German Infantry - Part III

In a previous post I described all the German Infantry poses that I have already painted. That post left out some poses that I decided not to paint. At the time I was aiming to paint 100 different poses with the goal of using them for war-gaming, so I left out the poses that were least appealing and those that were the least useful in a war-game. This blog however would be inclomplete if I were to leave them out from the catalog of figures that I have been assembling. This post is meant to remedy that. So without further ado, I present to you the German guys who did not make the 'paint cut'.  

MPC German Infantry

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.

Marx German Infantry Marching Soldier

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.

BMC German Infantry MG Team

This machine gun team was cut because of similiar 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.

BMC Dead German

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.

Conte Dead German

Same story here. Good sculpting by Conte. Even their dead guys look good.

Marx Dead German

The last of the three casualties.

Click here to see the German guys who did make the 'paint cut'

Another post  about German figures, factory painted and some yet to be painted

Introducing the German Reconnaissance Vehicles

This post covers a variety of German reconnaissance vehicles. These vehicles were important within the German military as even before the war, the military planners already envisioned the upcoming conflict as a new kind of warfare in which high and fast mobility would play a key role. Most of these vehicles were designed before the war and they did not require many subsequent models. Their original designs met their requirements well from the beginning. Let's take a look.

Forces of Valor Kubelwagen Type 82 - 21st Panzer Division

The  Kübelwagen, short for Kübelsitzwagen or 'bucket seat car', was a scout vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen. The prototypes were tested during the invasion of Poland and by early 1940 it went into production and continued to be built until the end of the war. Over 50,000 of them were built. Even though it was a 2-wheel drive vehicle, its flat underbelly allowed it to slide over snow, mud or sand, allowing to go where only tracked vehicles or all-wheel drive vehicles could. Being 300 kg lighter than the American Jeeps, it could travel up to 50mph using an engine comparable to that of a VW Beetle. In general this was a very reliable and rugged reconnaissance car. This model comes to us from Forces of Valor. Very nicely detailed and painted. It comes with a crew of three. Not included in the picture is the top which can be removed.

Forces of Valor Kubelwagen Type 82 - Africa

Same vehicle, different finish. This one is missing the spare tire on the front, but when you buy it new, it is included. Note that the front doors are hinged at the back. Since I got this one second hand I am not 100% sure if the three passengers were included with this model.

Forces of Valor Kubelwagen Tye 82 - Normandy

Third variation of this vehicle from FOV. This one is shown with the top on. Note also that the shovel on the side of the car is present, although I did not mount it right. The spade is supposed to face the back of the vehicle and the handle is supposed to point forward, resting above the headlight.

Forces of Valor Kubelwagen Tye 82 - Holland 1944

Here is another variation of the Kubelwagen. It's different in two respects. One is the cammo pattern, and the second one, which is the one I found ost interesting and appealing is the fact that it belongs to a field hospital unit. It also comes with the second top, to enclose it if that's how you like it, but in that case, the man on the side won't be able to sit on the edge and I prefer to display the figure. 

Britains Deetail Kubelwagen - Part I

This is a nice model by Britains. It's not so easy to come by so it took me a while to find one. As you can see, the vehicle comes with a driver and a machine gunner. The only thing that I don't quite like is that they chose to paint the fenders and the tire rims green.

Britains Deetail Kubelwagen - Part II

From this angle you can see the mounted machine gun a bit better. Also note the corrugated detail on the body of the car. Gives it a nice, realistic look. Also, depending on the condition of the vehicle, they might still have the wehrmacht stickers on the doors.

Britains Deetail Afrika Korps Kubelwagen

This is also essentially the same Kubelwagen as the one made for the regular German Infantry figures, but in a desert sand color scheme and with the two men in Afrika Korps gear. Note that instead of a Wehrmacht sticker on the door, it actually has the AK symbol painted on to it. The man on the back is also just holding the MG, instead of aiming. A bit of a hard to find item, particualrly for a reasonable price.

