7lC-ko/Vf18_80gjWI/AAAAAAAAFLc/rF35Hm3uKOg/s320/Timpo%2BSwoppets%2BBritish%2BBlacxk%2BBerets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Timpo Swoppets British Commandos</div>
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I am a bit confused here. I have seen British Commandos wearing green berets mostly, and very dark ones which could be black occasionally. Troops from armored units, also wore black berets, like the guys on the Bren gun carrier in the previous picture. But I am inclined to think that these figures were meant to represent commandos. In terms of the figures, they come with the typical webbing used by British Army units as well as a backpack. The poses as obviously influenced by how you combine the torsos with the legs, but I should say that some of the leg stances are not the best. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPLQCIZqYOI/WDTosYLytgI/AAAAAAAAFiQ/fpOs_RqcXR8VbfXsBBMxAVRfmBqxlncnwCLcB/s1600/Multiple%2BToy%2BMakers%2BBritish%2BCommandos%2BPart%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LPLQCIZqYOI/WDTosYLytgI/AAAAAAAAFiQ/fpOs_RqcXR8VbfXsBBMxAVRfmBqxlncnwCLcB/s320/Multiple%2BToy%2BMakers%2BBritish%2BCommandos%2BPart%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Multiple Toymakers British Commandos - Part I</div>
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These guys were an odd find. I did not even know that this manufacturer existed. The figures are a bit skinny for my taste, but in general, they are well sculpted. A good set of poses, with an acceptable degree of movement and action in them. I do have to say that when I first looked at them, I thought there might be some repeated poses, as some of them are similar, but upon closer inspection, they are all different. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FJBk5l3EG0/WDTosUlJRmI/AAAAAAAAFiM/qhYzj08qGWcA8Q1Gc_4yS9UXiPbdaBBAACLcB/s1600/Multiple%2BToy%2BMakers%2BBritish%2BCommandos%2BPart%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FJBk5l3EG0/WDTosUlJRmI/AAAAAAAAFiM/qhYzj08qGWcA8Q1Gc_4yS9UXiPbdaBBAACLcB/s320/Multiple%2BToy%2BMakers%2BBritish%2BCommandos%2BPart%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Multiple Toymakers British Commandos - Part II</div>
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Here are the rest of the guys. Another funny thing are the faces. They are all the same, so it feels like it is an army of clones. The most interesting guy in this second batch is the flamethrower. The second guy from the right. Not easy to see, but the whole weapon can come off his hands and hang from the tanks attached to the back. It is a bit tricky to put it all back into place and make it stay there. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HZTCpWbjBA8/WDTsw8VEZyI/AAAAAAAAFig/QWEp3OWcLGgx5LR05Ypx8Xe8fLSSfoxZACLcB/s1600/Unknown%2BBritish%2BCommandos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HZTCpWbjBA8/WDTsw8VEZyI/AAAAAAAAFig/QWEp3OWcLGgx5LR05Ypx8Xe8fLSSfoxZACLcB/s320/Unknown%2BBritish%2BCommandos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknown British Commando</div>
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This is a guy who came in a mixed set of figures. He is some type of swoppet hybrid, with removable head, but fixed body. He seems to be running with a mortar and its shells. In terms of size, it is closer to 60mm than it is to 54mm, but not quite 60mm, I think. Unfortunately, it does not have any markings to help identify the manufacturer, so if you know who made it, please leave a comment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetriH_1BfFA0__1UFYahn0WAG4DoAsWMZnJlCLc-LbjDmWx4ZhGdRmeHi2YD6QSxhJwcVYCLFrvGMb_gZs8w-1q41ZLAgcTfAPOK52iTsxdQ7mthGf8k6JJiP4lYo98HyA7L-soRaG1Bo082LSMGs5yioQH05hVgHMeHKxyx_KqIIrU5nuEsjPQ_foboa/s3339/ww23d%20British%20Commandos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="3339" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetriH_1BfFA0__1UFYahn0WAG4DoAsWMZnJlCLc-LbjDmWx4ZhGdRmeHi2YD6QSxhJwcVYCLFrvGMb_gZs8w-1q41ZLAgcTfAPOK52iTsxdQ7mthGf8k6JJiP4lYo98HyA7L-soRaG1Bo082LSMGs5yioQH05hVgHMeHKxyx_KqIIrU5nuEsjPQ_foboa/s320/ww23d%20British%20Commandos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Commandos</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here are a few more guys to complement the Airfix and Matchbox commandos. I have the same commentary about their stance (a bit too straight) as I have about all the figures from this manufacturer, so I am not going to dwell on it, but at least there are three kneeling guys and one of the men -second from left- does seem to have some nice forward momentum. The squad comes with a good mix of light infantry weapons, including a sniper rifle, adequate for their clandestine missions and of course, they are wearing the distinctive commando cap. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/british-commonwealth-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to see more British Commonwealth Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/finished-british-infantry.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of British Infantry figures</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of British Infantry in action</span></a>.</div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-86481478736479652672024-01-04T20:25:00.003-05:002024-01-04T20:29:34.172-05:00Introducing the US Paratroops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest Update: WW23D.com US Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">__________________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The United States raised 5 airborne divisions during WWII. The two most famous ones are the 82nd and the 101st -a.k.a. 'The Screaming Eagles'. Three lesser known airborne divisions were the 11th, 13th and 17th. The 82nd and the 101st were both activated in August of '42, and by July of '43 they conducted the first combat drop in the history of the US, parachuting one regiment into Sicily. A couple months later, they participated in the Salerno campaign, although they were brought ashore by landing craft. By January of '44 one of its regiments was detached to help with the fighting at Anzio. By the the time Operation Overlord came by, the 82nd, the only US airborne division to have seen combat, was joined by the 101st and the 6th British Airborne Division for what was up to that point the largest airborne operation in history, involving both glider and parachute landings. The 82nd remained in combat for 33 days, suffering over 5000 casualties of all kinds during that time. After a couple months of rest and refit, the 82nd and the 101st next saw action as part of Operation Market Garden, which was even larger than the Normandy landings in scale and complexity. The 82nd fought around Nijmegen and the 101st around Eindhoven. The 82nd had a challenging time capturing the bridge at Nijmegen and distinguished itself performing a battalion-size river crossing under fire using canvas boats. The 101st was also unable to capture a couple of bridges before they were demolished. All this caused serious delays for the ground troops moving up what came to be known as 'Hell's Highway', eventually leading up to the destruction or capture of most of the 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem. It should be pointed out that this had a lot more to do with inadequate and far too optimistic planning and less with the paratroopers' execution. In the meantime, the 11th Division, which had been activated in February of '43, was now ready for its baptism of fire, which began in the Philippines in the form of a ground attack on Leyte in November of '44. Then suddenly, while the 101st and the 82nd were recovering from Market Garden, the Germans broke through the Ardennes and both divisions along with the 17th which had been activated in April of '43 and had not yet seen combat, were thrown into the fray. The 101st's fame increased during this time, when they defended a surrounded town of Bastogne against far superior forces for 6 weeks, and when the Germans asked for their surrender their reply was 'NUTS!', and even after Patton's troops broke the encirclement, they never acknowledged that they needed rescuing. The 17th Division fought in the Battle of the Bulge for about a month, and in just a 3 day period suffered close to 1000 casualties trying to hold 'Dead Man's Ridge' northwest of Bastogne. The 82nd and the 101st saw no further significant action. Both divisions lost approximately 2000 killed and 6500 wounded during the course of the war. The 11th took part in a couple more operations in the Philippines in January and February of '45: a regiment-size action, landing from the sea at Luzon, and a company-size drop with a battalion providing ground support to liberate a POW camp at Los Baños. The 17th Division saw its last action as part of Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine in March of '45, arguably an operation that could have been carried out without airborne troops and which cost them an additional 1346 casualties in 6 days of fighting. Lastly, the 13th Division, which was raised in august of '43 never got to see combat. Lack of supplies and transport, or the fast pace of the ground troops, often sidelined it or canceled the operations in which it was supposed to participate. As far as toy soldiers go, for many years there was only one set of figures available, but in recent years the situation has improved. Let's see what we have now.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXPVgQrjz4k/To-AvAILODI/AAAAAAAAAek/oji_Mch3qrQ/s1600/Airfix+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix US Paratroops" border="0" height="161" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXPVgQrjz4k/To-AvAILODI/AAAAAAAAAek/oji_Mch3qrQ/w320-h161/Airfix+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" title="Airfix US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix US Paratroops - Part 1</div>
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Usually I have nothing but good things to say about the Airfix figures, however with the US paratroopers I do have mixed feelings. It's great that they produced 13 poses -almost twice as for most other WWII sets, and for the most part, the figures are OK. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcj2w531YHs/To-Av4nqXhI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Lwg9MF3RErk/s1600/Airfix+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix US Paratroops" border="0" height="158" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcj2w531YHs/To-Av4nqXhI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Lwg9MF3RErk/w320-h158/Airfix+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" title="Airfix US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix US Paratroops - Part 2</div>
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There are however a couple of things that could have been better. One is the scale. These guys are really closer to 1/35. The other is the posing of some of the figures which in some cases feels a bit unnatural. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4AbcZZR0kAA/To-AxB4906I/AAAAAAAAAes/X5lvRb5bibU/s1600/Airfix+US+Paratroops+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix US Paratroops" border="0" height="138" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4AbcZZR0kAA/To-AxB4906I/AAAAAAAAAes/X5lvRb5bibU/w320-h138/Airfix+US+Paratroops+3.jpg" title="Airfix US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix US Paratroops - Part 3</div>
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Maybe it's just that I've come to expect a certain standard from Airfix, but for instance, the guy on the far right, throwing the grenade really looks strange to me. But don't get me wrong, for a good 30 years, these were the only US paratroopers around and I am quite glad they made them.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROn0NUPpN7M/To-AyWlqmqI/AAAAAAAAAew/Wqd2i0NkqCM/s1600/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" border="0" height="155" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROn0NUPpN7M/To-AyWlqmqI/AAAAAAAAAew/Wqd2i0NkqCM/w320-h155/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" title="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles US Paratroops - Part 1</div>
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Conte released their US paratroopers as part of their D-Day set that represented the landing at Sainte-Mère-Église, and as was the case with all his other figures, he gave us quite a treat.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b6xCnjpYwfk/To-A0MZV4mI/AAAAAAAAAe0/z8xnkYeZzOE/s1600/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" border="0" height="148" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b6xCnjpYwfk/To-A0MZV4mI/AAAAAAAAAe0/z8xnkYeZzOE/w320-h148/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" title="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles US Paratroops - Part 2</div>
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We have a total of 15 figures, all in nice action poses. A couple of the guys have detachable arms which made their manufacturing possible without that awkward plastic filler that earlier methods would leave between the arms and the body.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5KfBawUJ-s/To-A2Jn31LI/AAAAAAAAAe4/mV7uLTNj7hQ/s1600/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" border="0" height="156" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5KfBawUJ-s/To-A2Jn31LI/AAAAAAAAAe4/mV7uLTNj7hQ/w320-h156/Conte+Collectibles+US+Paratroops+3.jpg" title="Conte Collectibles US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conte Collectibles US Paratroops - Part 3</div>
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I think Conte pioneered the guy standing with the bazooka. For decades, bazooka guys had traditionally been kneeling. Since then CTS has incorporated a similar pose into their GIs set and Forces of Valor also included one with one of its Halftracks. The only tricky thing with Conte's guys is that a couple need a bit of hot water treatment to get them to remain standing, like the guy on the right. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ymifMdFnkC4/T67DY_UNbFI/AAAAAAAABV0/d3UCfJ588oY/s1600/ESCI+US+Paras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ESCI 1/35 US Paratroops" border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ymifMdFnkC4/T67DY_UNbFI/AAAAAAAABV0/d3UCfJ588oY/w320-h185/ESCI+US+Paras.jpg" title="ESCI 1/35 US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI 1/35 US Paratroops</div>
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These are some hard to find guys. I actually had to order them from a hobby shop in Greece. For being 1/35 they are actually really close in size to the 1/32 guys. The poses are a bit too straight in my opinion, but the level of detail is nice. The commander reminds me of the one in the Airfix set. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiQwOPvdWms/To-A34RM5lI/AAAAAAAAAe8/zcu8QdXVnWg/s1600/Forces+of+Valor+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division" border="0" height="156" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KiQwOPvdWms/To-A34RM5lI/AAAAAAAAAe8/zcu8QdXVnWg/w320-h156/Forces+of+Valor+US+Paratroops+1.jpg" title="Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division - Part 1</div>
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Forces of Valor released these over the past few years in two or three different series, each with 4 or 5 guys, with some poses being repeated across sets. Similar to their other figures, their hands and facial features are a bit thick.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YLtM8ldSTo/To-A7YTAX-I/AAAAAAAAAfA/XtuNNVcqTS8/s1600/Forces+of+Valor+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division" border="0" height="161" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YLtM8ldSTo/To-A7YTAX-I/AAAAAAAAAfA/XtuNNVcqTS8/w320-h161/Forces+of+Valor+US+Paratroops+2.jpg" title="Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forces of Valor US 82nd Airborne Division - Part 2</div>
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If I remember correctly, the guy on the right was the guard who came in a set with the three German prisoners. That would explain why his uniform and sculpting look a bit different. The other thing about the FOV figures, is that they come with these detachable bases, which are a bit tricky to keep on them, particularly when you store them. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bRXXDnIufd0/VUTmnwRRKbI/AAAAAAAAFCs/YhE4QXdUS1w/s1600/Marx%2BUS%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marx US Paratroops" border="0" height="245" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bRXXDnIufd0/VUTmnwRRKbI/AAAAAAAAFCs/YhE4QXdUS1w/w320-h245/Marx%2BUS%2BParas.jpg" title="Marx US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Marx US Paratroops</div>
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These are some old production US paras. They might be among the first ever made to represent this service branch. Unfortunately I do not have the canopies that came with them originally. They were hollow semi-spheres made out of hard plastic. I'd say the fully extended parachute would be more appropriate for the man on the right who is still floating down, than for the one on the left who already landed and you'd expect his parachute to be mostly crumpled up. Anyhow, It's probably not too hard to make some cloth parachutes for them and they would probably look more realistic. A couple of good guys to add to the unit in case you want to represent a drop/landing scene.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iu-bo39WcvA/VQ2BxG-iHZI/AAAAAAAAFAU/hMrEBdJ7xSk/s1600/Unknown%2BUS%2BPara.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unknown US Paratrooper" border="0" height="233" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iu-bo39WcvA/VQ2BxG-iHZI/AAAAAAAAFAU/hMrEBdJ7xSk/w320-h233/Unknown%2BUS%2BPara.jpg" title="Unknown US Paratrooper" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknown US Paratrooper - Part I</div>
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This guy came in a large batch of mixed figures. The detail and quality are not the best, but he gets points for being so unusual that I can't figure out who made it. The sculpting style reminds me of the FOV figures. Not the ones that come with the vehicles, but the 4 or 5 figure sets. The hands and upper body are large and the waist and lower body seem a bit smaller, but I already checked and he is not a clone of those. If you happen to know, please leave a comment!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc0Fr1mfepc/Vq1QoADi1nI/AAAAAAAAFU0/rBrMACeMCPc/s1600/Unknown%2BUS%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unknown US Paratroopers" border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc0Fr1mfepc/Vq1QoADi1nI/AAAAAAAAFU0/rBrMACeMCPc/w320-h188/Unknown%2BUS%2BParas.jpg" title="Unknown US Paratroopers" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknown US Paratroopers - Part II</div>
I found a few more of his buddies. They are clearly not WWII figures as their weapons are more modern. But I think that painted the right way, they might still pass as WWI guys. The medical kit on the helmet will tie them together with the WWII style figures. And I still don't know who makes them...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DaoqWAJ0POg/YRAzyjt_7FI/AAAAAAAAGCA/2Oh5smuuw3Y2HutF6Rc4Q7w9rxaEm6legCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BUS%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Paratroops" border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DaoqWAJ0POg/YRAzyjt_7FI/AAAAAAAAGCA/2Oh5smuuw3Y2HutF6Rc4Q7w9rxaEm6legCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h188/Mars%2BUS%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars US Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">D-Day is a pivotal event in WWII, and the saga of D-Day would be incomplete without the US Paras. Mars has more than checked that box with this set. Great action poses, which can be used both for offensive and defensive situations (holding the Eindhoven bridge?). And very nicely sculpted for the most part. I add that caveat only because of the guy in the middle of the picture who is running with his sub machine gun and his right arm is unnaturally tucked into his chest, but that's easy to overlook, when the rest of the set is so well done. The bazooka team is also a nice touch for a Para set. Something that should be noted about this set is that it fits really well next to the Airfix and ESCI Paratroops. Conte Paras are a bit larger, but if you are not too picky about scale, they can blend with them as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE97xTr9ZtGO64YT5kaY1PCVtHwt_b9eTiwXSL98a3CACpgEdIxT0EGMW2-Km0fZ9tVStpvWRFEI4xuLPlwER0rTGNT-zs35jq4Gv5Cq9hZIqwMEAXc8fFlVoXZzetz1XT2fVhL4lUMYKqGxcMhKGFnST9D5nzfI-PopjNiRWJUD0Xm_uKiVJikcqDCOm/s3124/ww23d%20US%20Paratroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="3124" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE97xTr9ZtGO64YT5kaY1PCVtHwt_b9eTiwXSL98a3CACpgEdIxT0EGMW2-Km0fZ9tVStpvWRFEI4xuLPlwER0rTGNT-zs35jq4Gv5Cq9hZIqwMEAXc8fFlVoXZzetz1XT2fVhL4lUMYKqGxcMhKGFnST9D5nzfI-PopjNiRWJUD0Xm_uKiVJikcqDCOm/s320/ww23d%20US%20Paratroops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D US Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The uniforms on these guys are probably the most detailed across all the sets I got from this vendor. They did a good job with all the pockets, the equipment straps, the bandages on the helmets, etc. The only detail missing is that on the faces, but that is true for all their sets. They will go quite well with the Airfix guys. My only wish is that they hadn't made the two poses on the left so similar to each other. With only six figures in the set, it would be good to try something different. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/us-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other US Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-british-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a description of British Airborne troops</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/07/introducing-gis.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a description of US GIs</span></a>.</div>
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Here you can see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/07/company-of-gis-in-action-breaking-out.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures og GIs in action</span></a>.</div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-11416608102822383942024-01-04T20:25:00.002-05:002024-01-04T20:29:12.682-05:00Introducing the Soviet Scouts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added WW23D.com Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Soviet Scouts (a.k.a. Razvedchiki) were the reconnaissance troops of the Red Army. They were considered an elite unit, capable of probing and infiltrating enemy lines. Their main objective was to gather intelligence regarding enemy positions, troop strength, movements, or capturing enemy officers to bring back for interrogation. This was of course, very valuable information ahead of a Soviet attack, or simply to avoid being surprised by a local German offensive. As such, the scouts were not an independent service branch. Instead, each rifle division within the Red Army had a reconnaissance battalion attached to it. Scouts were sometimes also used for operations behind enemy lines, much like allied commando units might have operated, destroying enemy facilities and key pieces of infrastructure. A platoon of scouts usually had two nine-men squads. Given the nature of their missions, they would all be equipped with submachine guns such as the <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">PPSh-41</span> to maximize their firepower at close range, and for stealth purposes, they would also be very handy with a knife, such as the NR-40. Scouts usually wore the amoeba cammo suit when on missions, although underneath the cammo suit, they also wore the regular army uniform. Given their elite status, they usually received preferential treatment when it came to equipment, rations, supplies, and uniforms. In terms of plastic toy soldiers, there are not too many scouts out there, but we do have a few examples from a couple firms such as Engineer Bassevich and Plastic Platoon. And there's even one from Publius. Let's take a look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ztUiIZJiBI/VeH5jBxx_1I/AAAAAAAAFJU/DWDXtfjbm6U/s1600/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BScouts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Scouts" border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ztUiIZJiBI/VeH5jBxx_1I/AAAAAAAAFJU/DWDXtfjbm6U/w320-h213/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BScouts.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Scouts" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Engineer Bassevich Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These four Red Army scouts came in a set from Engineer Bassevich that included eight other figures representing women in the Red Army. So it wasn't a set dedicated to scouts exclusively. I like the 3 figures on the left better than the man on the right. He reminds me of the old days sculpting which would favor flat figures for ease of casting and release. I wonder why they made him this way. In terms of uniforms, the head cover initially made me think that these guys were operating in the winter. Later I learned that these hoods were also used during other seasons, both for the cammo effect and also because they offered protection against mosquitoes which could be quite annoying around swampy areas. Notice how they are also equipped with sub machine guns and knives, something necessary given the nature of their missions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPlUk8fW6xo/YLGMqpdIg7I/AAAAAAAAF-Q/LcyIWadh8kgy-5GTTrSl2tn9XNsF8P95ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BScouts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts" border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPlUk8fW6xo/YLGMqpdIg7I/AAAAAAAAF-Q/LcyIWadh8kgy-5GTTrSl2tn9XNsF8P95ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h217/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BScouts.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you are looking for a tough and daring raiding party look no more. Plastic Platoon's Soviet Scouts are full of grit and intensity. Are they engaged in a fighting retreat or are they springing up an ambush on an unsuspecting enemy? Whatever the case may be, these guys seem ready for it! These guys' outfits are relatively simple by Plastic Platoon's standards. All of them are wearing the typical Soviet cammo smock/suit, which should make them look quite interesting if you chose to paint them. In terms of weaponry, they are packing a good amount of heat. With the exception of the officer, they are all firing automatic weapons. From a German Maschinenpistole to the more ubiquitous PPSh-41 with its different ammo magazines, and then there's the guy firing off the hip what appears to be a 'conscripted' German MG34. Of this set, my favorite pose is the man throwing the hand grenade. Not only is his stance just right -which is not always the case for grenade throwers- but what about that mustache? I think that gives him bonus points. All in all a really nice set, representing a branch of service rarely depicted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0WKjky1CbUz2_50nVMuEvV8Gesh6eUNVV6TYGKQr1PVcZuwxHCvbJGXZRv0rWwW6II8HH5wDQEaw176x5XCYgTFBpZSv_iilnlacdz_NCei_3F61IOLkYg_qOzWdk52H5AV28JsWQbUpMbyqtHcxY70CvTjP6cy__JZ5rgZFaah37qaAWJF7WHQ_dHw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Publius Battle of Berlin Soviet Scout" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0WKjky1CbUz2_50nVMuEvV8Gesh6eUNVV6TYGKQr1PVcZuwxHCvbJGXZRv0rWwW6II8HH5wDQEaw176x5XCYgTFBpZSv_iilnlacdz_NCei_3F61IOLkYg_qOzWdk52H5AV28JsWQbUpMbyqtHcxY70CvTjP6cy__JZ5rgZFaah37qaAWJF7WHQ_dHw=w183-h320" title="Publius Battle of Berlin Soviet Scout" width="183" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Publius Battle of Berlin Soviet Scout</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This set from Publius contained figures from different branches of the Red Army. One of them appears to be a scout, or at least is wearing the amoeba cammo suit and is equipped with weapons fit for his mission. Given the relatively few scout figures available, this is a welcome addition to the unit. In terms of quality of the sculpting, detail, and dynamism of the figure, it is all there. High marks all around for this Publius scout!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjqmaotoIdCyfCCQzNYzBdKyy1lRkNNBIRhJg4mtOD5NLqGV2iOWhfHfrOxrCXfcjIkdU-12UorMkjParXaMykSSz5NnzJUcPyls3LhdICWgkvog4dW9FhPdg9yta4EClM1T5fPiT5x0d7elWW1MmiI6B6XrJsYLbqNl-rBtF11ppbMF6AJ_UcPN66fGl/s3019/ww23d%20Soviet%20Scouts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="3019" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjqmaotoIdCyfCCQzNYzBdKyy1lRkNNBIRhJg4mtOD5NLqGV2iOWhfHfrOxrCXfcjIkdU-12UorMkjParXaMykSSz5NnzJUcPyls3LhdICWgkvog4dW9FhPdg9yta4EClM1T5fPiT5x0d7elWW1MmiI6B6XrJsYLbqNl-rBtF11ppbMF6AJ_UcPN66fGl/s320/ww23d%20Soviet%20Scouts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a service branch not often represented so I was glad to see them as I do need more poses to complement the Bassevich and Plastic Platoon scouts. As you can see, they are wearing their distinctive cammo smock that should be painted with the amoeba pattern. I also like that they gave us a pose who is sneaking in with a knife on his hand to take out an opponent undetected and preserve the surprise factor of the mission. One thing I didn't like however is a more visible manufacturing flaw on the leg of the man who is kneeling and looking through his binoculars. I may plant a bush in front of it to make it less obvious.</div></div><br /><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/soviet-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out move Soviet Troops</span></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-56095511412014245732024-01-04T20:25:00.001-05:002024-01-04T20:28:46.783-05:00Introducing the German Paratroops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest update: WW23D.com German Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">_________________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The German Fallschirmjäger were an elite formation in the German armed forces. They took part in several important airborne operations in the early years of the war, such as the invasion of Denmark (apparently the first time airborne troops were ever used), the invasion of Norway, the glider landings on the roof of the Belgian fortress of Eben Emael, the invasion of the Netherlands, and the invasion of Greece. Their main role was to drop ahead of the main attack to capture key objectives such as airfields or bridges. They fought with such tenacity that the allies gave them the nickname of 'green devils'. Perhaps their most dramatic airborne mission took place during the invasion of Crete which was a division-size operation combining glider landings and parachute drops. Together with a division of mountain troops, they achieved victory, but at such a high price that from that point onwards, they were only used as ground infantry in places like Monte Cassino, France, and actions in the East, including the final battle for Berlin. Ironically, it was after the 'success' of the Crete campaign, that the allies began to take more seriously airborne assaults and increased the size and role of their own units. In terms of available figures, until recently only Airfix and 21st Century had produced them. In September of 2013, Pegasus Hobbies released 10 very welcome new poses, Action Casting followed that a couple of years later with 4 more poses, and most recently in 2019 Warhansa and Plastic Platoon have added to the range. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rhCzm0MCD78/TlWRIdxd63I/AAAAAAAAAPs/IM9trYKdKBQ/s1600/01GermanParasAirfix1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix German Paratroops" border="0" height="143" qaa="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rhCzm0MCD78/TlWRIdxd63I/AAAAAAAAAPs/IM9trYKdKBQ/w320-h143/01GermanParasAirfix1.jpg" title="Airfix German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix German Paratroops - Part I</div>
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As usual, Airfix did a nice job with the sculpting and the poses. In contrast with most of their WWII sets, they actually made 14 poses for this set, which is great considering the lack of additional vendors. The size of these figures is slightly smaller than the rest of the Airfix 1/32 figures, but it's still acceptable.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oqolq2grbGA/TlWRJAzpWoI/AAAAAAAAAPw/UKXPpyMh7XM/s1600/02GermanParasAirfix2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix German Paratroops" border="0" height="136" qaa="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oqolq2grbGA/TlWRJAzpWoI/AAAAAAAAAPw/UKXPpyMh7XM/w320-h136/02GermanParasAirfix2.jpg" title="Airfix German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix German Paratroops - Part II</div>
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The set includes a good number of automatic weapons, which was a good way to give airborne units a bit more firepower. The prone guy firing the machine gun seems taken directly out of the rubble of Monte Cassino as shown in <a href="http://ggholiday.com/bg/History/Cassino_history.htm">this picture</a>. The only guy that I would have done differently is the guy wielding his rifle. He is holding it too close to his body, not like you would if you were swinging, but I can see how they had to keep his left arm this way due to the restrictions imposed by the mold making. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKHN7N5-DIg/TlWRJ9bryBI/AAAAAAAAAP0/8VTPfGQrtkA/s1600/03GermanParas21C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys German Paratroops" border="0" height="139" qaa="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKHN7N5-DIg/TlWRJ9bryBI/AAAAAAAAAP0/8VTPfGQrtkA/w320-h139/03GermanParas21C.jpg" title="21st Century Toys German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys German Paratroops</div>
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21st Century Toys released several series of German troops around 10 and 8 years ago. Most of the figures in each set were German infantry, but each set had 1 or 2 German Paratroops and after a while I ended up with 7 different poses. As you can see, the uniform is not consistent, but since they are already pre-painted I am not going to worry about painting them over. Also, for some reason, several of them seem to be off-balance. Having said that, they still represent a good addition to the Airfix figures. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3zsSAqrboQ/Uj9205eJmFI/AAAAAAAAD8g/lLwGka-p718/s1600/Pegasus+German+Paratroops+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops" border="0" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3zsSAqrboQ/Uj9205eJmFI/AAAAAAAAD8g/lLwGka-p718/w320-h203/Pegasus+German+Paratroops+1.jpg" title="Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops - Part I</div>
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A nice complement to the existing paras. An officer with a cap to lead them, a man with a heavy MG firing off the hip, and a very much needed panzerschreck. In terms of scale, they are a very good match with the existing Airfix figures. Perhaps the head/helmet is a bit smaller, but it's not going to be very noticeable. Once they are painted they will mix well with the others. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYZK_BSbc5U/Uj921IbGEDI/AAAAAAAAD8k/_jPn8XV0hmk/s1600/Pegasus+German+Paratroops+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops" border="0" height="204" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bYZK_BSbc5U/Uj921IbGEDI/AAAAAAAAD8k/_jPn8XV0hmk/w320-h204/Pegasus+German+Paratroops+2.jpg" title="Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops - Part II</div>
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In terms of sculpting, they are just the way I like them. Lots of action in these poses. All of them engaging the enemy and their bodies leaning the way they are supposed to and plenty of detail on them. In terms of new weapons, the panzerpfaust is also a welcome addition to the unit and will be put to good use in close quarter combat against Allied armor.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xm8ykgB0MTM/VDC4whZFU2I/AAAAAAAAEuo/PciBBojgaTQ/s1600/MarxMan%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Action Casting German Paratroops" border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xm8ykgB0MTM/VDC4whZFU2I/AAAAAAAAEuo/PciBBojgaTQ/w320-h180/MarxMan%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" title="Action Casting German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Action Casting German Paratroops</div>
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These are some nice and interesting figures. In particular, I like the man throwing the grenade. It is nice how he is leaning back while his lower legs lean slightly forward. The level of detail on these figures is also quite good, with quite a bit of gear on the figures accurately represented. If you pay attention you can see some of the casting imperfections, but I hope that once they are primed, painted and they get their protective coating, those will be less obvious.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uTA6z8cPgw/XfWAqvEVvpI/AAAAAAAAFsk/XXS3BOGueC8X0xPFkINwpHPUOHyNEhX0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1" border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uTA6z8cPgw/XfWAqvEVvpI/AAAAAAAAFsk/XXS3BOGueC8X0xPFkINwpHPUOHyNEhX0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h215/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B1.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1</div>
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Plastic Platoon brings sculpting and action poses to a new level. Their German Paras are supposed to represent the early war troops which were dropped on Crete, and are for sure my favorite German Paras. You can tell that they were just dropped on the island because most of them are still wearing their knee pads, and at least one of them is still wearing his harness. Can't say enough about the level of realism of these figures. I just wish my budget would allow me to get more of them. Which BTW, apparently are limited to runs of 300 sets. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CeCQaG2MzI/XfWAqv9g1YI/AAAAAAAAFso/M9nvR0z8M60x9sZuMEYmir3FlC-Ratp6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2" border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CeCQaG2MzI/XfWAqv9g1YI/AAAAAAAAFso/M9nvR0z8M60x9sZuMEYmir3FlC-Ratp6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h223/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B2.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2</div>
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Here are another six poses released as part of a second set, also representing the Paras involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete. What's most interesting for me is that several of them are wearing same life jacket worn by the Luftwaffe pilots. It took me a bit of research to figure out what I was looking at, but you can actually find photographs depicting men in this outfit. It makes sense when you think about the fact that they were flown to jump into an island, so if the plane was shot down or, if they were blown out to see during the landing, a Schwimmweste would have come in handy. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKaSwBPCWPM/XfWArx5CHvI/AAAAAAAAFss/zIpSBgKnRp8YGAhQB92rmJ2TLLTTHMqPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3" border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKaSwBPCWPM/XfWArx5CHvI/AAAAAAAAFss/zIpSBgKnRp8YGAhQB92rmJ2TLLTTHMqPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h225/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BParas%2BSet%2B3.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3</div>
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This third set was a bit unusual. We got two more Paratroopers, three drop containers, and one Greek Partisan. I suppose this is useful and original, but if you ask me, I would have preferred if it had come with more German figures and the containers were extras or could be purchased separately. Also, I am not a big fan of figures that are so coupled together that you can't deploy one of them in a separate situation. What's interesting about this set is that one of the figures can grasp the handle of one of the containers so that it looks like he is pulling it. Also the level of detail, even on the containers is very nice. Each container is labeled with a different letter or symbol, and the contents are rich and diverse.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qC8iDqnchM/XfWAuyqCCjI/AAAAAAAAFsw/sN82PbjMn9Ipequ61rbO2KnE44Eh584egCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Warhansa%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Warhansa German Paratroops" border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4qC8iDqnchM/XfWAuyqCCjI/AAAAAAAAFsw/sN82PbjMn9Ipequ61rbO2KnE44Eh584egCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h223/Warhansa%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" title="Warhansa German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Warhansa German Paratroops</div>
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This set is OK, but in the context of Plastic Platoon's releases, it has a high bar to match. The poses are a bit static, the figures feel slightly chubby, maybe because the oversized weapons required bigger and thicker hands. And the material is a bit too shiny for my taste, although that's something that will be taken care of once they are painted. Anyhow, I am glad that Warhansa has added some more figures to the range. And on a positive note, I do like the expression of the officer quite a bit. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oEVBAdKKbFo/WDTtmgh5sKI/AAAAAAAAFio/LiuGk6VnChQcUkzdTSHVWE5lhAIHN4Z5wCLcB/s1600/Unknown%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unknown German Paratroops" border="0" height="245" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oEVBAdKKbFo/WDTtmgh5sKI/AAAAAAAAFio/LiuGk6VnChQcUkzdTSHVWE5lhAIHN4Z5wCLcB/w320-h245/Unknown%2BGerman%2BParas.jpg" title="Unknown German Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknown German Paratroops</div>
