Speira Miniatures - Toy Soldiers

Latest Update: Additional Polish Infantry. New British Support Infantry and British Paratroops.

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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 fall 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! 

Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part III

Here are a few more guys that I found to enhance the squad. The MG being used as an anti aircraft gun is a unique and interesting touch. I do find the man feeding the ammo to be a bit too relaxed considering the fact that they are under air attack. You'd think that he'd be crouching a little at least. If you are not interested in depicting an AA scenario, the MG team could also be used for ground combat, if they were firing at some other ground units coming downhill or taking cover in the upper floors of a building. One thing to note is that the MG and the man firing it appear to be a single figure, but mine came as two separate items that I have to line up together as one. The joint is where the trigger hand meets the gun barrel. I don't know if it broke or they were split on purpose to avoid the possibility of a worse break. The officer doing the spotting fits well with them or could also be used in a regular infantry scene. The prone man turned out to be very similar to the other guy I had already bought with the original 10 man squad, except for the fact that he is looking to the side instead of aiming, and the feet are in a slightly different position. But given that there aren't that many poses available for Polish infantry, I'll take him. 

Speira Miniatures British Paratroops Set 2

This is Speira's second set of British Paras. I did not get the first one because they are very similar to the 3D printed guys I already bought from ww23d.com. Given the amount of 3D printed figures I've decided that I will have to be a bit selective in terms of which ones I get. Anyhow, I got set 2 because of its special weapons. The heavy MG and the Piat can always come in handy for an airborne unit which is usually light in heavier weapons. The other 5 guys are OK. I also liked that I could order them wearing helmets instead of berets (you can also order them with those). In terms of detail, I like that you can even see mustaches on a couple of guys. It probably helps that I also ordered them in Big 1/32 scale. BTW, these guys were designed by Kozak Miniatures. I will be creating a separate post for them. 

Speira Miniatures British Support Troops - Part I

A good set to have to enhance the Airfix British Support Troops, or to use instead of them if you don't like to mix scales, as I got these in Big 1/32. I particularly like the flamethrower guy with its round fuel tank. I don't know if I have seen this pose before among British troops. An interesting detail about the MG figures is that one you add the base to the ammo handler, his hands no longer line up with the ammo belt (not visible in the picture). And if you place the ammo box on top of the base, then the ammo belt no longer lines up with the MG. I suppose one way to fix this is to add a base to the MG figure. 

Speira Miniatures British Support Troops - Part II

The rest of the set includes a mortar team with a spotter as well as a prone sniper. In terms of the detail, I like that some of the helmets have webbing and some don't, but I still feel that the uniforms are very 'clean'. They have a few folds, but they still appear too smooth for my taste. One more thing to note about 3D printed figures is that sometimes they design the weapons to be a bit thicker to account for the brittleness of the resin used for printing. You can see that here with the mortar. That would be a heavy one to carry! These figures were also designed by Kozak Miniatures.

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German Self-Propelled Guns

Latest Update: BMC Jagdpanzer IV towards the middle of the post

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The German Army, in its attempt to neutralize the ever-increasing numbers of enemy tanks and their sometimes superior armor, developed many varieties of anti-tank guns. This was essentially an arms race against the allied tanks that continued up to the end of the war. Mounting the guns in an armored vehicle gave them greater mobility and increased the protection of their crews. The main difference between a tank and a self-propelled gun is the lack of a turret in the latter, which made them cheaper and faster to manufacture, allowing them to be produced in greater numbers. Self-propelled guns usually had a very limited traversal range so to turn one towards its target often the whole vehicle had to be turned. Alternatively, the vehicle could lie in waiting, usually well camouflaged, until an enemy target crossed its sights. Model manufacturers have taken advantage of the large number of self-propelled guns that were produced to give us a wealth of scale models as you can appreciate below.

21st Century Toys Sturmpanzer Brummbar Sd Kfz 166

Also known as Strumpanzer 43 or Stupa. This vehicle was designed as mobile artillery in support of infantry troops. It was built on top of the Panzer IV chassis, and mounted a 150mm gun. The side skirts were standard equipment. It was produced between 1943 and 1945. It saw action in the Eastern Front, Italy and Normandy. Later versions also had Zimmerit applied to them. This version from 21C Toys is original, but a bit brittle. The side skirt attachments were all broken when I purchased it (from a fellow collector). Also it is all plastic and the tank's surface is too smooth. The FOV tanks feel a little more rugged. Nonetheless, its uniqueness makes it a worthwhile vehicle to collect.