Forces of Valor Schwimmwagen Type 166

The VW Schimmwagen Type 66 was the most successful amphibian car in history in terms of numbers built. Between 1941 and 1944 over 15,500 were produced. Many of its components were adopted from the Kübelwagen, with the 'bodytub' and the propelling mechanism on the back being the main innovations. One 'funny' aspect of this vehicle was that it could not use its propeller to travel in reverse, so paddles had to be used or they had to let the wheels spin in the water in reverse to move in that direction. It was also designed by Porsche's firm and manufactured by Volkswagen. This model was produced by Forces of Valor, with its customary nice level of detail. It must have been a popular item because it was released in about 4 or 5 other color schemes.

Forces of Valor Schwimmwagen Type 166  - view from behind

Here you can see the propeller. It can be lowered or lifted according to where the vehicle finds itself. You can also see how the vehicle looks with the top on.

Forces of Valor Schwimmwagen Type 166 - Normandy 1944

This is the same vehicle as the previous Schwimmwagen, with a different and, in my opinion, much inferior paint job. Part of it is that the cammo pattern does not seem very realistic, and partly that the paint job looks too clean. It would have been nice if they had given the vehicle a bit of weathering. One small improvement over the prior model, is that it also comes with an oar which I suppose might have come handy if the vehicle ever lost power while crossing a body of water. 

21st Century Toys Sd Kfz 222

The Sd Kfz 22 was a light armored scout vehicle based on the Sd Kfz 221, but instead of a machine gun, it carried a 20mm KwK38 Flak Cannon as its main weapon -and a MG as secondary armament. It was built between 1936 and to mid 1943. During this time almost 1000 vehicles were manufactured. It was phased out of production by the Sd Kfz 234. The Sd Kfz 222 could travle up to 85 mph, despite a weight of almost 5 tons. It was operated by a crew of 3. This model was one of the first to be produced by 21C Toys, along with the Tiger I and the Hanomag. They were truly revolutionary when they came out, with a level of realism not seen previously. The vehicles comes with one figure and a top that opens. It was also released in a tan cammo paint scheme.

Forces of Valor Zündapp KS 750

The Zündapp KS 750 was a heavy duty sidecar motorcycle that was nearly as effective off-road as it was on roads. From 1940 onwards until the factory was bombed in 1944 over 18,000 of them were built. Capable of carrying 500kg or 3 fully armed men plus ammo, it could travel as fast as 60mph. When going X-Country, it would be able to travel in mud up to its axels, thanks to its muffler which was installed higher than usual. A very interesting feature of this bike is that the driver could control whether to shift power to the side wheel when traveing off-road. This very nice model comes to us courtesy of Forces of Valor. The mud paint is very realistic, the figures very well sculpted. It even comes with a small trailer.

Forces of Valor Zündapp KS 750

Here is another view from the side. The only inconvenience is that those luggage bags on the sides of the sidecar easily come off when you handle it, so you often have to put them back in place. The other thing is that the machine gun mount is a bit brittle and mine broke when I was trying to get the gunner to hold it.

Marx German Motorcycle with Sidecar

This is Marx's representation of a Zundapp I suppose. For the 60's this was probably a highlight of the Battleground set, and I am sure that once it is painted it looks fairly decent. The only thing that I find amusing is that the feet of the man riding on the sidecar actually reach the ground. It reminds me of the Flintstones!

Atlantic German BMW with Sidecar

This is a nice model from Atlantic. It comes in multiple pieces that easily snap together. The level of detail is quite nice, for a platstic set. If you compare it to the Marx motorcycle with sidecar, there is actually no comparison. The only thing I wich they had done better is to have the passenger hold/operate the machine gun to give it more of an action feeling.

Britains Deetail Africa Corps Dispatch Rider

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.

Britains Deetail Afrika Korps Motorcycle w/sidecar

This is essentially the same as the stand-alone motrocycle, with an attached sidecar. Notice how the caps on the two men are painted in different colors. That was not the case in all of these sets. I've seen it before with both men wearing the field grey cap, so I think these two guys are a bit of an oddity. Other than that, this model is not much different from the one made for the regular German Infantry.