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These are some figures which came with a building I purchased. They were already painted, although I suspect that might have been done by the previous owner. The scale and the sculpting is fairly decent. Unfortunately, there are no identifying markers in terms of who made them. So if you happen to know, please leave a comment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLYXULlaxUk/X8HKN5pRf_I/AAAAAAAAFzw/uo9ACyzYtKQIFN7tK95-F2GH9Raas850ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2048" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLYXULlaxUk/X8HKN5pRf_I/AAAAAAAAFzw/uo9ACyzYtKQIFN7tK95-F2GH9Raas850ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h195/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Paratroops - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon German Paratroops - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys not only get points for being well done, but they also deserve extra credit for uniqueness. I don't think anybody had made German Paras in a winter setting. I am glad that we got some poses in this set that are better suited for close quarter combat, as the other Leningrad Soviets needed some opponents to fight in the rubble of those buildings. The desperation and urgency displayed by the guy who is using his helmet to balance the fight is palpable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgi7FpCG0hE/YLO9LGzzhZI/AAAAAAAAF_I/ECDwB9IA5CcixusSIPfCqUvLzpca_XNEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="2048" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgi7FpCG0hE/YLO9LGzzhZI/AAAAAAAAF_I/ECDwB9IA5CcixusSIPfCqUvLzpca_XNEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h181/Mars%2BGerman%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another good set from Mars. This one is aimed at depicting the German Paratroops that might have fought in theaters like the battle of Monte Cassino. On the box they show them painted in cammo smocks and beige pants. As you can see the poses are all useful in combat scenarios, and with the customary 8 poses from Mars, that also makes the set more interesting. For instance, we also get a prone figure, which is often missing in smaller sets. The variety in the uniforms and equipment is also good. Some of them have their smocks buttoned up, and some lose. Some have helmets with webbing, some without, and there's even one guy with a field cap. Good mix of weapons as well, including the multi-potato masher being thrown by the guy on the left. My only negative criticism about this set is the size of the hands in some of the figures. Some of them still seem a bit undersized in my opinion. But all in all a very nice set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ok0HULKj8/YRAwMQl7ZcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/sfzfi11UwBs_698czVfykPtEPuuRzBaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Winter Paratroops" border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="2048" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ok0HULKj8/YRAwMQl7ZcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/sfzfi11UwBs_698czVfykPtEPuuRzBaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h191/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars German Winter Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>Mars German Winter Paratroops<br /> And yet another nice set from Mars. This set gets extra points for depicting the German Paras in winter gear, which is something that had not been done to date. Six of them are wearing padded/quilted suits, another one is wearing a white cammo suit, and the last one is still wearing the regular para smock with some other layers underneath. In addition to the unique outfits, the sculpting in this set is probably the best I've seen from Mars. The detail and dynamism in the poses is excellent. And the choice of poses is great as well. All of them useful in combat situations with a nice range of diverse weapons. The radio man is also a nice touch. My only criticism of this set is that all of them are standing poses. A couple crouching or prone poses would have been useful. But hey, maybe that means that eventually we get another set of winter paras with such poses, right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcIdwbbreW6gpou1xPud_H7ShjLkTEMJYethXvHQ0BqzPxn_9le6uyS_lU0NH7ctS06y8OnJoL-Kthc2lUu7z8kA6qrrTwteHj0zwiCHhfbqxp9WFLXJyYYb5OW7dXqOqCkJ6bvfPWTxrmD50ITEZIiHAsI3DLVi1bsmnMTeqFmOqnKC2mMRCpFMPw/s1629/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Artillery%20Crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1629" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcIdwbbreW6gpou1xPud_H7ShjLkTEMJYethXvHQ0BqzPxn_9le6uyS_lU0NH7ctS06y8OnJoL-Kthc2lUu7z8kA6qrrTwteHj0zwiCHhfbqxp9WFLXJyYYb5OW7dXqOqCkJ6bvfPWTxrmD50ITEZIiHAsI3DLVi1bsmnMTeqFmOqnKC2mMRCpFMPw/w320-h221/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Artillery%20Crew.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a nice and original addition to the existing German Para units produced by other manufacturers which so far have lacked any heavy weapons support. The set includes two guns, each with its respective crew. They are meant to be painted in the tropical uniform. I actually purchased two sets, and plan to paint one crew in the early war (Crete) colors and the other one in the cammo scheme. The recoilless gun is interesting. The wheels are meant to be off the ground when it's deployed, but the plastic is a bit hard to straighten so that it looks even. I may actually use these crews with 21C Pak 40s. As far as the figures go, the poses are all good, but I do feel that the sculpting detail could be sharper. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eybwWAKSwXWDHHbAjOfDDo0jDNGYC5DMAHxLqWEYaPbjlp8OPDKBFngWQvLqDjpeK97w7sLOJ1Kr6Wdiu0xoaE43AmuXQeWrYeT-cRk49bxCQ-kpuTMO6gCitv6COPPSI2LyO0amKkjJMB_UGg3Zs6ZfYNyla2BISUoEj_tAsEqM5Qe_Dimtg_yQAA/s1716/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Mortar%20Crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1716" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eybwWAKSwXWDHHbAjOfDDo0jDNGYC5DMAHxLqWEYaPbjlp8OPDKBFngWQvLqDjpeK97w7sLOJ1Kr6Wdiu0xoaE43AmuXQeWrYeT-cRk49bxCQ-kpuTMO6gCitv6COPPSI2LyO0amKkjJMB_UGg3Zs6ZfYNyla2BISUoEj_tAsEqM5Qe_Dimtg_yQAA/w320-h222/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Mortar%20Crew.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's another useful addition to the German Para units. Again, the set comes with two mortars and two crews. When it comes to toy soldiers, I don't feel that you need a 5-man crew for a mortar. I know that in real life you might require such man power to carry the ammo plus the different pieces when it is disassembled, but I would have preferred to get maybe 3 mortars each with a 3-man crew or simply some other additional supporting poses with other unique weapons. In terms of the detail, these guys seem crisper than the gun crew. One interesting pose that took me a bit of time to figure out its purpose is the man at the front of the mortar holding the bipod. Looks like he is trying stabilize it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqtG1dPAFTah6AM15MbJ9ra11JKhrvY8WJ_Di7g2yVWkwiP-wzh08jgWf1jWfFYkT27hMpWucOuvdcDOFwLzoPlrVzQ4VIk4K00OqAmFApMBv_4X07w7MUo6oVjMQyDpwNRCbjAS8CcsuA0GP4sYi4UmUof8sEyMzjRWVZBJslSg6ubGPRGlxnqD6o9OA/s2676/ww23d%20German%20Paratroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="2676" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqtG1dPAFTah6AM15MbJ9ra11JKhrvY8WJ_Di7g2yVWkwiP-wzh08jgWf1jWfFYkT27hMpWucOuvdcDOFwLzoPlrVzQ4VIk4K00OqAmFApMBv_4X07w7MUo6oVjMQyDpwNRCbjAS8CcsuA0GP4sYi4UmUof8sEyMzjRWVZBJslSg6ubGPRGlxnqD6o9OA/s320/ww23d%20German%20Paratroops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D German Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I like this set a bit more than the others in terms of the sculpting and the level of action in the poses. Even the guys who are standing -except for the one on the middle- are all leaning in some direction. The pose I like the most in this set is the one on the left, who is advancing while firing his sub MG. These guys will blend well with the Airfix, Mars, and Pegasus German paras. The only thing to criticize is that the 3D printing sometimes crates a few defects, like the edge on one of the helmets is a bit uneven. I suppose we will attribute that to battle damage. </div></div></div></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-paratroops-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Paratroops in action.</span></a><br />
Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/05/introducing-italian-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a post about the Italian Paratroops</span></a><br />
Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-us-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a post about the US Paratroops</span></a><br />
Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-british-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a post about the British Paratroops</span></a></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-46357457795529170842024-01-04T20:25:00.000-05:002024-01-04T20:28:22.165-05:00Introducing the Soviet Naval Infantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Latest edit: Added WW23D.com Soviet Naval Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">______________</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Soviet Naval Infantry was theoretically an amphibious force, although they only conducted a handful of landings during the war. For the most part they were used as normal infantry in land battles where reinforcements were badly needed like Stalingrad, Leningrad, or the outskirts of Moscow. Some of them were actually ship crews retrained as infantry, but nonetheless they fought courageously and earned themselves a gallant reputation.</div>
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This first set of pictures is the Soviet Naval Infantry made by Pegasus Hobbies. It comes in 12 nice, very well-proportioned, action poses. It requires a minor amount of assembly/gluing, namely a few arms and weapons, as some of the figures are manufactured using two molds. That's still a small price to pay in exchange for some nicer -less flat- poses compared to what can be manufactured with one mold. Unfortunately I still have not gotten around to painting them, although I already researched the uniforms. Even unpainted, they still make a nice scene. </div>
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In the pictures below you see them launching a counterattack on a street that has already exchanged hands several times. Will they prevail this time?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHwr-sRejmA/Tg09wNRhVSI/AAAAAAAAAF8/2uA_y41FTWY/s1600/01-street.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="320" i="i" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHwr-sRejmA/Tg09wNRhVSI/AAAAAAAAAF8/2uA_y41FTWY/w244-h320/01-street.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="244" /></a></div>
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The men up front rush forward.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-2x-oPnLuc/Tg09xO8tGhI/AAAAAAAAAGA/zoRkyoq4Df8/s1600/02-secondhalf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="194" i="i" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-2x-oPnLuc/Tg09xO8tGhI/AAAAAAAAAGA/zoRkyoq4Df8/w320-h194/02-secondhalf.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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The rubble on the street offers some amount of cover.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NtT9tn3dbg/UIv9uQwz4oI/AAAAAAAACb0/EgVS9XnjDWw/s1600/03-grenade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="313" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_NtT9tn3dbg/UIv9uQwz4oI/AAAAAAAACb0/EgVS9XnjDWw/w320-h313/03-grenade.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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The front elements are already in grenade-throwing range.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hku7K0zzIV8/Tg09y428NkI/AAAAAAAAAGI/kWnGL3_qziU/s1600/04-sandbags+closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="127" i="i" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hku7K0zzIV8/Tg09y428NkI/AAAAAAAAAGI/kWnGL3_qziU/w320-h127/04-sandbags+closeup.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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The guys immediately behind provide covering fire.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qr-qXFF6Cg/Tg09ze-JrnI/AAAAAAAAAGM/30k3QMjWIG0/s1600/05-kneeling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="320" i="i" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Qr-qXFF6Cg/Tg09ze-JrnI/AAAAAAAAAGM/30k3QMjWIG0/w283-h320/05-kneeling.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="283" /></a></div>
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A couple of sub-machine gun bursts to make the enemy take cover.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeLYwLe4x0c/Tg090BW4jUI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/KYit6AtAtW0/s1600/06-sideview.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="131" i="i" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xeLYwLe4x0c/Tg090BW4jUI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/KYit6AtAtW0/w320-h131/06-sideview.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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A side view of the action.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jfFnGsxUeRM/Tg091F0ozoI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jNV3sVVS3bw/s1600/07-sniper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="320" i="i" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jfFnGsxUeRM/Tg091F0ozoI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jNV3sVVS3bw/w307-h320/07-sniper.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="307" /></a></div>
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Looks like this machine gunner is about to do some damage... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QEqTivYjck/UIv-NNiWESI/AAAAAAAACcM/Wn8LXO3jP68/s1600/08-kneelingcloseup2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="215" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QEqTivYjck/UIv-NNiWESI/AAAAAAAACcM/Wn8LXO3jP68/w320-h215/08-kneelingcloseup2.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Taking a well-aimed shot.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HpK7K2bEGIA/UIv-RtDPsqI/AAAAAAAACcU/Lqy2Xs1G6Cw/s1600/09-house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="220" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HpK7K2bEGIA/UIv-RtDPsqI/AAAAAAAACcU/Lqy2Xs1G6Cw/w320-h220/09-house.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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The captain bringing up the rear.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gYCFqVG3Gr4/Tg093r_RC0I/AAAAAAAAAGg/HoHZbz31l1E/s1600/10-sideview2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="320" i="i" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gYCFqVG3Gr4/Tg093r_RC0I/AAAAAAAAAGg/HoHZbz31l1E/w223-h320/10-sideview2.jpg" title="Pegasus Soviet Naval Infantry" true="true" width="223" /></a></div>
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The more cautious guys following a few steps behind.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4anQ_SbfLPI/VZgS2jjz-8I/AAAAAAAAFGQ/c7Z3sz2AhdI/s1600/Plubius%2BBrest%2BFortress%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4anQ_SbfLPI/VZgS2jjz-8I/AAAAAAAAFGQ/c7Z3sz2AhdI/w320-h192/Plubius%2BBrest%2BFortress%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" title="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part I</div>
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Here are a few more Naval Infantry guys made by a Russian company called Publius. They are really hard to find. I got these guys courtesy of my friend and fellow collector, The Plastic General. He discovered them and managed to obtain some from a contact in Russia. The level of detail and fluidity of movement in the sculpting is among the best I've seen. They are so well done that leave you longing for more poses. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grDUaIWpGrI/VZgS2jkdliI/AAAAAAAAFGU/ntqv5l2qRGQ/s1600/Plubius%2BBrest%2BFortress%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" height="196" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grDUaIWpGrI/VZgS2jkdliI/AAAAAAAAFGU/ntqv5l2qRGQ/w320-h196/Plubius%2BBrest%2BFortress%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" title="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part II</div>
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I also like the fact that every pose is an action pose, as opposed to having some marching or standing guys, which tend to have a more limited use. And as you can see, there is a nice variety in the weaponry and outfits of the figures. I also like the fact that the bases have some detail and texture, but they are not bulky as has been the trend recently in the hobby.<span><span> </span></span>These guys are certainly a great complement to the Pegasus figures and add much needed variety to this service branch of the Soviet Army.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOQUGOxG-Fg/XfaPFo5d3dI/AAAAAAAAFt4/tc9DPaON01k-o9zG4nPOjfvx1eSuyYPdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Publius%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOQUGOxG-Fg/XfaPFo5d3dI/AAAAAAAAFt4/tc9DPaON01k-o9zG4nPOjfvx1eSuyYPdACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h222/Publius%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Publius Soviet Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are the same figures as above, just as a group and in a different shade of color. I must admit that I forgot I had already bought and posted them, but the picture turned out well, so we can repost them :-)</div>
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<img alt="Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2048" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vvDtPprLtck/X8HKPITXlMI/AAAAAAAAF0E/JSFZswGBg6kEZezgltOfR7u5vh1NzEZWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h193/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BSoviet%2BNaval%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A great set depicting the intensity of close quarter combat happening in an urban theater. These naval infantry figures would be equally at home in Stalingrad or Sevastopol, and they will be a great complement to Publius' and Pegasus' naval infantry troops. Again, the plastic is a bit soft, and that makes the tips of the weapons point in odd directions, but other than that, the sculpting -i.e. the level of detail and action- on these figures is exceptional. I can't wait to see how realistic they look with some paint on them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-size: 12px;"><br /></div></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vE8hlDMDLAw/U0CM6PD1I7I/AAAAAAAAEe8/gS7hCDa4VNM/s1600/ESCI+Soviet+Spetznatz+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ESCI Soviet Spetznaz" border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vE8hlDMDLAw/U0CM6PD1I7I/AAAAAAAAEe8/gS7hCDa4VNM/w320-h188/ESCI+Soviet+Spetznatz+1.jpg" title="ESCI Soviet Spetznaz" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI Soviet Spetznaz - Part I</div>
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The Spetznaz are Soviet Special Forces, however they are post WWII figures. I find their uniforms however close enough to the Soviet Naval Infantry that I have decided to use them as such to complement the Pegasus figures. The weaponry is a bit modern, so I'll have to overlook that. In terms of the poses I like the men who are crouching better than the ones who are standing.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gsZfPcLeuHA/U0CM6DkC3hI/AAAAAAAAEe4/0U3kcHyDpfc/s1600/ESCI+Soviet+Spetznatz+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ESCI Soviet Spetznaz" border="0" height="235" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gsZfPcLeuHA/U0CM6DkC3hI/AAAAAAAAEe4/0U3kcHyDpfc/w320-h235/ESCI+Soviet+Spetznatz+2.jpg" title="ESCI Soviet Spetznaz" width="320" /></a></div>
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ESCI Soviet Spetznaz - Part II</div>
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Some of these guys are wearing a different head gear. Not sure if those will blend in with the Naval Infantry. Their weapons however would fit quite well in the WWII period. Again, I have my reservations about the poses of the guys who are running. I would like them better if their upper bodies were leaning more a bit forward.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NqueZ-xXED89Yea_d-qg4gOpHx50EWmyQ1V-fhOrFoo9yyQCektfsrxNZgknRTPfLc4JBioyxmquH4dLFLJDYneY_kbKQRXACni9Bg6W59PNUSQmUmatZUIa2lYyVKVY7nDMlA6xqIM5JjVtPD7sIDRnHZ1ckrhRtqcUX5mHuMBYmb9VOj9miMg36Q=s1187" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NqueZ-xXED89Yea_d-qg4gOpHx50EWmyQ1V-fhOrFoo9yyQCektfsrxNZgknRTPfLc4JBioyxmquH4dLFLJDYneY_kbKQRXACni9Bg6W59PNUSQmUmatZUIa2lYyVKVY7nDMlA6xqIM5JjVtPD7sIDRnHZ1ckrhRtqcUX5mHuMBYmb9VOj9miMg36Q=w224-h320" title="Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry" width="224" /></a></div>Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira makes 3D printed toy soldiers. They only offer a handful of Soviet Naval Infantry figures, so when I saw this guy I grabbed him. What's interesting about him is that you can also select the head that you want for him. There are three or four variations, with different headgear and facial expressions. He will go well with my other Soviet Naval Infantry guys from Pegasus, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9FBiIT94HOPp6eujLENRhmjyoZdYBnHxYsAY_8AHqg2sOcBPBcLIL52qJqSdiB1U5TbHbgvOWCm3auMxKk2g-73zcHP3JC2RlJavmGV0kH5w8BUrSctRxRM3AHHqrAy0ns8Rl2gF6XqQG2zBPE_Me_kdyPtzFMN8NaxtzjAm6jCU70n5wygTF1Z1YA/s3165/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Arctic%20Troops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic" border="0" data-original-height="1475" data-original-width="3165" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9FBiIT94HOPp6eujLENRhmjyoZdYBnHxYsAY_8AHqg2sOcBPBcLIL52qJqSdiB1U5TbHbgvOWCm3auMxKk2g-73zcHP3JC2RlJavmGV0kH5w8BUrSctRxRM3AHHqrAy0ns8Rl2gF6XqQG2zBPE_Me_kdyPtzFMN8NaxtzjAm6jCU70n5wygTF1Z1YA/w320-h149/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Arctic%20Troops.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak Soviet Arctic Troops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Even though this set is supposed to represent troops fighting in or around the Arctic Circle, there are only two guys who seem to be dressed adequately for the occasion -the officer and the man sitting on the ground seem to be pretty snug, but the other guys would be freezing. Or perhaps they are fighting in the summer months and we now have figures to defend the Arctic year-round? Jokes aside I actually bought this set to get my hands on the four naval infantry figures. I also don't have much use for the officer who is just standing around. But the three guys on the left, are in very nice action/fighting poses and will be a good addition to the unit. The guy who is aiming his handgun upwards is nice in terms of the sculpting and detail, but will also have limited uses on the battlefield. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGNfJI0pqgUC1MVv9xlMIo4D-sCstPtLWhrvLqzgUqBbiyS5bBd_Em2QzuP-IUcVl-6LfMsA6adHG25JOhBnGYnl0jgGfJaJUVVzekX7SwqJDY6CttssPw_y9tH8E4kvakUun2_U4NPIhdKp0A-vcp-DZtypYu2C1-xVjiQXrgUKpGYEIzRpPjr3LYGI4/s3285/ww23d%20Soviet%20Naval%20Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3285" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGNfJI0pqgUC1MVv9xlMIo4D-sCstPtLWhrvLqzgUqBbiyS5bBd_Em2QzuP-IUcVl-6LfMsA6adHG25JOhBnGYnl0jgGfJaJUVVzekX7SwqJDY6CttssPw_y9tH8E4kvakUun2_U4NPIhdKp0A-vcp-DZtypYu2C1-xVjiQXrgUKpGYEIzRpPjr3LYGI4/s320/ww23d%20Soviet%20Naval%20Infantry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D Soviet Naval Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What attracted me the most about these Soviet Naval infantry guys is the fact that they are wearing helmets. Most of the other figures I have representing this service branch are wearing sailor caps. I actually prefer that look, but I like that these guys will create some variety in my ranks. Ready for defending Sevastopol or as reinforcements for Stalingrad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div>
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<br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/soviet-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out move Soviet Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/soviet-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of Soviet Infantry in action.</span></a></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-3395336919486541212024-01-04T20:24:00.000-05:002024-01-04T20:31:10.990-05:00Introducing the German Africa Corps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added WW23D.com German Afrika Korps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) was the German force sent to to North Africa in February of '41 to help the Italian forces who were fighting the British Commonwealth in the deserts of Libya and Egypt and had been recently pushed back into Libya. The DAK force was primarily a combination of Panzer units and motorized infantry, making it a highly mobile formation. The Afrika Korps under the command of Erwin Rommel, -the Desert Fox- enjoyed great initial success, pushing back the British all the way back to Egypt in a dashing campaign that stopped short of Alexandria. Supply shortages however, caused by the fact that the Allies could intercept much of the shipping across the Mediterranean from their air bases in Malta played an important role in limiting the fighting ability of the Afrika Korps. Eventually the British 8th Army, now under Montgomery, counterattacked, pushing the Axis forces back to Tunisia. Around the same time -Nov '42, American landings in Morocco and Algeria -Operation Torch- created a second front for the Afrika Korps, which sealed its fate. Nonetheless, it managed to fight on for another 6 months, eventually surrendering in May of '43, with over a quarter of a million men going into captivity. This was a blow as hard as the loss of the 6th Army at Stalingrad a few weeks later, perhaps even larger if you consider the losses during the preceding two years. In terms of plastic figures, the DAK has received a good level of attention, perhaps because the fast paced desert campaigns have captured the imagination of many over the years. Let's take a look at the available sets.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQKlbpKVyRI/TouhkaJssOI/AAAAAAAAAcA/wzr1_pOgprg/s1600/Airfix+DAK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQKlbpKVyRI/TouhkaJssOI/AAAAAAAAAcA/wzr1_pOgprg/s320/Airfix+DAK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Afrika Korps</div>
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Yet another classic set from Airfix. Nicely sculpted figures, realistic looking action poses. The only thing I could ask for would be more poses, but unfortunately this was the standard number for most of their WWII sets.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgvV1LnDcug/TouhlLptDVI/AAAAAAAAAcE/mOBjlCzpX5g/s1600/Atlantic+DAK+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgvV1LnDcug/TouhlLptDVI/AAAAAAAAAcE/mOBjlCzpX5g/s320/Atlantic+DAK+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic Afrika Korps - Part 1</div>
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One of the nicer Atlantic sets. Other than the prone machine gun guy who seems to be looking at the ground instead of aiming his weapon, the rest are all very well done. One peculiarity about these figures is that they all come without any headgear and you can glue on them a steel helmet, a field cap, or one of those desert/tropical hats. I had to experiment with several glues until I found one that did the trick as they stubbornly refused to remain attached.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uG2rzwaXflQ/TouhmGo1Q2I/AAAAAAAAAcI/GmjS2sVrr-0/s1600/Atlantic+DAK+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uG2rzwaXflQ/TouhmGo1Q2I/AAAAAAAAAcI/GmjS2sVrr-0/s320/Atlantic+DAK+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic Afrika Korps - Part 2</div>
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Most of these guys are wearing short pants which is a good variation found only on a few of the figures from the other manufacturers. These guys were originally tan in color, but I already primed them as they are among the next figures on the to-paint list.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WlBqMNCgUtI/Touhn0Tl_MI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/yK0iokAlpn0/s1600/Matchbox+DAK+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WlBqMNCgUtI/Touhn0Tl_MI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/yK0iokAlpn0/s320/Matchbox+DAK+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox Afrika Korps - Part 1</div>
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Matchbox, gave us a bit more variety in poses, but the sculpting is a notch below that of Airfix. Nonetheless, they also included a couple guys with short pants, and they also included an important mounted heavy machine gun. My favorite guy in this set is the one on the very left. I really like that running guy.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc3Dx9eZFxU/Touhosg-sgI/AAAAAAAAAcU/qmYERXCpcA0/s1600/Matchbox+DAK+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pc3Dx9eZFxU/Touhosg-sgI/AAAAAAAAAcU/qmYERXCpcA0/s320/Matchbox+DAK+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matchbox Afrika Korps - Part 2</div>
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Is that Rommel that we are looking at? He could very well be. </div>
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A few of these guys illustrate the point I was making about the sculpting. The charging guys' running seems a bit unnatural and the grenade man does not seem to lean back enough to be able to throw that thing as far as you'd want to.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIj0PZkWlZE/TouhpgSD-wI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ov9dRKWwf1M/s1600/Revell+DAK+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIj0PZkWlZE/TouhpgSD-wI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ov9dRKWwf1M/s320/Revell+DAK+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Revell Afrika Korps - Part 1</div>
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These figures are 1/35 in scale, but they are actually not that far in size from the Airfix figures. Most of the guys in this set are pretty well done except for the guy on the left whose running I find a bit awkward. He seems about to trip and fall over.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Q6JB9FIEpE/Touhqesql8I/AAAAAAAAAcc/dFsltHRbGNE/s1600/Revell+DAK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Q6JB9FIEpE/Touhqesql8I/AAAAAAAAAcc/dFsltHRbGNE/s320/Revell+DAK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Revell Afrika Korps - Part 2</div>
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The set includes a very nice heavy machine gun mounted on a tripod. The two guys operating it and the gun itself can be removed from the base The guy on the left is probably my favorite figure from this set and a good example of some of the elements that make a good figure: bent knees, slight crouch, body balance shifted off-center, intense look/gaze. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ojkfF_oa6-s/T53peHWz0kI/AAAAAAAABTs/rZoijgSxGPM/s1600/Lone+Star+Afrika+Korps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ojkfF_oa6-s/T53peHWz0kI/AAAAAAAABTs/rZoijgSxGPM/s320/Lone+Star+Afrika+Korps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star Afrika Korps - Part 1</div>
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This is a rare set. Out of production and not easy to find. The poses are acceptable considering when they were made (50s or 60s). As far as poses they offer a good mix of fighting/non-fighting figures. The guy on the left is the only one I've ever seen waving a white flag. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MLsUxhfCYmk/T53pe9aPqDI/AAAAAAAABT0/3EJu8bVn6C0/s1600/Lone+Star+Afrika+Korps+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MLsUxhfCYmk/T53pe9aPqDI/AAAAAAAABT0/3EJu8bVn6C0/s320/Lone+Star+Afrika+Korps+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lone Star Afrika Korps - Part 2</div>
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This other picture has the guys going on the offensive. It also shows the only flamethrower in among all the poses across all manufacturers in this post, which is another reason why I am glad I finally got my hands on this set.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5rsvUwxbYY/TouhrOxGd4I/AAAAAAAAAcg/PPPocWY_c2Y/s1600/Twenty+first+C+DAK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5rsvUwxbYY/TouhrOxGd4I/AAAAAAAAAcg/PPPocWY_c2Y/s320/Twenty+first+C+DAK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys Afrika Korps - Part I</div>
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At the time that 21st Century Toys released their set I was not a big fan of factory painted figures so I did not buy them. It was only recently -now that they are out of production- that I ran into these two and bought them. Hopefully they still give you an idea about the level of detail, type of uniform and quality of the poses/sculpting.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nIGbtQrgZDc/UUTV9dLTOnI/AAAAAAAADXY/eE0eFFKIWAI/s1600/21C+Afrika+Korps+Batch+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nIGbtQrgZDc/UUTV9dLTOnI/AAAAAAAADXY/eE0eFFKIWAI/s320/21C+Afrika+Korps+Batch+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21C Toys Afrika Korps - Part II</div>
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Here are the rest of the set. The one thing I don't like is how the paint color varies so much from one set to the next. Primarily that of the boots. I like the colors on the picture above better. The officer's face could have been done slightly better also. Other than that, the figures display a good deal of action, just the way I like them.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pZ3Iu4ME5g/USkotqgymEI/AAAAAAAADU0/xQZ1arxqNhw/s1600/21Century+German+Africa+Korps+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pZ3Iu4ME5g/USkotqgymEI/AAAAAAAADU0/xQZ1arxqNhw/s320/21Century+German+Africa+Korps+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys Afrika Korps - Part III</div>
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Here is an earlier set of AK figures. Fairly decent, but still a few odd things, like the bases. The took the same bases that were attached to the other figures which have cobblestones and other things that feel out of place in the desert. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VjOc9DQpwzU/USkors4D_-I/AAAAAAAADUs/s8N34fYvAaY/s1600/21Century+German+Africa+Korps+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VjOc9DQpwzU/USkors4D_-I/AAAAAAAADUs/s8N34fYvAaY/s320/21Century+German+Africa+Korps+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys Afrika Korps - Part IV</div>
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My favorite man here is the one on the left. I wonder if the one in the middle is asking for quarter or charging forward in a very unusal way? The man on the right seems to be missing a grenade or something in his right hand. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAfzencapjM/WDD5eg9T7rI/AAAAAAAAFck/9IF7Ey3xyZIvwnC3ihF1Gg6WNUdjSxozgCLcB/s1600/21C%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BMortar%2BTeam.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAfzencapjM/WDD5eg9T7rI/AAAAAAAAFck/9IF7Ey3xyZIvwnC3ihF1Gg6WNUdjSxozgCLcB/s320/21C%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BMortar%2BTeam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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21C Toys German Afrika Korps Mortar Team</div>
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I think these guys are a mix of the artillery crew set and the mortar team. The standing guy is the same as the one for the regular infantry's mortar team, except for the uniform colors, but the two kneeling guys are different.I have seen those also in the PAK 40 crew. Now, I don't know if the mortar team included thee figures, or maybe the collector who sold them to me mixed the sets. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmcM4wVZR4M/TouhsCWygjI/AAAAAAAAAck/SFvd0i9V9qg/s1600/Cherilea+60+mm+DAK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LmcM4wVZR4M/TouhsCWygjI/AAAAAAAAAck/SFvd0i9V9qg/s320/Cherilea+60+mm+DAK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cherilea Afrika Korps</div>
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These guys are 60mm tall, so if you want to include them in your DAK Army you should place them a bit apart from the Revell guys. The most interesting guy here is the one on the far right. If you look closely, he seems to have received a shrapnel wound on his shoulder. The guy surrendering is unique, but would only be useful in very specific diorama scenes. And then there's another guy who could be Rommel or perhaps one of his staff officers.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1o8cEn0yBzA/UPMhBdbE-4I/AAAAAAAAC_I/kS2honkVko0/s1600/Charbens+Afrika+Korps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1o8cEn0yBzA/UPMhBdbE-4I/AAAAAAAAC_I/kS2honkVko0/s320/Charbens+Afrika+Korps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charbens Afrika Korps</div>
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These are two figures out of a set of about 8 or so. Compared to other Chanbens figures I fnd them quite well sculpted, with a good degree of detail and action/movement. And they used to come factory-painted as you can see. So at the time they must have been among the best AK figures. The only thing to criticize about these guys is the machine gun. It looks more like a Vickers, or perhaps it's meant to be a captured one? :-) Anyhow, I am definitely going to have to keep an eye out for the rest of the guys in the set.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X11GmKLYNr4/VJSfwiqc11I/AAAAAAAAEzU/zt9Wl6Jtucg/s1600/Charbens%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X11GmKLYNr4/VJSfwiqc11I/AAAAAAAAEzU/zt9Wl6Jtucg/s1600/Charbens%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charbens Afrika Korps - Part II</div>
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And here are the rest of the set. They seem to be clones rather than recasts. The plastic feels much lighter and the level of details seems a bit faded compared with the originals. And they also sell for a premium, considering how scarce they are. The poses are OK, and as I mentioned, they are among the nicer Charbens poses. Once they are painted, I am hoping it won't be as obvious that they are clones.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sZuw3B7w9UM/WDIskFG96AI/AAAAAAAAFd0/lh-19zRZGHgszqAdhOohhJGDYBXlVmfgACLcB/s1600/Charbens%2BAfrika%2BKorps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sZuw3B7w9UM/WDIskFG96AI/AAAAAAAAFd0/lh-19zRZGHgszqAdhOohhJGDYBXlVmfgACLcB/s320/Charbens%2BAfrika%2BKorps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charbens Afrika Korps - Part III</div>
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Actually, it looks like there was one more pose. He is a bit banged up by the years, but you can still get a good idea of what he looked like. If I fix his weapon and paint him, he might look just like new.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3ym7NYvP_g/U6cvN8AfyCI/AAAAAAAAElw/oJ3NPpeLJko/s1600/Speedwell+Africa+Corps+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p3ym7NYvP_g/U6cvN8AfyCI/AAAAAAAAElw/oJ3NPpeLJko/s1600/Speedwell+Africa+Corps+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Speedwell Afrika Korps - Part I</div>
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Here is a less common AK set. Not quite 54mm. They are at the most 50mm in size. They are very rare and therefore a bit pricey. At the same time, the sculpting is nothing extraordinary. The poses are a bit stiff and the level of detail is not quite there. Also in terms of the color scheme that they came painted in, it is also a bit unusual. Some of them come with green caps as you will see in the next picture.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1Aqxt0FFGE/U6cvN8eR3nI/AAAAAAAAEl0/88Ec_sCAOKg/s1600/Speedwell+Africa+Corps+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1Aqxt0FFGE/U6cvN8eR3nI/AAAAAAAAEl0/88Ec_sCAOKg/s1600/Speedwell+Africa+Corps+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Speedwell Afrika Korps - Part II</div>
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Here are a few more poses. I am still missing one additional pose: an officer with a moveable arm holding binoculars. While two of these guys wear the regular army field cap, the man on the right seems to be wearing a paratrooper helmet. Again, the poses are a bit stiff. From what I know, the figures were released on both sand and brown/green, as shown in this picture.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lnY2W49jbo/WDI7CtbZnTI/AAAAAAAAFeg/lFqvW6m0IBgSkzwZxcTsC8BMqb5CDFX5wCLcB/s1600/Speedwell%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BGerman%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7lnY2W49jbo/WDI7CtbZnTI/AAAAAAAAFeg/lFqvW6m0IBgSkzwZxcTsC8BMqb5CDFX5wCLcB/s320/Speedwell%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BGerman%2BInfantry.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
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Speedwell Afrika Korps - Part III</div>
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Here is the man at the far right of the prior picture, this time in the AK color scheme. I think I like him better like this. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PKE2e0U1zw/WDI7C4o5TfI/AAAAAAAAFek/WT2TkNejz9QHRapi9Q_1kIxJ5jOgJ_7kACLcB/s1600/Speedwell%2BGerman%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BOfficer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PKE2e0U1zw/WDI7C4o5TfI/AAAAAAAAFek/WT2TkNejz9QHRapi9Q_1kIxJ5jOgJ_7kACLcB/s320/Speedwell%2BGerman%2BAfrika%2BKorps%2BOfficer.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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Speedwell Afrika Korps - Part IV</div>
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And here is the commander. Unfortunately, missing an arm. You can tell that it was not resting at the waist as there is no hand left behind, but based on the rest of the body, it could not have been doing something very exciting. Or maybe he was doing the nazi salute and that's why someone chopped it off? </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_qBi3LktJmY/T1JwmOYU_yI/AAAAAAAABKI/msQx7WwOgM8/s1600/Britains+Deetail+Afrika+Korps+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_qBi3LktJmY/T1JwmOYU_yI/AAAAAAAABKI/msQx7WwOgM8/s320/Britains+Deetail+Afrika+Korps+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail Afrika Korps - Part 1</div>
