Introducing the German Waffen SS

 The latest addition is the Plastic Platoon Waffen SS (Berlin) at the bottom of the post.

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The Waffen-SS was the armed branch of the National Socialist Party. A large number of its members were volunteers. Many of them were hard core believers in the party ideology; many others saw themselves engaged in a crusade against Bolshevism. In any case, that made them a highly motivated fighting force to deal with. The Waffen-SS also raised multiple divisions with conscripts from the occupied territories, many of them ethnic Germans. The 38 SS Divisions fought alongside the regular German Army and were under control of the German Army High Command. Their legacy has been tainted because several Waffen-SS units committed crimes against POWs and civilians, and because they were part of the overall SS organization which was responsible for many of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Nonetheless, as a military fighting force, they earned themselves a reputation as elite troops.

The Waffen-SS was often outfitted with cammo clothing. In the pictures below you can see two platoons. One of them is wearing the spring/summer cammo pattern in green and the other one is wearing the fall pattern with orange/brown tones. Towards the end of the war, the uniform code was fairly relaxed, if for no other reason that they were suffering substantial supply problems. I've tried to reflect that in the painting scheme of these figures, who are wearing different types of clothing throughout the unit. You may notice that some figures appear in both sets, while some others appear only in one of them, so if you want to see all the figures produced by a given manufacturer you will need to look at both sets and identify the unique poses. In terms of manufacturers, this is a service branch that was not covered broadly in the past, but has received better coverage recently. Let's take a look. 

Conte Waffen SS

Nice mix of cammo smocks and regular field grey uniform items. Notice also the helmet covers. I really like the second guy from the right. A very dynamic pose conveying lots of action.

Conte German Infantry

These are a few figures taken from the regular German Infantry set and made to wear cammo trousers to give me a few extra poses/weapons to complete the set.

Italeri German Elite Troops

Notice how Italeri shied away from calling them Waffen-SS. I wonder if it really makes a difference in terms of sales. Anyhow, some of their figures are wearing extra layers to keep warm which suggests that these men were fighting in the very early spring. You will see why that matters a bit further below.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I

Toy Soldiers of San Diego also called them elite troops. Nonetheless, they came out with a very good set. First manufacturer that I am aware of to produce mounted WW II troops. The machine gun team is also very well done.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II

Some more nicely sculpted poses. The guy on the left offers a bit of drama to any scene he participates in. The  man with the sniper rifle is wearing one of those tent quarters (Zeltbahn) which could be joined with another 3 parts to make a tent in the form of a pyramid to get some protection from the elements.

TSSD Germans in Long Coats

Well, these guys are not really Waffen SS, but I threw them in to get a few more poses and also to further relax the uniform code in the unit. Since we are assuming they are fighting in the early spring, a coat might have come in handy.

Conte Waffen SS - Part I

This is the first set of the fall cammo pattern. This one contains the commanding officer, which can actually be used to command the spring troops as well. The guy who is looking back is wearing field grey trousers in this set.

Conte Waffen SS - Part II

This set contains two figures that were not present in the spring cammo set. Can you find them?

Conte German Infantry

As with the green set, I recruited a couple of regular army guys to complete the set, and also because your squad can always use an extra MG-42. The guy who is leaning/running as he fires is one of my favorite Conte figures, so he was easy to include.

MPC and CTS German Infantry

These two guys also came with regular infantry sets. The green set already had a prone guy with an MG-42, so we had to balance that out. The CTS sniper man is wearing cammo clothing which made him an ideal candidate for this unit.

Italeri German Elite Troops

Nice inclusion of a panzerschreck figure. This was the German equivalent of a bazooka, but with a more powerful 88mm round, which earned it its nickname 'panzer terror'.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part I

This picture is showing the second mounted figure, including a different horse.

TSSD German Elite Troops - Part II

Showing the same figures from the spring set from a different angle.

TSSD Germans in Long Coats

Containing two new guys that were not painted for the spring set. Note also how underneath the coat you can see a bit of the cammo pattern in the guy who is running. Again, assuming they were fighting in the late fall, coats would have been appropriate.

Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part I

CTS just released a new set of German 'Assault Troops'. Considering that most of them are wearing cammo smocks I am going to paint them as Waffen SS, to go along with the other figures depicted on this post. I like that some of the poses are a bit different from what has typically been done in the past for such weapons. For instance, the panzerschreck is held by a prone guy and the man operating the MG 42 is not actually firing it, but urging on his comrades.