Britains Deetail German BMW w/sidecar

 There are also a couple other German motorcycles from Britains Deetail. This is one of them. It is supposed to be a BMW.  The driver normally has a rifle across his back, but this one came without it. The other model is a standalone bike.

Britains Deetail German BMW - Part I

Here is the motorcycle by itself. It took me a while to find one that was in good shape and fairly priced, but it was worth the wait. The only funny thing is that the factory paint gave the rider a silver nose!

Britains Deetail German BMW - Part II

Here is another view. You can see the rifle on the back and how it is attached. Most models nowadays are missing it as it comes off relatively easily.

Britains Deetail German Motorcycle - Early model

I recently ran across this version of the Deetail German BMW bike. According to the seller, this was an earlier and apparently less common version than the dark grey model. There are a few other differences in the design of the bike, like the muffler for instance and the fact that the engine is a different color. The rider seems to be the same.

Britians Deetail Kettenkrad

This one was an elusive one to obtain. They are usually priced beyond what I want to pay for something this size, or they have some damage. In this case I got lucky and was able to pick up the Kettenkrad with a towed PAK 40 for a bit less than what a good Kettenkrad usually sells for. If you watched Saving Private Ryan, you might recall the prominent role that one of these vehicles plays in that movie. 

Britians Deetail PAK40 towed by Kettenkrad

The Kettenkrad comes with a hook where you can attach the PAK40. I've actually seen real pictures of Kettenkrads being used for this purpose. One nice feature of this PAK is that it can actually fire. It has a small lever that you can pull to compress a spring and when released it could fire a round. I don't have the ammo that came with it either, but it should not be hard to improvise some rounds.

LFL German Motorcycle w/sidecar Part I

This is a 1/32 motorcycle that I came across on eBay. the listing did not state the manufacturer and the vehicle does not have much in terms of branding to help identify its maker. All it says is: "2008 LFL Made in China". The level of detail is good, so it would be good to be able to know more about LFL and what other vehicles they have released.

LFL German Motorcycle w/sidecar Part II

Here is another angle, from where the side car and its unit insignia can be seen better. As you can see the sidecar has the piece to rest the MG. I don't know if the vehicle came with figures originally, but I suppose it might have. If you happen to know more about it please leave a comment. 

Click here to check out more German Vehicles

Click here to see a post about German Cargo Trucks

Click here to see a post about German Self-Propelled Guns

Click here to see a post about American Reconnaissance Vehicles

American Reconnaissance Vehicles

The workhorse reconnaissance vehicle of the US Army was the Willys Jeep. 640,000 of them were built during the war, with about a third of them going to the British and the Soviets. The Jeep began its development in 1940. It was initially prototyped by the American Bantam Car Company. Despite the success of their initial prototype, a second prototype was ordered from Ford and Willys-Overland who made small adjustments, mainly giving it a more powerful engine. The Army selected the Willys model but because of the number of vehicles required, production contracts were granted to both companies, although both would build the Willys model. The Willys Jeeps were labeled as the Model MB and the Ford ones were the Model GPW, with production beginning in 1941. The Jeep was a rugged, reliable 4-wheel drive vehicle, able to travel all over the battlefield. It was used both as a command vehicle as well as a scout car. It often mounted a .50 cal Browning machine gun. An amphibious variation of the Jeep was also produced by Ford called the GPA or 'Seep' (Sea Jeep), but it did not enjoy much success as it was neither a good off-road vehicle nor a good water vessel. In terms of models, I have a couple examples to show, courtesy of Forces of Valor.

Forces of Valor US Willys Jeep

A decent looking vehicle, although I would have expected a more detailed paint job from FOV. Considering that this is an off-road vehicle, some mud would have been in order and perhaps even some dents. Also, the driver is way too clean.

Britains Deetail US Willys Jeep - Part 1

Here is another version of the Jeep. It is a little beaten up. You can tell that this vehicle has been through some rough backyard battles! It is still a good addition to the collection.