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This is one of the priciest WWII sets from Deetail. Not sure why. Maybe they just made fewer of them. The poses are certainly nice, but they are of about the same quality as the other sets. One good, special touch is that the field glasses of the officer are actually not attached to his face like most other figures of this kind.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQopJHxD7R8/T1Jwni03tOI/AAAAAAAABKQ/KMYQk09khkY/s1600/Britains+Deetail+Afrika+Korps+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SQopJHxD7R8/T1Jwni03tOI/AAAAAAAABKQ/KMYQk09khkY/s320/Britains+Deetail+Afrika+Korps+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail Afrika Korps - Part 2</div>
The rest of the set. To my taste the guy in the left and the one on the right are too similar. I would have preferred to see a different pose entirely. BTW, these figures are also produced nowadays by the firm DSG from Argentina. They somehow got the original molds and sell them in a wide variety of painted schemes. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-16s2M88WGgQ/UDQkrhBSVHI/AAAAAAAACOE/nbs5JLY6H50/s1600/AK+Motorcycle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-16s2M88WGgQ/UDQkrhBSVHI/AAAAAAAACOE/nbs5JLY6H50/s320/AK+Motorcycle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail Afrika Korps Motorcycle</div>
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Britains Deetail also produced a nice set of motorcycles. This one has some similarities with the Zündapp, but I believe it is actually a BMW. Notice how they gave the driver goggles, which would obviously come very handy in the desert. It is a nice complement to the infantry figures. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH26nH-QvKvao9N6Y7-_jqnvtTM0zKI_rW543xR3zApLb0LxIJsSRh-s0pCEmZWOCDv1J1UmgK6BTmzF7Kxoh-PPBn1scq7THj4atmHvJqEgp41s42TH-DzBY7HPsvLQTEbDAyuHct26ZufF0QwPg06JhujKzqUAH554HQiCwQMibj_uPHPw6tjSA3lIM/s2829/ww23d%20German%20Afrika%20Corps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2829" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH26nH-QvKvao9N6Y7-_jqnvtTM0zKI_rW543xR3zApLb0LxIJsSRh-s0pCEmZWOCDv1J1UmgK6BTmzF7Kxoh-PPBn1scq7THj4atmHvJqEgp41s42TH-DzBY7HPsvLQTEbDAyuHct26ZufF0QwPg06JhujKzqUAH554HQiCwQMibj_uPHPw6tjSA3lIM/s320/ww23d%20German%20Afrika%20Corps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D German Afrika Korps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The British SAS guys need an opponent, so here we have the German Afrika Korps, although compared to the number of poses that came with the SAS set, these guys are going to face a tough fight. The most distinctive feature of these guys is that they are all wearing googles on their helmets. Their poses are not too exciting, except for the guy on the left, who is displaying a bit more action. Good thing that we have other manufacturers to fill in the ranks and give us more diversity of poses. </div></div>
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see a <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-british-8th-army.html"><span style="color: cyan;">description of the British 8th Army</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/unique-company.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of regular German Infantry</span></a>.</div>
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Here are some pictures of <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/german-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">regular German Infantry in action</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/introducing-german-paratroops.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of German Paratroops</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-paratroops-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Paratroops in action</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/introducing-german-waffen-ss.html"><span style="color: cyan;">pictures of German Waffen SS troops</span></a>.</div>
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Here you can see pictures of <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Waffen SS in action</span></a>.</div>
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Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-33816364295949873982024-01-03T23:55:00.000-05:002024-01-04T20:31:39.465-05:00Toy Soldier Makers - Recent and New<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Winter" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9xUSG0Xr28/X8HKOKP1byI/AAAAAAAAFz4/YMg2os0NvCAfjs6xP9XYGSeEJMUmf7PxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Plastic Platoon German Infantry Winter" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The following is a list of WWII Plastic Toy Soldier Makers which have produced sets in the last 25 years or so. Some of them are no longer producing figures, but some of them are quite active today. Several of them are creating a sort of renaissance for the hobby in which countries and service branches previously ignored are finally getting some coverage and attention. Much of the recent new production has been coming out of Russia. The level of detail and realism has continued to improve to an amazing level, and many of these figures are less toys and more collectibles. Hallmarks of this period have been 21C Toys, Forces of Valor, Conte Collectibles, Toy Soldiers of San Diego, Mars, Publius, Engineer Bassevich, and my favorite, Plastic Platoon. Let's take a look:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><h4><p></p><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/05/21st-century-toys-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">21C Toys</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/10/action-casting-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Action Casting</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/09/armies-in-plastic-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Armies in Plastic</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/12/austin-miniatures-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Austin Miniatures</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/02/blue-box-elite-command-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Blue Box</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/08/bmc-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">BMC</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2016/11/brogamats-yoga-gis.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Brogamats</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/02/bum-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">BUM</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/10/burger-king-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Burger King</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/08/classic-toy-soldiers-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Classic Toy Soldiers (CTS)</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/06/conte-collectibles-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Conte Collectibles</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/08/dgn-army-guys-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">DGN</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/11/disney-pixar-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Disney / Pixar</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/12/dragon-models-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Dragon</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/08/dsg-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">DSG</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2013/10/engineer-bassevich-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Engineer Bassevich</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2015/10/expeditionary-force-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Expeditionary Force</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/08/first-gear-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">First Gear</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/08/forces-of-valor-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Forces of Valor</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/09/italeri-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Italeri</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2022/01/hanomak-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Hanomak</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2019/12/mars-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Mars</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/02/own-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">OWN</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/10/pegasus-hobbies-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Pegasus Hobbies</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2019/12/plastic-platoon-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Plastic Platoon</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2013/10/unknown-russian-manufacturer-toy.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Progress</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2015/08/plubius-figures.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Publius</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2023/01/ratnik-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Ratnik</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/10/revell-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Revell</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/08/safari-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Safari</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2015/02/schylling-toys-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Schylling</span></a></span></li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2021/01/speira-miniatures-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">Speira Miniatures</span></a></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/10/supreme-playsets-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Supreme Playsets</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/11/steve-weston-toy-soldiers-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Steve Weston Toy Soldiers (SWTS)</span></a></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/11/toy-soldiers-of-san-diego-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Toy Soldiers of San Diego (TSSD)</span></a></span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2023/01/vympel-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Vympel</span></a></span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2019/12/warhansa-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Warhansa</span></a></span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2012/12/waterloo-1815-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">Waterloo 1815</span></a></span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2023/12/ww23dcom-toy-soldiers.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium;">WW23D.com</span></a></span></li></ul>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank">
<span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank">
<span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-81930278987069925302023-12-25T16:00:00.010-05:002024-01-27T14:22:05.735-05:00WW23D.com Toy Soldiers<p>WW23d.com is an online outlet that specializes in the 3D printing of -you guessed it- WW2 figures. They cover the main participants: US, Soviet Union, Great Britain, Germany and Japan. They are a recent arrival on the toy soldier scene. I am not 100% sure when they got started, but I ran into them during the summer of 2023 through a Facebook page called WW23D prints. I don't think they author the designs of the figures, but rather partner with others who upload their designs into their site. One thing that is a very nice touch when you buy from them is that you get a letter along with your figures. The letter contains the orders for a 'mission' that your men have been assigned. The mission corresponds to some actual engagement in which that service branch actually fought. I believe that they specialize on 1/32 scale. Unfortunately I just visited their web site only to discover that it is 'temporarily closed'. You can't even browse their catalog. I hope they are not out of business, as they were a good alternative to Speira Miniatures which also sells 3D printed soldiers, but at about double the price. And if I recall correctly some of the designs are available on both sites. Luckily I ordered a good batch of figures while they were still open, so let's take a look at what I managed to get my hands on. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX7dNgbZYjSfD34pbBi805SGD7_HKfN6By5QmyObmkvCE8YHT0etsy1LRxPfdu4wxo9jzOyyVCPWr8362cE6BpWxpfaQLmc85bQL7nZZN1YH-NB6udGrsW_gneJT3TroeTzdUCgX-ujlGKH9PhIb8cjnvljSNMExwkz83eZn1D2goPqCRMEbEvdH_VuW3/s3670/ww23d%20British%20SAS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="3670" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX7dNgbZYjSfD34pbBi805SGD7_HKfN6By5QmyObmkvCE8YHT0etsy1LRxPfdu4wxo9jzOyyVCPWr8362cE6BpWxpfaQLmc85bQL7nZZN1YH-NB6udGrsW_gneJT3TroeTzdUCgX-ujlGKH9PhIb8cjnvljSNMExwkz83eZn1D2goPqCRMEbEvdH_VuW3/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was the most interesting set for me because I did not have any other figures representing this service branch. As you can tell these guys look rugged from spending a lot of time in the desert in long range patrols. They are dressed accordingly with short trousers, turbans and have not had a shave in a while. The range of weapons represented is good, although with strong preference for submachine guns. The sculpting is OK in the sense that there's not a lot of fine detail, and also the poses are standing a bit too straight for my taste. Nonetheless, given that this is the first set of British desert scouts that I incorporate into my army, I am quite happy with them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX9TbHHGKeCQxO2ULVdQzvQCNX8lCWVCZwIGG8EeVH1P1_dp-hXDH2Oi-ljFEHKq0D0dGz1albhIF0iIt2_0JptrP_qyQFbFecl1QDP6aWDaHRBjY7kuNlBSCRcVBWEWKzMkJ3RwUC7xLyVm0J50WHd1piNbcHGzIX2cUEqKB74GBLGUAOW6qgGLMlwel/s2446/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Jeep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="2446" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX9TbHHGKeCQxO2ULVdQzvQCNX8lCWVCZwIGG8EeVH1P1_dp-hXDH2Oi-ljFEHKq0D0dGz1albhIF0iIt2_0JptrP_qyQFbFecl1QDP6aWDaHRBjY7kuNlBSCRcVBWEWKzMkJ3RwUC7xLyVm0J50WHd1piNbcHGzIX2cUEqKB74GBLGUAOW6qgGLMlwel/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Jeep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Jeep</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Aside from the foot soldiers, this vendor also offers a couple of vehicles to enable them to go on their missions deep behind enemy lines. One of them is this jeep. It is also 3D printed and comes with a driver and a copilot operating a dual machine gun. You also get a couple of guys that you can throw in the back. Note in this picture also that one of them is wearing a beret. That's because this maker also prints these figures with different head gear. I ordered them with turbans, but the owner was nice enough to throw a few extras in and this is one of the additional guys I got. </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbppxa_z2VXB_yrbYk1FhApiSSELST79bNzjiFjSYi1If8ugGJJForchAJAvT1Rw33uC3B0FvFfO2PmdyierqgPFU8EChtJQqp26WbTwz-Z8wPKZow3rU3UGWnN1xR6xm93LqhSGQ9w0lAjM4uYt-OajppzDXekxIsA6XprFfAbCz6nlciXQNAXdaXKpxC/s2204/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1605" data-original-width="2204" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbppxa_z2VXB_yrbYk1FhApiSSELST79bNzjiFjSYi1If8ugGJJForchAJAvT1Rw33uC3B0FvFfO2PmdyierqgPFU8EChtJQqp26WbTwz-Z8wPKZow3rU3UGWnN1xR6xm93LqhSGQ9w0lAjM4uYt-OajppzDXekxIsA6XprFfAbCz6nlciXQNAXdaXKpxC/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Truck - Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This truck is a bit larger and can fit 4 or 5 guys in the back in addition to the driver and copilot, who is also operating a dual machine gun. The man standing in the back is also handling a dual MG, so these guys are well armed with a 360 degree field of fire. The vehicle appears to be a Chevy 30CWT 1 1/2 ton truck and it is reasonable well built for a 3D printed vehicle and it does not have the layering that some 3D printers create. </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRDmpIOltXzgJV_E4gHAM79OcxPTinxjBL0IQoxdF5fB2qUeLH_bqvlL3cB76GRVLddXr2OENB-WwYb4dlHBPx6G4QW1NuYeVEdpNN54_XlGT81-wQO7ib52SDqiXFt2rwHSvP1-a7Ix9H2WNwRKfewllhCUbtMIn_GP9JryByrsiuVRWRtDfryE1opO/s2073/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="2073" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRDmpIOltXzgJV_E4gHAM79OcxPTinxjBL0IQoxdF5fB2qUeLH_bqvlL3cB76GRVLddXr2OENB-WwYb4dlHBPx6G4QW1NuYeVEdpNN54_XlGT81-wQO7ib52SDqiXFt2rwHSvP1-a7Ix9H2WNwRKfewllhCUbtMIn_GP9JryByrsiuVRWRtDfryE1opO/s320/ww23d%20British%20SAS%20Truck%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D British Long Range Desert Group Truck - Part 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the same Chevy truck from a different angle. Note that despite this being an American-made truck, the driver is sitting on the right side of the cabin, as is the case in Britain. Not that it would matter much while driving off road in the North African desert, but I suppose when they were back at base, driving among other fellow country men it was better to keep to the familiar norms. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetriH_1BfFA0__1UFYahn0WAG4DoAsWMZnJlCLc-LbjDmWx4ZhGdRmeHi2YD6QSxhJwcVYCLFrvGMb_gZs8w-1q41ZLAgcTfAPOK52iTsxdQ7mthGf8k6JJiP4lYo98HyA7L-soRaG1Bo082LSMGs5yioQH05hVgHMeHKxyx_KqIIrU5nuEsjPQ_foboa/s3339/ww23d%20British%20Commandos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="3339" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetriH_1BfFA0__1UFYahn0WAG4DoAsWMZnJlCLc-LbjDmWx4ZhGdRmeHi2YD6QSxhJwcVYCLFrvGMb_gZs8w-1q41ZLAgcTfAPOK52iTsxdQ7mthGf8k6JJiP4lYo98HyA7L-soRaG1Bo082LSMGs5yioQH05hVgHMeHKxyx_KqIIrU5nuEsjPQ_foboa/s320/ww23d%20British%20Commandos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Commandos</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here are a few more guys to complement the Airfix and Matchbox commandos. I have the same commentary about their stance (a bit too straight) as I have about all the figures from this manufacturer, so I am not going to dwell on it, but at least there are three kneeling guys and one of the men -second from left- does seem to have some nice forward momentum. The squad comes with a good mix of light infantry weapons, including a sniper rifle, adequate for their clandestine missions and of course, they are wearing the distinctive commando cap. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxeBuv0vZsgcQdvMTwjtyAjtQivcSkfY8bw194F0biL4rCypZqe8SvBF-zUkDVf0gmc23z0IqPhE-pSlgIRyAzOMpJzFi2xmhkSe732MDxizcAPU9gGhsbjxWm2Gikklw2rE08ozvg9Rt2lBYQ_8HmYPQWHur0L3QI3YoyWm16NLHWKugUObCfCYLvWJP/s3117/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2071" data-original-width="3117" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxeBuv0vZsgcQdvMTwjtyAjtQivcSkfY8bw194F0biL4rCypZqe8SvBF-zUkDVf0gmc23z0IqPhE-pSlgIRyAzOMpJzFi2xmhkSe732MDxizcAPU9gGhsbjxWm2Gikklw2rE08ozvg9Rt2lBYQ_8HmYPQWHur0L3QI3YoyWm16NLHWKugUObCfCYLvWJP/s320/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Paratroops - Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These men look ready to join their comrades in Arnhem. There are 9 of them so I decided to split them into two groups for the pictures so that you can see them better. From this first group, my favorite one is the one on the left, kneeling on one leg and leaning forward while firing his sub MG. The one on the right reminds me of the pose from one of the Conte British paras. And the other 3 just seem to be walking on patrol on their way to liberate some Dutch town before the Germans turned on the heat on them. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4WBstSxPQHjTSxK4Ev4YyavfK4qXN2vZKdOFE-YHIM4aImfS_yRm7q13QleXlsbYsx1op66yoQ9AtpRliUGqwNc-3RL20jYfd-Ix2sQXpygpQg8rEMkaeIqJN2SrKbn4X-3X22hYiqwy0oJijhS6mWo92P-DpqiHC_6SdonuUWsT5kf3Y4yBL_QgPxHQ/s2614/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1591" data-original-width="2614" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4WBstSxPQHjTSxK4Ev4YyavfK4qXN2vZKdOFE-YHIM4aImfS_yRm7q13QleXlsbYsx1op66yoQ9AtpRliUGqwNc-3RL20jYfd-Ix2sQXpygpQg8rEMkaeIqJN2SrKbn4X-3X22hYiqwy0oJijhS6mWo92P-DpqiHC_6SdonuUWsT5kf3Y4yBL_QgPxHQ/s320/ww23d%20British%20Paratroops%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">WW23D British Paratroops - Part 2</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a bit more adequate for a battle scene. The two guys in the middle are very similar to each other, except that they have the opposite foot forward and one of them is flexing his back knee a bit. The other difference is the type of sub MG. One of them has a sten gun with the magazine on the side, while the other one doesn't. The guy on the left is a pretty standard pose, and the one on the right reminds me of a pose I have seen in another set, but I can't quite place him. Let me know in the comments if he also rings a bell. </div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH26nH-QvKvao9N6Y7-_jqnvtTM0zKI_rW543xR3zApLb0LxIJsSRh-s0pCEmZWOCDv1J1UmgK6BTmzF7Kxoh-PPBn1scq7THj4atmHvJqEgp41s42TH-DzBY7HPsvLQTEbDAyuHct26ZufF0QwPg06JhujKzqUAH554HQiCwQMibj_uPHPw6tjSA3lIM/s2829/ww23d%20German%20Afrika%20Corps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2829" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH26nH-QvKvao9N6Y7-_jqnvtTM0zKI_rW543xR3zApLb0LxIJsSRh-s0pCEmZWOCDv1J1UmgK6BTmzF7Kxoh-PPBn1scq7THj4atmHvJqEgp41s42TH-DzBY7HPsvLQTEbDAyuHct26ZufF0QwPg06JhujKzqUAH554HQiCwQMibj_uPHPw6tjSA3lIM/s320/ww23d%20German%20Afrika%20Corps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D German Afrika Korps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The British SAS guys need an opponent, so here we have the German Afrika Korps, although compared to the number of poses that came with the SAS set, these guys are going to face a tough fight. The most distinctive feature of these guys is that they are all wearing googles on their helmets. Their poses are not too exciting, except for the guy on the left, who is displaying a bit more action. Good thing that we have other manufacturers to fill in the ranks and give us more diversity of poses. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqtG1dPAFTah6AM15MbJ9ra11JKhrvY8WJ_Di7g2yVWkwiP-wzh08jgWf1jWfFYkT27hMpWucOuvdcDOFwLzoPlrVzQ4VIk4K00OqAmFApMBv_4X07w7MUo6oVjMQyDpwNRCbjAS8CcsuA0GP4sYi4UmUof8sEyMzjRWVZBJslSg6ubGPRGlxnqD6o9OA/s2676/ww23d%20German%20Paratroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="2676" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqtG1dPAFTah6AM15MbJ9ra11JKhrvY8WJ_Di7g2yVWkwiP-wzh08jgWf1jWfFYkT27hMpWucOuvdcDOFwLzoPlrVzQ4VIk4K00OqAmFApMBv_4X07w7MUo6oVjMQyDpwNRCbjAS8CcsuA0GP4sYi4UmUof8sEyMzjRWVZBJslSg6ubGPRGlxnqD6o9OA/s320/ww23d%20German%20Paratroops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D German Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like this set a bit more than the others in terms of the sculpting and the level of action in the poses. Even the guys who are standing -except for the one on the middle- are all leaning in some direction. The pose I like the most in this set is the one on the left, who is advancing while firing his sub MG. These guys will blend well with the Airfix, Mars, and Pegasus German paras. The only thing to criticize is that the 3D printing sometimes crates a few defects, like the edge on one of the helmets is a bit uneven. I suppose we will attribute that to battle damage. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjqmaotoIdCyfCCQzNYzBdKyy1lRkNNBIRhJg4mtOD5NLqGV2iOWhfHfrOxrCXfcjIkdU-12UorMkjParXaMykSSz5NnzJUcPyls3LhdICWgkvog4dW9FhPdg9yta4EClM1T5fPiT5x0d7elWW1MmiI6B6XrJsYLbqNl-rBtF11ppbMF6AJ_UcPN66fGl/s3019/ww23d%20Soviet%20Scouts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="3019" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjqmaotoIdCyfCCQzNYzBdKyy1lRkNNBIRhJg4mtOD5NLqGV2iOWhfHfrOxrCXfcjIkdU-12UorMkjParXaMykSSz5NnzJUcPyls3LhdICWgkvog4dW9FhPdg9yta4EClM1T5fPiT5x0d7elWW1MmiI6B6XrJsYLbqNl-rBtF11ppbMF6AJ_UcPN66fGl/s320/ww23d%20Soviet%20Scouts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D Soviet Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a service branch not often represented so I was glad to see them as I do need more poses to complement the Bassevich and Plastic Platoon scouts. As you can see, they are wearing their distinctive cammo smock that should be painted with the amoeba pattern. I also like that they gave us a pose who is sneaking in with a knife on his hand to take out an opponent undetected and preserve the surprise factor of the mission. One thing I didn't like however is a more visible manufacturing flaw on the leg of the man who is kneeling and looking through his binoculars. I may plant a bush in front of it to make it less obvious.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGNfJI0pqgUC1MVv9xlMIo4D-sCstPtLWhrvLqzgUqBbiyS5bBd_Em2QzuP-IUcVl-6LfMsA6adHG25JOhBnGYnl0jgGfJaJUVVzekX7SwqJDY6CttssPw_y9tH8E4kvakUun2_U4NPIhdKp0A-vcp-DZtypYu2C1-xVjiQXrgUKpGYEIzRpPjr3LYGI4/s3285/ww23d%20Soviet%20Naval%20Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3285" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGNfJI0pqgUC1MVv9xlMIo4D-sCstPtLWhrvLqzgUqBbiyS5bBd_Em2QzuP-IUcVl-6LfMsA6adHG25JOhBnGYnl0jgGfJaJUVVzekX7SwqJDY6CttssPw_y9tH8E4kvakUun2_U4NPIhdKp0A-vcp-DZtypYu2C1-xVjiQXrgUKpGYEIzRpPjr3LYGI4/s320/ww23d%20Soviet%20Naval%20Infantry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D Soviet Naval Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What attracted me the most about these Soviet Naval infantry guys is the fact that they are wearing helmets. Most of the other figures I have representing this service branch are wearing sailor caps. I actually prefer that look, but I like that these guys will create some variety in my ranks. Ready for defending Sevastopol or as reinforcements for Stalingrad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE97xTr9ZtGO64YT5kaY1PCVtHwt_b9eTiwXSL98a3CACpgEdIxT0EGMW2-Km0fZ9tVStpvWRFEI4xuLPlwER0rTGNT-zs35jq4Gv5Cq9hZIqwMEAXc8fFlVoXZzetz1XT2fVhL4lUMYKqGxcMhKGFnST9D5nzfI-PopjNiRWJUD0Xm_uKiVJikcqDCOm/s3124/ww23d%20US%20Paratroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="3124" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE97xTr9ZtGO64YT5kaY1PCVtHwt_b9eTiwXSL98a3CACpgEdIxT0EGMW2-Km0fZ9tVStpvWRFEI4xuLPlwER0rTGNT-zs35jq4Gv5Cq9hZIqwMEAXc8fFlVoXZzetz1XT2fVhL4lUMYKqGxcMhKGFnST9D5nzfI-PopjNiRWJUD0Xm_uKiVJikcqDCOm/s320/ww23d%20US%20Paratroops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WW23D US Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The uniforms on these guys are probably the most detailed across all the sets I got from this vendor. They did a good job with all the pockets, the equipment straps, the bandages on the helmets, etc. The only detail missing is that on the faces, but that is true for all their sets. They will go quite well with the Airfix guys. My only wish is that they hadn't made the two poses on the left so similar to each other. With only six figures in the set, it would be good to try something different. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/01%20-%20Troops%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Click here to check out US Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20-%20Troops%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/03%20-%20Troops%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/06%20-%20Troops%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/07%20-%20Troops%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/10%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/11-%20Vehicles%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/13%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/14%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-recent-and-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Recent and New Makers</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><br /></p>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-15897181806112600452023-07-22T16:32:00.000-04:002023-07-22T16:55:58.906-04:00Introducing the Finnish Infantry<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Hanomak Lapland Army</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>World War II for Finland represented three separate phases. First came the Winter War, fought against the Soviet Union between the end of November 1940 and March 1941. During this period, Finland stood alone against the Soviet Union which had some territorial ambitions particularly north of Leningrad in the area known as Karelia. Despite being outnumbered at least 3 to 1 -or worse in some sectors-, and having substantial deficiencies in materiel such as armor, planes and supplies, the Finns fought with distinction along the entire border with the USSR. However the Finns had a couple of substantial advantages. They were used to the harsh winter weather and the heavily forested and snow-covered terrain. This meant that as opposed to the Soviet Army which traveled mainly on roads, the Finns used skis and white clothing or the cover of the long, dark winter nights to move swiftly off-road around the Soviets and harass them with guerrilla tactics or even envelope them and destroy them in smaller groups. What the Soviets expected to be a 2 week effort turned into a tough 3 month campaign. Soviet military blunders certainly contributed, as the Soviet army was still hurting from Stalin's officer purges of 1937. It was not until the Soviets adjusted their combined arms tactics that they were able to break through the static defenses on the Southern front that the Finns defenders had to negotiate for peace at the expense of considerable territorial (11%) concessions.<br />
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This peace lasted until the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, when the Germans attacked the Soviet Union. Finland, allied with Germany, began its military operations which became known as the Continuation War. During this campaign, Finland was able to recover their lost territories and to its credit, halted at its original border, rendering this sector of the front relatively quiet, even while Germany pressed on the attack and lay siege to Leningrad for 28 months. Finnish actions were limited to repulsing the occasional Soviet attack, although the Soviets did attempt to wage an air bombing campaign against Helsinki, which had very limited impact. In the summer of '44, 3 days after the Normandy landings, The Soviet Union launched a major offensive along the Karelian Isthmus. In about a month, they pushed the Finnish back close to 100km, roughly to the border established at the end of the Winter War. It was thanks to German support in the form of men and materiel that the Finns were able to stop the Soviet advance. However, this made them determined to negotiate a separate peace, while they still had a 'stable' front and before Germany collapsed. A peace agreement was reached in September of '44, with Finland agreeing to pay 600M in reparations.<br />
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The last phase of the war became known as the Lapland War and consisted mainly of chasing the Germans out of Finland, as agreed to by the peace terms with the Soviet Union, even as the Finnish Army was being demobilized, also per the terms of the peace agreement. This campaign was relatively peaceful, as both sides did not want to fight each other, and consisted mainly of isolated rearguard actions as the Germans moved out of Finland into Norway. The Germans did leave behind considerable destruction in their wake as they burned out buildings which the pursuing Finns might be able to use for shelter, and they also destroyed bridges and mined roads, causing further casualties for years to come. Casualties from these campaigns totaled 26k dead or missing out of 340k during the Winter War,63k dead or missing out of 530k during the Continuation War, and a little over 1k out of 75k during the Lapland War. In terms of Toy Soldiers, this is a theater that has not really been covered by solider manufacturers and it wasn't until recently that one set became known to me. Let's take a look.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xrou9IPAwOQ/VJSTLzct1uI/AAAAAAAAEy0/x_lR7HQ3_9A/s1600/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BFinns%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry" border="0" height="154" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xrou9IPAwOQ/VJSTLzct1uI/AAAAAAAAEy0/x_lR7HQ3_9A/w320-h154/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BFinns%2B1.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry - Part I</div>
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This is a nicely sculpted set from Engineer Bassevich, which is a Russian manufacturer and understandably has chosen to cover this theater. It contains a total of 10 Finn soldiers, although only 6 of them represent fighting poses. As usual with Bassevich's figures, they are well sculpted with a very nice level of detail. They also represent a good level of diversity on the uniforms being worn, however this might pose some challenges if you are trying to build up a sizeable unit of similarly clad men.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bhZllrlG5Uo/VJSTL4EGt8I/AAAAAAAAEy4/J_MKCvFKGPA/s1600/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BFinns%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry" border="0" height="163" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bhZllrlG5Uo/VJSTL4EGt8I/AAAAAAAAEy4/J_MKCvFKGPA/w320-h163/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BFinns%2B2.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Finnish Infantry - Part II</div>
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Of these, my favorite one is the man on the left, standing while firing the sub MG. He is wearing white cammo overalls and a German style helmet. Definitely a great fit for the Winter War scene once he is painted all in white. The officers in the middle are probably some known historic characters, as is the case in some of the other Bassevich sets, but I must say that I would have rather had a couple more action poses than this many officers.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_SlZCDAVtE/VJSTL7y8O_I/AAAAAAAAEyw/WXiuX9Zllls/s1600/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BSoviets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Winter War" border="0" height="173" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_SlZCDAVtE/VJSTL7y8O_I/AAAAAAAAEyw/WXiuX9Zllls/w320-h173/Bassevich%2BWinter%2BWar%2BSoviets.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Winter War" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Winter War</div>
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Not to leave the Finns without an opponent, this set also contains four Soviet soldiers, although that's hardly going to be enough to mount an offensive. Note also that the set contains two 'border' posts. One has the emblem of the USSR and the other the one from Finland. Again, a nice touch, but I would have preferred to have two more men if I had a choice. Also, if there are going to be only 4 men, why make two of them just stand around? One nice touch is the head gear on the figures. Two of them are wearing the pointed winter caps (I thought they were used by cavalry units) instead of helmets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtjM9fXVZ-s/X8HJ0qdt2FI/AAAAAAAAFzQ/fs4ZBIK1-pU_BrSxgRbWEVltFPZ_3B1DgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Finnish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="2048" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtjM9fXVZ-s/X8HJ0qdt2FI/AAAAAAAAFzQ/fs4ZBIK1-pU_BrSxgRbWEVltFPZ_3B1DgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h185/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" title="Mars Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars Finnish Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another interesting and unique set by Mars to complement Engineer Bassevich's Finnish troops. Particularly nice are the two figures with skis. The actually come attached to them with a small metal peg which allows them to rotate some. I just hope they don't come off. It would have been nice if a couple more had skis, not necessarily on, but maybe on their backs. This set, at 12 figures/8 poses, was also smaller than the typical Mars set of 15 figures/8 poses, I suppose because of the extra molds to make the skis. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIRtr7AUWD8/X8HJ0iazatI/AAAAAAAAFzU/1Exv1wvlguklMXK6TTjm3KbaXqyT-DIVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Finnish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIRtr7AUWD8/X8HJ0iazatI/AAAAAAAAFzU/1Exv1wvlguklMXK6TTjm3KbaXqyT-DIVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" title="Mars Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div>Mars Finnish Infantry Part II</div><div>Most of the figures in the set are in good action poses, except for the guy who seems to be just standing around. I have also read some comments complaining about how little facial detail is visible on him, and some folks have remarked that he is wearing a mark. Emil K. and Thomas H. have identified him as the famous Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, also know as White Death, who indeed wore a white mask, and smock to blend in better with the background. With more than 500 confirmed sniper kills, it's a nice gesture to dedicate a figure to him, but imho, it would have been better to pose him in action. Good thing that Engineer Bassevich made a similar figure shooting. Anyhow, happy about having a few more Finns to go against the Soviets!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9m7xl8LEUxQy5r-PaCBdTLPZROpqTr6FbN83h3QUUd0u7NfAn5d96XgKEFMTkkoiF2cIpke0e-YOnAmqS7XmOZTYpT0GS0ie4vVZfKsGvi1_Ddg9WGKG33AOUg1ykO8FQqrEaDC1lgxDB1T46ZpNw8ZvBYAmmuZB73mkGyfg0G1fmZxHHrQki3qLkg/s2592/Hanomak%20Lapland%20Finnish%20Army.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army" border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2592" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9m7xl8LEUxQy5r-PaCBdTLPZROpqTr6FbN83h3QUUd0u7NfAn5d96XgKEFMTkkoiF2cIpke0e-YOnAmqS7XmOZTYpT0GS0ie4vVZfKsGvi1_Ddg9WGKG33AOUg1ykO8FQqrEaDC1lgxDB1T46ZpNw8ZvBYAmmuZB73mkGyfg0G1fmZxHHrQki3qLkg/w320-h189/Hanomak%20Lapland%20Finnish%20Army.jpg" title="Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a very interesting and unique set from Hanomak. It represents the Finnish troops who fought the Germans after Finland stopped fighting the Soviets. The set is organized around a small anti-tank gun. The gun comes in multiple pieces and requires some assembly. I had to glue my together so that it would stay in place. The figures are all well posed and relevant to the situation. What is perhaps most interesting about them is the variety of uniforms. The man kneeling with the ammo is wearing a double-breasted jacket, the man firing the pistol seems to be wearing some kind of smock over his uniform, while the other three are wearing the more traditional Finnish uniform for enlisted men and officers. The set comes with an extra box of what appears to be armor-piercing ammo, as well as a few lose shells to place in the box and the guy's back.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/09%20-%20Troops%20-%20Other%20Axis"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other less known Axis Troops</span></a></div></div>
<br />Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-4796763322582134032023-07-21T23:03:00.000-04:002023-07-21T23:32:15.430-04:00Introducing the US Marines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Mars US Marines</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The war in the Pacific was a brutal business. Not only were men fighting each other, but they were also fighting against nature. The jungle, constant rain, mud, tropical diseases, jungle rot -dying of the skin and flesh-, even starvation -or at least having to eat half-rotten food-, when supplies could not reach them. The fighting was also a lot more primal. Tanks were hard to maneuver in the jungle, so infantry did the bulk of the fighting, often in close quarters fighting or hand-to-hand combat, which was made highly treacherous by the large amount of vegetation that allowed combatants to sneak upon each other. Every night the danger of enemy infiltration and being killed in your foxhole was a very real and nerve-racking possibility. The stiff resistance of the Japanese, often fighting to the last man, meant that sometimes they had to be burnt alive or sealed to die in their caves, and virtually no quarter was given by either side. The weather conditions also meant that the dead decomposed very quickly and the men often found themselves fighting next to or on top of rotting corpses filled with maggots, enduring a terrible stench and macabre conditions. This is the world that the leathernecks inhabited in this theater of operations. Yet, perhaps because relatively fewer men were involved in the Pacific campaigns, or perhaps because of its remoteness, or the fact that the fighting happened in places that westerners have difficulties locating on a map, the war on the Pacific has received less attention, and this is also the case in the manufacturing of figure sets representing US Marines. It was not until a few years back that the situation started to improve, as you will see from the pictures below. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dKFWO0Ogt7Y/Tq1WIHSfRyI/AAAAAAAAAps/rh0qBzQXv7U/s1600/100_3499.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dKFWO0Ogt7Y/Tq1WIHSfRyI/AAAAAAAAAps/rh0qBzQXv7U/s320/100_3499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic US Marine Corps - Part I</div>
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This is one of my favorite sets from Atlantic. The figures are posed with enough movement in them and they are well proportioned. The kneeling guy's bazooka is a separate piece, so unless you glue it, you have to put it in place every time you handle him.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXv8fA-8DT4/Tq1WI32MwtI/AAAAAAAAAp0/TswS7HNT-LI/s1600/100_3500.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXv8fA-8DT4/Tq1WI32MwtI/AAAAAAAAAp0/TswS7HNT-LI/s320/100_3500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic US Marine Corps - Part II</div>