Forces of Valor Elefant Sd Kfz 184

Also known as Ferdinand or Panzerjäger Tiger, this was a heavy tank destroyer built on top of the Tiger chassis which had originally been designed and built by Porsche for the Tiger I Tank. After the Henschel design was chosen for the Tiger, the Porsche chassis were repurposed as tank destroyers with an 88 mm Pak 43 anti tank gun capable of destroying a T-34 at a 3 mile range. 91 of them were produced in 1943 in time for the offensive at Kursk. After some slight modifications to make it less vulnerable to close infantry attacks, Elefant was adopted as its official name. Its strong armor and powerful gun gave it a kill ratio of over 10 to 1, making it perhaps the most prolific tank destroyer of the war, but its weight and mechanical problems reduced its mobility and operational effectiveness. The fact that it was manufactured in such small numbers also meant that there were few spare parts. Most of them had to be abandoned if they broke down or suffered damage as they were difficult to tow by the recovery teams. This version from FOV is really nice. The Zimmerit cover gives is a very realistic look. The only thing that I would have liked would have been 1 or 2 crew figures to go with it and make it come to life a bit more.

Forces of Valor Jagdpanther Sd Kfz 173 - Normandy 1944

The Jagdpanther was built during 1944 and 1945. It mounted a 88mm PAK 43 gun on top of the Panther Tank chassis. The Panther chassis was lighter and faster which gave the Jagdpanther greater mobility, and it was also more reliable, which resulted in fewer mechanical breakdowns. Most Jagdpanthers saw action on the Eastern Front, with a few participating in the Normandy campaign. Later in the war, they also participated in the Ardennes offensive. Forces of Valor has given us a couple variations of this tank destroyer. The one depicted here is their Normandy model. It is covered in Zimmerit paint, in the actual square pattern that was applied to the Jagdpanther. They also produced a second model released in a gold/green cammo color scheme.

Forces of Valor Jagdtiger Sd KFz 186- Germany 1945

Also known as Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B, this tank destroyer was built on top of the King Tiger chassis. It mounted a 128mm gun and was thickly armored with 10 inches of frontal armor. All this made it the heaviest armored vehicle of World War II at over 70 tons. Its weight however was also its Achilles heel, causing it to frequently breakdown. Also, the weight of the gun required it to be locked for support when not in combat. This also meant that someone had to exit the tank to unlock it before it could fire. Nonetheless, this giant could destroy any allied tank on the battlefield at safe ranges and it was very difficult to destroy in combat, although it was vulnerable to attacks from the air. Approximately 80 of them were built in total, the first ones reaching the front in the fall of '44 and seeing mainly action on the Western Front. Forces of Valor has given us this nice model. Quite heavy and with almost no range of motion for the gun as the original. The support in the front can indeed be used to hold up the gun.

 21st Century Toys Sd KFz 186 Jagdtiger

This is another version of the Jagdtiger made by 21C. It is all made of plastic, so it feels a bit light. But in terms of appearance, it is quite reasonably detailed, and certainly more affordable than the FOV version. The only thing I did not like about this one is that it does not hold up the gun very well. If you look closely, I had to prop the crew man against the gun so that it would stay up in place...

21st Century Toys Sd Kfz 138 Ausf M Marder IIIM Tank Destroyer

This was the third tank destroyer in the Marder series. Also known as Panzerjäger 38(t) mit 7.5 cm Pak 40/3, this tank destroyer was built on top of the Panzer 38(t) Ausf M chassis, of Czech origin. This chassis had the engine mounted in the middle, allowing the gun in the back to be installed in a lower position, which reduced the vehicle's profile and afforded the crew slightly better protection. The back was also closed, but the top remained open. That, plus the fact that it was not heavily armored made it a risky business to operate them, particularly under artillery attacks and urban settings. It carried a 75 mm Pak 40 gun and was operated by a crew of 4: driver, gunner, loader/radio man plus a tank commander who was free to direct the battle operations. It was manufactured during '43 and '44 with almost 1000 of them being produced. It was then phased out of production in favor of fully armored tank destroyers, but it fought on until the end of the war, seeing action on most fronts. This model comes to us courtesy of 21C Toys. Despite the fact that it is entirely made out of plastic, it is nicely detailed as you can tell from te rivets.