Britains Deetail US Willys Jeep - Part 2

I initially thought that the jeep had come without any figures, which was unusual because the Deetail vehicles usually had a crew, and weeks later I realized that I had left the figures in the bubble wrap that it came in. Luckily I had not thrown it away. Note how the man in the back is leaning back to shoot at the Stuka dive bomber coming at them!

New Ray US Willys Jeep

This is a decent die cast vehicle from New Ray. It has a nice metal weight/feel to it. The level of details is also nice enough. It does not have much in terms of moving parts though, but still a nice addition to the collection.

Lone Star Willys Jeep - Part I

This is a Willys Jeep made by Lone Star. It is a bit on the smaller side of the 1/32 scale, but still acceptable. I believe it came with a crew of British Paras, so perhaps it should be featured under the post about British Reconnaissance Vehicles? Such a vehicle could have been made available to them through Lend Lease.

Lone Star Willys Jeep - Part II

Here is the same Jeep from Lone Star in Tan. Presumably it would have been used in the North Africa Theater of Operations, although I don't recall seeing any pictures of tan US vehicles. Either way, it is rare enough as a collectible that I was glad to get my hands on one of them. 

Auburn US Willys Jeep

This is an unusual vehicle that I ran across recently while trying to collect the rest of the Auburn GIs. It is made out of rubber and the driver is cast as part of the vehicle. It is slightly under scale for 54mm. It probably dates from shortly after the War as Auburn switched from rubber to plastic when plastic became common in the late 50s or 60's. Not the prettiest, but certainly unique.

Dinky US Willys Jeep

Here is another version of the popular Willys Jeep. This one is made by Dinky and it can be used to tow the M101 105mm howitzer. It came with its own driver and overall it is a nice, well made vehicle. The only 'negative' thing to note is that over the years, the tires have become a bit dry as they are made out of rubber, and some of them have begun to crack, particularly the spare tire in the back. I suppose someone tried to remove it and that made it worse. 

Forces of Valor US Amphibian GPA

Similar commentary about this vehicle as for the Jeep. But at least this vehicle gets extra points for being more unique and unusual.

Britains Deetail US Dispatch Rider
This guys is probably more of a messenger than a scout, but hey, you could still send him ahead if you needed to take a quick look up the road. Like the other Deetail motorcycles, it is a nice, well made vehicle. Will need to look into the make of the actual bike that it represents.

Click here to check out other US Vehicles
Click here to see a post about American Cargo Trucks
Click here to see a post about American Tanks
Click here to see a post about German Reconnaissance Vehicles

German Cargo Trucks

While Germany took great advantage of Europe's rail network, supplies still had to be delivered from the rail station to the front line troops, not to mention that many places were out of reach by train. Or for instance, in the Soviet Union, the tracks were wider, so supplies had to be transferred to trains using Soviet train wagons, or tracks had to be made narrower (see this link for an in depth look at the German rail network during WWII). The problem was that it took time to peform such conversions and during the first couple years of the war against the Soviet Union the front line kept moving further away, so trucks had to fill the gap. A key vehicle for this in the German military was the Opel Blitz 3 ton LKW (Lastkraftwagen). It was used both for movement of troops and supplies as well as to tow artillery pieces. Weighing 5.8 tons, and with an 82 liter (20 gallon) fuel tank, they could travel up to 320 km on road, or 230 off-road. Over 82,000 of them were manufactured between 1937 and 1944 across several models, and they served in all fronts. Another earlier vehicle was the Krupp Protze Sd Kfz 70. This was a six-wheel truck/tractor produced between 1936 and 1941. 7000 of them were made and saw significant action in North Africa, the invasion of France, the Eastern front, and the Italian campaigns. It could carry a load of 1150kg for a distance of 450 km, using 110 liters (28 gallons) of fuel. It was phased out in favor of the Opel which offered better fuel economy. In terms of scale models we have a few options to examine.

21st Century Toys Opel Blitz Sd Kfz 305

This is the basic troop carrier or cargo truck, by 21C Toys. It is a nice model. It comes with a removable top, not included in this picture. It has a few moving parts lke the back door and the cabin doors. Can't go wrong with this truck to keep your German armies supplied. 