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Here are another 6 figures. If you are counting that makes 11, which is 1 more than the usual in the typical Atlantic set. The highlight of this batch are the flag-raising guys. Again, the flag comes separately and it requires a few tries to assemble the three pieces right, but the effort is well worth it. A mini tribute to the Iwo Jima flag-raising marines.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDHIUWumj5A/TohnGMkx5aI/AAAAAAAAAbE/0ngZXfWKWzQ/s1600/BMC+US+Marines+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDHIUWumj5A/TohnGMkx5aI/AAAAAAAAAbE/0ngZXfWKWzQ/s320/BMC+US+Marines+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC US Marines - Part 1</div>
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BMC released these marines as part of their Iwo Jima set, along with Japanese figures. They were made aroud the time of the movie Flag of our Fathers, when some interest in the Pacific war started to take place. Personally, I find these figures to be very well made, and quite affordable. They are a bit on the larger side for 54mm, but they are very well made.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRbFcZCfCCg/TohnGyh3whI/AAAAAAAAAbI/2WxSptFcEG0/s1600/BMC+US+MArines+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRbFcZCfCCg/TohnGyh3whI/AAAAAAAAAbI/2WxSptFcEG0/s320/BMC+US+MArines+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC US Marines - Part 2</div>
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As you can see, the men are depicted in nice action/fighting poses which look quite realistic. One thing to point out is that the left most man's bazooka can be removed and it requires a couple tries to set it back in place properly. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkIaugkAwVc/TohnHzmbPrI/AAAAAAAAAbM/Vtm3lLgIeSU/s1600/BMC+US+Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkIaugkAwVc/TohnHzmbPrI/AAAAAAAAAbM/Vtm3lLgIeSU/s320/BMC+US+Marines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC US Marines - Part 3</div>
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These guys are already primed as I will be painting them soon. Their original color is a light, creamy green. Also with this set you get a flag raising team modeled after the famous photograph, and also a Higgins boat coxswain. The flag raising team is made in a smaller scale as the rest of the figures, and the coxswain has an unusual base that makes him stand about 1 inch taller than the other guys, hence I am not including them in the figures I'll be painting.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dCgnsQOJS8c/TohnNrbrh5I/AAAAAAAAAbY/7saZQhoTZ9E/s1600/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dCgnsQOJS8c/TohnNrbrh5I/AAAAAAAAAbY/7saZQhoTZ9E/s320/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Glencoe / Marx US Marines - Part 1</div>
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The Marx Marines were released in the 60s I believe, and for many years, they were the only figures of their kind that you could find. They produced 12 poses, and they seem to be meant for a beach landing scene. There are a couple poses in the set that seem a bit awkward, but they are actually a very nice set if you compare them to other figures released at the time.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mn1J0YAt-i8/TohnOrPhfnI/AAAAAAAAAbc/xrJVJ5UD8VU/s1600/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mn1J0YAt-i8/TohnOrPhfnI/AAAAAAAAAbc/xrJVJ5UD8VU/s320/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Glencoe / Marx US Marines - Part 2</div>
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I painted these guys about 10 years back, before I had any of the more recent sets. Going back to the point about the poses, the two guys on the right are slightly odd. Maybe it's the way they are leaning, or maybe how the flamethrower guy is bending his knees. On the other hand, the two guys on the left seem just right.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K22YZgRDtJ4/TohnPn0phqI/AAAAAAAAAbg/CZsFdW_PAog/s1600/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K22YZgRDtJ4/TohnPn0phqI/AAAAAAAAAbg/CZsFdW_PAog/s320/Marx+Glencoe+US+Marines+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Glencoe / Marx US Marines - Part 3</div>
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Remember what I was saying about a beach landing? The running poses and the Mae West would be well suited for it. Even the prone guy trying to determine the best route to get off the beach. Although I really wonder how many Marines actually wore life jackets during landing operations. Maybe this is a rear echelon officer coming ashore once the beach has been secured?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzldarKTlYs/TohnVQfStKI/AAAAAAAAAbo/7jJzOxwzhhA/s1600/TSSD+US+Marines+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzldarKTlYs/TohnVQfStKI/AAAAAAAAAbo/7jJzOxwzhhA/s320/TSSD+US+Marines+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD US Marines - Part 1</div>
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Another recent set courtesy of Toy Soldiers of San Diego. These guys are also a nice dynamic bunch which captures well the nature of the fighting in the Pacific. Close quarters combat with bayonets, the wounded having to defend themselves. Their original color is very similar to the BMC guys, so even unpainted they blend well together.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Nt_DDfqr8Y/TohnXIpWCUI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LTBB0wpik7w/s1600/TSSD+US+Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Nt_DDfqr8Y/TohnXIpWCUI/AAAAAAAAAbs/LTBB0wpik7w/s320/TSSD+US+Marines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD US Marines - Part 2</div>
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Some more nice poses by Toy Soldiers of San Diego. The guy fighting with the shovel is quite dramatic. The other men showing a representative variety of weapons: sub machine gun, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) & Garand rifle.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dOH5eIl4EfI/TohnJxNp0nI/AAAAAAAAAbU/wQ7KM5IYRyg/s1600/CTS+US+Infantry+-+Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 1" border="0" height="217" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dOH5eIl4EfI/TohnJxNp0nI/AAAAAAAAAbU/wQ7KM5IYRyg/w320-h217/CTS+US+Infantry+-+Marines.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 1" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 1</div>
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These guys are not really Marines. They are recently released US Infantry troops by CTS, but I thought I would add them to the Marines to get a few more poses, plus the fact that they come with a flamethrower guy and a guy having to fight with both hands, makes them good candidates to fight on places like Peleliu or Iwo Jima.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XgS7Xqa7nk/TohnIuv9xTI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/-AjBCoauDoc/s1600/CTS+US+Infantry+-+Marines+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 2" border="0" height="203" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XgS7Xqa7nk/TohnIuv9xTI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/-AjBCoauDoc/w320-h203/CTS+US+Infantry+-+Marines+2.jpg" title="Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 2" width="320" /></a></div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers US Infantry (as Marines) - Part 2</div>
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I like the guy standing with the bazooka. Most of the times they are depicted kneeling. The BAR guy could be firing through the dense jungle foliage at some unseen enemy in the distance while on patrol. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1P-Q-YAIzjA/TohnXqQTaBI/AAAAAAAAAbw/0OiHmxN9Y5s/s1600/TSSD+US+Infantry+-+Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD US Infantry (as Marine)" border="0" height="247" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1P-Q-YAIzjA/TohnXqQTaBI/AAAAAAAAAbw/0OiHmxN9Y5s/w320-h247/TSSD+US+Infantry+-+Marines.jpg" title="TSSD US Infantry (as Marine)" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD US Infantry (as Marine)</div>
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This guy is also a regular Army guy, but since the Marines don't have any heavy MGs of their own (OK, the Marx/Glencoe guys have one guy running carrying a MG, but it is not mounted) I've decided to reinforce them with this TSSD guy. He could be gunny Sergeant Basilone fighting on Guadalcanal, earning his Congressional Medal of Honor.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmcB-cYvVYA/VHkdu1TXVnI/AAAAAAAAEwI/GVTJDtHRXAc/s1600/Austin%2BMiniatures%2BMarines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Austin Miniatures Marines" border="0" height="175" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmcB-cYvVYA/VHkdu1TXVnI/AAAAAAAAEwI/GVTJDtHRXAc/w320-h175/Austin%2BMiniatures%2BMarines.jpg" title="Austin Miniatures Marines" width="320" /></a></div>
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Austin Miniatures Marines</div>
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This is a fairly recent release from a new US firm. They are made in the style and size of CTS and Conte figures. A nice level of detail and good sculpting. The poses also depict a good degree of action and intensity. And they are all good basic fighting poses. They will certainly blend in well with the rest of the unit. And if you want you can probably paint them as regular GIs, and they will fit right in as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJoJHRcZ4t0/YLGMntUjdeI/AAAAAAAAF-M/5h8CgWR7y8YfliGJDgKtwiw1zjri7cbQACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BUS%2BMarines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Marines" border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="2048" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJoJHRcZ4t0/YLGMntUjdeI/AAAAAAAAF-M/5h8CgWR7y8YfliGJDgKtwiw1zjri7cbQACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h189/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BUS%2BMarines.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon US Marines" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon US Marines</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The perfect complement to PP's Japanese Infantry set. These guys remind me a bit of Austin Miniatures' marines in the shape of the bodies and heads, slim and tall figures, but with nicer sculpting and detailing. The six poses are good fighting poses, and they cover a nice range of headgear (covered helmet, with netting, plain), clothing styles (tucked vs loose pant bottoms, rolled up sleeves, shirtless, ripped pants, etc.), weapons (Thompson sub mgs, BAR, rifle/bayonet, shotgun w/bayonet(!) and my favorite, the flamethrower) and equipment (backpack, pouches, bandoliers, etc.) I also enjoyed the facial expressions. I am not surprised anymore by the fury and intensity displayed by a couple of them. This time I was more impressed by how the BAR gunner seems so concentrated. Is he aiming at something in the distance, or is he simply laying down covering fire with determination? You'll need to figure that one out yourself when you setup your scene :-) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2_AYYmN9UWnD3LBzJboaf2GLIEDqOBPu9liqBQG5MTGst1sGu4xl4O_g4LnDSKcxbgy4ACH-XL8A8odfoGFoCfkbDwKKsSEy0nLIMLcZHBZEePNAG-boxf2rhCgCFrSm9ppKy7Z3hrbSMjPuKUqiUKF5GBl42pbFvhWiFvWDl3cDSArS7e7HPeLPkxA=s1891" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Paramarines" border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="1891" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2_AYYmN9UWnD3LBzJboaf2GLIEDqOBPu9liqBQG5MTGst1sGu4xl4O_g4LnDSKcxbgy4ACH-XL8A8odfoGFoCfkbDwKKsSEy0nLIMLcZHBZEePNAG-boxf2rhCgCFrSm9ppKy7Z3hrbSMjPuKUqiUKF5GBl42pbFvhWiFvWDl3cDSArS7e7HPeLPkxA=w320-h201" title="Plastic Platoon US Paramarines" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic Platoon US Paramarines<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These guys are a nice complement to the first set of Marines. Initially I thought that other than the fact that there's a 7th man with them who clearly is a pilot -maybe he crashed or had to bail out on the same mission that dropped the Paramarines- there wasn't much to indicate that these guys were paratroopers, but then it hit me that they are clearly wearing jump boots. I wonder if after the jump that was still a good type of footwear for tropical islands. Maybe it was better at keeping the sand out, but if it did get in, I would have hated having to undo the shoe laces every so often to empty the sand. Anyhow, great poses as usual, with good variety of weaponry. The machete guy is a nice touch. And in terms of detail, look at the ding on the helmet of the second guy from the left. Looks like he literally dodged a bullet! The pilot is one guy that I probably won't have a lot of use for. I might have preferred another Paramarine, but I won't complain. Another great set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisKsGip9M8x4PLdCoKmox01h-JEiSLT838zs3p8al-2OnS4VjYuab4tl5fT6IYK9myI-3R3KaRHSragq85qUo_Tx2SOKZvdy-KMLa1RAthgB0KFtUybIUo2jLwTOSZ3D1wP0JOIaxdtMA01aXg-It20sjMD3byCOgCkRgaJgUzITEx350gHzYe-323dQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="2996" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisKsGip9M8x4PLdCoKmox01h-JEiSLT838zs3p8al-2OnS4VjYuab4tl5fT6IYK9myI-3R3KaRHSragq85qUo_Tx2SOKZvdy-KMLa1RAthgB0KFtUybIUo2jLwTOSZ3D1wP0JOIaxdtMA01aXg-It20sjMD3byCOgCkRgaJgUzITEx350gHzYe-323dQ=w320-h162" title="Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div></div>Plastic Platoon US Marines Heavy Weapons<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a very nice set. It contains a crew for a Browning Heavy MG, a bazooka team, a BAR man, and an officer coordinating the action through a radio. The center piece of this set is the heavy machine gun itself, and not just the gun, but the base. I know that some folks prefer plain/neutral bases so that they can be placed in a variety of settings, but in the case of these marines, I do think that the heavily detailed base adds to the set. The other figures are nicely sculpted, as usual, with a high degree of action in them. A couple of them show bullet dents in the helmet, which is a nice bit of detail. The other creative touch is the trophy sword tucked away in the backpack of the BAR man. Lastly, the expression on the officer captures very well the intensity of battle without overdoing it as was the case with some of the prior German sets. Overall a great addition to the WWII range, and a great support unit for the other Marines.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHno-j3EN9TbJWSXH-5rZFEQs-UN7vjJ9ETOFaZxHSe8U4v-dow3STygQXCAR85Msx0WdTqEfgUlG3kw2z0j4mrAarVZd95vVRzFQypBC7n26LbXquL1vLRTpEmfhTUmJthRnBDV-slwgwETDZO2lEHzEJ6qFHEfxyHtnijQU1uZkFSJlLny6PHFHi7g/s3205/Mars%20US%20Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Marines" border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="3205" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHno-j3EN9TbJWSXH-5rZFEQs-UN7vjJ9ETOFaZxHSe8U4v-dow3STygQXCAR85Msx0WdTqEfgUlG3kw2z0j4mrAarVZd95vVRzFQypBC7n26LbXquL1vLRTpEmfhTUmJthRnBDV-slwgwETDZO2lEHzEJ6qFHEfxyHtnijQU1uZkFSJlLny6PHFHi7g/w320-h156/Mars%20US%20Marines.jpg" title="Mars US Marines" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars US Marines</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's nice to see Mars cover this service branch. Not that it had been neglected by previous manufacturers, but for the sake of Mars collectors having a more complete range, it is good to see this set hit the market. Overall it is a good set, with nice action poses, and a good variety of weapons, including a flamethrower and two heavy machine guns. The larger one is a Browning M1917, and the smaller one is a Browning M1919. Unfortunately, this set suffers more noticeably from what I've been referring to as the tucked arm issue. I know that it has to do with the challenges imposed by two-part molds, but it still makes this set have several figures with right arms that are in very unnatural positions. Other than that, the sculpting is pretty good, so if you look at the figures from the right angle, you can avoid seeing the tucked arms. But all in all a good set.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/us-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other US Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here if you want to see <a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-battle-in-pacific-taking-of-island.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a really cool post of the Marines in action</span></a>.</div>
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Click here to see a description of <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-japanese-infantry.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Japanese Infantry figures</span></a>.</div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-83116807140316680842023-07-18T21:50:00.000-04:002023-07-18T22:19:01.061-04:00Introducing the German Don Cossacks<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Hanomak Cossack horse rider</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div></div><div><br /></div>The Cossacks are an ethnic and military order from the area of the Don river in what today is southern Russia / eastern Ukraine. They have been known for centuries, going back to the1400's and have developed a rich tradition and reputation as fierce and effective mounted troops. During WWII, starting in late 1942 and into summer of 1943, the Wehrmacht raised the 1st Cossack Cavalry Division, from captured Soviet Cossack units, deserters, as well as recruits from the occupied Don territories. In the summer of 1944, they were transferred into the Waffen SS and the 2nd Cossack Division was constituted and together with the 1st Division, they became the XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps. It is arguable whether these troops were fighting for the Germans or against the Soviet regime which had oppressed them for almost 25 years. Most of these Cossack units saw action against partisan units in Croatia and Yugoslavia but they also fought as front line troops against the Soviets during the retreat from the eastern front. Outside of the battlefield, the Cossacks were also known for being unruly and ruthless, abusing the local population, sometimes as punishment, sometimes for amusement. Many of them were court-martialed by their German commanders, which is surprising given how brutal Germans themselves were against the locals. At the end of the war, they made their way west in order to surrender to the British, however they were later turned over to the Soviets who executed their leaders, and sent the rank and file to forced labor camps, where most of them perished. Only a few of them made it out alive when they were finally released after Stalin's death in 1953.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqcAsNeFszM/XmVLCzZJkVI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ejvyCcuhckAdn48xD5SWLfBKCVRyoE4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BDon%2BCossacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Don Cossacks" border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqcAsNeFszM/XmVLCzZJkVI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ejvyCcuhckAdn48xD5SWLfBKCVRyoE4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h160/Mars%2BGerman%2BDon%2BCossacks.jpg" title="Mars German Don Cossacks" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Don Cossacks</div>
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Extra points to Mars for addressing a set that had not received any attention (to my knowledge) before. The quality of the set is good overall. The figures come in decent action/fighting poses, with a nice degree of movement, and the sculpting keeps improving. Perhaps the one missing pose from this set is a cavalry figure, maybe a mounted officer. The Cossacks in general, including the Don Cossacks, were renowned cavalry troops. I know that in WWII the role of mounted units in battle was negligible, however I suspect that in the role of the Don Cossacks, hunting down partisans, and chasing them around the woods and countryside, horses would have been useful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_SjDT0gR4kQfjdtChxYhLH0IpKmWaVak9lS9-kiEWV0g0-ntUtH41KhS72P693JRjzCS--Ee9otpJbWJ70YJQpfI89y64TRfemg0gKbUa18ucd1Uki7kiF80R7Brw8zV4U41rV0g_MGkBhDW-arJUu68ztDukvhMiFpBmUXt2OQo0zawxvv76HY5DQ/s1800/Hanomak%20German%20Cossak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Cossack" border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="1800" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_SjDT0gR4kQfjdtChxYhLH0IpKmWaVak9lS9-kiEWV0g0-ntUtH41KhS72P693JRjzCS--Ee9otpJbWJ70YJQpfI89y64TRfemg0gKbUa18ucd1Uki7kiF80R7Brw8zV4U41rV0g_MGkBhDW-arJUu68ztDukvhMiFpBmUXt2OQo0zawxvv76HY5DQ/w320-h242/Hanomak%20German%20Cossak.jpg" title="Hanomak German Cossack" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak German Cossack</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a figure that may not be too exciting for some collectors given that it is not much of an action pose. The appeal for me came from the fact that it is a <i>mounted </i>Cossack. The only other German Cossacks that I am aware of are the ones released by Mars a year or two back, but all of them are on foot. So this guy is great at representing their origins riding horses in the steppes of eastern Europe, and it will also make a good commander. In terms of the sculpting the figure is reasonably well done. It has some nice touches like the luger, the hat with the German insignia, and the pelt cover under the saddle, even if the detail is not the sharpest. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-34709741674622485602023-07-17T22:30:00.000-04:002023-07-17T22:48:57.195-04:00Introducing the German Panzer Crews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Hanomak German Tankers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><p>The German Panzerwaffe or Panzertruppe were the men responsible for operating the armored vehicles such as tanks and self-propelled anti-tank guns within the German armed forces. They were known for their black uniforms, and tight fitting, double-breasted jackets, inspired by the uniforms of former Hussars. This makes sense, considering that they were the armored evolution of the cavalry. Their piping color was pink and their insignia in caps and collars included skulls / Totenkopf which is something that they earlier Brunswick Hussars also wore, but which became problematic for the Panzertruppen particularly towards the end of the war when many of them would get shot on the spot upon capture after being mistaken for death camp guards. Within the command of the Panzerwaffe, and attached to the armored units, there were also Panzergrenadier which could be transported in half-tracked armored vehicles, or in trucks. Panzer crews would typically remain within their vehicles, as that's the way in which they could be the most lethal. It was the Panzergrenadiers, who were much better trained in infantry tactics, which were responsible for complementing the tanks offensively or defensively. The ratio of half-tracks to trucks available to transport the Panzergrenadiers would depend on the elite status of the division. Divisions such as the Panzer Lehr, raised from skilled, decorated veterans who had been transferred to the two main training schools for motorized troops, received many more armored vehicles. It was also within some of these divisions such as the Panzer Lehr, that also the Panzergrenadier wore the double-breasted jacket as their uniform, albeit in grey fabric. In terms of toy soldiers, Panzer crews have been released along with their vehicles by firms such as Forces of Valor or 21st Century Toys, however the poses are usually that of a commander standing at the turret or a driver/machine gunner taking a peek out of the front hatches. Up to now, nobody had manufactured dismounted Panzertruppen. But that changed recently. Let's take a look. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5W5XCgsGJeQ/YaEweGLBquI/AAAAAAAAGCo/tEWmqf9YCmgN27ZzlS6Uo9AcEOa_jNoMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzer%2BCrew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Panzer Crew" border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5W5XCgsGJeQ/YaEweGLBquI/AAAAAAAAGCo/tEWmqf9YCmgN27ZzlS6Uo9AcEOa_jNoMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzer%2BCrew.jpg" title="Mars German Panzer Crew" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Panzer Crew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an original set. Typically when you see tank crew men, they are mounted in their vehicles, but when you think about it, they must have had to abandon their tanks at times due to battle damage or mechanical failure, and when doing so, it seems reasonable to expect that they had to engage in small arms combat. The set provides a nice variety of action poses depicting the urgency of the situation. What's also good about this set is that if you are into painting your figures, this uniform with a short, double-breasted jacket can be painted in a variety of color schemes, including cammo pattern and various tones of grey, as it was worn not only by panzer crews -in black-, but also self-propelled gun crews, and panzer grenadiers. What's not so great about this set is that one figure in particular -standing in the middle of the picture- has a serious manufacturing issue, with a lot of extra plastic down the middle of his face. This is not just my set, as it has been reported by other collectors. I may try to shave it off a bit or simply replace the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbh0PDq2d3-y1a_s2xumk9S3JGGZh8mZYjwl1yvLJ6ehqWKp0EuFR72LhTCFe5h6_NiAwRuth95ffsqInTszDvqW7sG3mMsf6jIZCpHO3RtxSbm5mRyg9eseMqSXdKO2UMscZSrcvEsxtYf-QBe4B2_r_CWBFVPt5mhw3Pm9coa7Vh6TbyJ-2IG_dIwg/s2587/Dragon%20CanDo%20Tiger%20Aces.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dragon CanDo Tiger Aces" border="0" data-original-height="2587" data-original-width="2052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbh0PDq2d3-y1a_s2xumk9S3JGGZh8mZYjwl1yvLJ6ehqWKp0EuFR72LhTCFe5h6_NiAwRuth95ffsqInTszDvqW7sG3mMsf6jIZCpHO3RtxSbm5mRyg9eseMqSXdKO2UMscZSrcvEsxtYf-QBe4B2_r_CWBFVPt5mhw3Pm9coa7Vh6TbyJ-2IG_dIwg/w254-h320/Dragon%20CanDo%20Tiger%20Aces.jpg" title="Dragon CanDo Tiger Aces" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dragon CanDo Tiger Aces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a special set from Dragon. They represent famous Tiger commanders such as Michael Wittman (in black standing on the turret). There's also Hans sitting up front, Georg stand off to the side wearing an officer's cap. Kurt (Knispel) - the most prolific Panzer ace- standing opposite him with a regular cap (that's the only difference between him and Georg), Woll to the right of Wittman, and Karlheinz resting his arm around the tank's gun. These guys are now not so easy to find and they can be a bit pricey of you do run into them. That's particularly true of Kurt who was only manufactured 4 times out of every 100 figures in the set. If you can find them they are a great complement to the FOV and 21C panzers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWuaabq4KCzisHXtI10WCj3ADkkN9ygwkSmE38ZgnFjrx3ODBMi_B-3ni-hSgUHFKI_Y4tPtABzCBJFffNVeQ0B47RvdcTm-YXfxgEIsPO_JCHHm9x4fsgcOxD4gIP9cdHEoF0RUgI0YPTWn645KCtWH_QWjufXiDlO4TP61J-M-CN3EhrfLsXxqndw/s2640/Hanomak%20German%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Tank Crewmen" border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="2640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWuaabq4KCzisHXtI10WCj3ADkkN9ygwkSmE38ZgnFjrx3ODBMi_B-3ni-hSgUHFKI_Y4tPtABzCBJFffNVeQ0B47RvdcTm-YXfxgEIsPO_JCHHm9x4fsgcOxD4gIP9cdHEoF0RUgI0YPTWn645KCtWH_QWjufXiDlO4TP61J-M-CN3EhrfLsXxqndw/w320-h181/Hanomak%20German%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" title="Hanomak German Tank Crewmen" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak German Tank Crewmen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This set represents dismounted tank crews in intense close quarters combat. Well, except for the officer who seems to be taking in the action. I am not sure why they depicted him like that. This set will be a good complement to a similar set from Mars, although I am not sure that I need that much volume of dismounted tank crews. What is interesting about this set is that it was produced using digital sculpting. That's why the lines are so smooth. You notice this specially on the clothes. I have to say that I prefer the hand-sculpted figures better, but I expect that this technique will continue to improve. In fact, the 3D printing is already quite impressive. As far as the figures, they are well posed and I do like that their bodies reflect the urgency of the situation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/s1162/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/w220-h320/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" title="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is a picture of how the German guy is supposed to be combined with its Soviet counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that the Soviet guy is also a tank guy, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/german-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other German Troops</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Click here to see a post of the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/german-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German company in action.</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here are some pictures of <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-paratroops-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Paratroops in action.</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here you can see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/09/british-infantry-and-waffen-ss-in.html"><span style="color: cyan;">German Waffen SS in action.</span></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-53970344055707945912023-07-14T23:50:00.000-04:002023-07-15T00:37:47.388-04:00Introducing the Soviet NKVD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Mars Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Soviet NKVD was the organization within the Soviet Union responsible for protecting the state and its political ideology from internal threats. It was a mix of an intelligence agency and secret police. They were also in charge of guarding the borders as well as the prison camps. Its origins go back to the Revolution of 1917. In the years preceding WW2, they conducted a series of ruthless campaigns and purges against the Soviet people. Some of them politically motivated, but sometimes also ethnically-driven. And sometimes simply quota-driven against a certain region or occupational group, such as the clergy or army officers, as was the case during the great purge of 1937. Many others were arrested and sent to prison camps or gulags where they languished or were executed. Most of these arrests and trials were performed with minimum evidence, often just the word of someone who declared someone else an 'enemy of the people', and confessions were obtained through brutal methods. They were also responsible for the execution of 22,000 captured Polish officers in what became known as the Katyn massacre when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and split Poland at the start of the war. The actual NKVD was formed shortly after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941. Their role expanded to ensure that the Soviet Army fought as expected and in order to 'increase morale', NKVD units often shot at Soviet troops attempting to retreat. If you have not watched the movie Enemy at the Gates, this is well illustrated in this film, when the NKVD men unleash a storm of machine gun fire at some retreating Soviet conscripts who have no chance of succeeding in a frontal attack at Stalingrad. The NKVD formed multiple divisions during the war, and while most were used for the stated purposes, a few of them were also used as frontline troops as was the case in Stalingrad and Crimea. As the tides of war changed, the NKVD was either involved in sabotage activities behind German lines, or was busy clearing the liberated territories from collaborators and Nazi sympathizers. By the end of the war, the NKVD ranks numbered over 1.5 million men. The Soviet Union created a similar organization, which actually splintered off the NKVD, to guard against foreign spies and bad influences within the Red Army. That organization was called SMERSH. It is so similar in nature that one could easily confuse them. Anyhow, the NKVD was definitely a controversial organization. Perhaps it is due to this, or to its limited combat role, that NKVD troops had not been represented in the Plastic Toy Soldier hobby until recently, when Hanomak introduced its set. Let's take a look. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpj_gZ_kIa3_JqBqdLwGJUJ9J8vgtc4YN_iGl0rVc8ssP3eviGRl5J9soqEyrFRjTwIPmq6x3eec1eIUAv2OmUoa6vnbxKi0k3fy2brakDSRkQsnVUotm1Xr3Vicv7IGVkJRm78Fxm8fTkXKwADiX1whkdYuPSmIvoPyVgfeJ07dzkfrtETryNL0kvNw=s1953" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards" border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1953" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpj_gZ_kIa3_JqBqdLwGJUJ9J8vgtc4YN_iGl0rVc8ssP3eviGRl5J9soqEyrFRjTwIPmq6x3eec1eIUAv2OmUoa6vnbxKi0k3fy2brakDSRkQsnVUotm1Xr3Vicv7IGVkJRm78Fxm8fTkXKwADiX1whkdYuPSmIvoPyVgfeJ07dzkfrtETryNL0kvNw=w320-h184" title="Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At first glance these figures could be thought of as regular Soviet Infantry. Upon further inspection, I there are a few clues that confirm the name of the set. The first one is that they are all wearing a cap with a visor. I don't know if this is because all member of the NKVD force were officers, but it seems that when I see pictures of them, they are all wearing such cap. Then you have the guy with the dog, and also the machine gunner. If you watched enemy at the gates, those machine gunners are hard to forget. And then there are also the two guys standing around, likely detaining or interrogating someone. Two of the poses do seem to represent the political officers who were attached to front line units, to influence and monitor them ideologically. These officers would also fight alongside them and one can only imagine that either to demonstrate the strength of their political convictions or due to them, they would have led by example and tried to inspire their men, as the man with the flag is doing. In terms of the sculpting, no complaints. Nicely detailed, well proportioned, good poses. Similar rubbery material as the other sets, but in this case you only have to glue the shield to the machine gun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiWoQJEU2CJhYEYW8OSqHc9EagTDe89bMMzX5lsN-Ct35msL1QfBYHGKzV7JTj6lr7svfr8AShHtC4ByGnlQDvape7tK1uuQiKpHT8TBIY087HkJUiv2CHHVNroehOYNbfZjde4MDiW0xIldEUia007Rrm0SrXdjTfvJq7ztASU4PgIJW-g0_j2ZG-w/s1575/Ratnik%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ratnik Soviet Border Guards" border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1575" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiWoQJEU2CJhYEYW8OSqHc9EagTDe89bMMzX5lsN-Ct35msL1QfBYHGKzV7JTj6lr7svfr8AShHtC4ByGnlQDvape7tK1uuQiKpHT8TBIY087HkJUiv2CHHVNroehOYNbfZjde4MDiW0xIldEUia007Rrm0SrXdjTfvJq7ztASU4PgIJW-g0_j2ZG-w/w320-h185/Ratnik%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" title="Ratnik Soviet Border Guards" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ratnik 1941 Soviet Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a good set to complement the Hanomak NKVD Soviet Guards. The sculpting is average -a couple of the poses feel a bit stiff, like the man throwing the grenade or the man to his right- but the diversity of poses compensates for that. For example, you get a radio man with it which is something handy in any unit and several of the poses are useful in fighting scenes. As was the case with Hanomak, you also get a guard dog, which seems quite appropriate for this unit. The one pose I don't care much for is the officer walking with the gun in his hand. He seems to be of limited use in the type of scenes I like to setup. Lastly, this set also comes with a border post. I guess to help setup the scene at the border. Given how shortly the war was fought at the border where these posts might have been, I would have preferred if they had given us an extra pose instead. But all in all, a decent set to add to the collection. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPURrqK3iunu3VvkiceLESSfKh1P6E4WpYFSnWjuiCcgl87N66afkvsdTtPRIzpeXPMVkMJsyHwdl3Pz0z9o64AFuTasPAwtkW7a6ZawVnN17TMOXqtGudOSdwNrLknaDSZCyZylv-GbfyzPNFTQ5n9lL90Kw94f0p4pPpTV79REt4zFmMqHa8OQNg/s2706/Mars%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Soviet Border Guards" border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2706" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPURrqK3iunu3VvkiceLESSfKh1P6E4WpYFSnWjuiCcgl87N66afkvsdTtPRIzpeXPMVkMJsyHwdl3Pz0z9o64AFuTasPAwtkW7a6ZawVnN17TMOXqtGudOSdwNrLknaDSZCyZylv-GbfyzPNFTQ5n9lL90Kw94f0p4pPpTV79REt4zFmMqHa8OQNg/w320-h162/Mars%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" title="Mars Soviet Border Guards" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars Soviet Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Normally you don't think of the Soviet border guards as the most exciting topic, but this set makes it look quite intense, and other than the guy who is observing the action with his dog, all the other guys are engaged in the fighting. But I know the dog is a key element of the Soviet guards, so it had to be fit in somehow with its handler. My favorite poses are probably the guy who is running and the officer. The officer was a bit tricky to get to stand straight, but nothing that the good old hot/cold water treatment couldn't fix. The other figure that is interesting is the crawling guy wearing the cammo suit. That guy is going to play double duty with my unit of Soviet scouts. This set certainly exceeded my expectations! </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2022/03/introducing-soviet-smersh.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at a post about SMERSH</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/soviet-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out more Soviet Troops</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Click here to see the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/soviet-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Soviet Infantry in action.</span></a></div></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-5910360573233448172023-07-12T11:03:00.000-04:002023-07-12T23:58:30.218-04:00Introducing the Partisans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Added Hanomak Soviet Partisan horse rider</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The term Partisan applies to those units which operated behind enemy lines in order to disrupt the German war effort. Their operations primarily targeted the infrastructure supporting the German front units, such as railways, rail stock, supply depots, bridges, communication centers, etc. and even though their main goal was not to fight the Germans head-on, they did kill a good share of rearguard troops and collaborationist units. Initially the partisan units originated from regular Soviet troops left behind by the rapidly advancing front, and operated in an independent manner. Gradually, the German occupation and the brutal treatment of the local population -deportations, use as slave labor, confiscation of food in the middle of winter, etc.- turned many civilians, towards the partisan ranks. The German reprisals against this movement did not only target the partisans themselves -who were regularly executed-, but often included the execution of civilians, sometimes as many as 100 for each German death. The partisans responded in kind, by not just killing Germans, but sometimes mutilating them in horrible ways. As of mid 1942, the Soviet Central command started to play a role in coordinating and supplying the partisan units. The supplies not only consisted of weapons and material -including badly needed communications equipment-, but also included specially selected and trained troops as well as NKVD members to lead and reinforce the partisans. Many of these were air dropped behind enemy lines, but many also flowed through a 40km wide land corridor known as the Vitsyebsk Gate which was open for a good portion of 1942. Partisan operations gradually became more than local harassments and by 1943, they were well coordinated and timed operations. For instance, during the Kursk offensive, the supply difficulties created by the operations in the German rear played a very important role in halting the summer offensive. Over 100,000 partisans participated in the raids at this time. Another measure of the partisans success is the fact that as the Soviet Army advanced many partisan units were ordered to continue to move west so that they could remain in occupied territory and continue to operate. This was important not just because of the direct impact on the infrastructure, but also because of the large number of German troops which were required to guard the supply lines and to hunt the partisans. Most of those partisans which were liberated by the advancing Soviets joined the regular army and kept fighting on. At the height of the war, over 500,000 partisans were active across the whole length of the front. After the war ended, partisans were treated not much better than Soviet soldiers who had allowed themselves to be taken prisoners, and underwent interrogations by the NKVD, with many of them being sent to labor camps. This is not surprising as experienced guerrilla forces would have been a danger to Stalin's regime. In terms of toy soldiers, there are now several sets out which collectively, do a nice job at depicting the variety of backgrounds in the Partisan ranks. Let's take a look.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LEx9ffq46xk/Uy9Yaqu8cgI/AAAAAAAAEdM/aMIktwXn6OE/s1600/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+I.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" border="0" height="215" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LEx9ffq46xk/Uy9Yaqu8cgI/AAAAAAAAEdM/aMIktwXn6OE/w320-h215/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+I.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part I</div>
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A unique set by Engineer Bassevich. The depiction of these partisans strikes a nice balance between showing them as civilians and soldiers. For example, the guys above might have just joined the partisan unit and are still wearing some of their original clothes and their weaponry is lacking automatic firing. </div>
