Introducing the Soviet Naval Infantry

Latest edit: Added Hanomak 'Baltika' Soviet Naval Infantry

______________

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.

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.  

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?

The men up front rush forward.

The rubble on the street offers some amount of cover.

The front elements are already in grenade-throwing range.

The guys immediately behind provide covering fire.

A couple of sub-machine gun bursts to make the enemy take cover.

A side view of the action.

Looks like this machine gunner is about to do some damage...

Taking a well-aimed shot.

The captain bringing up the rear.

The more cautious guys following a few steps behind.

Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part I

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. 

Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part II

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. These guys are certainly a great complement to the Pegasus figures and add much needed variety to this service branch of the Soviet Army.

Publius Soviet Naval Infantry - Part II

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 :-)

Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941

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!

ESCI Soviet Spetznaz - Part I

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.

ESCI Soviet Spetznaz - Part II

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.

Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry

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. 

Hanomak Soviet Arctic Troops

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. 

WW23D Soviet Naval Infantry

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.

Plastic Platoon Soviet Naval Infantry, Defense of Sevastopol

For some reason I really like Soviet Naval Infantry troops, so I was very excited to learn that Plastic Platoon had come up with its own interpretation. The set does not disappoint. Perhaps the only thing to criticize is the fact that some of the bases are almost like the base that you would have for an actual sculpture, particularly the anchor, the cannon, and the steps, but even those elements are well done. I also like that we get a guy wearing a cape, as well as one wearing a helmet instead of the usual cap. We also get a good variety of weapons, my favorite being the light machine gun. These guys will definitely go very well with the rest of the detachment! BTW, The title of the set refers to Sevastopol, but I feel like deploying these guys within the ruins of Stalingrad... WDYT?

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Red Army Continued - Part II

It was these five guys which convinced me to get this set. As you may already know by now, I have a soft spot for Soviet Naval Infantry, and these five sailors are definitely more interesting and dynamic than the other five figures in the set - at least they are engaged in battle! They are not the best naval infantry figures in my collection in terms of poses and sculpting detail, but they will add a bit more guys and variety to the unit. Maybe the most interesting guy is the one going cowboy, who also got rid of his jacket along the way - and will look nice when his striped shirt is properly painted. I also like the man throwing the grenade and how he has loaded himself with extra ammo belts as did a couple more of his fellow sailors. All in all a good second half of the set.

Tihon Figuren Soviet Naval Infantry 'Sailors of the Revolution'

Based on the name of the set, I am not sure if these guys are actual WW2 figures, or late WW1/Russian revolution. They do not have any submachine guns, so based on the weaponry they could be either. Which is a good thing for me! The poses are well done, with a lot of nice detail and also a nice level of dynamism. In terms of detail, the faces, including the mustaches are very well done and I also like how they gave the officer a round belly, perhaps due to extra vodka rations being a perk of his rank? Another nice detail I noticed is how the man who is advancing to strike with a knife is biting on to the flaps of his hat, likely to make sure they don't make any sound and betray his approach. The man who is whistling to his mates is also a unique pose. The material of these figures is relatively soft which means that I had to work a bit on straightening the bayonets. /nothing that a bit of hot/cold water won't fix, but it did take a few tries. Maybe that's why someone chose to clip them off in some pictures I saw online. Anyhow, a really nice set which will blend well with the other Naval Infantry sets in my collection!

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 1

I am not sure why Hanomak has released their Naval Infantry figures in two sets of 3. Here are the first 3. The two men standing are OK. The man on the left is a bit too straight for my taste, but his redeeming quality is that he is actually firing a captured German light machine gun - looks like an mg 34. The man on the right is just right as far as his stance and I like that he is wearing a helmet to give the unit a bit of variety in terms of head gear. And that leaves the prone guy. I think he is the most interesting guy in the set. If you look closely, he is holding a cluster of hand grenades, the kind that you might use to blow up the tracks of a tank. Is that the reason why he is crawling? It is also a nice detail that he is wearing two full ammo belts across his chest which will give him some good color once he is painted. I really like Soviet Naval infantry, so I am happy to add these to the ranks and I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on part 2 of these 'Baltika' guys!

Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country

Click here to take a look at WWII Vehicles by Country

Click here to check out move Soviet Troops

Click here to see pictures of Soviet Infantry in action.