21st Century Toys Opel Blitz Sd Kfz 305

This is the same truck seen from behind. Note that it comes with benches -also removable- so that your troops can travel sitting down. Here I took advantage of some seated German soldiers to give it some passengers. I believe these guys are part of the Marx Battleground set. Now we can take them to the front.

Forces of Valor 3 Ton Cargo Truck - Eastern Front 1943-1944

This is FOV's version of the Opel Blitz Sd Kfz 305 without the top. I am not a big fan of the color scheme and how clean it looks, but I think the figures that come with it lift it up. Note also how the benches are along the sides of the truck, as opposed to across, as is the case with the model from 21C Toys. The upper portion of the railing is also a bit different, which makes it look a bit more realistic.

21st Century Toys Opel Blitz Sd Kfz 305

This is the same truck, with the top on and with the Afrika Korps color scheme. Just what you need to move supplies across the great expanses of the North African desert.

Forces of Valor 3 Ton Cargo Truck

This is FOV's variation of the Opel Blitz Sd Kfz 305 with the top on. I actually like the canvas a lot. It has so much texture and the ventilation flaps look so real that you might even think that you can open them. The paint scheme is not my favorite, but at least it has a minor amount of weathering, to make it a bit dusty and avoid making it look brand new. This truck also comes in grey, with a green tarp, which I think I like a bit more than this one. 

21st Century Toys Maultier - Grey

The Maultier or Mule was a variation of the Opel truck (and other truck types) that used the Panzer I track system which was no longer in production to give the trucks greater mobility in the Rasputitsa -the thick mud of the Soviet Union- Some Maultiers were armored (Sd Kfz 4) and even equipped with rocket launchers (Sd Kfz 4/1). Just as it was relatively easy for the Germans to add tracks to their trucks it was also easy for 21C to adapt their Opel Blitz model to have tracks. In addition to that they changed the divisional insignia and we got a new model.

21st Century Toys Maultier - Tan Cammo

Another variation on the Maultier from 21C Toys. I don't know if the Maultier was actually used in North Africa. I could imagine that on sandy terrain it might work better than a wheeled truck, plus these colors seem adequate, so this one has been allocated to the Afrika Korps.

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Cargo Truck - Part I

Definitely a more attractive model than the Opel. The lines and the amount of wheels on it simply make it more interesting. A well made model, and the 3 figures which come with it make it come to life. The only thing not to like about it is the price, as has been the case with most recent FOV models. Well the other thing is that they are increasinly using more plastic pieces in these vehicles and they are losing the nicer, heavier feel that they used to have.

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Cargo Truck - Part II

The back view. Note that in this configuration, the Sd Kfz comes with sitting benches and side walls to hold troops or cargo inside. 

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Artillery Tractor - Part I

The same chassis, but this time a different configuration on the back, adapted to carry a bunch of ammo boxes for the PAK 36 which it is towing behind. I did not show it in this picture, but it is also possible to load the PAK on to the back of the truck, with the wheels resting on the middle seat and the tip of the gun pointing back. In such case, you can't have the men sitting there. 

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Artillery Tractor - Part II

Here is a shot with the PAK deployed. This is BTW, the only PAK 36 that I have come across, so it was a nice extra that came with the truck. Unfortunately it does not come with an artillery crew, so I will have to find some guys to operate it. 

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Artillery Tractor - Part III

A view from the back. I like how that man can sit facing the rear. It even seems like the vehicle provides him with foot rests by design.   

Forces of Valor Opel Blitz Ambulance

This one comes to us from Forces of Valor. A nice variation of the Opel truck. Die cast, so it has a heavier feel to it. All doors on the back and sides open, and you can actually see the inside of the ambulance. I should probably update this post to show it. Now I just need some German stretcher bearers to go with it.

Click here to check out more German Vehicles

Click here to see a post about American Cargo Trucks

Click here to see a post about German half-tracks

Click here to see a post about German self-propelled guns

Click here to see a post about German reconnaissance vehicles