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UPDATE: I had the good fortune of getting some input from Alex, the man behind Engineer Bassevich's figures and he supplied me with a description for some of the figures. For instance, these guys could be used as members of the factory workers Fighter Battalion at Stalingrad during the summer of 1942. If you take out the guy throwing the grenade, who is holding the automatic weapon, they could also be used as members of the People's Militia Division, during the summer of 1941. Automatic weapons were not available outside of the professional army during the earlier part of the war.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4jugEHpbDM/Uy9YaT_5vjI/AAAAAAAAEdI/dxCeyfW7MR0/s1600/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" border="0" height="187" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4jugEHpbDM/Uy9YaT_5vjI/AAAAAAAAEdI/dxCeyfW7MR0/w320-h187/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+II.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part II</div>
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These guys however are more rugged. they could be regular army troops who got left behind the enemy lines and joined the partisans, giving them some badly needed training and leadership. As far as the quality of the figures go, I am quite pleased with this set. They don't have any flashing, and the plastic used to make them feels more dense, making them feel a bit more robust. The level of detail in the sculpting as you can see, is really great.</div>
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UPDATE: Thanks to Engineer Bassevich we now know a bit more about the source of inspiration for these figures. The man in the middle is the legendary Sydir Kovpak, leader of the partisan units in the greater Ukraine-Belarus area -see picture below-. He was officially recognized by the Soviet military command and awarded the rank of Major General. The man on the right represents Pyotr Vershigora, who was Kovpak's second in command and eventually also rose to the rank of Major General. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zK39Uo1jxOI/U1vLRig0btI/AAAAAAAAEg4/tQ7ih_Fp1uU/s1600/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zK39Uo1jxOI/U1vLRig0btI/AAAAAAAAEg4/tQ7ih_Fp1uU/s1600/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BA.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
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Here is a picture of Major General Sydir Kovpak, partisan leader in the greater Ukraine-Belarus area</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpciWZ1zTyU/Uy9Yam7uk1I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/gvon37tqqOY/s1600/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+III.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpciWZ1zTyU/Uy9Yam7uk1I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/gvon37tqqOY/w320-h225/Engineer+Bassevich+Soviet+Partisans+III.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part III</div>
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These guys are probably a mix of civilians and ex-soldiers, but have been in the Partisan ranks long enough to have more sophisticated clothes and equipment. A very interesting touch is the kid in the middle, holding a captured German sub-machine gun. I actually saw a picture of such a kid, dressed very much the same way, which was surely the inspiration for the pose. </div>
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UPDATE from Engineer Bassevich: The guy on the right, would have belonged to the division of the People's Militia. Maybe a former teacher. He can be used in the Battle of Moscow, along with soldiers from set number 1. The man on the left could have been a regular army officer left behind the enemy lines after his unit was encircled and then he joined the partisans.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-InvPX_EES7A/Vq1WpgL_EyI/AAAAAAAAFVI/XvAvRO0inh4/s1600/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" border="0" height="175" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-InvPX_EES7A/Vq1WpgL_EyI/AAAAAAAAFVI/XvAvRO0inh4/w320-h175/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B1.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans - Part I</div>
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Another set of partisans. These are supposed to be Tito's partisans from Yugoslavia, but I think they could pass as partisans from any occupied country. Note that many of them feature long beards though, so if you are strict about cultural matters, maybe that restricts your options. I am actually planning to mix them with the Soviet partisans and have a larger unit of unregulated militia guys.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T4d03eyfOVY/Vq1WpkDKKtI/AAAAAAAAFVM/J4MSLvcbzT0/s1600/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" border="0" height="165" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T4d03eyfOVY/Vq1WpkDKKtI/AAAAAAAAFVM/J4MSLvcbzT0/w320-h165/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B2.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans - Part II</div>
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One thing I like about this set from Engineer Bassevich is that most of the poses are fighting poses and we got a lot fewer guys standing around. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykjuzTKvPys/Vq1WpiTixNI/AAAAAAAAFVE/8wA9RjZc09A/s1600/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" border="0" height="177" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykjuzTKvPys/Vq1WpiTixNI/AAAAAAAAFVE/8wA9RjZc09A/w320-h177/Engineer%2BBassevich%2BYugoslav%2BPartisans%2B3.jpg" title="Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Engineer Bassevich Yugoslav Partisans - Part III</div>
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I am OK with a commander standing around, observing the action. The only guy I don't really have much use for is the 'guard' next to the commanding officer.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2rWMHvjnJM/XfaGy7vcx_I/AAAAAAAAFtM/L3dcNhmkEtIw-kF6P13qzvZ3b_lv0hyWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BPartisans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans" border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d2rWMHvjnJM/XfaGy7vcx_I/AAAAAAAAFtM/L3dcNhmkEtIw-kF6P13qzvZ3b_lv0hyWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h215/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BGreek%2BPartisans.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans" width="320" /></a></div>
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Plastic Platoon Greek Partisans</div>
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This is the second half of the set representing the Greek combatants. Along with them, on the right, is the partisan figure of set 3 of the German Paras. I just put him next to his comrades in the picture so that you can see how it fits with them. What's nice about these figures is to see the men in their local garb. I don't know if that's what they would have worn going to battle, but it certainly makes them look more authentic. There's also a partisan woman. She is dressed in more 'modern' clothes of that time. Interesting to see that these guys seem more determined to fight than the Greek infantry figures, although it stands to reason that these guys lived on the island and the Greek troops were most likely sent there from other parts of Greece to defend it. That would certainly influence their level of resolve.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cBYJ9nMquLRQX_G0JUmX6Z61y-4qctu3EGZPGRM3yU_3K6oY6Xn1bD2CXYJghPrwwTmYsFeS6yFd9PViZcMZzer3SpKlrOH2ySzY_TIBv8HMRh_qiQTBK4SQ6l2GPzLFiLjK0NvUUiPGSRrCfEb2Z-QXttLDkpC8c7hYkJUhxXszfLBvFGGpyxS9cQ/s1809/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Partisans" border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1809" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cBYJ9nMquLRQX_G0JUmX6Z61y-4qctu3EGZPGRM3yU_3K6oY6Xn1bD2CXYJghPrwwTmYsFeS6yFd9PViZcMZzer3SpKlrOH2ySzY_TIBv8HMRh_qiQTBK4SQ6l2GPzLFiLjK0NvUUiPGSRrCfEb2Z-QXttLDkpC8c7hYkJUhxXszfLBvFGGpyxS9cQ/w320-h164/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisans.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Partisans" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak Soviet Partisans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This depicts the wide range of folks who took arms against the German invaders behind enemy lines. You can see fighting age men in Soviet army attire who are likely men who got encircled and left behind the German advance. There are older men fighting with farming gear, there are women who may have been civilians or maybe also Soviet army regulars, and there's even a teenager who is cursing and ready to throw a rock. And there's also the guy operating the radio which allowed them to coordinate their operations with the main Soviet forces. A good set from Hanomak which will complement well the other partisan sets that came before. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-SVCDPZmuO93PetHscNzv3cACnyHJnaZuL1AKtjLKF6Kxn8IRxSfgtBAeewfq9p1IIaEAn-i8z6XFLVWx0SjIdtAbJFO6bFP4DuMvUwwwwi3WCumKptdGW2izHJddkQQtwAYUF81-MW8psDmYuSiBN8aHbOE7PA0gJKr4ocaA2_2tn5txJMrswHlgw/s1906/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Partisan" border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1906" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-SVCDPZmuO93PetHscNzv3cACnyHJnaZuL1AKtjLKF6Kxn8IRxSfgtBAeewfq9p1IIaEAn-i8z6XFLVWx0SjIdtAbJFO6bFP4DuMvUwwwwi3WCumKptdGW2izHJddkQQtwAYUF81-MW8psDmYuSiBN8aHbOE7PA0gJKr4ocaA2_2tn5txJMrswHlgw/w320-h253/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisan.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Partisan" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak Soviet Partisan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I had similar feelings about this figure as I did regarding the German Cossack in the sense that it is not much of an action pose, but at least this guy is aiming his subMG, even if the horse is way too relaxed. But if you want to give your partisans some variety so that not all of them are on foot, this is a decent figure to add to your collection. I wonder however how often partisans relied on horses as they seem like they would be much easier to track down. In terms of the sculpting, the figure is fairly average with a few interesting details like the bags on the horse or the rider's googles and mustache.</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/soviet-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out more Soviet Troops</span></a></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-52261158749515028002023-07-09T22:55:00.000-04:002023-07-10T21:23:59.748-04:00Mars - Toy Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest Update: US Marines and Soviet Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">__________________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Mars is a manufacturer based out of Ukraine, which has been on the 1/72 scene for a while, at least back to 2007 which is when their website is copyrighted. They entered the 1/32 market a few years ago, in 2016 or so, with some non-WWII sets, with an emphasis on Vietnam and some Afghanistan sets. It has been during the recent years 2018-2022, that they have made a strong push into 1/32 WWII. Mostly by upscaling their 1/72 sets, which is in part why they have been able to issue so many sets in quick succession. The <span style="text-align: center;">best part about Mars throwing its hat into ring, is that they are coming up with sets that had not received much attention in the past. Besides the sets that are listed on this post, they already announced several more that should be quite exciting, but I won't ruin the surprise for you :-) Take a look and judge for yourself!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE13X9_6QGY/XfVsfjkoi-I/AAAAAAAAFr4/qXd0oGaW4A4-qmhLSBGJR9ZzJHBL7fPxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BElite%2BInfantry%2BWaffen%2BSS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)" border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE13X9_6QGY/XfVsfjkoi-I/AAAAAAAAFr4/qXd0oGaW4A4-qmhLSBGJR9ZzJHBL7fPxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h214/Mars%2BGerman%2BElite%2BInfantry%2BWaffen%2BSS.jpg" title="Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)</div>
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As far as this 'Elite Infantry' set, I have to say that it is just OK. For some reason the way the clothes look on the legs of these figures seems a bit artificial. Either too baggy, or the men's legs are too skinny to fill them... not sure what's going on. I also found it amusing that they preferred to avoid calling the set Waffen SS and went with 'Elite Division'. Anyhow, the poses are dynamic enough for my taste, and they could easily be used as regular infantry if you also wanted to avoid depicting Waffen SS troops. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFZm9zSf0_A/XfVsgpAN7hI/AAAAAAAAFr8/0hT-H1XFBsQp3zP8u_gEfcLyXu11Hzb3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BLuftwaffe%2BField%2BDivision.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Luftwaffe Field Division" border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFZm9zSf0_A/XfVsgpAN7hI/AAAAAAAAFr8/0hT-H1XFBsQp3zP8u_gEfcLyXu11Hzb3ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h206/Mars%2BGerman%2BLuftwaffe%2BField%2BDivision.jpg" title="Mars German Luftwaffe Field Division" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Luftwaffe Field Division</div>
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This is one of those sets that had not been represented before, as far as I know. Not much to tell them apart from regular infantry or, even trickier, from Waffen SS. When I have seen them in pictures, they are usually wearing cammo smock or the tent quarters, which is what several of these guys are wearing. From what I read, these units suffered terrible casualty rates, given the fact that they had very limited training in ground combat tactics, as they had been hastily repurposed from air force duties to frontline infantry. Maybe that's why they felt compelled to include a figure getting hit.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2DD3Tv4XcM/XfVsflYIB6I/AAAAAAAAFr0/2pljzwG0A2EFL0WDOuQF4q1nsQ1tkd1AwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Naval Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2DD3Tv4XcM/XfVsflYIB6I/AAAAAAAAFr0/2pljzwG0A2EFL0WDOuQF4q1nsQ1tkd1AwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h235/Mars%2BGerman%2BNaval%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Mars German Naval Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Naval Infantry</div>
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Another set that I have not seen manufactured before. Not sure if these guys are meant to represent the <span style="text-align: justify;">Marinestosstruppkompanie</span>, the landing parties that a Naval Force would usually carry with them, or whether they were surplus sailors which had been repurposed as ground infantry, as was the case with the Luftwaffe Field Division. In any case, it is an interesting and unique set. In terms of the sculpting, this set is pretty decent, although the poses could be a bit more dynamic. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fkQ3mkomKFo/XfVsqOJA6BI/AAAAAAAAFsA/wGqYDECMTFQ9tahhRfSIjDpx5A1lP31-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzergreanadiers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Panzergrenadiers" border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fkQ3mkomKFo/XfVsqOJA6BI/AAAAAAAAFsA/wGqYDECMTFQ9tahhRfSIjDpx5A1lP31-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h225/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzergreanadiers.jpg" title="Mars German Panzergrenadiers" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Panzergrenadiers</div>
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If not because of the name, it is hard to tell that these guys were mechanized infantry. But they are still a nice set that could be used to augment your regular German infantry, or Waffen SS. The best pose is clearly the mg gunner resting his weapon on his mate's shoulder. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to line up the figures. At best, the muzzle is right behind the front man's ear, which would have been terrible in real life. Also, this set does have a man 'running' which is better than some of the other sets in which everyone is standing, however the running pose could have been sculpted leaning forward a bit more in my opinion. Still a good set overall. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFHPbKH10gs/XfVsrIokzSI/AAAAAAAAFsE/Lfe8jvPNn7wL7Lx7GytIygw7OI0YZC-3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFHPbKH10gs/XfVsrIokzSI/AAAAAAAAFsE/Lfe8jvPNn7wL7Lx7GytIygw7OI0YZC-3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h185/Mars%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry</div>
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This is a a set that has been made before plenty of times. But at least you can tell that the Mars sculpting team is getting more adventurous in terms of adding dynamism to its poses, and they have given us two charging men. That is offset however, by the man who is throwing (or holding?) a grenade. If he is meant to throw it, I hope his squad has time to hit the ground because that's going to land a bit short! Other than that, this set is not that remarkable, considering that there's already a good variety of Japanese Infantry poses in the market from prior manufacturers. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rebtyhdglLA/XfVsrRxOVGI/AAAAAAAAFsI/Jtnrell-6Owe2Ox0Ndywk6RitD_3_9AOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BJapanese%2BParas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Imperial Japanese Paratroopers" border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rebtyhdglLA/XfVsrRxOVGI/AAAAAAAAFsI/Jtnrell-6Owe2Ox0Ndywk6RitD_3_9AOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h205/Mars%2BJapanese%2BParas.jpg" title="Mars Imperial Japanese Paratroopers" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars Imperial Japanese Paratroopers</div>
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Now, here's a set that is new and unique as far as I know. And you can tell that these guys truly are imperial paratroopers because of its distinctive headgear which has wide straps to secure the helmet in place during the drop. Plus a few of them are still wearing their jump suit/smock. This is one probably my favorite set from Mars. The poses show some action, they are engaged in combat, the range of weapons includes a mortar, flame thrower, a sub mg, a pistol, plus several carbines... All in all a good mix to drop behind enemy lines!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqcAsNeFszM/XmVLCzZJkVI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ejvyCcuhckAdn48xD5SWLfBKCVRyoE4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BDon%2BCossacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Don Cossacks" border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqcAsNeFszM/XmVLCzZJkVI/AAAAAAAAFvY/ejvyCcuhckAdn48xD5SWLfBKCVRyoE4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h160/Mars%2BGerman%2BDon%2BCossacks.jpg" title="Mars German Don Cossacks" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Don Cossacks</div>
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Extra points to Mars for addressing a set that had not received any attention (to my knowledge) before. The quality of the set is good overall. The figures come in decent action/fighting poses, with a nice degree of movement, and the sculpting keeps improving. Perhaps the one missing pose from this set is a cavalry figure, maybe a mounted officer. The Cossacks in general, including the Don Cossacks, were renowned cavalry troops. I know that in WWII the role of mounted units in battle was negligible, however I suspect that in the role of the Don Cossacks, hunting down partisans, and chasing them around the woods and countryside, horses would have been useful. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hhd-0IBFon0/XmVLC8IBOpI/AAAAAAAAFvU/bYzTYRmHZ58jnHS-fFrtKJ-8eYTyWxffQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hhd-0IBFon0/XmVLC8IBOpI/AAAAAAAAFvU/bYzTYRmHZ58jnHS-fFrtKJ-8eYTyWxffQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h160/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BTroops.jpg" title="Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars German Elite Infantry (Winter Dress)</div>
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This is another good set. A nice set of poses, with authentic looking winter gear. Maybe one less kneeling pose, in exchange for a prone guy would have been a good call, but still a nice set for which there were not many options previously. The only other figures that I recall, which would go well with these are the four 1/35 Dragon Can Do German winter combat troops and another four miscellaneous German winter troops which came with some of the FOV vehicles. So these will augment that squad nicely. Fortunately, the size of these 1/32 figures is not too big, so they will all blend well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtjM9fXVZ-s/X8HJ0qdt2FI/AAAAAAAAFzQ/fs4ZBIK1-pU_BrSxgRbWEVltFPZ_3B1DgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Finnish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="2048" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VtjM9fXVZ-s/X8HJ0qdt2FI/AAAAAAAAFzQ/fs4ZBIK1-pU_BrSxgRbWEVltFPZ_3B1DgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h185/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" title="Mars Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars Finnish Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another interesting and unique set by Mars to complement Engineer Bassevich's Finnish troops. Particularly nice are the two figures with skis. The actually come attached to them with a small metal peg which allows them to rotate some. I just hope they don't come off. It would have been nice if a couple more had skis, not necessarily on, but maybe on their backs. This set, at 12 figures/8 poses, was also smaller than the typical Mars set of 15 figures/8 poses, I suppose because of the extra molds to make the skis. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIRtr7AUWD8/X8HJ0iazatI/AAAAAAAAFzU/1Exv1wvlguklMXK6TTjm3KbaXqyT-DIVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Finnish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mIRtr7AUWD8/X8HJ0iazatI/AAAAAAAAFzU/1Exv1wvlguklMXK6TTjm3KbaXqyT-DIVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Mars%2BFinnish%2BInfantry%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" title="Mars Finnish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div>Mars Finnish Infantry Part II</div><div>Most of the figures in the set are in good action poses, except for the guy who seems to be just standing around. I have also read some comments complaining about how little facial detail is visible on him, and some folks have remarked that he is wearing a mark. Emil K. and Thomas H. have identified him as the famous Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, also know as White Death, who indeed wore a white mask, and smock to blend in better with the background. With more than 500 confirmed sniper kills, it's a nice gesture to dedicate a figure to him, but imho, it would have been better to pose him in action. Anyhow, happy about having a few more Finns to go against the Soviets!</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Il2SqD4PEvA/X8HJ1Q_KiPI/AAAAAAAAFzc/sWhig06r6jI6BxP0gS3H0HJuOAGW20F5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BSoviet%2BInfantry.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Soviet Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="2048" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Il2SqD4PEvA/X8HJ1Q_KiPI/AAAAAAAAFzc/sWhig06r6jI6BxP0gS3H0HJuOAGW20F5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h210/Mars%2BSoviet%2BInfantry.JPEG" title="Mars Soviet Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars Soviet Infantry</div><div>Not a set for which there is a shortage of poses from prior manufacturers, but it is understandable that a Ukranian firm would manufacture such a set around the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. No concerns from my end about the selection of poses. All are good, dynamic fighting poses. What's also nice about some of them are the rain capes (Plash-Palatkas). Not very common in sets from prior manufacturers. My only criticism about the set is that some of them show some flashing and/or mold misalignment down the middle line of the figure.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMembVVn6kU/X8HJ0xwK0lI/AAAAAAAAFzY/4eTkPNSH-ewW2vpKq1xIoctJAX9Ln-7pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BSoviet%2BAssault%2BTroops.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Soviet Assault Engineers" border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="2048" height="207" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMembVVn6kU/X8HJ0xwK0lI/AAAAAAAAFzY/4eTkPNSH-ewW2vpKq1xIoctJAX9Ln-7pQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h207/Mars%2BSoviet%2BAssault%2BTroops.JPEG" title="Mars Soviet Assault Engineers" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars Soviet Assault Engineers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Mars sets keep getting better! Lots to like about these guys. All of them useful combat poses, nice sculpting, good detail, great variety of weapons, including a flamethrower, a light and heavy MG, a captured panzerfaust, and of course, the fact that a different Soviet service branch is being represented. It is also good that not all poses are standing or charging. While I do like fighting poses, I think there's also a need for poses that are operating behind cover, which is easier to achieve if you have a lower body profile. What makes the Soviet Assault Troops special is that they wear these steel plates as body armor. I am not sure how effective they were against different bullet calibers, and different ranges, but some photographs do show Soviet men with dents on their body armor, which suggests that they did work sometimes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPhtaY6OAWE/X8HJ1qfgzuI/AAAAAAAAFzg/7UOwf4GYHTIWPCYymvywVkKxK0ovYk6LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BVolkssturm.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Volkssturm" border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPhtaY6OAWE/X8HJ1qfgzuI/AAAAAAAAFzg/7UOwf4GYHTIWPCYymvywVkKxK0ovYk6LQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h208/Mars%2BVolkssturm.JPEG" title="Mars German Volkssturm" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Volkssturm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is another unique set recently released by Mars. Not seen before in 1/32 as far as I know. They will be useful for any late war battle scenes for which you need a few civilians as reinforcements to defend the German Fatherland. The mix of poses is good. I also like how they are generous in the issuance of panzerfausts, as was the case at that stage of the war. The set contains a couple of smaller figures representing a teenage boy and girl, likely from the Hitler Youth. The only thing I did not like was the number of poses that I got in my set. Three of the poses were present 3 times, and 3 only once. Unfortunately, the poses that were over represented were the ones that look less like civilians, and more like regular army men. But still, happy to have this set. Will definitely come in handy in one of my upcoming projects!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWyOc9LEyfM/YLUyM4k1S9I/AAAAAAAAF_Q/0jR7uFL3m4oJdLmg1k8jXuCxZAm8XnwJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BNight%2BHunters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Night Hunters" border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWyOc9LEyfM/YLUyM4k1S9I/AAAAAAAAF_Q/0jR7uFL3m4oJdLmg1k8jXuCxZAm8XnwJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h188/Mars%2BGerman%2BNight%2BHunters.jpg" title="Mars German Night Hunters" width="320" /></a></div>Mars German Night Hunters</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a very unique set. First of its kind as far as I am aware of. Before Mars made it, I wasn't even aware that the German military had fielded such 'Nachtjäger' units. What makes them special is that they were equipped with infrared lights that enabled them to 'see' the enemy in the dark. A huge advantage at the time. The equipment was a bit bulky due to the batteries that it required and had to be carried as a backpack. Not all the figures are equipped this way, which allows you to mix some of these guys with other regular 'daylight fighting' units. My only criticism about this set is that some figures have their arms tucked in so closely to their bodies that it distorts their size. I understand that the sculptor is trying to account for the challenges involved in manufacturing, by trying to eliminate the empty space between the arms and the body so that the figures can be released from the mold, but in some cases it really impacts the pose, like the guy in the middle of the picture. Even so, another nice and special set from Mars. Keep them coming!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgi7FpCG0hE/YLO9LGzzhZI/AAAAAAAAF_I/ECDwB9IA5CcixusSIPfCqUvLzpca_XNEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="2048" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hgi7FpCG0hE/YLO9LGzzhZI/AAAAAAAAF_I/ECDwB9IA5CcixusSIPfCqUvLzpca_XNEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h181/Mars%2BGerman%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another good set from Mars. This one is aimed at depicting the German Paratroops that might have fought in theaters like the battle of Monte Cassino. On the box they show them painted in cammo smocks and beige pants. As you can see the poses are all useful in combat scenarios, and with the customary 8 poses from Mars, that also makes the set more interesting. For instance, we also get a prone figure, which is often missing in smaller sets. The variety in the uniforms and equipment is also good. Some of them have their smocks buttoned up, and some lose. Some have helmets with webbing, some without, and there's even one guy with a field cap. Good mix of weapons as well, including the multi-potato masher being thrown by the guy on the left. My only negative criticism about this set is the size of the hands in some of the figures. Some of them still seem a bit undersized in my opinion. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DaoqWAJ0POg/YRAzyjt_7FI/AAAAAAAAGCA/2Oh5smuuw3Y2HutF6Rc4Q7w9rxaEm6legCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BUS%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Paratroops" border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DaoqWAJ0POg/YRAzyjt_7FI/AAAAAAAAGCA/2Oh5smuuw3Y2HutF6Rc4Q7w9rxaEm6legCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h188/Mars%2BUS%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars US Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mars US Paratroops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">D-Day is a pivotal event in WWII, and the saga of D-Day would be incomplete without the US Paras. Mars has more than checked that box with this set. Great action poses, which can be used both for offensive and defensive situations (holding the Eindhoven bridge?). And very nicely sculpted for the most part. I add that caveat only because of the guy in the middle of the picture who is running with his sub machine gun and his right arm is unnaturally tucked into his chest, but that's easy to overlook, when the rest of the set is so well done. The bazooka team is also a nice touch for a Para set. Something that should be noted about this set is that it fits really well next to the Airfix and ESCI Paratroops. Conte Paras are a bit larger, but if you are not too picky about scale, they can blend with them as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ok0HULKj8/YRAwMQl7ZcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/sfzfi11UwBs_698czVfykPtEPuuRzBaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Winter Paratroops" border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="2048" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0ok0HULKj8/YRAwMQl7ZcI/AAAAAAAAGB4/sfzfi11UwBs_698czVfykPtEPuuRzBaZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h191/Mars%2BGerman%2BWinter%2BParatroops.jpg" title="Mars German Winter Paratroops" width="320" /></a></div>Mars German Winter Paratroops<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> And yet another nice set from Mars. This set gets extra points for depicting the German Paras in winter gear, which is something that had not been done to date. Six of them are wearing padded/quilted suits, another one is wearing a white cammo suit, and the last one is still wearing the regular para smock with some other layers underneath. In addition to the unique outfits, the sculpting in this set is probably the best I've seen from Mars. The detail and dynamism in the poses is excellent. And the choice of poses is great as well. All of them useful in combat situations with a nice range of diverse weapons. The radio man is also a nice touch. My only criticism of this set is that all of them are standing poses. A couple crouching or prone poses would have been useful. But hey, maybe that means that eventually we get another set of winter paras with such poses, right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5W5XCgsGJeQ/YaEweGLBquI/AAAAAAAAGCo/tEWmqf9YCmgN27ZzlS6Uo9AcEOa_jNoMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzer%2BCrew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Panzer Crew" border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5W5XCgsGJeQ/YaEweGLBquI/AAAAAAAAGCo/tEWmqf9YCmgN27ZzlS6Uo9AcEOa_jNoMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h209/Mars%2BGerman%2BPanzer%2BCrew.jpg" title="Mars German Panzer Crew" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Panzer Crew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an original set. Typically when you see tank crew men, they are mounted in their vehicles, but when you think about it, they must have had to abandon their tanks quite often due to battle damage or mechanical failure, and when doing so, it seems reasonable to expect that they had to engage in small arms combat. The set provides a nice variety of action poses depicting the urgency of the situation. What's also good about this set is that if you are into painting your figures, this uniform with a short, double-breasted jacket can be painted in a variety of color schemes, including cammo pattern and various tones of grey, as it was worn not only by panzer crews -in black-, but also self-propelled gun crews, and panzer grenadiers. What's not so great about this set is that one figure in particular -standing in the middle of the picture- has a serious manufacturing issue, with a lot of extra plastic down the middle of his face. This is not just my set, as it has been reported by other collectors. I may try to shave it off a bit or simply replace the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSgeVPCKjm-sv42k0AeI43N8FdaB-j6FN9rWfZuE9CJ13nGSO4lVN1cIqiFJeBWafTG_dCFHzDiOvk6TemJC38KMMQF5SNZGRojHDAxvzuPKVPwe5P3OrKFgeCJUDmfFFOfT8AJUstPBVjChCWbCvjDiU5uPiONUdGZGwMXaqP5sxJIqd5qqXu8EGY9g=s1948" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Rangers" border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1948" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSgeVPCKjm-sv42k0AeI43N8FdaB-j6FN9rWfZuE9CJ13nGSO4lVN1cIqiFJeBWafTG_dCFHzDiOvk6TemJC38KMMQF5SNZGRojHDAxvzuPKVPwe5P3OrKFgeCJUDmfFFOfT8AJUstPBVjChCWbCvjDiU5uPiONUdGZGwMXaqP5sxJIqd5qqXu8EGY9g=w320-h217" title="Mars US Rangers" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars US Rangers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another unique and interesting set by Mars. What sets these guys apart and the reason why you can tell them apart from regular US Infantry is that they are wearing the Ranger assault vest. Aside from that, a few of them are carrying weapons that would have come in handy at Omaha Beach on D-Day, like the Bangalore torpedo, or the mine detector. The guy firing the BAR upwards, could also be firing up the Pointe du Hoc cliffs. The other poses are useful combat poses. So good ratings on the subject matter. What continues to bother me about the Mars figures is the sculpting of the arms. They are always closely tucked into the bodies. I know it is done for ease of release from the molds, but it makes them look unnatural, and sometimes it affects the body proportions. In this set, the sculpting of the sniper's legs also makes it look a bit odd, as the the front leg is bent right against its own thigh. Anyhow, happy about the set in general, but a bit disappointed about some of its details. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcIdwbbreW6gpou1xPud_H7ShjLkTEMJYethXvHQ0BqzPxn_9le6uyS_lU0NH7ctS06y8OnJoL-Kthc2lUu7z8kA6qrrTwteHj0zwiCHhfbqxp9WFLXJyYYb5OW7dXqOqCkJ6bvfPWTxrmD50ITEZIiHAsI3DLVi1bsmnMTeqFmOqnKC2mMRCpFMPw/s1629/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Artillery%20Crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1629" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEcIdwbbreW6gpou1xPud_H7ShjLkTEMJYethXvHQ0BqzPxn_9le6uyS_lU0NH7ctS06y8OnJoL-Kthc2lUu7z8kA6qrrTwteHj0zwiCHhfbqxp9WFLXJyYYb5OW7dXqOqCkJ6bvfPWTxrmD50ITEZIiHAsI3DLVi1bsmnMTeqFmOqnKC2mMRCpFMPw/w320-h221/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Artillery%20Crew.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a nice and original addition to the existing German Para units produced by other manufacturers which so far have lacked any heavy weapons support. The set includes two guns, each with its respective crew. They are meant to be painted in the tropical uniform. I actually purchased two sets, and plan to paint one crew in the early war (Crete) colors and the other one in the cammo scheme. The recoilless gun is interesting. The wheels are meant to be off the ground when it's deployed, but the plastic is a bit hard to straighten so that it looks even. I may actually use these crews with 21C Pak 40s. As far as the figures go, the poses are all good, but I do feel that the sculpting detail could be sharper. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eybwWAKSwXWDHHbAjOfDDo0jDNGYC5DMAHxLqWEYaPbjlp8OPDKBFngWQvLqDjpeK97w7sLOJ1Kr6Wdiu0xoaE43AmuXQeWrYeT-cRk49bxCQ-kpuTMO6gCitv6COPPSI2LyO0amKkjJMB_UGg3Zs6ZfYNyla2BISUoEj_tAsEqM5Qe_Dimtg_yQAA/s1716/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Mortar%20Crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1716" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eybwWAKSwXWDHHbAjOfDDo0jDNGYC5DMAHxLqWEYaPbjlp8OPDKBFngWQvLqDjpeK97w7sLOJ1Kr6Wdiu0xoaE43AmuXQeWrYeT-cRk49bxCQ-kpuTMO6gCitv6COPPSI2LyO0amKkjJMB_UGg3Zs6ZfYNyla2BISUoEj_tAsEqM5Qe_Dimtg_yQAA/w320-h222/Mars%20German%20Paras%20Mortar%20Crew.jpg" title="Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's another useful addition to the German Para units. Again, the set comes with two mortars and two crews. When it comes to toy soldiers, I don't feel that you need a 5-man crew for a mortar. I know that in real life you might require such man power to carry the ammo plus the different pieces when it is disassembled, but I would have preferred to get maybe 3 mortars each with a 3-man crew or simply some other additional supporting poses with other unique weapons. In terms of the detail, these guys seem crisper than the gun crew. One interesting pose that took me a bit of time to figure out its purpose is the man at the front of the mortar holding the bipod. Looks like he is trying stabilize it. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwH1pEBkOAvZ7X3QtUR9H3AbSqQ3xWb9hu-VPGRRIao1s-KWRgJdQdx3zn6Crt61IQMjZBY21vpQ1IuhM2eLix3H7zxrzZiA5vQvaOyJFWysmccM5Y4uFQQ-JBHA9TLwZ3RBaB5Cckj0OgwRAqhT2vzbPBqoomOfJmqfX_bi4ISdh-qr-94j_xGgiFA/s2481/Mars%20US%20GIs%20Winter%20Coats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Infantry Winter Uniform" border="0" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="2481" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwH1pEBkOAvZ7X3QtUR9H3AbSqQ3xWb9hu-VPGRRIao1s-KWRgJdQdx3zn6Crt61IQMjZBY21vpQ1IuhM2eLix3H7zxrzZiA5vQvaOyJFWysmccM5Y4uFQQ-JBHA9TLwZ3RBaB5Cckj0OgwRAqhT2vzbPBqoomOfJmqfX_bi4ISdh-qr-94j_xGgiFA/w320-h187/Mars%20US%20GIs%20Winter%20Coats.jpg" title="Mars US Infantry Winter Uniform" width="320" /></a></div>Mars US Infantry Winter Uniform<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another good set from Mars, addressing a topic that is not covered very often. You get a decent set of weapons represented, including a rifle grenade, a sitting sniper, a radio man, plus some of the other more usual infantry poses, including a left-handed man firing from the standing position. There are however two things that I really don't like about this set. The first one is the posing of the grenade thrower. There is something strange about his stance. Maybe he needs to bend the knees a bit more, or maybe the fact that the head is aligned with the standing leg, just makes it look unnatural. The other thing that's not right is the manufacturing of the fourth man from the left. The two halves of his face are horribly misaligned. This is not the first time this happens with Mars figures. I really wish they paid more attention to such details. