Soviet Artillery

Latest addition: Plastic Platoon 76mm regimental gun with crew in winter dress

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The Soviets produced 76mm guns from 1942 onwards in massive quantities (over 100,000) and with a 76mm round, they were capable of piercing any German Tank prior to the Tiger I and the Panther. The Soviets were known for deploying large belts of anti tank defensive positions in depth which would wear down the German armored offensive capabilities and would leave them ripe for T-34 counterattacks, which is how they managed to stop the largest ever tank offensive at Kursk. The pictures below depict this gun in a street fighting scenario, as the Red Army pushed west and retook its cities.

Italeri Soviet ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun - Part I

This is a nice artillery piece introduced by Italeri. It is a 76mm Soviet Anti-Tank gun. When this set was released, around 2010, it filled a huge gap in the WWII 1/32 plastic toy soldier world. In addition to the gun itself, the set contains a crew with a great variety of poses. There's a main gunner operating the weapon, while the rest of the crew works hard to keep the ammunition supply flowing.

Italeri Soviet ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun - Part II

This is what the German vehicles would be facing as they came around the corner.

Italeri Soviet ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun - Part III

This perspective affords a better view of the action as well as an unusual detail in the scene.

Can you spot it? I actually included a German guy in this picture by mistake! There's only six figures in the set. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet 76mm Gun with Crew, Winter Dress - Part I

This is a really nice contribution to the hobby. There aren't that many Soviet artillery crews and guns available. I can think of the Italeri set, but that's about it. PP has released this set in both summer and winter outfits. Unfortunately I have only been able to find the winter crew. The figures are certainly nice, as usual, but clearly, the highlight of this set is the gun itself. It comes in a few parts that must be put together - the wheels, shield, trail/carriage and the barrel, but it is fairly easy to assemble. The detail is all there. You can see many nice touches like the hinges on the front of the shield and the grooves on the wooden spokes of the wheels, as well as the firing mechanism of the gun itself.

Plastic Platoon Soviet 76mm Gun  with Crew, Winter Dress - Part II

As you can see from this other angle, you get an officer who is directing the firing of the gun, an ammo handler ready with the next round, a guy ready to fire, and another guy who can be placed in a couple spots to help operate or move the gun - he is carrying a side arm, so he might also be an officer. The uniforms are nicely detailed and show a variety of winter clothing. A couple of long coats, a padded jacket, etc. My favorite is the cap with sheepskin lining. And to round it all up, you also get a couple of ammo boxes. Ready to lay some supporting fire!

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 see some pictures of Soviet Infantry in action.