21st Century Toys Sd Kfz 139 Marder III Tank Destroyer

Also known as the Panzerjäger 38(t) für 7.62 cm Pak 36(r), this was the first tank destroyer in the Marder series. It was was built on top of the Panzer 38(t) chassis, of Czech origin, and mounted a Soviet 76mm gun which had been captured in large numbers during the early phases of the Soviet campaign. The gun was hosted in a structure that was simply bolted on top of the chassis and it was only lightly armored, which made this vehicle highly vulnerable. The Sd Kfz 139 was manufactured from mid '42 and into 1943. This version of the Marder fought mainly against the Soviet Union, with a few also fighting in North Africa. This Sd Kfz model was also made by 21C Toys. It is also made out of plastic, but like the other Marder, it is nicely detailed, and its gun has a nice range of motion for a tank destroyer.

21st Century Toys Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Sd Kfz 138/2

The Jagdpanzer 38(t) was yet another variant of a tank destroyer built on top of the Czech Panzer 38(t) chassis. This model however was built with thicker armor and the front sloping at a steeper angle which gave it the equivalent of almost 5 inches of frontal armor. The Hetzer was fully enclosed and had a much lower profile than the Marder III, making it also safer to operate. Its main gun was a 75mm Pak, mounted off-center. This gun was similar to that of the Stug III, capable of destroying most allied tanks. The Hetzer was designed in 1943 and produced as of 1944, at about the same time as as the Jagdpanther and the Jagdtiger, however the Hetzer was cheaper to manufacture. More than 2500 were produced and many survived the war. This Hetzer comes to us courtesy of 21C Toys. I must admit that while it appears to be an accurate representation of the original, I have found it one of their least exciting models. It has almost no moving parts, the surface is lacking in detail and the paint finish is quite dull. And it also seems to be on the smaller side of the 1/32 scale.

BMC Jagdpanzer IV Sd Kfz 162

The Jagdpanzer IV was a tank destroyer built on top of the Panzer IV chassis. It was produced from the end of  '43 through April of '45. It was a bit controversial when it was introduced because the Stug III was still an effective tank destroyer at the time and building Jagdpanzer IVs diverted important resources from the production of Panzer IV tanks. Production moved forward because Hitler liked how the Stug IIIs had performed during the Battle of Kursk earlier that summer, ignoring Guderain's advice in favor of a more tanks which he considered a more versatile weapon. The Jagdpanzer IV proved to be much less effective when used as tanks later in the war due to their lack of turrets, which meant that they had to rotate the entire vehicle to 'see' and fire. The Jagdpanzer IV carried a 75mm gun and its 80mm of sloping frontal armor was more effective than 100mm of vertical frontal armor, which is what the original specification called for. In addition to its main gun, it was also armed with an MG 42 on each side of the main gun. Later versions reverted to a single MG 42, apparently because there were not enough left handed men to operate the one on the left side. Over its 1.5 year production run, about 2000 units were produced which means that the Jagdpanzer IV saw action in most theaters of war. 

BMC Jagdpanzer IV - decorative stickers

The BMC Jagdpanzer IV comes in two color variations. In addition to desert tan, you can also find it in forest green. I wonder why it was even issued in desert tan if Germany was out of North Africa by the time the Jagdpanzer came into production. I did not realize this at the time I bought it, so I plan on painting mine to give it a more realistic look. Independently of whether you paint it or not, you can also decorate it with some stickers that come with it. In terms of size/scale, it is smaller than typical FOV vehicles, but you can also acquire it at a much more affordable price point. 

