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Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Introducing the British Infantry

Latest edit: Speira British Support Troops at the bottom of the post
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This post is a consolidation of the four British Infantry posts that I had to split because of the blogger limitations regarding labels. Now that I have simplified my labeling strategy, I was able to combine them into a single one. It probably needs a bit more editing, but at least for now it provides a central location to see all the British Infantry figures made by all manufacturers.

We'll start this post with a set of 50 painted British Infantry figures. As you might recall, I like to keep the poses unique and sometimes not all the poses from a given manufacturer 'make the cut' as far as the quality of the sculpting. You might also notice that I am only painting 50 figures instead of 100 as I did with some of the other sets. This is partly due to time constraints, partly because there aren't that many unique poses for this country/branch of the military, and partly because playing a war-game with 100 figures + vehicles, tends to take quite a bit of time, so 50 seems a good number. Another thing to note is that this is an expansion from about 12 figures that I had originally painted about 10 years back, and therefore you might see some of them at different stages of painting. As far as when they will be done, I am not sure as lately I have been doing a lot more blogging and a lot less painting, but eventually you will be able to see the finished product. Alright, so let's get to it.

Airfix British Infantry
Airfix British Infantry
Except for the guy who is standing firing, these poses are very dynamic. One of my favorite sets. They are also among the original squad that I had painted a few years back. That was before I learned how to give them their protective coats, so over the years they got chipped and needed a touch-up. You might also notice a glossy finish which I don't really like. By the time I am done, it will be gone. The other thing that will change is that originally all the webbing for their equipment was beige, but I later noticed that British Infantry also had green webbing, so I decided to switch to that color.

Airfix British Infantry Heavy Weapons Set
Airfix British Infantry Heavy Weapons Set
As you can see, only a subset of the figures are represented here.

Atlantic British Infantry
Atlantic British Infantry
There are 10 figures in the original set, but some of them are a bit stiff, and some of them, like the guy carrying his wounded buddy shown in a post a couple of weeks back, are not really action poses that lend themselves to a table-top war-game.

BMC British Infantry
BMC British Infantry
To be more precise, these guys are British 8th Army Infantry, but they round up the 50 figures well. Their sculpting seems nicer than that of the other figures from the other sets that did not make the cut.

Britains Herald British Infantry
Britains Herald British Infantry - Part I
Based on the weapons they are carrying these guys seem to be post-WWII figures, but their poses are nice enough that I couldn't resist being a purist and I drafted them into the WWII Army. 

Britains Herald British Infantry
Britains Herald British Infantry - Part II
Britain's Herald figures were produced from the 1950's to the 1980's, some of the later ones made in Hong Kong. You can tell some of the newer ones from the base which is not part of the figure but attached to it.

Marx British Infantry
Marx British Infantry
A classic set. A bit slim for my taste, but nonetheless a nice addition to the unit.

Matchbox British Infantry
Matchbox British Infantry - Part I
The Bren gunner is one of my favorite ones. For some reason the flamethrower guy tends to be harder to find than the rest.

Matchbox British Infantry
Matchbox British Infantry - Part II
The officer with the sheepskin coat is turning out nicely.

Weston British Infantry
Weston British Infantry
New production by Steve Weston. Overall a nicely sculpted set. The only thing to criticize is how wide the helmets are. Some of them remind me of the helmets used by the Star Wars men protecting the Emperor.

British Infantry Plastic Toy Soldiers
Finished British Infantry
This is how the whole unit looks after I finished painting them and gave them their protective coats.

In the previous pictures I showed all the British Infantry poses that I was in the process of painting. That post left out some poses that I decided not to paint. At the time I was aiming to paint 50 different guys 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. Then there are also a couple figures that I have managed to find after I finished painting that batch. Since I would like this blog to be as complete as possible and serve as a catalog organized by manufacturer I feel the need to remedy this. So here are the British Infantry soldiers who did not make the 'paint cut'. 

Airfix British Infantry Support Group
Airfix British Infantry Support Group
The 5 guys on the right are from the original set. The radio man on the left is a paratrooper, but it came with the set of recasts that I bought a few years back. Since I had already painted him with the paratroopers, I left him out of the British Infantry selection. The other guys are mostly standing around and I wanted action poses. The right-most guy needs a gun or a mortar to go along so I also cut him. And the prone guy is supposed to be feeding ammo to the Vickers MG (not shown here) but I already had enough prone guys, so he made room for other action poses.

Atlantic British Infantry
Atlantic British Infantry - Part 1
I have very mixed feelings about these guys. Some of them are nice and some of them are really bad. The man helping his mate is a very good pose. Similar to a Marx 'Battleground' GI. But the other two miss the mark when it comes to realism. The one on the right seems to be picking an apple from a tree, when in reality he is supposed to be throwing a grenade. The one on the left seems to be waving at his friends... not a battlefield pose.

Atlantic British Infantry
Atlantic British Infantry - Part 2
Again, a mixed lot. The commander is good. I would have painted him if I had not had enough officers already in my selection. The other two prone guys were easy choices to cut. The one on the left seems to be doing push ups, and the other one comes with a detached Bren gun which you would actually expect him to be holding with both hands.

BMC British Infantry
BMC British Infantry
Compared to BMC's Germans and Americans, the British are actually fairly decent. In this case, I wouldn't say that I cut them, but instead I chose to paint them with the British 8th Army instead. But I did let them contribute two poses to the batch of 50 that I painted.

Britains Herald British Infantry
Britains Herald British Infantry - Part I
The Britains Herald poses are fairly good in general. They represent post-war figures, but they still come in very nice poses. I ended up painting 10 of them. The mine sweeper guy did not get painted because I got him after I was done painting the other guys. The marching guy was eliminated because I wanted more active poses. The rest of the Herald British Infantry poses are in this other post.

Britains Herald British Infantry
Britains Herald British Infantry - Part II
This guy is more like a 50mm figure than 1/32. From what I understand he was designed and manufactured as a test product -and just this single pose- when Britains was evaluating getting into the plastic market. In case of a failed experiment, they were going to be sold to the tourist market, hence the ceremonial stance. 