Classic Toy Soldiers German Assault Troops - Part II

These other poses are also nice and interesting. Note the guy with the flamethrower on the right, and the guy pulling the cord off the hand grenade. The guy surrendering is not my favorite as I prefer fighting poses, but even that is original.

TSSD German Infantry expansion set

These are some recently released German guys that complement the TSSD German 'Elite Troops'. They will paint well as SS guys in cammo gear or as regular Landser wearing winter gear, as they go well the Germans with long coats, with the nice added touch that they come with a different head gear. You can't see well in the picture, but the man on the right is holding/throwing a grenade also. The only thing to complain about is that they only released four poses.  

Mars German Elite Division (Waffen SS)

I love that Mars has thrown its hat into the WWII 1/32 ring, and are coming up with sets that had not received as much attention in the past. As far as this 'Elite Infantry' set, I have to say that it is just OK. For some reason the way the clothes look on the legs of these figures seems a bit artificial. Either too baggy, or the men's legs are too skinny to fill them... not sure what's going on. I also found it amusing that they preferred to avoid calling the set Waffen SS and went with 'Elite Division'. Anyhow, the poses are dynamic enough for my taste, and they could easily be used as regular infantry if you also wanted to avoid depicting Waffen SS troops.

Plastic Platoon Waffen SS / Elite Troops

By now it should be clear to anyone reading this blog that I love Plastic Platoon's figures. They've set a new standard in the Plastic Toy Soldier world with their amazing level of detail and the energy and high level of action in their poses. That's mostly true with this set as well, except that in this set the faces have gone off the rails. They definitely over did them. I don't know if the intention was to depict these men as evil, but their expressions resemble that of possessed zombies or something along those lines. Other than that, this set is just as exciting as any of their prior ones. Just look at the man firing the machine gun a-la-Rambo. Or the man on the right with the Stg 44. Really well posed and detailed. The sniper is also very nicely done, although with that big rock underneath him, it limits the places where he could be posed. Still a great set and looking forward to set 2 of PP's Waffen SS figures.  

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. 

Plastic Platoon Waffen SS Heavy Weapons

PP's second set of Waffen SS Troops has not disappointed. It's only five figures, but they are all very well done. The faces are not as extreme as in the previous set, although still a bit in that sharp style, particularly the machine gunner. The machine gun is probably the crown piece in this set, and I am pretty sure that's why there are only five figures in this set. The machine gun by itself with its elaborate base was probably more work to make than a figure. That's how detailed it is. The man firing the gun, is actually cast separately and placed on the base by hooking up his hands to the machine gun's handle. The ammo holder is a separate figure, and the base of the gun has a notch that fits perfectly with the ammo box so that you don't have to guess where to place him. The panzerschreck team is also very well posed and detailed and it's definitely good to have a loader with it. The fifth man is interesting because he seems to be firing a captured Bren gun. In terms of gear you can tell that these guys were late war guys. They are wearing a mix of cammo smocks and regular uniforms, helmets with and without covers, most of them wear puttees and shoes, although the panzerschreck loader is wearing leather boots. And the ammo loaded on the MG team is carrying an StG 44 assault rifle, which as the model name suggests, came out in the last phase of the war. This set is now very hard to get, so I was very happy to be able to get my hands on one.

Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 1

And speaking of German winter troops, Plastic Platoon has recently come up with this really nice set! The level of detail on these figures is exquisite. You can even see the fleece lining on the hood of the coats, and you can make out the helmets' insignia. The uniforms are all very authentic, the thickness of the figures is consistent with all the layers of clothing they are wearing, and the captured subMG is a nice touch. The most interesting pieces in this set are the two guys making up the MG team. The reason for that is that the MG itself, along with the hands of the man firing have been sculpted attached to the man where the MG is resting. This means that when you assemble them together, you really need to make sure they line up perfectly. Luckily they do. The other implication is that you can never deploy them separately, unless you took the time to perform some delicate conversions. Another great set from Plastic Platoon!

Plastic Platoon Elite German Winter Infantry Kharkov - Set 2

These guys are a good follow up complement to the previous set. The winter gear is just right. I really like the details like the sheepskin on the inside of some of the coats, or the cloth wrapped around their heads. Another interesting detail is the guy wearing the cap with the ear flaps. Initially I couldn't tell if that was a German or a Soviet cap, but upon closer inspection I realized that it has a German eagle insignia on the front. In terms of poses, I usually prefer fighting poses over wounded guys, but in this case, since these are part of the second set, I am OK with this wounded pose, particularly because it goes well with the medic moving towards him with the bag. Interestingly enough, the medic is holding a pistol just in case. The pose I like the most is the man exchanging the magazine. We don't get many of these, so it is a nice touch. The two other guys, are just good, solid firing poses. Overall a nice set.

