Latest Update: Additional German Winter Infantry, Polish Infantry, and Japanese Infantry
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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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part I
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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part II
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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part III
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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part IV
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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part V
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.
Speira Miniatures German Infantry - Part VI
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.
Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part I
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.
Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part II
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.
Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part III
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.
Speira Miniatures US Infantry - Part IV
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.
Speira Miniatures Soviet Infantry
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.
Speira Miniatures Soviet Naval Infantry
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.
Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part I
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.
Speira Miniatures Japanese Infantry - Part II
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.
Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part I
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.
Speira Miniatures German Winter Infantry - Part II
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.
Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part I
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.
Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part II
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!