Forces of Valor German Sturmgeschütz III Ausf B Sd Kfz 142- Eastern Front 1941

The StuG III was Germany's most popular armored fighting vehicle of the war. Its conceptualization and design began prior to the war, with the first prototypes coming online in 1937. Initially it was intended to be used as mobile artillery in support of infantry against fortifications and soft-skin targets so it was equipped with a low velocity 75mm gun mounted on top of the Panzer III chassis. The Ausf B model, was made from mid '40 to mid '41. The main modifications made to this model were that it came with slightly wider tracks and simplified transmission (from 10 to 6 gears). This model from FOV is a nice representation of the early Stug III when it was still used in an infantry support role during the early war campaigns. Contrary to most FOV vehicles, this one feels lighter, which suggests that more plastic than metal was used to make it.

21st Century Toys Sturmgeschütz III Sd Kfz 142

The StuG III's low profile made it easy to cammouflage and hard to hit. Despite the lack of a traversable turret, Stug III's were more effective at destroying enemy tanks than German tanks. This is also in part due to the defensive role in which it was used, as opposed to the tanks which were also used offensively making them more vulnerable to flanking fire. Beginning in march of '42 with Ausf. F the StuG III was equipped with a 75mm Pak gun, marking its transition to a tank destroyer. It's front armor was also upgraded from 50mm to 80mm. Towards the end of '42 a machine gun shield was also added and retrofitted to existing StuGs. This model from 21st Century Toys probably represents Ausf F. Despite being made entirely of plastic it is a nice model and at the time it was sold for a very good price.

Forces of Valor Stug III Sd Kfz 142 - Italy 1944

The Stug Ausf G was the last StuG variant. It was introduced in Dec '42 and it was produced until almost the end of the war. The most noticeable change, made shortly before the Kursk offensive, was the introduction of the side skirts for extra protection. By the end of the war, close to 9500 StuGs had been produced, with a little less than 8000 being Ausf G. This model was released by FOV. It was labeled as the Italy 1944 model, however its colors suggest that it might have also been in Africa, which is quite possible as the Afrika Korps fought there until mid 1943, half a year after Ausf G had been introduced. In Afrika however it would not have had the side skirts. Speaking of side skirts, look at the level of detail on that shell impact. This model was also released in a 'Battle of the Bulge' version.

Dinky Sd Kfz 251/22 Tank Destroyer

As far as I can tell this is the version of the Sd Kfz 251 that had the 75mm PAK 40 mounted on it. I say that because Dinky only labeled it as a tank destroyer. It is a bit underscale, maybe more like a 1:35 than 1:32 model. But it given its uniqueness, I don't really mind. Since it did not come with a crew of its own, I lend it a couple of FOV guys to operate it, although there's not much room left for them by the mounted gun. Similar to other Dinky artillery pieces, it comes with a spring mechanism that allows it to fire mini projectiles. All in all a nice item to add to the collection.

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Introducing the PAK 40 & PAK 36

 The latest addition is the Hanomak PAK 36 at the bottom of the post.

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The PAK 40 (Panzerabwehrkanone) was a 75 mm anti-tank gun manufactured by Germany. It was initially designed and prototyped during the period of 1939 to 1941, but the invasion of the Soviet Union and the heavier tanks that were encountered there made it go quickly into production. Between 1942 and the end of the war, about 23,500 guns were manufactured, making it their main antitank gun. Another 6000 were mounted on self-propelled guns. It's weight was close to 1.5 tons, which meant that it had to be towed, and in the often muddy terrain of the Soviet Union this could be a big challenge. It could effectively fire rounds up to approximately 2kms, but for optimal armor penetration it was best to fire at about 500m, when it could penetrate armor up to 15cm (6 inches) thick. In terms of scale models we have a couple of examples available.

21st Century Toys PAK 40

This is a nice gun. It comes factory painted and has several moving parts. The muzzle can be elevated/lowered and the carriage can be fully deployed or collapsed together and locked in place so that it can be towed. The downside of this gun is that it was not sold individually, but you had to buy it as part of a set. Luckily, I was able to find several at Toy Solider shows from collectors that no longer needed them.

21st Century Toys PAK 40 with CTS crew

Classic Toy Soldiers recently released an artillery crew set. The set contains an observer/officer and two loaders. They are a welcome arrival to staff the many PAKs that I have without crews.

Britains Deetail PAK40 with CTS crew

This is another nice model from Britains Deetail. Unfortunately I do not have the crew to go with it, so I had to enlist some of the new CTS guys to man the gun. 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. 

