Shown below are the figures in their "raw" state in the numbers required for a German "Leg" Cross Fire infantry platoon. Remember there are three of these infantry platoons to the "Leg" company.
Shown below are the same selection of figures with the rear boys now to the front. This is a very neat variety of poses and IMHO so atmospheric to the summer of 1942 in Stalingrad.
Other figures from the same pack, useful for the Company Command and Heavy Weapon Platoon are shown below. There is only one omission, in that the figures do not include an 81mm mortar section. However I have a SHQ mortar pack that will fit in nicely, slightly later war but never mind.
The officer looking through the binoculars always strikes me as so sinister. The blackened NCO on the bottom right is using a captured Russian SMG which I thought was a nice touch. The MMG team set up for firing and the MMG team moving will be very useful in certain skirmish rule sets to distinguish between firing eligibility.
This painting batch is slightly different from the Platoon 20 British and the Valiant Americans as the plastic is much softer, which means it needs the watered down PVA treatment which will be interesting! The figures themselves are really nice, but I did take the trouble to remove some ever so fine flash markings as I new they would destroy the look of the figures if I left them as is. My only dislike was the firing MMG team, it looks great but came in four parts. There was the base, the MMG gunner and the No2 (but in two sections/halves) which resulted in a bit of a superglue hell. Luckily the phone did not ring during the process (old joke).
I am hoping to really "factory process" these ones en masse, as I do not believe the figures lose you in detail (as Platoon 20 and Valiant do, in a very nice way) so after a shade undercoat, the base colour and a light highlight I think I will be there. No strange camouflage to worry about and fairly basic black strapping, boots and those water bottles etc. If in doubt make them look dusty and dirty. I have seen plenty of other sites showing these figures in simple but effective schemes :)
3 comments:
I really like this set, Revell spent some time on research for this set and came out with what I believe is a masterpiece.
I have often thought that the NCO is not carrying a russki blurp gun but rather a Bergman MP-28...but I could be wrong. My thinking on this is that the German poses are for the Barbarossa invasion of 1941, when the PPsh41 was still on the drawing board and yet to achieve production.
I could be wrong...
Ah, interesting I'll have to Google the Bergman MP-28 :)
Yes I like these figures too, skinny but in a real way. The poses are good without being fussed about fiddly detail. Their opponents, the Russian box were good too but seemed to come in so many parts, a bit like that bloomin firing MMG.
Great choice of figures Geordie, wish they had done a follow-up set similar to the Pegasus one. I also think that the NCO is armed with the MP28.
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