Plastic Platoon German SS Infantry, Battle of Berlin

These guys will go well with the Volkssturm as they make a last effort to prevent the inevitable fall of Berlin. The first interesting bit is the presence of an Indian soldier, likely from the Indian Legion recruited from British POWs. This guy had to fight to the end or face tough consequences if captured. Another thing that they did well is the bases. I know that some folks find them too bulky or constraining in terms of the scene where the men can be used, but in this case, I find them quite appropriate. One of them is standing next to a grandfather clock, and another one is standing next to a broken gramophone, not to mention the several sections of brick wall. The weapons are all good choices for urban fighting, with a panzerpfaust and a panzerschreck, plus other automatic weapons. And similarly to the Soviet guy in the Kursk set, we have a guy handing over his ammo pouches with sub machinegun magazines to a Kamerad. Overall, a good, intense set. 

Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country

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Here's a post of the Waffen SS in action defending the Siegfried line.

Here are some pictures of the Waffen SS fighting the British in Normandy.

Introducing the German SA

Latest edit: Hanomak German Allgemeine SS Troops

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The Sturmabteilung (SA), also known as Brown Shirts, was the original muscle of the National Socialist Party when it was being formed up in the 1920s and 30s. Made up primarily by unemployed Germans and former soldiers, they took care of beating up and ejecting any hecklers or dissenters at their meetings in the Munich beer halls. As the party grew in power, they took a more offensive paramilitary role, disrupting the meetings of other parties and engaging them in street fights. Their low income background made them more radical in their ideology, favoring full socialism over more centrist economic policies. This eventually became a problem for Hitler who was trying to appeal to the bulk of the country. At its peak in 1934, the SA had about 3 million men, and had become a threat to the German Army as well as other wings of the Party such as the Schutzstaffel (SS) headed by Himmler. All this persuaded Hitler to have its leader Ernst Röhm and about 200 of his associates eliminated in what became know as 'The Night of the Long Knives'. After that, the SA was significantly downsized, with the SS rising in prominence. The SA nonetheless, continued to exist under new leadership. Among its subsequent activities, it harassed and engaged in violence against the Jewish community within Germany, with Kritsallnacht being a prime example of this. On the night of November 9, 1938, the SA destroyed over 7500 Jewish storefronts and 200 synagogues, damaged multiple cemeteries, arrested over 30,000 Jewish men, and killed several more. During the war, many of the SA men were drafted into the Army or were formed into SA-only units such as the 'Feldherrnhalle' Standarte Regiment, featured in Nazi propaganda films. These units began at the Regiment level, but grew to Division-size and even Corps-size. In the course of the war they were destroyed and reformed with new SA recruits several times over.

Atlantic German Brown Shirts - Part I

This is a harder set to find. The complete set includes Hitler as well as a jeep with a driver. If you get enough of these guys you could put together a nice parade scene. I am contemplating combining them with the Marx marching men, perhaps painted all in black. The only problem is that these guys are marching with the right foot forward, as opposed to the Marx men who are one step ahead... BTW, this set could be a bit controversial in some places because of the standard bearers, particularly in Germany, where the Nazi symbols are outlawed. 

Atlantic German Brown Shirts - Part II

Here is the rest of the set with the much harder to find Jeep and the Hitler figure. I must admit that this was one purchase that made me think twice. Not only because it was a bit pricey, but also because Hitler is definitely a character that I do not wish to glorify. In the end I made the purchase as he is certainly a key character in WWII, and also, with every other set I make an effort to find the missing figures so that I can show the complete set, so I decided I should treat this set the same way. 

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.

Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country

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Click here to check out other German Troops

Click here to see a post about the Atlantic Figures

Click here to see a post about the German Waffen SS

Click here to see a post about the German Waffen SS in action

Click here to see another post with German Waffen SS in action

Introducing the Soviet Infantry

 The latest addition is the Plastic Platoon Soviet Anti-tank teams and Battle of Kursk infantry towards the bottom of the post.

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This post is a consolidation of several Soviet Infantry posts I had previously made. It probably needs a bit more editing, but at least for now it provides a central location to see all the Soviet Infantry figures made by all manufacturers. The latest addition is the Hanomak Penal Battalion set. 

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First you can see a selection of Soviet Infantry figures from multiple manufacturers, painted to look like a single unit. Even though I painted more than 100, the total number of unique figures is only 47. Since the time I painted these figures, I have found a few more sets (Atlantic, Italeri Anti-Tank Gun Crew, Supreme Playsets) which would allow me to paint another 20 unique poses or so. But for now, this is it. 