21st Century Toys PAK 40 - Afrika Korps

This is actually the same model as the previous one, except that this one was painted by a fellow collector. It is one of those that I picked up at a local toy soldier show. He did a very good job on the painting. So much that it is hard to tell that it did not come this way out of the box.

Italeri PAK 40 AT gun with 'servants'

The Italeri gun offers what the 21C gun lacks. 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 21C PAK. One thing that I do find very amusing about this set is that Italeri translated crew as servants.

Hanomak German PAK 40 Gun with Crew

This is a nice set overall. It includes the PAK, the crew and even the sand bags/wall protection. The gun came in several pieces which have to be put together. It does require a good glue to do so, but once it's put together it will stay nicely in place. The crew comes with two loaders, a gunner, and one officer. You can place them in a variety of configurations, although the gunner needs to be sitting and I could not find many places for him to sit while being able to reach the gun. You also get an ammo box which will give the loaders a focal point in your scene. About the wall, I think I would have preferred just the sandbags. The wooden wings seem to be cut off too abruptly and leaves you feeling as though it should be part of a larger trench. Not a big deal and definitely a nice set. 

Forces of Valor PAK 36 with CTS crew
This PAK came with the kfz 70 truck which was used to tow it. The PAK 36 was a 3.7 cm caliber weapon. It was the main anti-tank gun in the German Army until mid 1941, when given its inability to deal with the soviet medium tanks liek the T34, it was replaced by the PAK 38 which fired a 5cm shell. The PAK 36 was initially issued in 1928 and first saw combat in 1936 during the Spanish civil war. It was also used by the Chinese against the Japanese where it was a lot more effective neutralizing the lightly armored Chi-Ha tanks.

Hanomak German PAK 36 with Crew

Another nice set from Hanomak. Both the figures and the gun are nicely detailed. You can see the clearly see the helmet emblems on the crew as well as the hinges and rivets on the gun shield. The gun itself comes in several pieces that must be glued together. I glued everything except for the barrel piece to the carriage so that it can still rotate left and right. In terms of the crew, the firing man is sculpted just right so that he can have his arms around the carriage and the breech. The other two guys are really solid. And this might seem minor, but I am happy that the caliber of the ammo being held by the loader fits the weapon. Sometimes you get gun crews where that's not quite right. A good unit to provide more firepower to your early war German armies. 

Click here to see a post about the 88mm gun.

Click here to read about the Nebelwerfer

Introducing the German Paratroops

Latest update: Mars German Winter Paratroops w 10.5 cm gun

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The German Fallschirmjäger were an elite formation in the German armed forces. They took part in several important airborne operations in the early years of the war, such as the invasion of Denmark (apparently the first time airborne troops were ever used), the invasion of Norway, the glider landings on the roof of the Belgian fortress of Eben Emael, the invasion of the Netherlands, and the invasion of Greece. Their main role was to drop ahead of the main attack to capture key objectives such as airfields or bridges. They fought with such tenacity that the allies gave them the nickname of 'green devils'. Perhaps their most dramatic airborne mission took place during the invasion of Crete which was a division-size operation combining glider landings and parachute drops. Together with a division of mountain troops, they achieved victory, but at such a high price that from that point onwards, they were only used as ground infantry in places like Monte Cassino, France, and actions in the East, including the final battle for Berlin. Ironically, it was after the 'success' of the Crete campaign, that the allies began to take more seriously airborne assaults and increased the size and role of their own units. In terms of available figures, until recently only Airfix and 21st Century had produced them. In September of 2013, Pegasus Hobbies released 10 very welcome new poses, Action Casting followed that a couple of years later with 4 more poses, and most recently in 2019 Warhansa and Plastic Platoon have added to the range.

Airfix German Paratroops - Part I

As usual, Airfix did a nice job with the sculpting and the poses. In contrast with most of their WWII sets, they actually made 14 poses for this set, which is great considering the lack of additional vendors. The size of these figures is slightly smaller than the rest of the Airfix 1/32 figures, but it's still acceptable.