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u_oc6vn5yXE6cIJNz6z2dCB3qtvnU9RG74YWcWC-pyOgqtuTD8MXLmp6a8UFBl7abiakF-lp_5fXu3xTYyk1kKBpSkysUnRHhR191FBAKAZdZRG3xq2BcltqhqaJaAmSG25TsbcjvVw-KUOhNOhaNxLWQC1yzw6cy51YltVlvw5IYDq0a5L2ls3m5w/s1900/Mars%20British%20Commonwealth%20Troops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars British Commonwealth or Canadian Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1900" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u_oc6vn5yXE6cIJNz6z2dCB3qtvnU9RG74YWcWC-pyOgqtuTD8MXLmp6a8UFBl7abiakF-lp_5fXu3xTYyk1kKBpSkysUnRHhR191FBAKAZdZRG3xq2BcltqhqaJaAmSG25TsbcjvVw-KUOhNOhaNxLWQC1yzw6cy51YltVlvw5IYDq0a5L2ls3m5w/w320-h194/Mars%20British%20Commonwealth%20Troops.jpg" title="Mars British Commonwealth or Canadian Troops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars British Commonwealth Troops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This release from Mars portrays British Commonwealth Troops, which I guess means that you could use them as any number of nationalities. I know many collectors would like to use them as Canadian. What's nice about them is that a couple of them are wearing a leather vest, which I gather is called a jerkin. Another nice touch is that among their poses they have a prone piat firing team. As far as I recall, only 21C had made a prone piat firing paratrooper, but it did not have a loader. The set is pretty good overall, with almost all figures in good action, fighting poses. My only disappointment is the figure on the left, which I find very poorly sculpted. Like several other Mars figures, his arms are tucked next to his body as if he were trying to hold something with his arm pits. He actually looks worse when you look at him directly from the front. I really wish by now Mars had figured out how to properly sculpt arms in more natural positions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad8Zv_ovFvac9T-hSrSsraSXOziYs5fusD5uGjyfFEVhCvhxJm7ebsXDyADmp2vlsyCJwaXxpkv33u_iOMVBXi9Rw_U6Re0NoGcEzX7N5tn0wBa21WcHhof_aUul0VJI5tSZJmMVNNdhVIWJtr8x6wbDRUsEID4GPqJgFsGtz8c-1cjoCJ_Z3dUKN3w/s2982/Mars%20US%20MG%20Teams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US MG teams" border="0" data-original-height="1683" data-original-width="2982" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad8Zv_ovFvac9T-hSrSsraSXOziYs5fusD5uGjyfFEVhCvhxJm7ebsXDyADmp2vlsyCJwaXxpkv33u_iOMVBXi9Rw_U6Re0NoGcEzX7N5tn0wBa21WcHhof_aUul0VJI5tSZJmMVNNdhVIWJtr8x6wbDRUsEID4GPqJgFsGtz8c-1cjoCJ_Z3dUKN3w/w320-h181/Mars%20US%20MG%20Teams.jpg" title="Mars US MG teams" width="320" /></a></div>Mars US MG Teams<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This set consists of two machine gun teams in firing position, and a few other supporting figures. As far as I can tell, the two prone guys are operating a Browning 30 cal. MG. The two other guys are firing a water-cooled version of the same MG. The running and standing men are carrying additional MGs, tripods, and ammo. The set comes with 12 figures in total. The other 4 men are repeats of the running/standing men. In general, an OK set. I would not say it is a must have, as there are already other MG teams around from other manufacturers. And the sculpting has the same style of tucked arms as other previous Mars sets. But if you care about having a complete collection, it is still worth getting one set of these guys. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD_ZoxeXzopxrTYRwIfHe6WNihlZ6g9Z47iwaY9eK4-dYXRPbbK7TDGu4rduHaPzB4R7hasnzSJt856wO8hCutcz-s6qFfZXmkAdrQNMqnDuDQmb2UJRA1xpUbPjSwQtiKM-Hx9JyFbT-YcIy-pdLDSa3sXH2HbGd5fNtfJhffFtHNyJKKSmbHByGLw/s2561/Mars%20German%20Tank%20Hunters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="2561" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSD_ZoxeXzopxrTYRwIfHe6WNihlZ6g9Z47iwaY9eK4-dYXRPbbK7TDGu4rduHaPzB4R7hasnzSJt856wO8hCutcz-s6qFfZXmkAdrQNMqnDuDQmb2UJRA1xpUbPjSwQtiKM-Hx9JyFbT-YcIy-pdLDSa3sXH2HbGd5fNtfJhffFtHNyJKKSmbHByGLw/s320/Mars%20German%20Tank%20Hunters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars German Tank Hunters</div>This is a highly specialized set focused on infantry anti-tank tactics. It comes with a nice variety of weapons, including land mines, panzerschrecks (with and without shield), a panzerpfaust, a panzerknacker (hollow charge), and even an improvised bundle of potato mashers. The one weapon that is missing is the anti-tank rifle (panzerb<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">ü</span>chse), probably because it fell out of favor by mid-war as armor thickness increased. But still it might have been a good thing to have one instead of three panzerschrecks. I actually don't know if these guys would have been deployed as an independent unit or if they are simply a set meant to represent the range of options used for this purpose. I think I will sprinkle them across my other German infantry units rather than have them all as one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPURrqK3iunu3VvkiceLESSfKh1P6E4WpYFSnWjuiCcgl87N66afkvsdTtPRIzpeXPMVkMJsyHwdl3Pz0z9o64AFuTasPAwtkW7a6ZawVnN17TMOXqtGudOSdwNrLknaDSZCyZylv-GbfyzPNFTQ5n9lL90Kw94f0p4pPpTV79REt4zFmMqHa8OQNg/s2706/Mars%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Soviet Border Guards" border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2706" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LPURrqK3iunu3VvkiceLESSfKh1P6E4WpYFSnWjuiCcgl87N66afkvsdTtPRIzpeXPMVkMJsyHwdl3Pz0z9o64AFuTasPAwtkW7a6ZawVnN17TMOXqtGudOSdwNrLknaDSZCyZylv-GbfyzPNFTQ5n9lL90Kw94f0p4pPpTV79REt4zFmMqHa8OQNg/w320-h162/Mars%20Soviet%20Border%20Guards.jpg" title="Mars Soviet Border Guards" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars Soviet Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Normally you don't think of the Soviet border guards as the most exciting topic, but this set makes it look quite intense, and other than the guy who is observing the action with his dog, all the other guys are engaged in the fighting. But I know the dog is a key element of the Soviet guards, so it had to be fit in somehow with its handler. My favorite poses are probably the guy who is running and the officer. The officer was a bit tricky to get to stand straight, but nothing that the good old hot/cold water treatment couldn't fix. The other figure that is interesting is the crawling guy wearing the cammo suit. That guy is going to play double duty with my unit of Soviet scouts. This set certainly exceeded my expectations! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHno-j3EN9TbJWSXH-5rZFEQs-UN7vjJ9ETOFaZxHSe8U4v-dow3STygQXCAR85Msx0WdTqEfgUlG3kw2z0j4mrAarVZd95vVRzFQypBC7n26LbXquL1vLRTpEmfhTUmJthRnBDV-slwgwETDZO2lEHzEJ6qFHEfxyHtnijQU1uZkFSJlLny6PHFHi7g/s3205/Mars%20US%20Marines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars US Marines" border="0" data-original-height="1562" data-original-width="3205" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHno-j3EN9TbJWSXH-5rZFEQs-UN7vjJ9ETOFaZxHSe8U4v-dow3STygQXCAR85Msx0WdTqEfgUlG3kw2z0j4mrAarVZd95vVRzFQypBC7n26LbXquL1vLRTpEmfhTUmJthRnBDV-slwgwETDZO2lEHzEJ6qFHEfxyHtnijQU1uZkFSJlLny6PHFHi7g/w320-h156/Mars%20US%20Marines.jpg" title="Mars US Marines" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mars US Marines</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's nice to see Mars cover this service branch. Not that it had been neglected by previous manufacturers, but for the sake of Mars collectors having a more complete range, it is good to see this set hit the market. Overall it is a good set, with nice action poses, and a good variety of weapons, including a flamethrower and two heavy machine guns. The larger one is a Browning M1917, and the smaller one is a Browning M1919. Unfortunately, this set suffers more noticeably from what I've been referring to as the tucked arm issue. I know that it has to do with the challenges imposed by two-part molds, but it still makes this set have several figures with right arms that are in very unnatural positions. Other than that, the sculpting is pretty good, so if you look at the figures from the right angle, you can avoid seeing the tucked arms. But all in all a good set. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/01%20-%20Troops%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20-%20Troops%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/03%20-%20Troops%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/06%20-%20Troops%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/07%20-%20Troops%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/10%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/11-%20Vehicles%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/13%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/14%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-recent-and-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Recent and New Makers</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-52075602572479881322023-07-09T18:53:00.001-04:002023-07-09T18:57:01.865-04:00Introducing the Soviet Tank Crews<p style="text-align: justify;">The Soviet Union started expanding and modernizing its tank forces during the late 1930s in preparation for the potential conflicts ahead. As the war began and intensified in 1941, the demand for tank crews increased significantly. Tank crews were often formed through a combination of new recruits -factory workers, peasants, students- and individuals with prior military and combat experience who were reassigned or transferred to tank units. Soviet tank crews are also commonly referred to as tankists or tankmen. Soviet Armored units were organized into Companies, Battalions, Brigades, Divisions, Corps, and Armies. Sometimes they also operated as detached Regiments. Units which distinguished themselves in battle could earn the distinction of being designated a 'Guards' unit, as was the case of the 1st Guards Tank Army. Several hundred thousand men passed through the ranks of these units over the course of the war. The Soviet armored units played a critical role in the defeat of the German armies on the eastern front, applying similar tactics of fast and deep encircling attacks as the Germans had used against them. The encirclement of the German 6th army at Stalingrad was a good example of what was to come for the remainder of the war and it marked the high-water mark of the German advance. The Soviet armored units also distinguished themselves during the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, which was the largest tank battle in the history of warfare and the last major offensive of the German Army on the eastern front. During this engagement, which lasted about 7 weeks, the Soviet forces lost about 7500 tanks and assault guns and the Germans lost about a third of that. Even though the German losses were numerically smaller, they were much harder to replace and the German Army never regained the initiative. For the rest of the war, the Soviets pushed back the German Army and their armored units were an integral part of their offensive capabilities, all the way to the Battle of Berlin. Soviet tankists wore a distinctive uniform which included a padded helmet made of leather or canvas. The helmet often had ear flaps and a neck curtain for added warmth and protection. They typically wore one-piece coveralls made of thick, flame-resistant fabric and a padded jacket made of quilted fabric or leather for additional insulation and protection. Their specialized leather gloves had reinforced palms and fingers for durability and not only protected their hands but also provided a better grip on the tank controls. Their sturdy leather boots which often featured steel toe caps provided ankle support and protection, and their thick soles provided good traction. Tank crews were also issued gas masks and protective goggles to safeguard against chemical attacks and debris. In terms of plastic toy soldiers, there have been a couple of manufacturers exploring this topic. Among them Engineer Bassevich and Hanomak. Let's take a look at their sets.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGZtTgqwujf2yGB7SWsbx0N2_Qgko8mAg3ONyWTGLSM9pQkmTuCHjWqiVCFA7OIEFd02CUMAZApTpD9q2wQct7rxE7L4Cg0vnVIAGeoEaLWFv8AkReSmZpEgEVuPY-Kgcn7PGj3o-gyZAFcvgNv3wee-4VaDjcQ0UuWKgdOQh_hvXjQQSpIhc2qh29Q/s2865/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen" border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2865" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGZtTgqwujf2yGB7SWsbx0N2_Qgko8mAg3ONyWTGLSM9pQkmTuCHjWqiVCFA7OIEFd02CUMAZApTpD9q2wQct7rxE7L4Cg0vnVIAGeoEaLWFv8AkReSmZpEgEVuPY-Kgcn7PGj3o-gyZAFcvgNv3wee-4VaDjcQ0UuWKgdOQh_hvXjQQSpIhc2qh29Q/w320-h173/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the counterpart to the German dismounted tank crew. Similarly to that set, these guys are engaged in intense close quarters fighting, except for the guy who is holding his binoculars while his comrades struggle for survival. The poses are fairly decent, depicting the intensity of the moment. The only guy that I don't quite like is the man firing the subMG. His body is too stiff. You would expect him to be crouching slightly, even if only to brace himself from the recoil of his weapon. The detail on these guys is also fairly smooth -few creases on their uniforms, hardly any wrinkles on their faces-, due to the digital sculpting. These guys will join forces with some other dismounted tank men from Engineer Bassevich. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/s1162/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/w220-h320/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" title="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is a picture of how the Soviet tankist is supposed to be combined with its German counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that both men are tankmen, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGs-qCiBHshWwWkyvUpSEQAwUfE38YnHLsDlb_xao8W5WRBmrqMGDUJkK21Pe8ZDV3pgYJJoUTVFFtLNkaWmnJmuFAkkmZ1CSXwOdRT9tYCJPJoxmky_v9DJWqHn17rGk3OISENFveOEkJNQrEcjhDgEUin119FFbuZ5JJ2DkocBXNI09f3lDIJ7zCxuK/s922/Engineer%20Bassevish%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGs-qCiBHshWwWkyvUpSEQAwUfE38YnHLsDlb_xao8W5WRBmrqMGDUJkK21Pe8ZDV3pgYJJoUTVFFtLNkaWmnJmuFAkkmZ1CSXwOdRT9tYCJPJoxmky_v9DJWqHn17rGk3OISENFveOEkJNQrEcjhDgEUin119FFbuZ5JJ2DkocBXNI09f3lDIJ7zCxuK/s320/Engineer%20Bassevish%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Engineer Bassevich Soviet Tank Crewmen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These two guys came as part of a set which was mostly infantry figures. Their poses are not the most versatile. They'll mainly have to be used for non-combat situations, but then again, they complement the other action poses from Hanomak which are at the other end of the spectrum. The level of detail on these guys is nice and they will look pretty good when painted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStUrGZoKlJvxyNxvZ5PgbrCaAMFtPlnPelQ10Zb_8pNbO90uq0PRS5Ha9ZYaDY1dP6-ljVsOzFo4BV1Md9ON4lVQcO9pJ3VAN0uDMF2SciEEB3t2zOsHBNhehZjb0uoJZWhOF4uYfCv-mMK5TwEKJoQZqNENn-h3IE35t1ZJDYzFtZNIafzG7z_OmygqX/s1516/Engineer%20Bassevich%20Tank%20Crews%20Fighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStUrGZoKlJvxyNxvZ5PgbrCaAMFtPlnPelQ10Zb_8pNbO90uq0PRS5Ha9ZYaDY1dP6-ljVsOzFo4BV1Md9ON4lVQcO9pJ3VAN0uDMF2SciEEB3t2zOsHBNhehZjb0uoJZWhOF4uYfCv-mMK5TwEKJoQZqNENn-h3IE35t1ZJDYzFtZNIafzG7z_OmygqX/s320/Engineer%20Bassevich%20Tank%20Crews%20Fighting.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Engineer Bassevich Soviet Tank Crewmen - Battle of Berlin</div><div>These two guys came with the Battle of Berlin set which had a range of figures from different service branches in fighting poses. I like these two guys quite a bit more and they will be a good addition to the guys from Hanomak. The only tricky thing is that the sculpting of Engineer Bassevich is a bit chunkier compared to Hanomak's slim style. But I actually like the detail on these figures a good deal better. Of all the Soviet tank crew figures, these two are my favorite ones.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/soviet-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out more Soviet Troops</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Click here to see the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/soviet-company-in-action.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Soviet Infantry in action</span></a></div></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-65858789500039705212023-06-25T13:20:00.001-04:002024-02-25T20:53:37.337-05:00Hanomak - Toy Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: German and Soviet Tank Crews, Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic, Finnish Lapland Army, Soviet Partisan horse rider and German Cossack horse rider</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><p>Hanomak is a recent entrant into the 1/32 Plastic Toy Soldier space. They are based out of Russia and they seem to be mostly focused on WWII figures. I only became aware of them last year, 2021, but they seem to be moving quickly in the production and release of their sets with at least 6 or so released so far and a few more in the works. Aside from WWII, they have also released a set of Celts/Ancient warriors. Their presence online is sparse. I mainly keep up with their releases through an Instagram account and third party posts on Facebook groups. This also makes it a bit hard to purchase their figures. You might be able to find them on eBay, or you need a direct connection with a dealer in Russia. The material of their figures is soft rubber, which means that weapons bend very easily. I suspect that will present a bit of a challenge when painting them and making sure the paint stays on, but nothing that can't be solved with a coat of Plastidip. A few of their sets also require gluing of hands/weapons/equipment, which is not as simple with their soft rubber as it is with harder plastic, but it is doable. In terms of their choices of sets, so far they favor less common aspects of the Eastern Front. For example, mountain troops or NKVD troops. Hanomak also seems to have made some type of deal/partnership with Vympel, another relatively new manufacturer, and they have purchased/released their set of Das Reich German soldiers under the Hanomak brand. This made it a bit confusing for a while as it was not clear what brand to search for if you were looking for those figures. I recently received several of their new sets so let's take a look at them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kodwmjmEUMc/YaEz_MsVkBI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/Ag956Xz_wf8-oQOy4WTjbVcixyyCR5scgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1697/Hanomak%2BSoviet%2BMountain%2BTroops%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1697" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kodwmjmEUMc/YaEz_MsVkBI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/Ag956Xz_wf8-oQOy4WTjbVcixyyCR5scgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h219/Hanomak%2BSoviet%2BMountain%2BTroops%2B1.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This set represents the Soviet Troops that were deployed to take back Mount Elbrus, during the 1942/43 German offensive into the Caucasus. The sculpting and level of detail does deliver what you would expect from a set addressing this subject. Starting with the poses, I really like that they are not just climbing, but they are actually engaged in battle. The bases and the equipment that they carry takes care of conveying the setting, from the obvious ropes and tools, to the more subtle crampon shoes, woolen socks, googles, etc, you can tell where these guys are fighting. I also like the rugged appearance of the men. Whether those beards are to keep warm, or reflect the complexities of maintaining the dress code at high altitude, they fit these guys very well.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wxp3c5M-QJI/YaEz_AP5BMI/AAAAAAAAGEU/kuMPZuGROlQ6FdHl09PADwthBq0Re2ZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1569/Hanomak%2BSoviet%2BMountain%2BTroops%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1569" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wxp3c5M-QJI/YaEz_AP5BMI/AAAAAAAAGEU/kuMPZuGROlQ6FdHl09PADwthBq0Re2ZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h236/Hanomak%2BSoviet%2BMountain%2BTroops%2B2.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Across the six figures you can also see a nice range of weapons in use. We have a few PPSh-41 sub-machineguns, a sniper rifle, and a very welcome Degtyaryov machine gun on a bipod firing across a valley. Then there's also the grenade pack suggesting more intense close quarter combat, as they struggled to occupy and retain the high ground. My only concern at this point is the fact that I will only have six poses to man the defenses. Overall, a nice set, representing a unique subject, executed pretty well. Worth adding to the collection.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3GWuQ4OZtu-qYkkv7s_I1SnkxE4HJZKbyyDf1A3AUEh8fKCB11ozPqY1OngKHe4YLUTjAj_TzfSjIsTbhlvWGSfR3P08gNTe9aCEY93dJfnvtvH8LN7YH2X9fO7HYI1EEgzGZu5rgPCkAzaLNRvT3Bv-mm5t_E4Oiyp16CHFjaSfeIyaeCad9z69cUQ=s2093" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Mountain Troops" border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="2093" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3GWuQ4OZtu-qYkkv7s_I1SnkxE4HJZKbyyDf1A3AUEh8fKCB11ozPqY1OngKHe4YLUTjAj_TzfSjIsTbhlvWGSfR3P08gNTe9aCEY93dJfnvtvH8LN7YH2X9fO7HYI1EEgzGZu5rgPCkAzaLNRvT3Bv-mm5t_E4Oiyp16CHFjaSfeIyaeCad9z69cUQ=w320-h159" title="Hanomak German Mountain Troops" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Mountain Troops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And these are the worthy opponents to the Soviet Mountain Troops. They are also a nicely detailed set, with plenty of mountaineering equipment on them. Crampons, ropes, pikes, googles, backpacks, as well as a good variety of fighting weapons. In terms of poses, I prefer the five on the left a they are actually doing something and can be used in a battle context. I particularly like the kneeling machine gunner. The man fending off an attack with his pike is also interesting, although I wonder why he is not using his sub machine gun. Maybe out of ammo, in which case he might be better off letting go off it and pulling out his knife? Another interesting pose is the man throwing the grenade. I like how he has two bags hanging around his neck full of grenades. And then there's the guy on the right. He gets a 10 for the level of detail, but I wish he had been posed doing something more than just standing around. I think he is supposed to he smoking a pipe. I chose not to glue it. It would just make him appear more relaxed than he already is. BTW, as I just implied, this set also requires the gluing of several weapons/accessories. Nothing too complicated, except for the fact that the rubbery material bends a bit too easily. Anyhow, all in all a pretty nice set which will complement the Airfix figures well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBmcaqWfb_WQjo2VrKvZzj4uZWq3vkuJU1xckdFELnmu_T-1LBGb8axAvrmnsWYdFAilriJ_aUDUQJopvEtXXxQKKWCRg7K8KK_zpFfClaWv65GpacAD4SkJsH_bo_YElevNJYWOYDSfcWqeKEZvugjM9FA3XC-L9p_9ecviodZen6iSckvQ_pzUGBKw=s2035" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest" border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="2035" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBmcaqWfb_WQjo2VrKvZzj4uZWq3vkuJU1xckdFELnmu_T-1LBGb8axAvrmnsWYdFAilriJ_aUDUQJopvEtXXxQKKWCRg7K8KK_zpFfClaWv65GpacAD4SkJsH_bo_YElevNJYWOYDSfcWqeKEZvugjM9FA3XC-L9p_9ecviodZen6iSckvQ_pzUGBKw=w320-h224" title="Hanomak Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A good set to add to your ranks of Soviet infantry. By itself, it does not really give you enough of a fighting unit, but they are good 'character' figures to enhance your Red Army. The most interesting figures here are the female medic helping the wounded soldier, while firing a pistol, and the wounded man holding (or throwing?) a grenade. They are made to fit nicely with each other. The downside is that they don't really make much sense without each other. The bugler firing his pistol is also interesting and unique. The officer and the man firing his sub machine gun on the go are both nicely sculpted and useful battle poses. The wounded man standing around is the only pose that I think could have been used for a better purpose, particularly because we already had a wounded man in the set. But I suppose the idea was to convey the desperate situation faced by the defenders of the Brest Fortress. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZbCxY5aTS1ayJn8JW_mZFgct_ns3Y091avAGfOHZFUHisIR7gZ9LFZUH4IySouHsOX7OIal_-Mo1sqytFS0U1STuBapT7D6zE8oAIp9aPjBLxDG01k9FezrovhdFtEmmNy9uIxzeG5GuPR30Ff-VoXUf4gtSvCJL0VjW_baw77vZ0aDYxLgwFWtIrA=s3424" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division" border="0" data-original-height="1938" data-original-width="3424" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBZbCxY5aTS1ayJn8JW_mZFgct_ns3Y091avAGfOHZFUHisIR7gZ9LFZUH4IySouHsOX7OIal_-Mo1sqytFS0U1STuBapT7D6zE8oAIp9aPjBLxDG01k9FezrovhdFtEmmNy9uIxzeG5GuPR30Ff-VoXUf4gtSvCJL0VjW_baw77vZ0aDYxLgwFWtIrA=w320-h181" title="Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an interesting set for a couple of reasons. Originally, when the pre-release pictures came out, they were published by company called Vympel, but later it seems that Hanomak purchased the rights and began distributing it. This caused a bit of confusion. Also, the original pictures had 6 figures in it, however one of them was of a slightly larger scale, so Hanomak decided to not release it as part of this set. Probably a good decision. These five poses are true 1/32 scale, meaning, smaller than the 'Big 1/32' scale that Hanomak uses for their other figures. In terms of the figures themselves, they are all nicely sculpted, and good action poses. My only criticism is that they also require you to glue some of the hands/weapons to the figures. The molds have pins and holes in them to help with this but the rubbery material makes them useless because the pins bend when you try to put them into the holes. So the only solution is to slice off the pins and glue them as best as you can line up the arms with the hands. The other criticism is that the hands that come wit the weapons are smaller than the hands that come attached to the arms. Not very noticeable, but not great either. What I really like is the cammo foliage on the helmet of the second guy from the left, in addition to his overall stance. A great pose. And the machine gunner is also very nicely done. A unique variation on the pose. The sandbags are a separate piece so you can place your machine gunner behind a wall or any other protection you want. Lastly, the fact that most of them are wearing cammo smocks -even the commander- means that when these guys are painted they will look even more interesting. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpj_gZ_kIa3_JqBqdLwGJUJ9J8vgtc4YN_iGl0rVc8ssP3eviGRl5J9soqEyrFRjTwIPmq6x3eec1eIUAv2OmUoa6vnbxKi0k3fy2brakDSRkQsnVUotm1Xr3Vicv7IGVkJRm78Fxm8fTkXKwADiX1whkdYuPSmIvoPyVgfeJ07dzkfrtETryNL0kvNw=s1953" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards" border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1953" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpj_gZ_kIa3_JqBqdLwGJUJ9J8vgtc4YN_iGl0rVc8ssP3eviGRl5J9soqEyrFRjTwIPmq6x3eec1eIUAv2OmUoa6vnbxKi0k3fy2brakDSRkQsnVUotm1Xr3Vicv7IGVkJRm78Fxm8fTkXKwADiX1whkdYuPSmIvoPyVgfeJ07dzkfrtETryNL0kvNw=w320-h184" title="Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At first glance these figures could be thought of as regular Soviet Infantry. Upon further inspection, I there are a few clues that confirm the name of the set. The first one is that they are all wearing a cap with a visor. I don't know if this is because all member of the NKVD force were officers, but it seems that when I see pictures of them, they are all wearing such cap. Then you have the guy with the dog, and also the machine gunner. If you watched enemy at the gates, those machine gunners are hard to forget. And then there are also the two guys standing around, likely detaining or interrogating someone. Two of the poses do seem to represent the political officers who were attached to front line units, to influence and monitor them ideologically. These officers would also fight alongside them and one can only imagine that either to demonstrate the strength of their political convictions or due to them, they would have led by example and tried to inspire their men, as the man with the flag is doing. In terms of the sculpting, no complaints. Nicely detailed, well proportioned, good poses. Similar rubbery material as the other sets, but in this case you only have to glue the shield to the machine gun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkRwOrHjvXlyTSAbGO5hvac02nCoEiTtc_kvEqeS3v2wUiKiOGjgx2spdLlqdagnHAEYOjLFovujbiW7SlRr8XmFaCc1xOL1LqQx4cUN7HRoPs3cI9pOJI0KYe8nDD5S3O1ttH6jRUICNSSX66wnDkRZo9mKl4cKn_xKwUDYNdro-iRmBfHKqrUdMk2g=s3443" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet SMERSH - Liquidation Set" border="0" data-original-height="1896" data-original-width="3443" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkRwOrHjvXlyTSAbGO5hvac02nCoEiTtc_kvEqeS3v2wUiKiOGjgx2spdLlqdagnHAEYOjLFovujbiW7SlRr8XmFaCc1xOL1LqQx4cUN7HRoPs3cI9pOJI0KYe8nDD5S3O1ttH6jRUICNSSX66wnDkRZo9mKl4cKn_xKwUDYNdro-iRmBfHKqrUdMk2g=w320-h176" title="Hanomak Soviet SMERSH - Liquidation Set" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet SMERSH - Liquidation Set</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another niche topic SMERSH was the military intelligence unit of the Soviet Army. In this set they are supposed to be hunting German sympathizers in liberated territories. Given that the three sympathizers are shown in more active fighting poses, I think it would have made sense to have the SMERSH guys display a little more intensity. The officer firing two pistols is OK, but the other two seem too relaxed. I am actually planning to fold the three civilian figures into my unit of partisans, and maybe use the SMERSH guys to enhance the ranks of my Soviet Infantry. I would not have enough of them to create a meaningful unit of SMERSH men. The three civilians are much more interesting. These guys may actually be former Soviet soldiers who aligned themselves with the Germans (notice the uniform under the coat, or the padded jacket and hat, and the German sub machine gun), or they could also be Germans who ended up behind enemy lines (notice the boots and the field cap). All nicely detailed and sculpted. And nothing to glue with this set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnRCzOPuYXCsb4Q8a07mFszNVbBvyUUm03aGlRiQfO8jOsxqGJ1oltJA7AJ3t4PO0fYjpDwyCSsQfczo_EMWOR2CTydbZvZVTcQDgIPbnMgSEqgh7hGVOyO7JALd8_VkcWfel214Jyj63-NkUL3WSpTv2UHUrYqCPVysiPjBHEtLB8FZXwJpVL6FPlJA=s1618" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Infantry Officer" border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1618" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnRCzOPuYXCsb4Q8a07mFszNVbBvyUUm03aGlRiQfO8jOsxqGJ1oltJA7AJ3t4PO0fYjpDwyCSsQfczo_EMWOR2CTydbZvZVTcQDgIPbnMgSEqgh7hGVOyO7JALd8_VkcWfel214Jyj63-NkUL3WSpTv2UHUrYqCPVysiPjBHEtLB8FZXwJpVL6FPlJA=w320-h211" title="Hanomak German Infantry Officer" width="320" /></a></div>Hanomak German Infantry Officer<br /> Hanomak has produced a few extra figures that you can purchase separately. This is a German officer who is surrendering. H is nicely detailed, wearing gloves, spectacles, and his briefcase is lying at his feet. Note that he is also wearing a Y-harness, typically worn by the infantry men to attach and carry their kit/gear. So maybe this guy was a frontline officer, but he looks a bit too polished to me. More like a staff officer who would hang out at the rear, where he would not need to carry around a kit. What do you think? There are three other individual poses that I did not buy. All of them are German casualty figures (one of them a Mountain Troop), lying flat on the ground, too neatly for how you would expect a body to fall, so I took a pass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cBYJ9nMquLRQX_G0JUmX6Z61y-4qctu3EGZPGRM3yU_3K6oY6Xn1bD2CXYJghPrwwTmYsFeS6yFd9PViZcMZzer3SpKlrOH2ySzY_TIBv8HMRh_qiQTBK4SQ6l2GPzLFiLjK0NvUUiPGSRrCfEb2Z-QXttLDkpC8c7hYkJUhxXszfLBvFGGpyxS9cQ/s1809/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Partisans" border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1809" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cBYJ9nMquLRQX_G0JUmX6Z61y-4qctu3EGZPGRM3yU_3K6oY6Xn1bD2CXYJghPrwwTmYsFeS6yFd9PViZcMZzer3SpKlrOH2ySzY_TIBv8HMRh_qiQTBK4SQ6l2GPzLFiLjK0NvUUiPGSRrCfEb2Z-QXttLDkpC8c7hYkJUhxXszfLBvFGGpyxS9cQ/w320-h164/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisans.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Partisans" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Partisans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This depicts the wide range of folks who took arms against the German invaders behind enemy lines. You can see fighting age men in Soviet army attire who are likely men who got encircled and left behind the German advance. There are older men fighting with farming gear, there are women who may have been civilians or maybe also Soviet army regulars, and there's even a teenager who is cursing and ready to throw a rock. And there's also the guy operating the radio which allowed them to coordinate their operations with the main Soviet forces. A good set from Hanomak which will complement well the other partisan sets that came before. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BzkIWhc5U7yweEAs7WKJNyoK6X1uG5kL6PRiSvk2QwyQtnHhNQjIx5W6wmkHYnYOz9BIkBbFzoklDgRMRT8XAkAHtOVkLNx2-fhnByqa19lgHu78LKXuLDxJIRVzD1gwvADRpY1MOHYTmlcbW5z2emn15JHHDEkXX3-7DedacZErqwXHwb-aEg-AzA/s828/IMG-8967.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vympel Germans In Search of Shambhala" border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="828" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BzkIWhc5U7yweEAs7WKJNyoK6X1uG5kL6PRiSvk2QwyQtnHhNQjIx5W6wmkHYnYOz9BIkBbFzoklDgRMRT8XAkAHtOVkLNx2-fhnByqa19lgHu78LKXuLDxJIRVzD1gwvADRpY1MOHYTmlcbW5z2emn15JHHDEkXX3-7DedacZErqwXHwb-aEg-AzA/w320-h223/IMG-8967.jpg" title="Vympel Germans In Search of Shambhala" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Vympel Germans In Search of Shambhala</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I believe this set represents the German expedition led by Ernst Schaefer in 1938-39 to Tibet. The Nazi regime was interested in all things mystical and Shambhala, located in Tibet, is at the center of such mystical prophecies. I mainly care about this set because it has a few figures which can be used to enhance my unit of German mountain troops, particularly the two German men in the front row. The one figure that I don't have much use for is the one who appears to be a Tibetan holy man. It is nonetheless nicely detailed and interesting. BTW, I am not sure if this set is now owned by Hanomak, as was the case with the "Das Reich" set, or if Vympel remains a standalone firm, so for now I am listing them in this post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7Ly2AncOLgBaISQrul3t5WfYYdO1wx2l6de6aIgO9z3V_ueao39oaky_fjgJW6scNG3TdyG5ZKfmIWIkhsFnpUR2XIhjw5CBeZxbCF3LGkLgzXkhdTz4nuF-OBo93WoIMj5wJOHefSSeDbj0ZPAkx-JiLgzb5JGtNLXapxz1tKDo5Yz16oV3UhQWTA/s3495/IMG-8954.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Nordland Division" border="0" data-original-height="2537" data-original-width="3495" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7Ly2AncOLgBaISQrul3t5WfYYdO1wx2l6de6aIgO9z3V_ueao39oaky_fjgJW6scNG3TdyG5ZKfmIWIkhsFnpUR2XIhjw5CBeZxbCF3LGkLgzXkhdTz4nuF-OBo93WoIMj5wJOHefSSeDbj0ZPAkx-JiLgzb5JGtNLXapxz1tKDo5Yz16oV3UhQWTA/w320-h232/IMG-8954.jpg" title="Hanomak German Nordland Division" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Nordland Division</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an interesting set representing the SS division made of volunteers from Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Some of its figures could be used as Mountain Troops, or in general as Winter Troops. The Nordland Division fought primarily on the northern flank of the eastern front, so their outfits are appropriate for that climate. The two figures that I don't care much for are the female which appears to be a camp guard, and the cameraman. The former seems unrelated to a combat panzergrenadier division. The latter might have been there documenting the fighting, but in a set of just six figures I would rather have another fighting pose. I might probably use him if I ever setup a scene of Mountain Troops climbing Mt Elbrus. As far as the sculpting of the figures, the level of detail is nice, but they feel a little stiff for me in the sense that they all are standing very straight.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSK4doHKurGKjrYJGOTuqqo9c14oN3kmMoDWEjLEWfxpw0Zee3XLy3pMEiD4vqdI1xZHAFjwx5x3bvZJ5X4Hp6zp80HMPENjZ_iAGJ_cpE9sFjnxnD-w47hlTqBRVtedj0CK6Tasn5KRFss7yQvuAv2YZx-kws6s5y1Y0PpLsgPCJ4pWQqp-7k296kw/s2962/IMG-8964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Penal Battalion" border="0" data-original-height="1709" data-original-width="2962" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSK4doHKurGKjrYJGOTuqqo9c14oN3kmMoDWEjLEWfxpw0Zee3XLy3pMEiD4vqdI1xZHAFjwx5x3bvZJ5X4Hp6zp80HMPENjZ_iAGJ_cpE9sFjnxnD-w47hlTqBRVtedj0CK6Tasn5KRFss7yQvuAv2YZx-kws6s5y1Y0PpLsgPCJ4pWQqp-7k296kw/w320-h185/IMG-8964.jpg" title="Hanomak German Penal Battalion" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Penal Battalion</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak's interpretation of a penal battalion seems to be one in which troops would be heavily engaged in hand-to-hand combat. As you can see, several of these guys are fighting with knives and one of them is even wielding a wrench. I do find it odd though that one of them would be carrying his knapsack at that time. My favorite man in this set is the machine gunner, although we'll need to find the right wall/foxhole/sandbag position to place him so that he can rest the MG. The other two figures are not my favorite ones. The officer's pose and his attitude do not match that of the other figures. You'd expect that if the men are engaged in heavy fighting, the officer would be directing the action and most likely also participating in the fighting. And then there's the casualty figure. I've never been a big fan of those guys. I'd much rather get another action pose. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsAp9w4Lf2HmODkV82ZIE1MedD4UJ71J21uqw64rWE6BQOZpEA__T7YmZ_QTODcrgG3jMxJuyb5frlWomt6rzLQXEeXO9esQUkqfCRD8D77T8eZ14XzYdsIjJqw6sV_i1qflLhuzeLc7hIreJnGP5zf3Tv6inmIpUBaitW8DbBVhZ5-hUY_k9BGlQrA/s3326/IMG-8965.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Penal Battalion" border="0" data-original-height="1671" data-original-width="3326" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsAp9w4Lf2HmODkV82ZIE1MedD4UJ71J21uqw64rWE6BQOZpEA__T7YmZ_QTODcrgG3jMxJuyb5frlWomt6rzLQXEeXO9esQUkqfCRD8D77T8eZ14XzYdsIjJqw6sV_i1qflLhuzeLc7hIreJnGP5zf3Tv6inmIpUBaitW8DbBVhZ5-hUY_k9BGlQrA/w320-h161/IMG-8965.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Penal Battalion" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Penal Battalion</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Soviet penal battalion set is similar in nature, in the sense that several of them are also engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, but I think I like this set better than the German one as all the poses are consistent with the level of action and useful in both a defensive and offensive scenario. I also like the sculpting and level of detail. For example, notice the bandaged hand on the man on the far right, which BTW is carrying a grenade cluster that comes off, so be careful not losing it. Note also the expression on the man firing with the captured German sub MG. You can even see his teeth individually! Another interesting bit about this set is that it comes with a traffic sign. Not a bad addition, but I would not have minded a seventh pose instead. Anyhow, all in all, a good set, which can be used really well for close quarters fighting against the German penal battalion set. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_SjDT0gR4kQfjdtChxYhLH0IpKmWaVak9lS9-kiEWV0g0-ntUtH41KhS72P693JRjzCS--Ee9otpJbWJ70YJQpfI89y64TRfemg0gKbUa18ucd1Uki7kiF80R7Brw8zV4U41rV0g_MGkBhDW-arJUu68ztDukvhMiFpBmUXt2OQo0zawxvv76HY5DQ/s1800/Hanomak%20German%20Cossak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Cossack" border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="1800" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_SjDT0gR4kQfjdtChxYhLH0IpKmWaVak9lS9-kiEWV0g0-ntUtH41KhS72P693JRjzCS--Ee9otpJbWJ70YJQpfI89y64TRfemg0gKbUa18ucd1Uki7kiF80R7Brw8zV4U41rV0g_MGkBhDW-arJUu68ztDukvhMiFpBmUXt2OQo0zawxvv76HY5DQ/w320-h242/Hanomak%20German%20Cossak.jpg" title="Hanomak German Cossack" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Cossack</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a figure that may not be too exciting for some collectors given that it is not much of an action pose. The appeal for me came from the fact that it is a <i>mounted </i>Cossack. The only other German Cossacks that I am aware of are the ones released by Mars a year or two back, but all of them are on foot. So this guy is great at representing their origins riding horses in the steppes of eastern Europe, and it will also make a good commander. In terms of the sculpting the figure is reasonably well done. It has some nice touches like the luger, the hat with the German insignia, and the pelt cover under the saddle, even if the detail is not the sharpest. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-SVCDPZmuO93PetHscNzv3cACnyHJnaZuL1AKtjLKF6Kxn8IRxSfgtBAeewfq9p1IIaEAn-i8z6XFLVWx0SjIdtAbJFO6bFP4DuMvUwwwwi3WCumKptdGW2izHJddkQQtwAYUF81-MW8psDmYuSiBN8aHbOE7PA0gJKr4ocaA2_2tn5txJMrswHlgw/s1906/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Partisan" border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1906" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-SVCDPZmuO93PetHscNzv3cACnyHJnaZuL1AKtjLKF6Kxn8IRxSfgtBAeewfq9p1IIaEAn-i8z6XFLVWx0SjIdtAbJFO6bFP4DuMvUwwwwi3WCumKptdGW2izHJddkQQtwAYUF81-MW8psDmYuSiBN8aHbOE7PA0gJKr4ocaA2_2tn5txJMrswHlgw/w320-h253/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Partisan.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Partisan" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Partisan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had similar feelings about this figure as I did regarding the German Cossack. This guy is showing a bit more action firing or at least aiming his subMG, however the horse is way too relaxed. But if you want to give your partisans some variety so that not all of them are on foot, this is a decent figure to add to your collection. I wonder however how often partisans relied on horses as they seem like they would be much easier to track down. In terms of the sculpting, the figure is fairly average with a few interesting details like the bags on the horse or the rider's googles and mustache.