The following guys are all factory painted or were found after I described the British figures above. In addition to the guys below, 21st Century Toys also produced 6 factory-painted British Infantry, but I did not get around to buying those. Now that I am posting pictures of the figures, I wish I had. Maybe I will look for them on eBay at some point. Anyhow, let's take a look at the ones I do have.

Britains Deetail British Infantry
Britains Deetail British Infantry
These are vintage figures from the 70's and 80's. A nice set all around. All small arms are represented. It's nice how they all have bits of cammo attached to their helmets.

First Gear British Infantry
First Gear British Infantry
These are recasts of the original Britains Deetail figures produced in the last few years. I find the color scheme better than the original, but I don't like how they paint the eyes that much. Note also that the bases have rounded corners, not that it makes a big difference.

Britains Deetail British Mortar Set
Britains Deetail British Mortar Set
A really nice heavy mortar team. The mortar can actually fire shells enabled by a spring mechanism inside the tube. There is a small lever in the back of the mortar which can be pulled and released to eject the shells. A pretty fun set.

Britains Deetail British Assault Boat
Britains Deetail British Assault Boat
An officer and a Bren gunner on a raft. A tricky set to find a realistic setting for, but like the saying goes, 'that's a good problem to have' when it comes to the coolness factor of this set.

Britains Deetail British Land Rover
Britains Deetail British Land Rover
This is a nice little set from Britains Deetail. The Rover comes with a driver and a Bren gunner in the back. I would have rather had it in a tan color scheme to use it for some long range patrols in the desert, but hey, we can still send this guy to scout the French countryside.

Britains Deetail British Land Rover
Britains Deetail British Land Rover - other side
From this angle you can see the Bren gunner better. Notice how his knee is resting on a little ledge behind the cabin so that he can lean forward and rest the gun on the top of the vehicle while he fires away. I find that a nice touch of realism. 

Crescent British Infantry
Crescent British Infantry
Based on the weapons, these guys seem to be modern British Infantry. They are a bit on the smaller side of the scale, but I think that once they are painted they will fight just fin. I particularly like the two guys on the right. Their forward lean makes them good action poses.

Crescent 60mm British Infantry
Crescent 60mm British Infantry - Part I
Crescent also produced 60mm British Infantry figures. Naturally they look a bit large next to the rest of the guys, but if you spread them out, they could just be a big guy among the rest of the normal size crowd.

Crescent 60mm British Infantry
Crescent 60 mm British Infantry - Part II
The officer. A nice action pose. Running into the heat of battle.

Britains Swoppets British Infantry
Britains Swoppets British Infantry
I only have a handful of these guys, but this sample is quite nice. The mortar team is very well put together. Unfortunately the man dropping the shell into the tube is missing the shell, but if you assume that he just dropped it, then it works just fine. The stretcher guys unfortunately are also missing the stretcher, so I had to place the wounded man on the ground. I guess that's the downside of the swoppet approach. Those detachable pieces go missing. Note that the wounded guy comes with a blanket, which gives it an additional nice touch.

Britains Swoppets British Infantry
Britains Swoppets British Infantry - Part II
A couple more guys. The marching guy is nothing out of the ordinary. The other guy is showing quite a bit more action. Definitely more into the heat of the moment. 

Britains Swoppets British Infantry
Britains Swoppets British Infantry - Part III
This guy came to me already in a pretty beaten up shape. Looks like the previous owner wanted some casualties in his army and even painted some blood stains on this poor fellow. I wish they had kept him in his original shape...

Britains Swoppets British Infantry
Britains Swoppets British Infantry - Part IV
This guy seems to have the same lower body as the previous guy. although he seems to have lost his base, but that's OK. He does not really need it. The upper body is very much to my liking and his weapon is in great shape. I think he is one of my favorite swoppet figures across all swoppet manufacturers. 

Timpo Swoppets British Infantry
Timpo Swoppets British Infantry - Part I
Here are a couple of the figures in the regular British infantry set. They seem more dynamic and better posed than their German or US counterparts. I particularly like the man charging with the bayonet. The officer is also nicely done, including his revolver. Hopefully I can get my hands on the rest of the set at some point. 

Timpo Swoppets British Infantry
Timpo Swoppets British Infantry - Part II
Here is another guy from the Timpo Swoppets set. The top combines nicely with the legs giving it a very dynamic stance. He is holding a revolver on one hand and a grenade on the other. Note also that the base if a different color than the two in the previous picture.

Timpo Swoppets British Infantry with raft
Timpo Swoppets British Infantry with raft
Here is a rather nice and interesting set from Timpo. It is a set of British Infantry advancing on a raft. Sometimes such rafts feel quite a bit underscale, but in this case, both the figures and the raft are well proportioned. Two of the poses seem to be repeated, and I don't know if that was the case with the original set, but I am still quite happy having found it in this good condition.

Hilco British (or US?) Infantry
Hilco British (or US?) Infantry - Part I
These are only three poses from the set. I've seen another 4 or 5 guys. I am not sure how many there are in all. The figures are a bit on the slim side, and the sculpting is OK, but not extraordinary. Even so, they seem to be a bit hard to get. And for some reason, that piece behind them with the tree stumps seems to be something special as I saw it go for 20+ dollars on eBay. Also, The shape of the helmets makes me doubt whether they are really British Infantry.

Hilco British (or US?) Infantry
Hilco British (or US?) Infantry - Part II
Here are a few more Hilco guys that I recently found. As you can see they are mostly recasts of Britains Herald (grenade thrower, officer), Timpo (minesweeper, radio man), and Crescent (flamethrower) figures. The one sure thing that confirms that they are Hilco figures is that the base is stamped as such. About the country that they represent, I am now wondering if they actually come from two different sets: American and British.

Hilco British (or US?) Infantry
Hilco British (or US?) Infantry - Part III
Another guys based on the Timpo figures. Note how the plastic that this guy is made of also shows those unusual color variations. 


Hilco British Infantry
Hilco British Infantry - Part IV
And here is one more guy. This one also seems to be a copy of the Herald British Infantry. The plastic and original paint scheme are different from the figures in the previous pictures, so there must have been several releases of these figures. 