Airfix German Paratroops - Part II

The set includes a good number of automatic weapons, which was a good way to give airborne units a bit more firepower. The prone guy firing the machine gun seems taken directly out of the rubble of Monte Cassino as shown in this picture. The only guy that I would have done differently is the guy wielding his rifle. He is holding it too close to his body, not like you would if you were swinging, but I can see how they had to keep his left arm this way due to the restrictions imposed by the mold making. 

21st Century Toys German Paratroops

21st Century Toys released several series of German troops around 10 and 8 years ago. Most of the figures in each set were German infantry, but each set had 1 or 2 German Paratroops and after a while I ended up with 7 different poses. As you can see, the uniform is not consistent, but since they are already pre-painted I am not going to worry about painting them over. Also, for some reason, several of them seem to be off-balance. Having said that, they still represent a good addition to the Airfix figures.

Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops - Part I

A nice complement to the existing paras. An officer with a cap to lead them, a man with a heavy MG firing off the hip, and a very much needed panzerschreck. In terms of scale, they are a very good match with the existing Airfix figures. Perhaps the head/helmet is a bit smaller, but it's not going to be very noticeable. Once they are painted they will mix well with the others.

Pegasus Hobbies German Paratroops - Part II

In terms of sculpting, they are just the way I like them. Lots of action in these poses. All of them engaging the enemy and their bodies leaning the way they are supposed to and plenty of detail on them. In terms of new weapons, the panzerfaust is also a welcome addition to the unit and will be put to good use in close quarter combat against Allied armor.

Action Casting German Paratroops

These are some nice and interesting figures. In particular, I like the man throwing the grenade. It is nice how he is leaning back while his lower legs lean slightly forward. The level of detail on these figures is also quite good, with quite a bit of gear on the figures accurately represented. If you pay attention you can see some of the casting imperfections, but I hope that once they are primed, painted and they get their protective coating, those will be less obvious.

Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 1

Plastic Platoon brings sculpting and action poses to a new level. Their German Paras are supposed to represent the early war troops which were dropped on Crete, and are for sure my favorite German Paras. You can tell that they were just dropped on the island because most of them are still wearing their knee pads, and at least one of them is still wearing his harness. Can't say enough about the level of realism of these figures. I just wish my budget would allow me to get more of them. Which BTW, apparently are limited to runs of 300 sets. 

Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 2

Here are another six poses released as part of a second set, also representing the Paras involved in Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete. What's most interesting for me is that several of them are wearing same life jacket worn by the Luftwaffe pilots. It took me a bit of research to figure out what I was looking at, but you can actually find photographs depicting men in this outfit. It makes sense when you think about the fact that they were flown to jump into an island, so if the plane was shot down or, if they were blown out to see during the landing, a Schwimmweste would have come in handy. 

Plastic Platoon German Paratroops Set 3

This third set was a bit unusual. We got two more Paratroopers, three drop containers, and one Greek Partisan. I suppose this is useful and original, but if you ask me, I would have preferred if it had come with more German figures and the containers were extras or could be purchased separately. Also, I am not a big fan of figures that are so coupled together that you can't deploy one of them in a separate situation. What's interesting about this set is that one of the figures can grasp the handle of one of the containers so that it looks like he is pulling it. Also the level of detail, even on the containers is very nice. Each container is labeled with a different letter or symbol, and the contents are rich and diverse.

Warhansa German Paratroops

This set is OK, but in the context of Plastic Platoon's releases, it has a high bar to match. The poses are a bit static, the figures feel slightly chubby, maybe because the oversized weapons required bigger and thicker hands. And the material is a bit too shiny for my taste, although that's something that will be taken care of once they are painted. Anyhow, I am glad that Warhansa has added some more figures to the range. And on a positive note, I do like the expression of the officer quite a bit. 

Unknown German Paratroops

These are some figures which came with a building I purchased. They were already painted, although I suspect that might have been done by the previous owner. The scale and the sculpting is fairly decent. Unfortunately, there are no identifying markers in terms of who made them. So if you happen to know, please leave a comment.

Plastic Platoon German Paratroops - Battle for Leningrad, Winter 1941

These guys not only get points for being well done, but they also deserve extra credit for uniqueness. I don't think anybody had made German Paras in a winter setting. I am glad that we got some poses in this set that are better suited for close quarter combat, as the other Leningrad Soviets needed some opponents to fight in the rubble of those buildings. The desperation and urgency displayed by the guy who is using his helmet to balance the fight is palpable. 