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWuaabq4KCzisHXtI10WCj3ADkkN9ygwkSmE38ZgnFjrx3ODBMi_B-3ni-hSgUHFKI_Y4tPtABzCBJFffNVeQ0B47RvdcTm-YXfxgEIsPO_JCHHm9x4fsgcOxD4gIP9cdHEoF0RUgI0YPTWn645KCtWH_QWjufXiDlO4TP61J-M-CN3EhrfLsXxqndw/s2640/Hanomak%20German%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German Tank Crewmen" border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="2640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWuaabq4KCzisHXtI10WCj3ADkkN9ygwkSmE38ZgnFjrx3ODBMi_B-3ni-hSgUHFKI_Y4tPtABzCBJFffNVeQ0B47RvdcTm-YXfxgEIsPO_JCHHm9x4fsgcOxD4gIP9cdHEoF0RUgI0YPTWn645KCtWH_QWjufXiDlO4TP61J-M-CN3EhrfLsXxqndw/w320-h181/Hanomak%20German%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" title="Hanomak German Tank Crewmen" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Tank Crewmen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This set represents dismounted tank crews in intense close quarters combat. Well, except for the officer who seems to be taking in the action. I am not sure why they depicted him like that. This set will be a good complement to a similar set from Mars, although I am not sure that I need that much volume of dismounted tank crews. What is interesting about this set is that it was produced using digital sculpting. That's why the lines are so smooth. You notice this specially on the clothes. I have to say that I prefer the hand-sculpted figures better, but I expect that this technique will continue to improve. In fact, the 3D printing is already quite impressive. As far as the figures, they are well posed and I do like that their bodies reflect the urgency of the situation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/s1162/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9EPiBWPyQYdDsG2aQ_xpbzQ0ZKAnfd3TrPF9DdF6x-74hAITGs3INOb-6oXUM4jP0I5KOg3YulKRRR4yYZtaN9saFGOMoAS7LIm4mL13Jrtw2zjCL4L6WoPccLileLWr7Xt0ixihAWHpUvbsjwxkGhiAdRnBPWgPDSlqtOwxHFH85fVXZ6qabl-Dog/w220-h320/Hanomak%20German%20and%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crew%20Members%20Fighting.jpg" title="Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a picture of how the German guy is supposed to be combined with its Soviet counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that the Soviet guy is also a tank guy, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGZtTgqwujf2yGB7SWsbx0N2_Qgko8mAg3ONyWTGLSM9pQkmTuCHjWqiVCFA7OIEFd02CUMAZApTpD9q2wQct7rxE7L4Cg0vnVIAGeoEaLWFv8AkReSmZpEgEVuPY-Kgcn7PGj3o-gyZAFcvgNv3wee-4VaDjcQ0UuWKgdOQh_hvXjQQSpIhc2qh29Q/s2865/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen" border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2865" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGZtTgqwujf2yGB7SWsbx0N2_Qgko8mAg3ONyWTGLSM9pQkmTuCHjWqiVCFA7OIEFd02CUMAZApTpD9q2wQct7rxE7L4Cg0vnVIAGeoEaLWFv8AkReSmZpEgEVuPY-Kgcn7PGj3o-gyZAFcvgNv3wee-4VaDjcQ0UuWKgdOQh_hvXjQQSpIhc2qh29Q/w320-h173/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Tank%20Crews.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the counterpart to the German dismounted tank crew. Similarly to that set, these guys are engaged in intense close quarters fighting, except for the guy who is holding his binoculars while his comrades struggle for survival. The poses are fairly decent, depicting the intensity of the moment. The only guy that I don't quite like is the man firing the subMG. His body is too stiff. You would expect him to be crouching slightly, even if only to brace himself from the recoil of his weapon. The detail on these guys is also fairly smooth -few creases on their uniforms, hardly any wrinkles on their faces-, due to the digital sculpting. These guys will join forces with some other dismounted tank men from Engineer Bassevich. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9m7xl8LEUxQy5r-PaCBdTLPZROpqTr6FbN83h3QUUd0u7NfAn5d96XgKEFMTkkoiF2cIpke0e-YOnAmqS7XmOZTYpT0GS0ie4vVZfKsGvi1_Ddg9WGKG33AOUg1ykO8FQqrEaDC1lgxDB1T46ZpNw8ZvBYAmmuZB73mkGyfg0G1fmZxHHrQki3qLkg/s2592/Hanomak%20Lapland%20Finnish%20Army.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army" border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2592" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9m7xl8LEUxQy5r-PaCBdTLPZROpqTr6FbN83h3QUUd0u7NfAn5d96XgKEFMTkkoiF2cIpke0e-YOnAmqS7XmOZTYpT0GS0ie4vVZfKsGvi1_Ddg9WGKG33AOUg1ykO8FQqrEaDC1lgxDB1T46ZpNw8ZvBYAmmuZB73mkGyfg0G1fmZxHHrQki3qLkg/w320-h189/Hanomak%20Lapland%20Finnish%20Army.jpg" title="Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a very interesting and unique set from Hanomak. It represents the Finnish troops who fought the Germans after Finland stopped fighting the Soviets. The set is organized around a small anti-tank gun. The gun comes in multiple pieces and requires some assembly. I had to glue my together so that it would stay in place. The figures are all well posed and relevant to the situation. What is perhaps most interesting about them is the variety of uniforms. The man kneeling with the ammo is wearing a double-breasted jacket, the man firing the pistol seems to be wearing some kind of smock over his uniform, while the other three are wearing the more traditional Finnish uniform for enlisted men and officers. The set comes with an extra box of what appears to be armor-piercing ammo, as well as a few lose shells to place in the box and the guy's back.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9FBiIT94HOPp6eujLENRhmjyoZdYBnHxYsAY_8AHqg2sOcBPBcLIL52qJqSdiB1U5TbHbgvOWCm3auMxKk2g-73zcHP3JC2RlJavmGV0kH5w8BUrSctRxRM3AHHqrAy0ns8Rl2gF6XqQG2zBPE_Me_kdyPtzFMN8NaxtzjAm6jCU70n5wygTF1Z1YA/s3165/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Arctic%20Troops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic" border="0" data-original-height="1475" data-original-width="3165" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9FBiIT94HOPp6eujLENRhmjyoZdYBnHxYsAY_8AHqg2sOcBPBcLIL52qJqSdiB1U5TbHbgvOWCm3auMxKk2g-73zcHP3JC2RlJavmGV0kH5w8BUrSctRxRM3AHHqrAy0ns8Rl2gF6XqQG2zBPE_Me_kdyPtzFMN8NaxtzjAm6jCU70n5wygTF1Z1YA/w320-h149/Hanomak%20Soviet%20Arctic%20Troops.jpg" title="Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak Soviet Arctic Troops</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even though this set is supposed to represent troops fighting in or around the Arctic Circle, there are only two guys who seem to be dressed adequately for the occasion -the officer and the man sitting on the ground seem to be pretty snug, but the other guys would be freezing. Or perhaps they are fighting in the summer months and we now have figures to defend the Arctic year-round? Jokes aside I actually bought this set to get my hands on the four naval infantry figures. I also don't have much use for the officer who is just standing around. But the three guys on the left, are in very nice action/fighting poses and will be a good addition to the unit. The guy who is aiming his handgun upwards is nice in terms of the sculpting and detail, but will also have limited uses on the battlefield. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCSO00_MN5KGuzbrw1QdA0PXoLOhgZofcHVb1ul0Uz4WhWodQSnnihtK2Umra0h9REnhP1f8pW4MzWLTsrrKigNowp2moTjLOW4UB3mH9vspA7XxDuWZM2KkEGCrObHByc0yyuHrMDPQJKkb6QFjcG2rRXWJVVvtyXYUe5PxG4qpzmqaMAA0HYG6MeBry/s2174/Hanomak%20Allgemeine%20SS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2174" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCSO00_MN5KGuzbrw1QdA0PXoLOhgZofcHVb1ul0Uz4WhWodQSnnihtK2Umra0h9REnhP1f8pW4MzWLTsrrKigNowp2moTjLOW4UB3mH9vspA7XxDuWZM2KkEGCrObHByc0yyuHrMDPQJKkb6QFjcG2rRXWJVVvtyXYUe5PxG4qpzmqaMAA0HYG6MeBry/s320/Hanomak%20Allgemeine%20SS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/01%20-%20Troops%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20-%20Troops%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/03%20-%20Troops%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/06%20-%20Troops%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/07%20-%20Troops%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/10%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/11-%20Vehicles%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/13%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/14%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-recent-and-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Recent and New Makers</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p><br /></p>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-88291165602991812072023-05-02T22:40:00.000-04:002023-05-03T19:27:14.273-04:00Introducing the Japanese Infantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest edit: Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">______________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The Japanese Imperial Army was one of the toughest in WWII. Not only did they often fight to the last man, but they also showed little mercy towards their adversaries. They also endured terrible conditions in the field, often stranded on isolated islands without food or medicine. It is said that two thirds of their deaths were the result of starvation and disease. Their sense of honor led them to fight with extreme determination and to obey what were often suicide orders, rather than allow themselves to be captured. In terms of availability of figures, this is a country that has received a good amount of attention, as you can see from the pictures below. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOarpmX5QXM/Toe3-7xKScI/AAAAAAAAAZo/IJeSWy-WtvI/s1600/21C+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="21st Century Toys Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="161" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOarpmX5QXM/Toe3-7xKScI/AAAAAAAAAZo/IJeSWy-WtvI/w320-h161/21C+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="21st Century Toys Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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21st Century Toys Japanese Infantry</div>
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This was one of the last figure sets produced by 21st Century Toys. They came already factory-painted. The sculpting, the poses and the painting are all among their best. The only thing that seems a bit odd to me is that several of them seem to be looking up rather than forwards. But overall, this is a very nice set, ready to be deployed into action. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2WnZAFGP0p0/Toe4CkpHfeI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ogGLhGIaqj4/s1600/Airfix+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="211" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2WnZAFGP0p0/Toe4CkpHfeI/AAAAAAAAAZs/ogGLhGIaqj4/w320-h211/Airfix+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Airfix Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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A typical Airfix set. Well proportioned and well posed figures. The paint job came off a bit lighter than I would have liked. I will probably touch them up when I paint the other sets with a darker and slightly greener color. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLxBHlAXar8/Toe4DoBgzyI/AAAAAAAAAZw/FnjzTOhBGvE/s1600/Airfix+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Airfix Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="245" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLxBHlAXar8/Toe4DoBgzyI/AAAAAAAAAZw/FnjzTOhBGvE/w320-h245/Airfix+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Airfix Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Airfix Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The only complaint I have about the Airfix figures is about the kneeling guy. Without a base it is very easy for him to get knocked over. On the other hand I like the prone guy with the MG. The flaps behind his cap give him a nice touch for the tropical settings where he is supposed to be placed.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AySST-McAqg/Toe4FcXIhVI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/GF12hD12Vb8/s1600/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="210" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AySST-McAqg/Toe4FcXIhVI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/GF12hD12Vb8/w320-h210/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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As is often the case, Atlantic offers a mixed set of figures. Some of them, like the guy on the left, are in a bit of an awkward pose. The guy feeding the ammunition to the MG is also a bit stiff. Some of the other figures are better thought out and at least they are well proportioned. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGkbhJeNY3g/Toe4GH6DT-I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/ZQtSOargJJk/s1600/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="217" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rGkbhJeNY3g/Toe4GH6DT-I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/ZQtSOargJJk/w320-h217/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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Some of these guys are good to deploy them as part of a raiding party or a Banzai charge. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prNIqmm1QWo/Toe4HOjKg1I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/jgBK--8WI6o/s1600/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="238" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-prNIqmm1QWo/Toe4HOjKg1I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/jgBK--8WI6o/w320-h238/Atlantic+Japanese+Infantry+3.jpg" title="Atlantic Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Atlantic Japanese Infantry - Part 3</div>
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The guy with the branches is an interesting idea, but I think the execution fell short of its potential. If the guy is wearing camouflage, then he probably does not want to be seen. So why is he standing upright?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8KcwZZavU4/Toe4IK30i_I/AAAAAAAAAaA/wJ1NQPT8Cpw/s1600/BMC+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMC Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="222" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8KcwZZavU4/Toe4IK30i_I/AAAAAAAAAaA/wJ1NQPT8Cpw/w320-h222/BMC+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="BMC Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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BMC is a producer of relatively inexpensive figures, however I was very pleasantly surprised with their Iwo Jima figures, both the Japanese and the Marines. They are very well made. Superior to their price point.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3NkWiQK7sko/Toe4KcVEJZI/AAAAAAAAAaE/If76p899-h8/s1600/BMC+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMC Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="209" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3NkWiQK7sko/Toe4KcVEJZI/AAAAAAAAAaE/If76p899-h8/w320-h209/BMC+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="BMC Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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BMC Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The figures are a bit on the larger side for 54 mm, but still a very good set. Can't wait to see how they look once they are painted.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GDL0kSDHOU0/Toe4Lrz6klI/AAAAAAAAAaI/Z4zzV7b6xtI/s1600/Br+DSG+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="First Gear Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GDL0kSDHOU0/Toe4Lrz6klI/AAAAAAAAAaI/Z4zzV7b6xtI/w320-h150/Br+DSG+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="First Gear Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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First Gear Japanese Infantry</div>
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Recent recasts of the old Britains Deetail figures. They come with round bases and brown uniforms. I actually like the new color scheme better than the original.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0JEhQuuGWOI/Toe4NNxuOBI/AAAAAAAAAaM/3D_8hgjpgrM/s1600/Britains+Deetail+Japanese+Infantry+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="148" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0JEhQuuGWOI/Toe4NNxuOBI/AAAAAAAAAaM/3D_8hgjpgrM/w320-h148/Britains+Deetail+Japanese+Infantry+1.jpg" title="Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry</div>
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The original figures. I have a hard time deciding which ones I like better. These or the First Gear recasts. The uniform colors are too light and green compared to the real ones, however their age holds some special appeal.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7z6AgVPiHzM/Toe4PNlvcWI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/xt3dKqIe1no/s1600/Britains+Deetail+Japanese+Infantry+Mortar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry - Recoilless Rifle" border="0" height="268" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7z6AgVPiHzM/Toe4PNlvcWI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/xt3dKqIe1no/w320-h268/Britains+Deetail+Japanese+Infantry+Mortar.jpg" title="Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry - Recoilless Rifle" width="320" /></a></div>
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Britains Deetail Japanese Infantry - Recoilless Rifle</div>
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Part of their special Combat Weapons series. Not sure if the Japanese Army actually had this weapon in the field, but nonetheless it makes a good addition to the army and provides some welcome firepower if you are wargaming with these figures.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gkWdf90Hxj8/Toe4QnfriGI/AAAAAAAAAaU/IPncDFtKbWU/s1600/CTS+Japanese+Infantry+Cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CTS Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="187" kca="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gkWdf90Hxj8/Toe4QnfriGI/AAAAAAAAAaU/IPncDFtKbWU/w320-h187/CTS+Japanese+Infantry+Cropped.jpg" title="CTS Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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CTS Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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Classic Toy Soldiers came out with 6 poses of Japanese Infantry. They are slightly on the larger side for 54mm. My favorite poses are the two guys working the machine gun. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5eGjgV4P_NA/Toe4T16LedI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eqGGRorAyUI/s1600/CTS+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CTS Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="226" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5eGjgV4P_NA/Toe4T16LedI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eqGGRorAyUI/w320-h226/CTS+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="CTS Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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CTS Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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These other three guys, have very long rifles which are hard to keep straight and they are standing too straight for my taste. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sgML4EhXjMw/Toe4VYIlipI/AAAAAAAAAac/X3axBg8n5Es/s1600/Hing+Fat+-+ESCI+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="192" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sgML4EhXjMw/Toe4VYIlipI/AAAAAAAAAac/X3axBg8n5Es/w320-h192/Hing+Fat+-+ESCI+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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These guys came with the 'Big Bucket of Fun' from Hing Fat. It took a bit of research to figure out that they were clones of the original ESCI figures. They are supposed to be 54mm tall, but they are more like 50mm. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4vueO-b-ug/Toe4WxJKrEI/AAAAAAAAAag/i9Tn5qA9AIE/s1600/Hing+Fat+-+ESCI+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="207" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4vueO-b-ug/Toe4WxJKrEI/AAAAAAAAAag/i9Tn5qA9AIE/w320-h207/Hing+Fat+-+ESCI+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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Some of these poses are not my favorites, like the guy standing in the middle. He would really look out of place in a battlefield. ESCI produced 15 figures, at least that's what I counted on their 1/72 set, but Hing Fat only cloned 9 of them. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDZBw2spyrs/Toe4Ygw_9eI/AAAAAAAAAak/iUyIN_5iecQ/s1600/Hing+Fat+-+Airfix+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="199" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDZBw2spyrs/Toe4Ygw_9eI/AAAAAAAAAak/iUyIN_5iecQ/w320-h199/Hing+Fat+-+Airfix+Recasts+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Hing Fat (ESCI Clones) Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hing Fat (Airfix Clones) Japanese Infantry - Part 3</div>
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To complete the set of 15, Hing Fat cloned the 6 Airfix figures which actually resemble very much the 6 poses that they left out from ESCI, but look better than the ESCI equivalents. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14Jn0Plbm9Y/Toe4aS1TOLI/AAAAAAAAAao/SmNoFbb8cSM/s1600/Marx+Glencoe+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="202" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14Jn0Plbm9Y/Toe4aS1TOLI/AAAAAAAAAao/SmNoFbb8cSM/w320-h202/Marx+Glencoe+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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Now, here are some of the most dynamic poses in the WWII plastic figure world. A bit on the slim side, but fully action-packed. Definitely Banzai material!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bCBW70_Ou6k/Toe4cotZ9eI/AAAAAAAAAas/HobZWGp4uj0/s1600/Marx+Glencoe+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="203" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bCBW70_Ou6k/Toe4cotZ9eI/AAAAAAAAAas/HobZWGp4uj0/w320-h203/Marx+Glencoe+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Glencoe (Marx Recasts) Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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Other than the prisoner guy, who would be a very rare case, these are also a very dynamic bunch. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQuvFkGloZo/Toe4ersbqQI/AAAAAAAAAaw/R-TtNeZntdQ/s1600/Marx+SWTS+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Recasts of Marx 6"" figures Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="194" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQuvFkGloZo/Toe4ersbqQI/AAAAAAAAAaw/R-TtNeZntdQ/w320-h194/Marx+SWTS+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="Recasts of Marx 6"" figures Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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SWTS (Recasts of Marx 6"" figures) Japanese Infantry</div>
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These are supposed to be reproductions of the 6" Marx figures in 54mm. I bought them advertised as SWTS (Steve Weston Toy Soldiers) but I have never been able to verify if that is the real vendor who made them. In any case, you can see that they have a very close resemblance to the Glencoe/Marx figures, which makes sense given their common origin. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjHBiWrSkBw/Toe4gNWkQJI/AAAAAAAAAa0/vH3Q8UB7C0o/s1600/MPC+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MPC Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="213" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjHBiWrSkBw/Toe4gNWkQJI/AAAAAAAAAa0/vH3Q8UB7C0o/w320-h213/MPC+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="MPC Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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MPC Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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MPC figures tend to be tall and slim, and their poses a bit stiff, however I have a soft spot for old figures like these, and I trust that once they are painted, their appearance will improve.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjtyuivFdsw/Toe4hmKcpEI/AAAAAAAAAa4/ZUinnEIDYTU/s1600/MPC+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MPC Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="215" kca="true" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjtyuivFdsw/Toe4hmKcpEI/AAAAAAAAAa4/ZUinnEIDYTU/w320-h215/MPC+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="MPC Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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MPC Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The guy without a base tends to fall over, and the rifle strap belonging to the second guy from the left is often broken when you find these figures. The same goes for the tripod on the machine gun. So if you find these guys without broken weapons grab them!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i9L9areuhVs/Toe4i32bmHI/AAAAAAAAAa8/fos0NXBG_dA/s1600/TSSD+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="201" kca="true" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i9L9areuhVs/Toe4i32bmHI/AAAAAAAAAa8/fos0NXBG_dA/w320-h201/TSSD+Japanese+Infantry.jpg" title="TSSD Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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Toy Soldiers of San Diego came out with these figures relatively recently -a couple of years ago- and they did a very nice job with the sculpting and the poses. They actually have 8 poses only, but the guy with the flag can also hold a rifle instead - see below. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdmkzyzLpcg/Toe4kA-y2XI/AAAAAAAAAbA/T7TGhOy1I-s/s1600/TSSD+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="TSSD Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="204" kca="true" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CdmkzyzLpcg/Toe4kA-y2XI/AAAAAAAAAbA/T7TGhOy1I-s/w320-h204/TSSD+Japanese+Infantry+2.jpg" title="TSSD Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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TSSD Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The rest of the pack. As you can see, they also project a good dose of action and energy. The fixed bayonets very much in line with their tendency to engage in close quarters combat.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOr5pe3936k/T0EQk-CRpkI/AAAAAAAABBo/TtyUOCNqCAk/s1600/Oliver+Japanese+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="174" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOr5pe3936k/T0EQk-CRpkI/AAAAAAAABBo/TtyUOCNqCAk/w320-h174/Oliver+Japanese+2.jpg" title="Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry - Part 1</div>
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I had never heard about these figures until one day that I was browsing through eBay. They offer 11 good poses to complement your Imperial Army. Certainly they are a bit larger, but they should still fit in. I also saw them listed in a brown color. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dj4V6UHiDCs/T0EQjz1DOaI/AAAAAAAABBg/8LrkJFn0uUE/s1600/Oliver+Japanese+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="157" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dj4V6UHiDCs/T0EQjz1DOaI/AAAAAAAABBg/8LrkJFn0uUE/w320-h157/Oliver+Japanese+1.jpg" title="Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry" width="320" yda="true" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOr5pe3936k/T0EQk-CRpkI/AAAAAAAABBo/TtyUOCNqCAk/s1600/Oliver+Japanese+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Oliver 60mm Japanese Infantry - Part 2</div>
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The only thing I did not like about them is that they seem to be unofficial recasts (i.e. clones). If you pay attention to the base of some of the figures you will see how the base of the original figure is contained within a larger base which indicates that a second mold was made using an original cast. If the molds are lost, I suppose that is a good solution. What I didn't quite like was that the eBay listing did not point that out, and on close inspection, the figures have other imperfections typical of clones. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf1GTGPc6Oo/U-ayLnLl5xI/AAAAAAAAEo0/6YZrJFLoaJ0/s1600/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="157" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf1GTGPc6Oo/U-ayLnLl5xI/AAAAAAAAEo0/6YZrJFLoaJ0/w320-h157/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+1.jpg" title="DGN Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN Japanese Infantry - Part I</div>
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This set seems to be a fairly unique set in the sense that only a few of the figures seem to be influenced by prior sets -Airfix in this case. A few of the other poses have a very vague resemblance to the ESCI guys, but it is questionable. The rest of the poses seem to be originals. The man on the right for instance is a sniper which will be a good addition to my Japanese army since I do not have any so far. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E390viWDZxs/U-ayMKVMWEI/AAAAAAAAEo8/5An47eaPrko/s1600/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E390viWDZxs/U-ayMKVMWEI/AAAAAAAAEo8/5An47eaPrko/w320-h177/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+2.jpg" title="DGN Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN Japanese Infantry - Part II</div>
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The size of the figures is also a bit on the shorter side, but considering that the Japanese were also smaller, this does not seem to be an issue. Here we have a couple of Airfix look-alikes. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bGPjJ-8cvn4/U-ayMfDxZnI/AAAAAAAAEpE/-xwCiehqHeg/s1600/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DGN Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bGPjJ-8cvn4/U-ayMfDxZnI/AAAAAAAAEpE/-xwCiehqHeg/w320-h188/Soldiers+of+the+World+Japanese+3.jpg" title="DGN Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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DGN Japanese Infantry - Part III</div>
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Another two more Airfix-like figures, and two originals. I just wish these guys were displaying a bit more action. I am not a big fan of guy who are just standing around.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-YAPsUei38/VDCzWn9BQ6I/AAAAAAAAEuE/yiwH45IB_fk/s1600/Lido%2BJapanese.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="171" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-YAPsUei38/VDCzWn9BQ6I/AAAAAAAAEuE/yiwH45IB_fk/w320-h171/Lido%2BJapanese.jpg" title="Lido Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido Japanese Infantry - Part I</div>
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Here are 4 of the six poses that I am aware of. These guys are really hard to find and if you do find them, they can be quite expensive. I got lucky with them, but I only found 4 of the poses. The sculpting and the detail are OK. Not the best, but decent enough. I am debating whether to paint them or not...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Ch9WVylEk/VHk4v9QZ4wI/AAAAAAAAEx8/vFnBK0OQBxE/s1600/Lido%2BJapanese%2BOfficer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Ch9WVylEk/VHk4v9QZ4wI/AAAAAAAAEx8/vFnBK0OQBxE/w195-h320/Lido%2BJapanese%2BOfficer.jpg" title="Lido Japanese Infantry" width="195" /></a></div>
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Lido Japanese Infantry - Part II</div>
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Here is one more pose. It is interesting that the shape of his helmet resembles that of a German soldier. Not sure what to make of that. He might be better suited to serve as a Chinese officer. The only one missing at this point is a man firing his rifle while advancing.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xpSz7MXOPR0/Vz5f2adlAoI/AAAAAAAAFZY/5z4r7gY2hzceDRZC49TcgC-V3URC_Iw6wCLcB/s1600/Lido%2BJapanese%2BOfficer%2Band%2Bcharging.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lido Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="203" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xpSz7MXOPR0/Vz5f2adlAoI/AAAAAAAAFZY/5z4r7gY2hzceDRZC49TcgC-V3URC_Iw6wCLcB/w320-h203/Lido%2BJapanese%2BOfficer%2Band%2Bcharging.jpg" title="Lido Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lido Japanese Infantry - Part III</div>
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I think these are the last two poses. Unfortunately both of them are a bit broken. The man on the left is just missing the tip of the rifle. The officer on the right is missing a hand in which he was holding his binoculars. I'll probably end up painting them in which case I will try to repair them as the fix will be less noticeable. Even in this state, I was happy to run into them, as they are very hard to find and also got them at a great price compared to what they regularly sell for in better condition. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k34ySPDutww/VLpyspglfBI/AAAAAAAAE9A/YqKIKtjkEo4/s1600/Trojan%2BJapanese.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trojan Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="190" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k34ySPDutww/VLpyspglfBI/AAAAAAAAE9A/YqKIKtjkEo4/w320-h190/Trojan%2BJapanese.jpg" title="Trojan Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Trojan Japanese Infantry</div>
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You don't often see this set and when you see it, it is often quite pricey, so I felt lucky when I was able to score one recently. I should say that I had only seen them in pictures, so it was a bit of a shock when I got them and realized that they are actually quite undersized for 1/32. At best they are 1/35, but they really feel small compared to the rest of my collection. The poses are decent and I suspect that I am missing a couple more. Unfortunately, the man on the left has the rifle tip broken off. I am sure that helped bring down the price. I'll see if I can repair it. The factory paint is still in fairly good condition. All in all, I see them more as a rare collectible worth having for the sake of completeness, than as figures I would want to mix in with the rest of my troops.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4n7EsdMhdI/VZXaEtvgXXI/AAAAAAAAFF4/6JsHUTdtKtM/s1600/Unknown%2BJapanese.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unknown Japanese Infantry" border="0" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4n7EsdMhdI/VZXaEtvgXXI/AAAAAAAAFF4/6JsHUTdtKtM/w320-h237/Unknown%2BJapanese.jpg" title="Unknown Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknown Japanese Infantry</div>
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This is a 60 mm figure. It came with a lot that I bought from the UK, so I suspect the manufacturer might be British. I can't recognize the base and sculpting, and I have not found it in my reference book or online. If you happen to know who made him, please leave a comment. I only got this pose, so it would also be good to know how many and what other poses exist. Overall, it is a decent figure in terms of detail, even if it is not the most exciting pose. As far as I can tell, that is the original paint still on it. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x-KTdMt1tx0/VTKJJkDIa1I/AAAAAAAAFB8/-5YNlPwsMVY/s1600/Starlux%2BJapanese%2BOfficer%2Bon%2Bhorse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starlux 60mm Swiss Officer" border="0" height="254" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x-KTdMt1tx0/VTKJJkDIa1I/AAAAAAAAFB8/-5YNlPwsMVY/w320-h254/Starlux%2BJapanese%2BOfficer%2Bon%2Bhorse.jpg" title="Starlux 60mm Swiss Officer" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starlux 60mm Swiss Officer - painted as Japanese</div>
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This is a figure I ran into by chance, but picked up without hesitation. It was advertised as a Japanese officer, but one of our fellow collectors confirmed that it is a Swiss officer. I suspected that might be the case based on the shape of the helmet. In any case, it will be placed at the front of the column of Japanese troops which I am in the process of painting. The uniform is a bit darker than I'd like so I might need to give him a bit of a touch up. It looks like the prior owner already did touched up the paint a bit, so I am not too bothered by the thought of modifying the original. Anyhow, as you can see, it is a nicely made figure. The rider can be removed from the horse. The pose could have used a bit more action, but even like this, I find it a nice addition to the collection. The reality most likely is that officers did not ride their horses into battle, but rather used them for transportation, as shown in the picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFHPbKH10gs/XfVsrIokzSI/AAAAAAAAFsE/Lfe8jvPNn7wL7Lx7GytIygw7OI0YZC-3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mars%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFHPbKH10gs/XfVsrIokzSI/AAAAAAAAFsE/Lfe8jvPNn7wL7Lx7GytIygw7OI0YZC-3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h185/Mars%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mars Imperial Japanese Infantry</div>
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This is a a set that has been made before plenty of times. But at least you can tell that the Mars sculpting team is getting more adventurous in terms of adding dynamism to its poses, and they have given us two charging men. That is offset however, by the man who is throwing (or holding?) a grenade. If he is meant to throw it, I hope his squad has time to hit the ground because that's going to land a bit short! Other than that, this set is not that remarkable, considering that there's already a good variety of Japanese Infantry poses in the market from prior manufacturers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqphrGXjQhQ/X8HJf2tQsuI/AAAAAAAAFy4/DQRS41wyCHYDQt9JgjL0ZHQOLKoksfD4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqphrGXjQhQ/X8HJf2tQsuI/AAAAAAAAFy4/DQRS41wyCHYDQt9JgjL0ZHQOLKoksfD4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h214/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B1.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A nice set from Expeditionary Force in what nowadays is being referred to as Big 1/32 scale. Meaning, more compatible with TSSD than Airfix. As is EF style, their figures are produced as a set of bodies to which you can attach different heads and arms/weapons. Each set comes with 9 figures and 6 base body types. In this post, I have created 18 different figures from 2 sets, but you can certainly create more/different poses. The level of detail is very nice, and the quality of the plastic is also good. Robust so that you don't have a lot of bent tips, but not hard. And it is also easy to glue. In this first picture I have 3 different bodies. Unfortunately, some of the bodies have very similar stances, you have to watch the feet very carefully to tell them apart, which makes me wish they had made them more different so that we could see the variety more easily.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TH_EumHQrRk/X8HJf8_mFbI/AAAAAAAAFy8/dFw_lJ-ihGgpN7-e6pOFpC8u7bAEW-zhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TH_EumHQrRk/X8HJf8_mFbI/AAAAAAAAFy8/dFw_lJ-ihGgpN7-e6pOFpC8u7bAEW-zhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h208/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B2.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The next body type is a man advancing with his right foot forward. Note that by giving them different weapons they already look quite different. On top of that you can attach a head with or without the flaps hanging on the back of the helmet, and you can also tilt them slightly to give the body language a different expression.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSWTFFLdRAk/X8HJfwy8VsI/AAAAAAAAFy0/MSO7FECaUQoN1z2gk8gf2LbB7j0m_iCWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B3.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="2048" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KSWTFFLdRAk/X8HJfwy8VsI/AAAAAAAAFy0/MSO7FECaUQoN1z2gk8gf2LbB7j0m_iCWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h222/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B3.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Part III</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This next base body is stepping forward with the left foot, and leaning forward slightly more than the men in the next picture. And not seen here, there's also some differences in the pouches attached to the back of the belt. One thing to note about the figure with the flag is that the flag does not come attached to the rifle. Therefore, you need to attach the flag to a man who is holding the rifle horizontally. I almost glued it to a man who was carrying the rifle across his chest, but then realized that gravity would make the flag hang differently. Same thing with the tassel on the officer's sword from the first picture. You need to watch how it hangs, or else be ready to cut it off and reattach it at the right angle. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZXYRrl0-qE/X8HJgDKWDoI/AAAAAAAAFzA/uxpGJ5wt3SwvHpMUeYi__SOVpqhs4497gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B4.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="2048" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZXYRrl0-qE/X8HJgDKWDoI/AAAAAAAAFzA/uxpGJ5wt3SwvHpMUeYi__SOVpqhs4497gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h210/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BPart%2B4.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Part IV</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another base body stepping forward with the left foot, but these guys also have the back foot pointed forward, more than the men in the previous picture. So as you can see, some of these base bodies are pretty hard to tell apart. It would have been better to make one less base body stepping forward with the left foot, and add a crouching or kneeling pose. But even with so many similar base bodies, the variety of arms and weapons, makes it possible to avoid having two figures turn out exactly the same. You just have to plan things out well before you start gluing them so that you don't end up making a clone by mistake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JYWuRp4Va3o/YAM0CQaeDXI/AAAAAAAAF7U/C19sRSr9iwwkBNh_P3iuuPFanHe5Nza2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BMG%2BTeam%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section" border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="2048" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JYWuRp4Va3o/YAM0CQaeDXI/AAAAAAAAF7U/C19sRSr9iwwkBNh_P3iuuPFanHe5Nza2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h221/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BMG%2BTeam%2B1.