Hilco British Infantry
Hilco British Infantry - Part V
And they keep coming in one at a time. From a large lot of mixed figures... Although similar to the Timpo guy, I know it is Hilco due to the stamp on the bottom of the base, and also due to the strange and unique plastic that many of them are cast in. The other sign that this is a Hilco guy is the fact that the base is split into two sections, just as it is for the kneeling radio man. A good heavy weapon to add to the team.

UNA British Infantry
UNA British Infantry
This is a figure from new company that I just discovered. I purchased a lot of mixed soldiers and this one came with it. At first glance it looks like a Lone Star kind of guy, but the bottom part of the base is marked 'UNA' and a few google searches revealed that is an actual toy soldier company. His uniform and Vickers MG lead me to believe that he is a British guy, but I have not confirmed it or found any other UNA Tommies yet. Based on the helmet he might also be a GI as UNA did make a GI set.

Brenbros British Infantry
Brenbros British Infantry
These are reproductions of the Herald British Infantry. Not much special about them, since they don't even come factory painted as the Herald guys did. 

Blue Box Elite Command British Infantry
Blue Box Elite Command British Infantry
This is a set of 4 metal figures representing General Bernard Montgomery and some of his infantrymen. Compared to other metal figures, like King and Country and so on, they are not as nice. In fact, I bought them thinking that they were plastic figures as that is the focus of my collection. As far as the resemblance with Monty, I think it requires a bit of imagination to get there. 

Cherilea Modern British Infantry
Cherilea Modern British Infantry
I really like the level of action and intensity depicted by these guys. And by that, I don't just mean that they have for instance, a guy who is charging, because some other manufacturers also have such a pose, but still, the movements of those other figures are sometimes not as fluid. They really captured well all the subtle angles of the joints and leaning of the body to give them a very genuine look. There is at least one more guy in the set, as I've seen a picture with 4 poses (a grenade thrower is missing).

Plastic Platoon British Infantry
Plastic Platoon British Infantry
This set is meant to represent the British defenders of Crete who fought against the German Paras. Again, characteristically well made by Plastic Platoon, with lots of action and intensity. You can tell that these guys were involved in close quarters fighting. Worth highlighting is who I think might the Sarge, holding a pistol on one hand, and brass knuckles on the other. A feisty bunch to come up against, although as we know, they were eventually subdued, although at no small cost, which is one of the reasons why German Fallschirmjaeger were no longer used in drops after that. 

Expeditionary Force British Assault Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Assault Section - Pacific War
This is the first of what will be 5 sets of British Infantry for the Pacific War. They are mostly wearing MKIII helmets, aka 'turtle helmets' -although one of them is also wearing a beret- and are equipped with a variety of weapons, including their beloved Bren gun, a Sten gun and a couple of Thompson submachineguns. All the figures also come with a standard backpack. Being an assault section, they are all on the move or firing, and as an acknowledgement to the tropical weather, they have all rolled up their sleeves. In fact I am a bit surprised that none of them are wearing short pants, but maybe it was better this way to fend of the mosquitos. 

Expeditionary Force British Defense Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Defense Section - Pacific War
These guys represent a defense section, and therefore, their poses are better suited for a static position, with a nice mix of kneeling and standing men. You even get a grenade thrower. They are equipped with MkII 'Brodie' Helmets with netting added to them, which smooths their shape a bit. As with the previous set, you also get a man with a beret, and another one with an officer cap. The standout figure of the lot is the kneeling Bren gunner firing behind the tree stump. One thing to be aware of with this set is that they all come with backpacks as well, except for the officer. This means however that you want to make sure that you glue the officer's head on the body without the hole in the back. Just in case you were contemplating gluing the officer's head on a different pose. I suppose you could always fill the hole in the back with putty if you really wanted to mix and match the heads and bodies.

Expeditionary Force British Machine Gun Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Machine Gun Section - Pacific War
This is the third set of British Infantry for the Pacific Theater of Operations. They are wearing the Bridie style helmet, but as opposed to the Defense Section, they are doing so without the netting, which gives these helmets a flatter appearance. The set consists to 2 MG teams firing a water cooled Vickers heavy Machine Gun. Each team consists of a gunner, an ammo loader and a third man directing fire. Additionally, there are three support troops. As is the case with all Expeditionary Force sets, you can swap bodies and arms, so if you wanted to, every man on the MG teams could be kneeling, and all the support troops can be made to stand. I chose to mix it up a bit.

Expeditionary Force British HQ Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British HQ Section - Pacific War - Part I
These British HQ guys came with berets as headgear. I am thinking that this allows them to be painted as commandos or even Paras. In terms of their weaponry, this set also came with a heavy MG, which I assume was meant as an alternative for the piat pose, but I decided to give it to one of the standing guys. This means that I will need to find some wall or something else to lean him against, but I really like how it turned out. Note also that I have him a head without any cover and I glued a helmet at his base. He must have lost it in the heat of the moment!

Expeditionary Force British HQ Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British HQ Section - Pacific War - Part II
The rest of the HQ section, with the 3 standard poses (mortar, radio, and piat) and a couple of supporting guys. Note that here I have turned one of the kneeling guys into the NCO which is directing the movement of the guys behind him. In the case of the Australians, I glued those arms to a standing figure. 

Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part I
The British mortar crews come with two options for headgear. You can give them turtle helmets as I did for this first crew, or berets as you will see below - and with the NCO coordinating fire in this picture. Again, I have tried to mix up the loaders and ammo handlers so that there's some variety on who is standing vs crouching and which side of the mortar they are standing on. 

Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part II
Here I have made the loader kneel, and instead of dropping the shell into the mortar he is performing some adjustments before firing the shell. This crew also got the officer to direct the operation. 

Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force British Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part III
This last crew got issued berets, which means that I could use them as a crew for Paras, who don't have a lot of heavy weapons options. I also assigned them the radio man, who happens to be a bit distracted and reaching for his rifle, perhaps because he saw something threatening on his flank?

Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part I
This set is a bit different because while they are part of the Pacific series, the fact that they are Scottish troops opens up the possibility of using them as B8A guys in North Africa or the ETO. Which is a good option given the few heavy weapons available from other vendors for that service branch. 

Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part II
It is quite nice how just the bonnet makes these guys look significantly different from the other mortar crews in the series. BTW, one small mistake I made was to place the container for the piat's rounds next to the mortar, thinking that it was meant to contain mortar shells. 

Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War
Expeditionary Force Scottish Mortar Section - Pacific War - Part III
In this set I decided to give turn the NCO into more of a fighting figure. Not only did he get a Sten gun which he is using to cover his men, but he also got a highlander's cap instead of the bonnet, which by the way, includes some pretty cool ribbons hanging from the back. Just a little extra touch to make him stand out.

Mars British Commonwealth Troops
Mars British Commonwealth Troops
This release from Mars portrays British Commonwealth Troops, which I guess means that you could use them as any number of nationalities. I know many collectors would like to use them as Canadian. What's nice about them is that a couple of them are wearing a leather vest, which I gather is called a jerkin. Another nice touch is that among their poses they have a prone piat firing team. As far as I recall, only 21C had made a prone piat firing paratrooper, but it did not have a loader. The set is pretty good overall, with almost all figures in good action, fighting poses. My only disappointment is the figure on the left, which I find very poorly sculpted. Like several other Mars figures, his arms are tucked next to his body as if he were trying to hold something with his arm pits. He actually looks worse when you look at him directly from the front. I really wish by now Mars had figured out how to properly sculpt arms in more natural positions.

Speira Miniatures British Support Troops - Part I
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
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.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Introducing the Polish Infantry

Latest edit: Added Speira AA MG Team
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The Polish army leading up to WWII was not very well prepared for the upcoming conflict. It numbered about 1 million men, had about two hundred tanks, three times as many tankettes, and about 800 planes of all types. While Poland did anticipate that war with Germany was likely, they assumed they had more time to modernize and strengthen their military, particularly their armor and air forces. As war drew nearer in 1939, defense plans were drafted, but even those were too optimistic, assuming that Poland would be able to defend itself for several months, thus buying time to mobilize more troops and allow France and England to open up a second front against Germany. This defensive plan also called for defending right along the border, where the terrain was less favorable, as well as defending the 'Polish Corridor' which connected Poland to the Baltic Sea, with about a third of their troops. This was not very wise, because the Polish Corridor neighbored Germany to the west and German East Prussia to the east, and therefore could be cut off if attacked from both sides at its base. Polish armor was also thinly spread out as infantry support, instead of concentrated as dedicated armored units. As it turned out, when war broke out on September 1, 1939, the German attack proved too fast for the Polish. The Germans deployed their Blitzkrieg doctrine for the first time. This consisted of fast, enveloping armor attacks, supported by strong air tactical support, mostly provided by Stuka dive bombers and followed up by infantry units that would mop up or capture the remaining encircled defenders. In the first week of the war, despite some local successes, the surviving Polish army units quickly fell back towards Warsaw, and during the second week, the withdrawal continued towards Romania where the Polish command thought the could mount a more effective defense. Additional Polish troops which were being mobilized were ineffective, and many of them became casualties while headed to the front as their transports were bombed from the air. Unfortunately, by September 17, the Soviet Union attacked the Polish rearguard from the east, rendering the defensive plan moot. Poland, as a nation, never surrendered and fighting continued through October 6, when the last Polish forces were defeated. France and England did declare war on Germany on September 3rd, but no forces were deployed on time to help Poland in any way. At the end of the conflict, close to 875,000 Polish soldiers had become casualties or POWs. 66,000 of them were killed in action. About 120,000 men did escape into neutral Romania and eventually found their way to fight with the Allies. Comparatively, the Germans had 59,000 casualties, of which a bit over 17,000 were killed in action and they also lost about 10% of their attacking tanks and aircraft. The fact that the campaign only lasted 6 weeks, had somehow made me think that this was not a very costly conflict, but the casualty figures say otherwise. As far as toy soldiers, perhaps due to the brevity of the conflict, there had not been any Polish infantry figures made in 1/32 scale. After many years of waiting, that changed recently, when Speira Miniatures released a set of 10 3D printed figures. Let's take a look!

Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry
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
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!

Speira Miniatures Polish Infantry - Part III
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. 



Saturday, January 18, 2025

Hanomak - Toy Soldiers

Latest edit: Soviet Naval Infantry 'Kerch Set' and Soviet 45mm Anti-Tank Gun with Crew
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Hanomak is a recent entrant into the 1/32 Plastic Toy Soldier space. They are based out of Russia and they seem to be mostly focused on WWII figures. I only became aware of them last year, 2021, but they seem to be moving quickly in the production and release of their sets with at least 6 or so released so far and a few more in the works. Aside from WWII, they have also released a set of Celts/Ancient warriors. Their presence online is sparse. I mainly keep up with their releases through an Instagram account and third party posts on Facebook groups. This also makes it a bit hard to purchase their figures. You might be able to find them on eBay, or you need a direct connection with a dealer in Russia. The material of their figures is soft rubber, which means that weapons bend very easily. I suspect that will present a bit of a challenge when painting them and making sure the paint stays on, but nothing that can't be solved with a coat of Plastidip. A few of their sets also require gluing of hands/weapons/equipment, which is not as simple with their soft rubber as it is with harder plastic, but it is doable. In terms of their choices of sets, so far they favor less common aspects of the Eastern Front. For example, mountain troops or NKVD troops. Hanomak also seems to have made some type of deal/partnership with Vympel, another relatively new manufacturer, and they have purchased/released their set of Das Reich German soldiers under the Hanomak brand. This made it a bit confusing for a while as it was not clear what brand to search for if you were looking for those figures.  I recently received several of their new sets so let's take a look at them.

Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops
Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part I
This set represents the Soviet Troops that were deployed to take back Mount Elbrus, during the 1942/43 German offensive into the Caucasus. The sculpting and level of detail does deliver what you would expect from a set addressing this subject. Starting with the poses, I really like that they are not just climbing, but they are actually engaged in battle. The bases and the equipment that they carry takes care of conveying the setting, from the obvious ropes and tools, to the more subtle crampon shoes, woolen socks, googles, etc, you can tell where these guys are fighting. I also like the rugged appearance of the men. Whether those beards are to keep warm, or reflect the complexities of maintaining the dress code at high altitude, they fit these guys very well.

Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops
Hanomak Soviet Mountain Troops - Part II
Across the six figures you can also see a nice range of weapons in use. We have a few PPSh-41 sub-machineguns, a sniper rifle, and a very welcome Degtyaryov machine gun on a bipod firing across a valley. Then there's also the grenade pack suggesting more intense close quarter combat, as they struggled to occupy and retain the high ground. My only concern at this point is the fact that I will only have six poses to man the defenses. Overall, a nice set, representing a unique subject, executed pretty well. Worth adding to the collection.

Hanomak German Mountain Troops
Hanomak German Mountain Troops
And these are the worthy opponents to the Soviet Mountain Troops. They are also a nicely detailed set, with plenty of mountaineering equipment on them. Crampons, ropes, pikes, googles, backpacks, as well as a good variety of fighting weapons. In terms of poses, I prefer the five on the left a they are actually doing something and can be used in a battle context. I particularly like the kneeling machine gunner. The man fending off an attack with his pike is also interesting, although I wonder why he is not using his sub machine gun. Maybe out of ammo, in which case he might be better off letting go off it and pulling out his knife? Another interesting pose is the man throwing the grenade. I like how he has two bags hanging around his neck full of grenades. And then there's the guy on the right. He gets a 10 for the level of detail, but I wish he had been posed doing something more than just standing around. I think he is supposed to he smoking a pipe. I chose not to glue it. It would just make him appear more relaxed than he already is. BTW, as I just implied, this set also requires the gluing of several weapons/accessories. Nothing too complicated, except for the fact that the rubbery material bends a bit too easily. Anyhow, all in all a pretty nice set which will complement the Airfix figures well. 

Hanomak Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest
Hanomak Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest
A good set to add to your ranks of Soviet infantry. By itself, it does not really give you enough of a fighting unit, but they are good 'character' figures to enhance your Red Army. The most interesting figures here are the female medic helping the wounded soldier, while firing a pistol, and the wounded man holding (or throwing?) a grenade. They are made to fit nicely with each other. The downside is that they don't really make much sense without each other. The bugler firing his pistol is also interesting and unique. The officer and the man firing his sub machine gun on the go are both nicely sculpted and useful battle poses. The wounded man standing around is the only pose that I think could have been used for a better purpose, particularly because we already had a wounded man in the set. But I suppose the idea was to convey the desperate situation faced by the defenders of the Brest Fortress. 

Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division
Hanomak Waffen SS - Das Reich Division
This is an interesting set for a couple of reasons. Originally, when the pre-release pictures came out, they were published by company called Vympel, but later it seems that Hanomak purchased the rights and began distributing it. This caused a bit of confusion. Also, the original pictures had 6 figures in it, however one of them was of a slightly larger scale, so Hanomak decided to not release it as part of this set. Probably a good decision. These five poses are true 1/32 scale, meaning, smaller than the 'Big 1/32' scale that Hanomak uses for their other figures. In terms of the figures themselves, they are all nicely sculpted, and good action poses. My only criticism is that they also require you to glue some of the hands/weapons to the figures. The molds have pins and holes in them to help with this but the rubbery material makes them useless because the pins bend when you try to put them into the holes. So the only solution is to slice off the pins and glue them as best as you can line up the arms with the hands. The other criticism is that the hands that come wit the weapons are smaller than the hands that come attached to the arms. Not very noticeable, but not great either. What I really like is the cammo foliage on the helmet of the second guy from the left, in addition to his overall stance. A great pose. And the machine gunner is also very nicely done. A unique variation on the pose. The sandbags are a separate piece so you can place your machine gunner behind a wall or any other protection you want. Lastly, the fact that most of them are wearing cammo smocks -even the commander- means that when these guys are painted they will look even more interesting. 

Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards
Hanomak Soviet NKVD - Border Guards
At first glance these figures could be thought of as regular Soviet Infantry. Upon further inspection, I there are a few clues that confirm the name of the set. The first one is that they are all wearing a cap with a visor. I don't know if this is because all member of the NKVD force were officers, but it seems that when I see pictures of them, they are all wearing such cap. Then you have the guy with the dog, and also the machine gunner. If you watched enemy at the gates, those machine gunners are hard to forget. And then there are also the two guys standing around, likely detaining or interrogating someone. Two of the poses do seem to represent the political officers who were attached to front line units, to influence and monitor them ideologically. These officers would also fight alongside them and one can only imagine that either to demonstrate the strength of their political convictions or due to them, they would have led by example and tried to inspire their men, as the man with the flag is doing. In terms of the sculpting, no complaints. Nicely detailed, well proportioned, good poses. Similar rubbery material as the other sets, but in this case you only have to glue the shield to the machine gun. 

Hanomak Soviet SMERSH - Liquidation Set
Hanomak Soviet SMERSH - Liquidation Set
Another niche topic SMERSH was the military intelligence unit of the Soviet Army. In this set they are supposed to be hunting German sympathizers in liberated territories. Given that the three sympathizers are shown in more active fighting poses, I think it would have made sense to have the SMERSH guys display a little more intensity. The officer firing two pistols is OK, but the other two seem too relaxed. I am actually planning to fold the three civilian figures into my unit of partisans, and maybe use the SMERSH guys to enhance the ranks of my Soviet Infantry. I would not have enough of them to create a meaningful unit of SMERSH men. The three civilians are much more interesting. These guys may actually be former Soviet soldiers who aligned themselves with the Germans (notice the uniform under the coat, or the padded jacket and hat, and the German sub machine gun), or they could also be  Germans who ended up behind enemy lines (notice the boots and the field cap). All nicely detailed and sculpted. And nothing to glue with this set.

