Italeri German 'Elite' Troops - Part I
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, or maybe they could be painted as winter troops. In terms of the poses, I have mixed feelings about the MG guy with the wall. I feel that it makes it tricky to place him in a scene because even in an urban setting, the brick wall is not easy to blend, particularly because he is shooting along its length.
Italeri German Elite Troops - Part II
Here is the rest of the squad painted in fall cammo pattern. I've assigned the same officer to the fall unit. 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'. We also get a couple guys with long coats, which again, would allow us to use some of these guys as winter troops. BTW, these figures were made in 1/35 scale, but they are big enough to mix in with 1/32 guys.
Italeri PAK 40 AT Gun with Crew
The Italeri gun offers what other PAKs lack: a good crew. As you can see, it comes with 6 figures. Most of them are ammo handlers. But it does have a man operating the gun and an officer directing the action. The gun itself offers fewer moving parts and degrees of movement. But once it is setup it looks just as good. Probably a good combination will be the painted Italeri crew with the 21st Century Toys PAK. One thing that I do find very amusing about this set is that Italeri translated crew as servants.
Italeri Soviet Infantry
Italeri has given us 8 more poses of Soviet infantry, in uniforms well suited for late fall/early spring. The selection of poses is good, even if the sculpting of a few guys feels a bit stiff. For instance, the guy running holding the sub MG above his head doesn't have enough energy in my opinion. Or the guy charging with his weapon at the waist feels like legs, back, neck are all sculpted at the same angle. And then there's the guy who is just standing/guarding. Those feel like wasted poses to me. But the three kneeling guys are really good. I only wish the rock wall would not be in alignment with the MG. The mortar man and the man firing while standing are solid guys.
Italeri Soviet ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun with Crew - Part I
This is the Italeri Soviet Anti Tank Gun Crew which I showcased in a previous post. They are all very nicely done. This set filled a huge gap in the WWII 1/32 plastic toy soldier world. In addition to the gun itself, the set contains a crew of 6 in a rich variety of poses. If you're paying attention you might have realized that there are 7 figures in this picture. I included a German crew member by mistake! See if you can find him.
Italeri Soviet ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun with Crew - Part II
Here it is from a different angle. The Soviets produced these 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. And if you are still trying to figure out who doesn't belong in the picture, the guy on the far left is not part of this crew. He snuck into the picture by mistake when I was grabbing the figures from their bin.
Click here to see a post about the Supreme Playsets toy soldiers
Click here to see a post about the Waffen SS toy soldiers
Click here to see a post about the Waffen SS in action
Click here to see a post about the Soviet Infantry
Do I have to paint them? I hope they were alredy painted.
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