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This MG set can be purchased with one or two MGs. You still get 9 figures, which means that if you only ask for 1 MG, then you will get 7 additional infantry men. Since I already had 2 sets of regular infantry, I opted for the two MGs. What's interesting in this set, aside from the obvious nice addition of the MG teams, is that the officer comes with the option of looking through binoculars. You also get a new head type, wearing a bandana around the head with the rising sun design on it, like the one that the kamikaze pilots used to wear. I gave it to one of the MG men who is likely making a final stand at his position. And you also get a couple of ammo boxes to round up the scene. </div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zKX0ZKA1evI/YAM0CWDF7hI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/xqzSPkqfn7IcqmEUM1XI_lIGCmRAzzUMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BMG%2BTeam%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section" border="0" data-original-height="1437" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zKX0ZKA1evI/YAM0CWDF7hI/AAAAAAAAF7Y/xqzSPkqfn7IcqmEUM1XI_lIGCmRAzzUMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h225/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJapanese%2BMG%2BTeam%2B2.JPEG" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section" width="320" /></a></div><div>Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Machine Gun section - Part II</div><div>What was a pleasant surprise with this set is that it also comes with a couple of extra options for the arms/weapons. Apparently these had been intended for the original set, but ended up being a bit late and got released with this set instead. So with this set you can look forward to being able to assemble a grenade thrower, and also a man firing a submachine gun. As you can see I opted to 'sacrifice' the second MG ammo handler and instead armed him with the submachine gun, which turned out nicely. Lastly, note that in this set, we also got a new body type: the kneeling guy on the background. I chose to arm him with a rifle in the aiming position. All in all a nice add on to the original set.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjByTX0M2dA/YMTphH4UF8I/AAAAAAAAGAo/AMPicM000-8ZT9hcFylRp_BgCXpxztHUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2540/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BMortar%2BTeams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Mortar Team" border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="2540" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjByTX0M2dA/YMTphH4UF8I/AAAAAAAAGAo/AMPicM000-8ZT9hcFylRp_BgCXpxztHUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h156/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BMortar%2BTeams.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Mortar Team" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry Mortar Team</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This set forces you to make some interesting choices. You have the option of assembling 3 mortar teams. 2 of the figures -the kneeling ammo handler, and the standing ammo handler- could be assembled in the same position, but that would make the set a bit dull. In order to introduce some variety I assembled one set the intended way. For the second team, I gave the standing ammo handler, the arms of the kneeling ammo handler, which requires him to stand on the opposite side of the mortar, and I also turned the kneeling handler into a sub machine gunner. For the third team, I gave the kneeling handler the arms of the standing handler, and also turned the standing ammo handler into a grenade thrower. On top of that you get a commander, and two other standing figures that you can give a variety of weapons, from the ones included in the set, or from any extras that you might have from the previous sets. You also get a few options of headgear in the set which provide some additional variety. This set also came with a wall section, but I used it for the picture below.</div><br /><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75BSK-EgiUU/YMTphMUf5UI/AAAAAAAAGAs/WGi3jRJZPvk6APA8VD0z9E7T6A-iM9QvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJungle%2BDefense.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Jungle Defense Set" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2048" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75BSK-EgiUU/YMTphMUf5UI/AAAAAAAAGAs/WGi3jRJZPvk6APA8VD0z9E7T6A-iM9QvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h169/Expeditionary%2BForce%2BJungle%2BDefense.jpg" title="Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Jungle Defense Set" width="320" /></a></div><div>Expeditionary Force Japanese Infantry - Jungle Defense Set</div><div>What makes this a jungle set is the helmets and cammo worn by the sniper figure, all covered in leaves. I am pretty sure the sniper is going to look really cool once it is painted. The highlight of this set is the 20mm anti-tank rifle team -note that there's also an ammo handler/loader. This 2-man team can be nicely emplaced behind the wall, which BTW is made of dirt on the outside, and lined with wooden planks on the inside. There is also a light mortar in the set, which offer a good contrast with the heavier mortars in the previous set. The rest of the figures are average poses. You will need to get a bit creative to find ways of making them look sufficiently different, given the similarity in the base bodies -I wasn't too thrilled that all of them are kneeling, but I guess that's why they are a 'defense' set. Once they are mixed together with the figures from the previous sets, this will all be less noticeable. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51Agp_MOjAI/YKrdKCeMFEI/AAAAAAAAF9w/BfOZ8pLGLacBXzH4CiEgho39JY3SmMsngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="2048" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51Agp_MOjAI/YKrdKCeMFEI/AAAAAAAAF9w/BfOZ8pLGLacBXzH4CiEgho39JY3SmMsngCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h182/Plastic%2BPlatoon%2BJapanese%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is Plastic Platoon's first set (along with the US Marines) outside of the Eastern Front, and even though we already have a nice range of Japanese Infantry released by previous manufacturers, it is definitely a welcome set, given the exquisite level of detail and sculpting typically delivered by their figures. Take for instance, the writing on the flag attached to one of the rifles. I can't read Japanese, but it feels like it's real! But even beyond the little details and the action-packed sculpting, these poses are also nicely diverse, covering a good range of weapons, headgear, and equipment. The only thing that I noticed which seemed a bit odd to me is that the flag that we just mentioned would be 'floating' upwards. As fast as that man is running, I have a hard time imagining that the flag would defy gravity that much. But let's not get picky. It is still an amazing set that should be charging at the US forces trying to take their island!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkMZCSUy6kIFmFUpVymnKKg-vhi1TAB5LVqrIS-mWJvpW8jPRvNXoiX6PeaM6WQ2Ppv1ZaQSoADd0tuvszWUVVpKuPa665IObMvWQm4E-e1NvH0AlUWxtdNDRaei8Efsli11YYnKLqc-PTnQVtva6hlb5cFJmtDLD_LpM86dT9GSZgMO7wS8RgN85g/s1584/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Artillery%20crew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1584" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHkMZCSUy6kIFmFUpVymnKKg-vhi1TAB5LVqrIS-mWJvpW8jPRvNXoiX6PeaM6WQ2Ppv1ZaQSoADd0tuvszWUVVpKuPa665IObMvWQm4E-e1NvH0AlUWxtdNDRaei8Efsli11YYnKLqc-PTnQVtva6hlb5cFJmtDLD_LpM86dT9GSZgMO7wS8RgN85g/w320-h201/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Artillery%20crew.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is an exciting set for a couple reasons. The first one is simply that there are not that many Japanese artillery crews or artillery pieces out there. The Deetail recoilless rifle comes to mind, but that's it as far as I remember. And then there's the fact that the figures and the gun are so well sculpted and detailed. I believe this gun is a Type 92, 70 mm howitzer. The gun comes in several pieces which can be easily attached together. Glue seems to be optional. In terms of the figures, my favorite one is the man operating the sight and elevation lever. The fact that he is straddling the gun gives it a nice touch. The officer and the loader complement the crew very nicely. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9j4zpNCbKd5CJ8K2TolDNKrRgGWzo4M8JAHYMmKaheWHFcaH7TVaz0zKV_XC8b5z8F8zBJuc1JyNbommKymk-eZWG26mFno1C885Ehx0CID_48lah22FE7rEyx5xlNqWI_f0fuM_3tJAPVNxPt_NfXpAsChiP6u2MlCZpwgZ3kLgw_cVU7jc1D7Ysw/s1173/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Machine%20Gun%20team.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1173" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9j4zpNCbKd5CJ8K2TolDNKrRgGWzo4M8JAHYMmKaheWHFcaH7TVaz0zKV_XC8b5z8F8zBJuc1JyNbommKymk-eZWG26mFno1C885Ehx0CID_48lah22FE7rEyx5xlNqWI_f0fuM_3tJAPVNxPt_NfXpAsChiP6u2MlCZpwgZ3kLgw_cVU7jc1D7Ysw/w320-h239/Plastic%20Platoon%20Japanese%20Machine%20Gun%20team.jpg" title="Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Plastic Platoon Japanese Infantry Heavy Weapons - Part II</div><div>This MG crew is part of the same heavy weapons set. The MG is a separate sculpture itself and the man firing it can be seated on the base separately. The ammo feeder lines up just right to be able to feed the belt into the MG. This is thanks to a notch in the bases. As you can see, the whole set is rich in detail. From the bullet holes in the sandbags to the Japanese writing on the side of the ammo box. or the hobnails on the boots. The facial features on the men are also extremely well done. The only thing that is less than ideal on this set is the amount of flash on the figures. It is quite a bit and it is also hard to remove. You can still see some left on the leg of the ammo handler. Other than that. this set is a great addition to my Japanese troops.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW55GqY_BK4luRPlEcCWZay3hn1ATPE5bBnQqsjtmiOa__BLcbLA1IlcrzMkLEKS1ez4D9gPUAXwy4toMZeA5-11GBzdLvaiNsndasXgar5uZBlFkqCiStRo9N4OKjCv846fgf3YiWqoPazdGhqSQtRaEgMdiA9M1FW54cPiXjRbOWLwzJryiad4SIA/s2782/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2782" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW55GqY_BK4luRPlEcCWZay3hn1ATPE5bBnQqsjtmiOa__BLcbLA1IlcrzMkLEKS1ez4D9gPUAXwy4toMZeA5-11GBzdLvaiNsndasXgar5uZBlFkqCiStRo9N4OKjCv846fgf3YiWqoPazdGhqSQtRaEgMdiA9M1FW54cPiXjRbOWLwzJryiad4SIA/w320-h189/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a decent batch of figures. I like that they are overall pretty dynamic in their poses. The grenade man could be leaning back of forward a bit more and the wounded man, could also be falling back more, but other than that, the sculpting is pretty good and the level of detail is also good. For example, the chin straps for the helmets are two pieces tied at the chin, as was the case in real life. You can also see the star on the front of the helmets. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAHpEsAMXAUHt8DmrUPb7zMnWy3O3cmaMYCjn2gEjwqV_CbBEHsY63WHNkeMlRoVOovEYK8HjS9SF2VI6KCCZdiPw9jJRyLcJCfU_cVgYIuggKRjS-eRTO6TmR69kwsJonFpmuub1XUw5Xi60Dn7DwXRVsn4r8G8OX333ag2Xh6FVDHqNqvMAlrKSYA/s2024/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="2024" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAHpEsAMXAUHt8DmrUPb7zMnWy3O3cmaMYCjn2gEjwqV_CbBEHsY63WHNkeMlRoVOovEYK8HjS9SF2VI6KCCZdiPw9jJRyLcJCfU_cVgYIuggKRjS-eRTO6TmR69kwsJonFpmuub1XUw5Xi60Dn7DwXRVsn4r8G8OX333ag2Xh6FVDHqNqvMAlrKSYA/w320-h211/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In this other batch, the squad is ready to launch a Banzai charge. One thing to point out is that I ordered these figures in Big 1/32 scale, made to match TSSD, Conte, etc. That made a positive difference, primarily for the weapons. In prior sets that I ordered in traditional 1/32 some of the tips were broken, but not this time. That small increase in size and thickness makes the figures substantially sturdier. A few of these guys are carrying backpacks and a few of them are wearing a cap, instead of a helmet. That gives the group a bit of variety. </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2014/11/japanese-troops.html"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out more Japanese Troops</span></a></div>
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Click here to see a very cool post of <a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-battle-in-pacific-taking-of-island.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Japanese troops in action</span></a> against US Marines.</div>
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Here you can see a more detailed description of the <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-unique-guy.html"><span style="color: cyan;">Atlantic Japanese guy with the cammo</span></a></div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/10/introducing-us-marines.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a post about the Marines</span></a></div>
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Click here to see <a href="http://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2011/06/clones-and-recasts.html"><span style="color: cyan;">a post about clones and recasts</span></a></div>
Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-56821509670978139972023-04-29T14:24:00.002-04:002023-04-29T14:41:48.456-04:00Introducing the Polish Infantry<p style="text-align: justify;">The Polish army leading up to WWII was not very well prepared for the upcoming conflict. It numbered about 1 million men, had about two hundred tanks, three times as many tankettes, and about 800 planes of all types. While Poland did anticipate that war with Germany was likely, they assumed they had more time to modernize and strengthen their military, particularly their armor and air forces. As war drew nearer in 1939, defense plans were drafted, but even those were too optimistic, assuming that Poland would be able to defend itself for several months, thus buying time to mobilize more troops and allow France and England to open up a second front against Germany. This defensive plan also called for defending right along the border, where the terrain was less favorable, as well as defending the 'Polish Corridor' which connected Poland to the Baltic Sea, with about a third of their troops. This was not very wise, because the Polish Corridor neighbored Germany to the west and German East Prussia to the east, and therefore could be cut off if attacked from both sides at its base. Polish armor was also thinly spread out as infantry support, instead of concentrated as dedicated armored units. As it turned out, when war broke out on September 1, 1939, the German attack proved too fast for the Polish. The Germans deployed their Blitzkrieg doctrine for the first time. This consisted of fast, enveloping armor attacks, supported by strong air tactical support, mostly provided by Stuka dive bombers and followed up by infantry units that would mop up or capture the remaining encircled defenders. In the first week of the war, despite some local successes, the surviving Polish army units quickly fell back towards Warsaw, and during the second week, the withdrawal continued towards Romania where the Polish command thought the could mount a more effective defense. Additional Polish troops which were being mobilized were ineffective, and many of them became casualties while headed to the front as their transports were bombed from the air. Unfortunately, by September 17, the Soviet Union attacked the Polish rearguard from the east, rendering the defensive plan moot. Poland, as a nation, never surrendered and fighting continued through October 6, when the last Polish forces were defeated. France and England did declare war on Germany on September 3rd, but no forces were deployed on time to help Poland in any way. At the end of the conflict, close to 875,000 Polish soldiers had become casualties or POWs. 66,000 of them were killed in action. About 120,000 men did escape into neutral Romania and eventually found their way to fight with the Allies. Comparatively, the Germans had 59,000 casualties, of which a bit over 17,000 were killed in action and they also lost about 10% of their attacking tanks and aircraft. The fact that the campaign only lasted 6 weeks, had somehow made me think that this was not a very costly conflict, but the casualty figures say otherwise. As far as toy soldiers, perhaps due to the brevity of the conflict, there had not been any Polish infantry figures made in 1/32 scale. After many years of waiting, that changed recently, when Speira Miniatures released a set of 10 3D printed figures. Let's take a look!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm5rN1bc-FFvWpDCPaSs6URMTm4XwkHu9X-QTHpJ1Q7s88aK7h07AYTZ7KmuSUMd7y65QU7VM9-nZx_ikPon3REpnqlFL_WxWPil_nISK0N7SvJPMtktuINadatFcN88xYNwzYhy_suH3spIBQv7Db3n5kzbCuNllKz4a1jxakY-tSPu17865YQeaCw/s1512/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1512" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm5rN1bc-FFvWpDCPaSs6URMTm4XwkHu9X-QTHpJ1Q7s88aK7h07AYTZ7KmuSUMd7y65QU7VM9-nZx_ikPon3REpnqlFL_WxWPil_nISK0N7SvJPMtktuINadatFcN88xYNwzYhy_suH3spIBQv7Db3n5kzbCuNllKz4a1jxakY-tSPu17865YQeaCw/w320-h174/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part I</div><div>This is a nice bit of innovation from Speira. Both in the sense that they have released a set that has not been made before, and also that they released it as a set. All other figures you have to order individually. These guys however, can be ordered as a set of 10 figures (or you can also buy them individually), but I did enjoy the convenience of just ordering all 10 of them at once, instead of having to go through the selection/ordering process 10 times for each guy. As far as the figures go, they are all really good, except for the grenade thrower. I don't know why sculptors have such a hard time finding the right stance for these guys. I also ordered this set in Big 1/32.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7OxhIyGlWqDvJSWWmcwH4rvu5PEUYS2v9JLMiyi7x5LFVRDBAIod8JNqvCVyPR3ZE6DltPz3ZFmwTYY9v2qvqbhTZc9u-7G3uXJK4ev2AcwdvvLezjQfoV1hYDcUCx9FUOxoJNmfvES-340dX3HVmxfY3pQ9DT2jaV16zZx35OqzqDfJkY1iuwnn-w/s1802/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1802" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7OxhIyGlWqDvJSWWmcwH4rvu5PEUYS2v9JLMiyi7x5LFVRDBAIod8JNqvCVyPR3ZE6DltPz3ZFmwTYY9v2qvqbhTZc9u-7G3uXJK4ev2AcwdvvLezjQfoV1hYDcUCx9FUOxoJNmfvES-340dX3HVmxfY3pQ9DT2jaV16zZx35OqzqDfJkY1iuwnn-w/w320-h185/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These other five guys are really solid. Great combat potential. And their sculpting/level of detail is also pretty good. The MG team is certainly the cornerstone of the set. But the other guys don't come short of it. For instance, the guy on the right charging forward while firing his weapon at waist height is also very engaging. Look at his facial expression. He really looks like a bad ass sergeant. One thing to point out about these figures is that most of them are carrying around their backpack, which is something that I find a bit odd when going into combat. But it gives them a nice 1939 feeling. Overall, a great set to have! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-troops-by-nationality.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/wwii-vehicles-by-country.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country</span></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669635333599455136.post-5093182727329565722023-04-23T20:34:00.001-04:002023-04-29T14:40:55.926-04:00Speira Miniatures - Toy Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Latest Update: Additional German Winter Infantry, Polish Infantry, and Japanese Infantry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">__________________</div><p>Speira Miniatures is a Swedish firm started by Amos Ingblom -a historian and fellow hobbyist- and two other friends, Helen and Christian, around 2018 -at least that's when their Facebook page begins. Speira Miniatures is special because their figures are 3D printed. The printing process turns liquid resin into solid material. What began for them as a hobby with the aim of creating more figures to extend their collection evolved into a business. Because their figures are printed off digital designs, that means that they can print them in a wide range of scales, from 1/72 all the way to 1/6 (!) and they can do a series of customizations such as including or excluding the base, mirroring the pose along the vertical axis, etc. Another advantage that this business model offers is that you can pick and chose which figures to include in your set and how many poses of each, which is something I really like. Their range of periods includes Medieval, Fantasy, American Civil War, Napoleonic/French Revolution, Ancients, Pre-historic, Civilians, etc. On the WW2 range so far they offer US GIs, and German Infantry, but they seem to be adding quickly to their catalogue. At the time of this writing, they already offer 78 different WW2 figures, fairly evenly distributed across Germans and US GIs. The quality of the figures is fairly good, with very few imperfections. The bases have a bit of extra material underneath that may need to be sanded away, but that's about it. The material is hard which means that weapons do not bend, but some tips or hands/fingers might break, but are easy to glue back together. What's a bit sad about this firm is that Amos passed away at the end of 2019, at the young age of 40. His two partners have carried on with the business, and from what I can tell they have done a very good job so far. I just purchased my first set from them this past Christmas, and their customer service was great, ensuring that my package got to me on time to become my wife's present to me. Ok then, let's see what some of their figures look like. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwSvIBvrl74/X_JA6ho7BEI/AAAAAAAAF6I/2gxIkfp16ocWAILtb36W7hpRUFXJLtfngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="2048" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwSvIBvrl74/X_JA6ho7BEI/AAAAAAAAF6I/2gxIkfp16ocWAILtb36W7hpRUFXJLtfngCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h210/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Given that I like my figures to be in action/fighting poses, the figures I selected do not include any guys standing guard or just walking. This first set are guys running into battle. Note that the range of weapons represented is quite nice. I really like the guy carrying the panzerschreck rockets on his back, and also the guy carrying the panzerschreck itself. One thing I should have noticed is that most of these guys seem to be running with the right foot forward. I should have taken advantage of the ability to mirror the figures to get some more stepping forward with the left foot. Also interesting is the guy who seems to have just taken a bullet and is crumpling down. Not a big fan of casualty poses given their limited use, but this one can still be part of a charging unit, which is why I ordered it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzDCUBZsDtU/X_JA6jbpU_I/AAAAAAAAF6A/cgEv2HOFPNwK9BJHwkd1TrpJKbvFWT8xACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2048" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzDCUBZsDtU/X_JA6jbpU_I/AAAAAAAAF6A/cgEv2HOFPNwK9BJHwkd1TrpJKbvFWT8xACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h220/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's another batch of men advancing. Only one guy is running forward -again, leading with the right foot. The rest are being a bit more cautious. I should also add that once these figures are painted, they look really nice. I have not painted any myself, but a FB buddy -Emil- has and the color brings out a lot of the details that otherwise fades a bit in the plain resin finish. Speira mentioned that even just priming them will do a lot to bring out the details. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMbD8MhKftw/X_JA6vAzufI/AAAAAAAAF6E/GPZUSTLT2UY1rOI1HStHvjO1PaqIA4bPACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="2048" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMbD8MhKftw/X_JA6vAzufI/AAAAAAAAF6E/GPZUSTLT2UY1rOI1HStHvjO1PaqIA4bPACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h218/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B3.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part III</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This batch is mostly firing from a standing position, plus the ammo handler for the panzerschreck. One thing that caught me a bit by surprise is that the machine gunner seems to be firing at a low angle. I suppose he could be used on top of a Normandy beach bluff, firing down on the D-Day landings, or on the second level of a Berlin building trying to hold back the Soviets. In general I prefer my firing poses to shoot at the same level that they stand as that is less limiting, but we'll find a good firing location for this guy. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE_ETRiVFNc/X_JA7FBgzoI/AAAAAAAAF6M/1kp01G7lPr4FMhd6gObNb_CkKyuYNyEEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lE_ETRiVFNc/X_JA7FBgzoI/AAAAAAAAF6M/1kp01G7lPr4FMhd6gObNb_CkKyuYNyEEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h230/Speira%2BMiniatures%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B4.JPEG" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part IV</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This last batch are my crouching poses. Good for defensive actions, where it's better to take cover and/or make yourself a smaller target. I find the grenade thrower a bit interesting. Most grenade men, are usually in the throwing position, but it makes sense that before throwing, they ought to spend some time contemplating what would be the most effective way to throw it, or simply waiting for a gap in the opposing fire to make their move. There are two other poses that I like here because they are not fully kneeling. I can see how these guys might be switching between standing/firing and crouching, or maybe they simply want to maintain a small profile while they fire on the go. All in all, a very nice batch of figures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KIyb-34qMY/YaEy3OFJZgI/AAAAAAAAGDs/ZUvhFKRT0H4m1nDZzBWwGOVQyGE1hfdAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="2048" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KIyb-34qMY/YaEy3OFJZgI/AAAAAAAAGDs/ZUvhFKRT0H4m1nDZzBWwGOVQyGE1hfdAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h206/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B1.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part V</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A few more German Infantry figures to supplement the platoon. Most notable here are the mortar team and the rifle grenade man. The prone machine gunner is also handy, although a pose that is easier to come by in other sets. And then there's the guy advancing with the MG at the waist. That one is a more unique pose. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-InkPKZoAYWU/YaEy248nlLI/AAAAAAAAGDk/TkU6xMW9B_Y630482OHnRifr-Ovwh6rPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2048" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-InkPKZoAYWU/YaEy248nlLI/AAAAAAAAGDk/TkU6xMW9B_Y630482OHnRifr-Ovwh6rPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h219/Speira%2BGerman%2BInfantry%2B2.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part VI</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And a few more heavy weapons. The MG team just needs some sandbags or a short wall to make it all work well together. The rest of the squad is ready to lend some support to their flame thrower buddy as he sets off on his mission. What's interesting about this batch is that all of them are wearing late war puttees, except for the flamethrower guy who is wearing some very nice leather boots. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE_imp-MpYU/YLvlrzocMUI/AAAAAAAAF_g/Uc1PW0wEYWAVfGGLx-u8pf0x6XlfXJBmACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="2048" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE_imp-MpYU/YLvlrzocMUI/AAAAAAAAF_g/Uc1PW0wEYWAVfGGLx-u8pf0x6XlfXJBmACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h201/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B1.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These are 3D printed figures from a relatively new firm in Sweden. You can order individual figures, which is great because you can get more or fewer of each pose. I did not order every single pose they offer. I mainly ordered fighting poses. In this first batch you can see mostly men charging/moving forward. The selection of weapons is nice, and I particularly like the two flamethrower guys. The level of detail (frame, tanks, hoses) is impressive for 3D printing. The sculpting is also well done. The figures are well proportioned and the stance/balance of the figures seems just right. BTW, if you notice some dust on the figures, that is something I did not notice before I took the pictures. It came from something else I was sanding on my workbench. So nothing to do with the material or manufacturing process of these guys. </div><br style="text-align: start;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S258fQXTDEg/YLvlrx8ERlI/AAAAAAAAF_Y/nO9xjuAZqgct-M9iU0NNplaUmq7msp-CgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1315" data-original-width="2048" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S258fQXTDEg/YLvlrx8ERlI/AAAAAAAAF_Y/nO9xjuAZqgct-M9iU0NNplaUmq7msp-CgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h205/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B2.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In this other batch, I am showing crouching men, and casualties. The crouching poses are fine. A few of them are quite similar and you do have to pay attention to notice the differences, in the ammo pouches, weapons, etc. One thing that you can do when you order the figures is to 'mirror' them so that the left side is printed on the right side. I should have probably done that to make some of these poses look a bit more different from each other. The other kneeling pose is a man pulling out a grenade's safety pin, unlike most other grenade men, who are usually throwing it. Then we have the casualties... I must admit that I am a bit underwhelmed by them. The sculpting seems a bit stiff. For someone who just got hit, I think they lack a bit of drama. I think that just the force of the bullet would knock the person more off balance. </div><br style="text-align: start;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kd4tykIoNTw/YLvlr8XBEsI/AAAAAAAAF_c/UEUj-Cg1BewBzD_AyAXAuBU_B4wG8DzrACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kd4tykIoNTw/YLvlr8XBEsI/AAAAAAAAF_c/UEUj-Cg1BewBzD_AyAXAuBU_B4wG8DzrACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h208/Speira%2BUS%2BGIs%2B3.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part III</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This batch are standing, firing poses. Even though they are fighting poses, I have to say that -with the exception of the flamethrower guy- they have substantially less action in them. The sculpting is still good with regards to the proportions, level of detail, equipment and weapons, but they are just not as exciting as the first batch for instance. But they provide good enough variety to round up the set well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P9mp_Di13OE/YaEzhq0tNHI/AAAAAAAAGEI/MUyQmsDtZiA9Iwqc5XQ8a-AgwAV1l_GXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Speira%2BUS%2BInfantry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="2048" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P9mp_Di13OE/YaEzhq0tNHI/AAAAAAAAGEI/MUyQmsDtZiA9Iwqc5XQ8a-AgwAV1l_GXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h206/Speira%2BUS%2BInfantry.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures US Infantry" width="320" /></a></div>Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part IV</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few more GIs to round up the squads. A mortar team is always a welcome addition. There's also a medic rushing forward to help the wounded. He displays well his sense of urgency. And there's also the man on the right which offers an interesting perspective. He does not come across as the most courageous pose, but it somehow feels real that he is just trying to take cover.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizN2uJd9fus3UD_NjqBDG0UEv-KA2BBRSZ0NzMykE1q-Fk7w0VvKVkX6Lxp3fRgVONz_Cdc9wiSKqlnd6tIcCSYx5z2CzzVkWUKYDZOZHoEYS6611FPJzFHPbDbxWKeXgA-6HhSn1-VEElDzED9h72IO97qzcW7hkCdPzI12mso2RdyfqCvdU0xIfZuA=s1386" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Soviet Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1386" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizN2uJd9fus3UD_NjqBDG0UEv-KA2BBRSZ0NzMykE1q-Fk7w0VvKVkX6Lxp3fRgVONz_Cdc9wiSKqlnd6tIcCSYx5z2CzzVkWUKYDZOZHoEYS6611FPJzFHPbDbxWKeXgA-6HhSn1-VEElDzED9h72IO97qzcW7hkCdPzI12mso2RdyfqCvdU0xIfZuA=w320-h228" title="Speira Miniatures Soviet Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures Soviet Infantry<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's one more Soviet infantry man. He is supposed to be standing up, running forward to throw his grenade, but he does not have a base to stand on. In due time I might glue him to one, but for now, I think he works equally well crawling forward. He just needs a bit of support on the back to keep him from rolling over.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NqueZ-xXED89Yea_d-qg4gOpHx50EWmyQ1V-fhOrFoo9yyQCektfsrxNZgknRTPfLc4JBioyxmquH4dLFLJDYneY_kbKQRXACni9Bg6W59PNUSQmUmatZUIa2lYyVKVY7nDMlA6xqIM5JjVtPD7sIDRnHZ1ckrhRtqcUX5mHuMBYmb9VOj9miMg36Q=s1187" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4NqueZ-xXED89Yea_d-qg4gOpHx50EWmyQ1V-fhOrFoo9yyQCektfsrxNZgknRTPfLc4JBioyxmquH4dLFLJDYneY_kbKQRXACni9Bg6W59PNUSQmUmatZUIa2lYyVKVY7nDMlA6xqIM5JjVtPD7sIDRnHZ1ckrhRtqcUX5mHuMBYmb9VOj9miMg36Q=w224-h320" title="Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry" width="224" /></a></div>Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira does not have many of these Soviet Naval Infantry figures, so when I saw this guy I grabbed him. What's interesting about him is that you can also select the head that you want for him. There are three or four variations, with different headgear and facial expressions. He will go well with my other Soviet Naval Infantry guys from Pegasus, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW55GqY_BK4luRPlEcCWZay3hn1ATPE5bBnQqsjtmiOa__BLcbLA1IlcrzMkLEKS1ez4D9gPUAXwy4toMZeA5-11GBzdLvaiNsndasXgar5uZBlFkqCiStRo9N4OKjCv846fgf3YiWqoPazdGhqSQtRaEgMdiA9M1FW54cPiXjRbOWLwzJryiad4SIA/s2782/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2782" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW55GqY_BK4luRPlEcCWZay3hn1ATPE5bBnQqsjtmiOa__BLcbLA1IlcrzMkLEKS1ez4D9gPUAXwy4toMZeA5-11GBzdLvaiNsndasXgar5uZBlFkqCiStRo9N4OKjCv846fgf3YiWqoPazdGhqSQtRaEgMdiA9M1FW54cPiXjRbOWLwzJryiad4SIA/w320-h189/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a decent batch of figures. I like that they are overall pretty dynamic in their poses. The grenade man could be leaning back of forward a bit more and the wounded man, could also be falling back more, but other than that, the sculpting is pretty good and the level of detail is also good. For example, the chin straps for the helmets are two pieces tied at the chin, as was the case in real life. You can also see the star on the front of the helmets. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAHpEsAMXAUHt8DmrUPb7zMnWy3O3cmaMYCjn2gEjwqV_CbBEHsY63WHNkeMlRoVOovEYK8HjS9SF2VI6KCCZdiPw9jJRyLcJCfU_cVgYIuggKRjS-eRTO6TmR69kwsJonFpmuub1XUw5Xi60Dn7DwXRVsn4r8G8OX333ag2Xh6FVDHqNqvMAlrKSYA/s2024/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="2024" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAHpEsAMXAUHt8DmrUPb7zMnWy3O3cmaMYCjn2gEjwqV_CbBEHsY63WHNkeMlRoVOovEYK8HjS9SF2VI6KCCZdiPw9jJRyLcJCfU_cVgYIuggKRjS-eRTO6TmR69kwsJonFpmuub1XUw5Xi60Dn7DwXRVsn4r8G8OX333ag2Xh6FVDHqNqvMAlrKSYA/w320-h211/Speira%20Japanese%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In this other batch, the squad is ready to launch a Banzai charge. One thing to point out is that I ordered these figures in Big 1/32 scale, made to match TSSD, Conte, etc. That made a positive difference, primarily for the weapons. In prior sets that I ordered in traditional 1/32 some of the tips were broken, but not this time. That small increase in size and thickness makes the figures substantially sturdier. A few of these guys are carrying backpacks and a few of them are wearing a cap, instead of a helmet. That gives the group a bit of variety. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s04dnbQYrermc8MPOLX1Gw0BN5jb1PiDE0s04wksqXvUVs1XCN3AlG88cozz-yHixwcQhBQ6Hf8GHkk2ZXjZKglUqdk2fmaIA88xBNL0i829_T8WSMFGUt7AvqbIbFfX-o2aquuw1sf0PAfjl4bvCIXJWDJ3Nixdwu_4_NYafyNvbfytw03XXCKMrg/s1601/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1601" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s04dnbQYrermc8MPOLX1Gw0BN5jb1PiDE0s04wksqXvUVs1XCN3AlG88cozz-yHixwcQhBQ6Hf8GHkk2ZXjZKglUqdk2fmaIA88xBNL0i829_T8WSMFGUt7AvqbIbFfX-o2aquuw1sf0PAfjl4bvCIXJWDJ3Nixdwu_4_NYafyNvbfytw03XXCKMrg/w320-h213/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I got these guys mostly because of their outfits. I like how they are all bundled up for the cold weather of the eastern front (or maybe they are part of the Ardennes offensive?). I also like how there a some guys who are taller/shorter than the others, as it happens in real life. But I wasn't thrilled about the fact that most of them are simply walking or standing around. Other than the poses, the sculpting is fairly nice, well proportioned, with good level of detail -look at those folds in the clothing, the scarves around their heads, and the leather of the boots. These guys are also in Big 1/32 scale, which makes them feel pretty solid.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3bIwwippHkkB280y3hG74HbllpAfwPRNje3n8RN7HuLbwLPLOxN2nO_wJAQBopivO5TJpHr10HyeI3VXTSuOOW5VUvdsR9i1wWavfxg985CrFba9g2eQw0UHfVQUk1dxBplIB-4Dd6wwI1O7pnOycoL2YxBnIEJaXLMVkaYQMZmHm7SLeP-6JA0rsg/s1458/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1458" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3bIwwippHkkB280y3hG74HbllpAfwPRNje3n8RN7HuLbwLPLOxN2nO_wJAQBopivO5TJpHr10HyeI3VXTSuOOW5VUvdsR9i1wWavfxg985CrFba9g2eQw0UHfVQUk1dxBplIB-4Dd6wwI1O7pnOycoL2YxBnIEJaXLMVkaYQMZmHm7SLeP-6JA0rsg/w320-h227/Speira%20German%20Winter%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The mix of weaponry across the 10 figures is also adequate. There are a couple of heavy MGs, 3 subMGs, one officer with a pistol, and three rifle men. And then you also have a bit of variety in the head gear, with couple of them wearing caps instead of helmets, or some of them wearing the cap under their hood of their jacket, and many of them wearing heavy mittens - I guess you had to take those off to be able to pull the trigger. The best pose of them all is the guy on the far right who is charging forward while getting ready to fire his subMG. </div></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm5rN1bc-FFvWpDCPaSs6URMTm4XwkHu9X-QTHpJ1Q7s88aK7h07AYTZ7KmuSUMd7y65QU7VM9-nZx_ikPon3REpnqlFL_WxWPil_nISK0N7SvJPMtktuINadatFcN88xYNwzYhy_suH3spIBQv7Db3n5kzbCuNllKz4a1jxakY-tSPu17865YQeaCw/s1512/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1512" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm5rN1bc-FFvWpDCPaSs6URMTm4XwkHu9X-QTHpJ1Q7s88aK7h07AYTZ7KmuSUMd7y65QU7VM9-nZx_ikPon3REpnqlFL_WxWPil_nISK0N7SvJPMtktuINadatFcN88xYNwzYhy_suH3spIBQv7Db3n5kzbCuNllKz4a1jxakY-tSPu17865YQeaCw/w320-h174/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%201.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part I</div><div>This is a nice bit of innovation from Speira. Both in the sense that they have released a set that has not been made before, and also that they released it as a set. All other figures you have to order individually. These guys however, can be ordered as a set of 10 figures (or you can also buy them individually), but I did enjoy the convenience of just ordering all 10 of them at once, instead of having to go through the selection/ordering process 10 times for each guy. As far as the figures go, they are all really good, except for the grenade thrower. I don't know why sculptors have such a hard time finding the right stance for these guys. I also ordered this set in Big 1/32.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7OxhIyGlWqDvJSWWmcwH4rvu5PEUYS2v9JLMiyi7x5LFVRDBAIod8JNqvCVyPR3ZE6DltPz3ZFmwTYY9v2qvqbhTZc9u-7G3uXJK4ev2AcwdvvLezjQfoV1hYDcUCx9FUOxoJNmfvES-340dX3HVmxfY3pQ9DT2jaV16zZx35OqzqDfJkY1iuwnn-w/s1802/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1802" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7OxhIyGlWqDvJSWWmcwH4rvu5PEUYS2v9JLMiyi7x5LFVRDBAIod8JNqvCVyPR3ZE6DltPz3ZFmwTYY9v2qvqbhTZc9u-7G3uXJK4ev2AcwdvvLezjQfoV1hYDcUCx9FUOxoJNmfvES-340dX3HVmxfY3pQ9DT2jaV16zZx35OqzqDfJkY1iuwnn-w/w320-h185/Speira%20Polish%20Infantry%202.jpg" title="Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part II</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These other five guys are really solid. Great combat potential. And their sculpting/level of detail is also pretty good. The MG team is certainly the cornerstone of the set. But the other guys don't come short of it. For instance, the guy on the right charging forward while firing his weapon at waist height is also very engaging. Look at his facial expression. He really looks like a bad ass sergeant. One thing to point out about these figures is that most of them are carrying around their backpack, which is something that I find a bit odd when going into combat. But it gives them a nice 1939 feeling. Overall, a great set to have! </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/01%20-%20Troops%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20-%20Troops%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/03%20-%20Troops%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/06%20-%20Troops%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/07%20-%20Troops%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Toy Soldiers</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/10%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20US" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out US Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/11-%20Vehicles%20-%20British%20CW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out British Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Soviets" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Soviet Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/13%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Germany" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out German Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/search/label/14%20-%20Vehicles%20-%20Japan" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out Japanese Vehicles</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-recent-and-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; text-align: left;">Click here to check out other Recent and New Makers</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-70s-and-80s.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Makers from the 70s and 80s</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ww2pts.blogspot.com/2020/12/toy-soldier-makers-old-vintage.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Click here to check out other Old Vintage Makers</span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Toy Soldier Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590694015162650817noreply@blogger.com0