Hanomak German Infantry Officer
Hanomak German Infantry Officer
  Hanomak has produced a few extra figures that you can purchase separately. This is a German officer who is surrendering. H is nicely detailed, wearing gloves, spectacles, and his briefcase is lying at his feet. Note that he is also wearing a Y-harness, typically worn by the infantry men to attach and carry their kit/gear. So maybe this guy was a frontline officer, but he looks a bit too polished to me. More like a staff officer who would hang out at the rear, where he would not need to carry around a kit. What do you think? There are three other individual poses that I did not buy. All of them are German casualty figures (one of them a Mountain Troop), lying flat on the ground, too neatly for how you would expect a body to fall, so I took a pass.

Hanomak Soviet Partisans
Hanomak Soviet Partisans
This depicts the wide range of folks who took arms against the German invaders behind enemy lines. You can see fighting age men in Soviet army attire who are likely men who got encircled and left behind the German advance. There are older men fighting with farming gear, there are women who may have been civilians or maybe also Soviet army regulars, and there's even a teenager who is cursing and ready to throw a rock. And there's also the guy operating the radio which allowed them to coordinate their operations with the main Soviet forces. A good set from Hanomak which will complement well the other partisan sets that came before. 

Vympel Germans In Search of Shambhala
Vympel Germans In Search of Shambhala
I believe this set represents the German expedition led by Ernst Schaefer in 1938-39 to Tibet. The Nazi regime was interested in all things mystical and Shambhala, located in Tibet, is at the center of such mystical prophecies. I mainly care about this set because it has a few figures which can be used to enhance my unit of German mountain troops, particularly the two German men in the front row. The one figure that I don't have much use for is the one who appears to be a Tibetan holy man. It is nonetheless nicely detailed and interesting. BTW, I am not sure if this set is now owned by Hanomak, as was the case with the "Das Reich" set, or if Vympel remains a standalone firm, so for now I am listing them in this post. 

Hanomak German Nordland Division
Hanomak German Nordland Division
This is an interesting set representing the SS division made of volunteers from Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Some of its figures could be used as Mountain Troops, or in general as Winter Troops. The Nordland Division fought primarily on the northern flank of the eastern front, so their outfits are appropriate for that climate. The two figures that I don't care much for are the female which appears to be a camp guard, and the cameraman. The former seems unrelated to a combat panzergrenadier division. The latter might have been there documenting the fighting, but in a set of just six figures I would rather have another fighting pose. I might probably use him if I ever setup a scene of Mountain Troops climbing Mt Elbrus. As far as the sculpting of the figures, the level of detail is nice, but they feel a little stiff for me in the sense that they all are standing very straight.

Hanomak German Penal Battalion
Hanomak German Penal Battalion
Hanomak's interpretation of a penal battalion seems to be one in which troops would be heavily engaged in hand-to-hand combat. As you can see, several of these guys are fighting with knives and one of them is even wielding a wrench. I do find it odd though that one of them would be carrying his knapsack at that time. My favorite man in this set is the machine gunner, although we'll need to find the right wall/foxhole/sandbag position to place him so that he can rest the MG. The other two figures are not my favorite ones. The officer's pose and his attitude do not match that of the other figures. You'd expect that if the men are engaged in heavy fighting, the officer would be directing the action and most likely also participating in the fighting. And then there's the casualty figure. I've never been a big fan of those guys. I'd much rather get another action pose. 

Hanomak Soviet Penal Battalion
Hanomak Soviet Penal Battalion
The Soviet penal battalion set is similar in nature, in the sense that several of them are also engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, but I think I like this set better than the German one as all the poses are consistent with the level of action and useful in both a defensive and offensive scenario. I also like the sculpting and level of detail. For example, notice the bandaged hand on the man on the far right, which BTW is carrying a grenade cluster that comes off, so be careful not losing it. Note also the expression on the man firing with the captured German sub MG. You can even see his teeth individually! Another interesting bit about this set is that it comes with a traffic sign. Not a bad addition, but I would not have minded a seventh pose instead. Anyhow, all in all, a good set, which can be used really well for close quarters fighting against the German penal battalion set. 

Hanomak German Cossack
Hanomak German Cossack
This is a figure that may not be too exciting for some collectors given that it is not much of an action pose. The appeal for me came from the fact that it is a mounted Cossack. The only other German Cossacks that I am aware of are the ones released by Mars a year or two back, but all of them are on foot. So this guy is great at representing their origins riding horses in the steppes of eastern Europe, and it will also make a good commander. In terms of the sculpting the figure is reasonably well done. It has some nice touches like the luger, the hat with the German insignia, and the pelt cover under the saddle, even if the detail is not the sharpest. 

Hanomak Soviet Partisan
Hanomak Soviet Partisan
I had similar feelings about this figure as I did regarding the German Cossack. This guy is showing a bit more action firing or at least aiming his subMG, however the horse is way too relaxed. But if you want to give your partisans some variety so that not all of them are on foot, this is a decent figure to add to your collection. I wonder however how often partisans relied on horses as they seem like they would be much easier to track down. In terms of the sculpting, the figure is fairly average with a few interesting details like the bags on the horse or the rider's googles and mustache.

Hanomak German Tank Crewmen
Hanomak German Tank Crewmen
This set represents dismounted tank crews in intense close quarters combat. Well, except for the officer who seems to be taking in the action. I am not sure why they depicted him like that. This set will be a good complement to a similar set from Mars, although I am not sure that I need that much volume of dismounted tank crews. What is interesting about this set is that it was produced using digital sculpting. That's why the lines are so smooth. You notice this specially on the clothes. I have to say that I prefer the hand-sculpted figures better, but I expect that this technique will continue to improve. In fact, the 3D printing is already quite impressive. As far as the figures, they are well posed and I do like that their bodies reflect the urgency of the situation.

Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting
Hanomak German and Soviet Tank Crewmen fighting
Here is a picture of how the German guy is supposed to be combined with its Soviet counterpart. The German guy has his pistol drawn, while the Soviet guy is about to stab him. Who do you think will prevail? BTW, notice that the Soviet guy is also a tank guy, which suggests that these two crews disabled each other's tanks, which would have had to happen at very close range for them to end up fighting hand-to-hand or were part of a larger tank battle and ended up running into each other while evacuating from the battlefield. Neither scenario seems very likely to me, but hey, everything is possible in the world of plastic toy soldiers...

Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen
Hanomak Soviet Tank Crewmen
This is the counterpart to the German dismounted tank crew. Similarly to that set, these guys are engaged in intense close quarters fighting, except for the guy who is holding his binoculars while his comrades struggle for survival. The poses are fairly decent, depicting the intensity of the moment. The only guy that I don't quite like is the man firing the subMG. His body is too stiff. You would expect him to be crouching slightly, even if only to brace himself from the recoil of his weapon. The detail on these guys is also fairly smooth -few creases on their uniforms, hardly any wrinkles on their faces-, due to the digital sculpting. These guys will join forces with some other dismounted tank men from Engineer Bassevich. 

Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army
Hanomak Finnish Lapland Army
This is a very interesting and unique set from Hanomak. It represents the Finnish troops who fought the Germans after Finland stopped fighting the Soviets. The set is organized around a small anti-tank gun. The gun comes in multiple pieces and requires some assembly. I had to glue my together so that it would stay in place. The figures are all well posed and relevant to the situation. What is perhaps most interesting about them is the variety of uniforms. The man kneeling with the ammo is wearing a double-breasted jacket, the man firing the pistol seems to be wearing some kind of smock over his uniform, while the other three are wearing the more traditional Finnish uniform for enlisted men and officers. The set comes with an extra box of what appears to be armor-piercing ammo, as well as a few lose shells to place in the box and the guy's back.

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry in the Arctic
Hanomak Soviet Arctic Troops
Even though this set is supposed to represent troops fighting in or around the Arctic Circle, there are only two guys who seem to be dressed adequately for the occasion -the officer and the man sitting on the ground seem to be pretty snug, but the other guys would be freezing. Or perhaps they are fighting in the summer months and we now have figures to defend the Arctic year-round? Jokes aside I actually bought this set to get my hands on the four naval infantry figures. I also don't have much use for the officer who is just standing around. But the three guys on the left, are in very nice action/fighting poses and will be a good addition to the unit. The guy who is aiming his handgun upwards is nice in terms of the sculpting and detail, but will also have limited uses on the battlefield. 

Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops
Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops
These figures are meant to represent the non-combat branch of the SS. These guys in particular seem to be the ones that might be found guarding the Nazi headquarters or standing at attention during the military parades. In the early years of the regime, they would have likely worn black uniforms for ceremonial purposes. One thing I wish had been done with this set is to provide two or three guards with the same pose. That way they could be placed guarding a door or lined up next to a parade observing the same stance. I would have gladly traded one or two of the officers for more guards. And the female guard, that one seems like she could be working at a concentration camp for women. Not a scene I care to recreate, so I really don't have much use for her. Overall a decent set that will give me a few more good poses for a parade scene. These will be the guys around the podium. In terms of scale, these guys are closer to true 1:32.

Hanomak German Infantry 45th Division - Part I
Hanomak German Infantry 45th Division - Part I
These guys are certainly a unique set. The only other German troops in a raft that I am aware of are the ones that came with the Revell Combat Engineers. These guys can now join them in their river crossing. About the figures themselves, all three fit very well in the contours of the raft. The raft itself feels a bit narrow. They could have probably made it a bit wider and allowed a fourth man to sit in the middle. But I am not complaining. Definitely a nice addition to the German troops!

Hanomak German Infantry 45th Division - Part II
Hanomak German Infantry 45th Division - Part II
These are the other three figures in the set. I am not sure what they have to do with the raft. We already have enough firing rifle men, or prone guys. And I don't care much about dead poses. So I would have been happier with another raft and a slightly different crew. Or just the raft and crew at half the price. But well, sometimes you have to get some filler figures to get the special ones. 

Hanomak German PAK Gun with Crew
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. 

Hanomak Soviet Infantry Citadel - Part I
Hanomak Soviet Infantry 'Citadel' - Part I
This is an interesting set from Hanomak. I am pretty sure it represents the defenders of the Brest Fortress, as Hanomak also made a set to represent the German 45th division, which is the unit that led the attack on Brest. Another clue is that most of the men are wearing what appears to be officer caps. That's because the fortress was defended not only by regular army troops, but also by NKVD and border guard units, who also wore such caps. In terms of the sculpting, it is OK for the most part, although I wish that the two poses on the right were leaning a bit more forward, consistent with their momentum. If you feel that something is missing from the second man from the left, that's because he is meant to be striking a German lying beneath him. He comes as part of the 'Dogs of the Reich' set, which I don't have yet. 

Hanomak Soviet Infantry Citadel - Part II
Hanomak Soviet Infantry 'Citadel' - Part II
Here's the view of the two men behind the fortress walls. One of them is simply firing his rifle from the waist in a kneeling position. The other one, is a shirtless man running/jumping over the wall, using a wooden door as a ramp and ready to engage in intense hand to hand combat with his entrenching tool. Something to know is that most of these guys -except for the prone man and the one striking with his rifle- must be glued together. Not a problem if you have a good glue. These two guys while a bit bulky will look quite good if/when I get around to painting them. All in all a nice set. 

Hanomak German and Soviet Infantry 'Confrontation' Set
Hanomak German and Soviet Infantry 'Confrontation' Set
Sets in which figures can't be set up on their own are not my favorite as they limit their usefulness. These guys however seem useful for hand to hand combat scenes and there aren't that many figures like these available. What's most interesting about these guys is that there are two pairs in which there's a Soviet guy stabbing a German and their knives can actually fit into a cavity in the Germans' bodies. In terms of the sculpting, I think that the German man standing on the right, seems to relaxed and straight for the situation that he finds himself in. In that situation he would be leaning forward with bent knees and perhaps his torso also writhing in pain towards his left as he just got stabbed. More like the German guy on the left side who is responding more realistically to the blade sliding into his gut. The guys in the fistfight are fairly decent, although I also think that the Soviet feels a bit stiff. He could be swinging his upper body more. 