Mars German Paratroops Tropical Uniform

Another good set from Mars. This one is aimed at depicting the German Paratroops that might have fought in theaters like the battle of Monte Cassino. On the box they show them painted in cammo smocks and beige pants. As you can see the poses are all useful in combat scenarios, and with the customary 8 poses from Mars, that also makes the set more interesting. For instance, we also get a prone figure, which is often missing in smaller sets. The variety in the uniforms and equipment is also good. Some of them have their smocks buttoned up, and some lose. Some have helmets with webbing, some without, and there's even one guy with a field cap. Good mix of weapons as well, including the multi-potato masher being thrown by the guy on the left. My only negative criticism about this set is the size  of the hands in some of the figures. Some of them still seem a bit undersized in my opinion. But all in all a very nice set.

Mars German Winter Paratroops
 And yet another nice set from Mars. This set gets extra points for depicting the German Paras in winter gear, which is something that had not been done to date. Six of them are wearing padded/quilted suits, another one is wearing a white cammo suit, and the last one is still wearing the regular para smock with some other layers underneath. In addition to the unique outfits, the sculpting in this set is probably the best I've seen from Mars. The detail and dynamism in the poses is excellent. And the choice of poses is great as well. All of them useful in combat situations with a nice range of diverse weapons. The radio man is also a nice touch. My only criticism of this set is that all of them are standing poses. A couple crouching or prone poses would have been useful. But hey, maybe that means that eventually we get another set of winter paras with such poses, right? 

Mars German Paratroops w 10.5 cm LG 42 Tropical Uniform

This is a nice and original addition to the existing German Para units produced by other manufacturers which so far have lacked any heavy weapons support. The set includes two guns, each with its respective crew. They are meant to be painted in the tropical uniform. I actually purchased two sets, and plan to paint one crew in the early war (Crete) colors and the other one in the cammo scheme. The recoilless gun is interesting. The wheels are meant to be off the ground when it's deployed, but the plastic is a bit hard to straighten so that it looks even. I may actually use these crews with 21C Pak 40s. As far as the figures go, the poses are all good, but I do feel that the sculpting detail could be sharper. 

Mars German Paratroops Mortar Team Tropical Uniform

Here's another useful addition to the German Para units. Again, the set comes with two mortars and two crews. When it comes to toy soldiers, I don't feel that you need a 5-man crew for a mortar. I know that in real life you might require such man power to carry the ammo plus the different pieces when it is disassembled, but I would have preferred to get maybe 3 mortars each with a 3-man crew or simply some other additional supporting poses with other unique weapons. In terms of the detail, these guys seem crisper than the gun crew. One interesting pose that took me a bit of time to figure out its purpose is the man at the front of the mortar holding the bipod. Looks like he is trying stabilize it. 

WW23D German Paratroops

I like this set a bit more than the others in terms of the sculpting and the level of action in the poses. Even the guys who are standing -except for the one on the middle- are all leaning in some direction. The pose I like the most in this set is the one on the left, who is advancing while firing his sub MG. These guys will blend well with the Airfix, Mars, and Pegasus German paras. The only thing to criticize is that the 3D printing sometimes crates a few defects, like the edge on one of the helmets is a bit uneven. I suppose we will attribute that to battle damage. 

Mars German Winter Paratroops with 10.5 cm Gun

This is a really nice set to complement the Mars German winter paras. Each crew consists of 5 men and you actually get 2 crews per box. I bought two boxes, so I now have 4 guns/crews, so I will likely assign 2 to the paras and 2 to the regular winter infantry. Those who are into conversions could replace the helmets to make them fit better as regular infantry. The best part about this set are the figures. The gun itself is made of softer plastic which bends quite a bit and needs to be straightened so that the gun stands evenly. A minor criticism is that the shells look wider than the gun's barrel. Looking at some pictures of the real equipment online, I think the shells are the ones which are too large. But let's not get too picky and instead be glad that we have this unique set to give our winter units some well needed firepower!

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Click here to check out other German Troops

Click here to see the German Paratroops in action.
Click here to see a post about the Italian Paratroops
Click here to see a post about the US Paratroops
Click here to see a post about the British Paratroops