Hanomak German Nebelwerfer with Crew
Hanomak German Nebelwerfer with Crew
This is a very well received set from my perspective. I only have one other nebelwerfer in my collection and that one does not have a crew. What's interesting about this one though is that it appears to represent the nebelwerfer 42 which had 5 barrels as opposed to the nebelwerfer 41 which had 6. However, the ammunition being depicted is the one for the nebelwerfer 41. The ammunition for the nebelwerfer 42 had a pointed warhead, as opposed the the phallic shape of the 41's ammo. But given how unusual it is to have such a set, I am not going to get too picky about the ammo mismatch. In addition to the 3 crew men, the set also comes with a sandbag emplacement. I am not a big fan of it. I would have rather had more figures or a lower price point instead of the sandbags. Also, be mindful that the nebelwerfer requires a bit of assembly and gluing, but nothing complicated.

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 1
Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 1
I am not sure why Hanomak has released their Naval Infantry figures in two sets of 3. Here are the first 3. The two men standing are OK. The man on the left is a bit too straight for my taste, but his redeeming quality is that he is actually firing a captured German light machine gun - looks like an mg 34. The man on the right is just right as far as his stance and I like that he is wearing a helmet to give the unit a bit of variety in terms of head gear. And that leaves the prone guy. I think he is the most interesting guy in the set. If you look closely, he is holding a cluster of hand grenades, the kind that you might use to blow up the tracks of a tank. Is that the reason why he is crawling? It is also a nice detail that he is wearing two full ammo belts across his chest which will give him some good color once he is painted. I really like Soviet Naval infantry, so I am happy to add these to the ranks and I am eagerly waiting to get my hands on part 2 of these 'Baltika' guys!

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 2 - Part I
Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 2 - Part I
Here is the rest of the squad. Very nicely done, both in terms of the poses and the detail. The man firing the light machine gun on the go is nice enough, but the two man team carrying the machine gun is the special treat here. I am usually not a fan of figures that can't be deployed on their own as it limits their use. In this case, these two guys clearly go together. While the guy in the front could be made to drag the machine gun on his own (and I did glue the MG only to the guy in front to preserve that possibility), the second guy would look awkward leaning down and grabbing nothing, so not a lot of other things for him to do than help his buddy. But theses guys are unique enough that it's worth it to invest two poses to create this team vignette.

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 2 - Part II
Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Baltika' Set 2 - Part II
To better appreciate the detail on the MG and also how the back man is grabbing it I took a second picture. The second guy's hand is made so well that he can hold the tip of the muzzle in the cup of his hand formed by his folded fingers. It is also worth mentioning that the bipod for the light machine gun also comes detached and it must be glued to it. I use Maxi Cure from Bob Smith Industries. You need very little and it creates que seems like a permanent bond even across very small attachment surfaces.  

Hanomak German PAK 36 with Crew
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. 

Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part I
Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part I
As you can see, this anti-tank gun is operated by a 4-man crew. One man is loading and firing the gun, another is handing him the ammunition. A third one is dealing with the cases containing additional ammunition, and the fourth one is observing and directing the fire. A good crew which can probably be deployed to help with other artillery pieces. In addition to the men you also get a wooden defensive position to go with it. I feel that this set is sculpted at a slightly better level of quality and detail than other Hanomak sets. The posing feels less rigid and more natural. Perhaps if you want to be highly critical, the hands could be done slightly better, and the 45 mm shell being held by one of the men feels a bit too thin, but other than that, I think this is one of their best sets.

Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part II
Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part II
Here's a view from the front to appreciate the detail on the front of the wooden barricade. I probably would have preferred to be able to buy the gun without it. I don't really need it and I would rather pay a lower price, but given that you get it, and it is reasonably nicely detailed,  I should be able to incorporate it into some defensive works for this or some other artillery unit, specially once it is painted as it has pretty nice texture on the wood and the rocky ground. 

Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part III
Hanomak Soviet 45 mm Anti-Tank Gun 'Sorokapyatka' - Part III
I took this other picture to try to show the different parts that have to be glued to put together the gun. The gun comes as 11 separate parts, 3 of which have to be glued quite precisely to assemble the gun's operating mechanism. What makes it harder is that there are no instructions and some of these parts come attached to their sprue and it is not clear where to cut. Some of the plastic is needed as a pin to be inserted into some small holes, and some of the plastic is simply excess material but it all looks the same. Fortunately I found some pictures of some real guns out there on the internet that guided me in this process. Another thing I had to fiddle with is the gluing and positioning of the trails. At first it seemed like they were going to end up with the hole for the pin that keeps them together on the outside, but it is supposed to go in the middle. After some trial and error I figured out how to glue them in a way that the holes are on the inside. This was not intuitive given how the parts are designed to fit together. In fact, at the online store where I bought them, the pictures they show have them glued incorrectly.

Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Kerch Set'
Hanomak Soviet Naval Infantry 'Kerch Set'
I an a big fan of Soviet Naval infantry figures, so when I saw this set I had to get it. I know that many will find the guy getting off the boat a bit odd. I do to. In fact, I really dislike such figures because they limit extremely where and how that figure can be used. Obviously not many of us have a harbor setup where we can attach the bow of this boat to some other partial ship. Anyhow, my plan is to cut off the section of boat and use the plank to get in and out of some ruined buildings. I considered giving the man another base entirely, and that would not be too hard because he is not fixed into the base. His feet simply plug into it. But the angle at which he would be standing relative to level ground would be off. Another figure which is a bit odd is the one walking on water. Yes, they have sculpted a wave under him! And it is not even a great looking wave. It resembles more a big foot with toes. So here what I am planning to do is to simply decorate the base with rubble once I paint the guy. Other than that the figures are really nice, well posed, with realistic uniforms and weapons, and well detailed -look as those mustaches :-). They will be a nice addition to the Soviet sailors fighting in the ruins of Stalingrad or Sevastopol! BTW, if you were wondering about the name of this set, Sevastopol and the Kerch Peninsula are both in the Crimea which the Soviet sailors helped to liberate.