By the way, while we are on the topic of Soviet Infantry, I have to say that in the name of accuracy, I always try to resist calling them Russian Infantry, as the Soviet army contained many more groups beyond Russians. The funny thing however is that I just realized that most of the manufacturers actually refer to them as Russian Infantry on their packaging. No wonder they are most often called this way. Anyhow, however you prefer to call them, I present them to you for your review.

Airfix Soviet Infantry

A nice solid set made in the 70's and 80's. I like how they did a good job showing how common the submachine guns were among the Soviets, particularly in the late years of the war.

Italeri Soviet Infantry

Released about 4 or 5 years ago. This is a subset of the figures that they produced in 1/72. Supreme Playsets actually came out a few months back with these 8 poses plus 4 more, based on the Italeri 1/72 figures. I bought the Supreme Playset figures just for those 4 extra poses.

MPC Soviet Infantry

I have mixed feelings about this set. The 4 guys at the ends of this picture are OK, but the other guys are a bit odd. Like what's up with that guy doing that funny step? The Cossack officer is a nice touch, but he seems to be a bit off balance. And the guy throwing the grenade seems to have a stiff neck.

Reproductions of Marx 6" Soviet Infantry Figures

The manufacturer of these guys is unclear to me. I bought them advertised as SWTS figures (Steve Weston Toy Soldiers), but I have not been able to confirm that claim. He does not mention them on his web site.

Reproductions of Marx 6" Soviet Infantry Figures - one more

Here is one more of the allegedly SWTS Soviet guys. I did not paint this one as the figure, except for the base, is almost exactly like one of the 54mm Marx guys. See the picture below, the man on the very left. I have added him to this post so that you get to see the complete set of 6.

Marx Soviet Infantry

The bottom of the base of these figures actually says 1965. The figures I painted were cast more recently, but the mold was made that year. Probably among the earliest WWII Soviet figures to be made.

Toy Soldiers of San Diego Soviet Infantry

This is a recently produced set. Nice sculpting, and good poses. The woman sniper is a good unique touch which pays tribute to the many women who fought at the front lines of the Soviet army.

ESCI Soviet Infantry

This is actually a 1/35 set. Next to some of the larger TSSD figures these guys look small, but when you need extra poses, you can't be very picky. Then again, I did not paint the officer on the right. Unfortunately, by the time I found it I already had enough officers painted but in retrospective I should have painted it as it gives me one extra pose. It is already primed and at some point it will join the ranks. BTW, I think that officer might also be a woman, but it's hard to tell for sure. The third figure from the right also looks like a woman.

Below are a few more Soviet / Russian Infantry figures that I have discovered since I painted the  figures above. Unfortunately it's going to be a while before that as there's a long queue ahead of them, but we'll get there at some point. 

Anyhow, first I'd like to show you the Soviet Infantry from Supreme Playsets. These we released only last year. They are recasts of the 1/72 Italeri Soviet Infantry. There is an important point though. While Italeri also released a Soviet Infantry set in 1/32, that set only contains 8 figures, whereas the Supreme Playsets Set contains 12. If you want to try to identify which 4 are the new ones, do so before reading the rest of the post.

 Supreme Playsets Soviet Infantry - Part I

I've already painted the Italeri Soviet Infantry set, so the only two guys that I'll be painting are the first and the third guys from the left. The one on the very left is carrying an anti-tank rifle (not sure if it is a PTRS or a PTRD), which is actually a nice and unique figure/weapon across all the Soviet Infantry sets that I have seen. He's great at taking on lightly-to-medium-armored German vehicles.

Supreme Playsets Soviet Infantry - Part II

As you can see, Supreme Playsets released these figures in two color schemes. The green base color that you see is actually the color of the plastic, and only the face is really painted. The rest of the figure just has some brown patches throughout the body. So, other than the eyes, which actually look fairly decent, the rest of the paint job is rather poor. The same is true for the brown figures in the first picture above. The two new poses that I have yet to paint (or paint over) are the first and the fourth guys from the right.

DGN Soviet Infantry - Part I

These guys all seem to be originals as far as I can tell. They are a fairly decent set in terms of detail and proportions. Some of the poses are a bit 'funny' though. For instance, the guy on the left is aiming too low. I suppose he could be placed in the upper floor of a building. The other guys in this first picture are OK. In fact, I quite like the two on the right. 

DGN Soviet Infantry - Part II

My favorite guy here is the officer. Very nicely sculpted and good body language. The grenade thrower's arm is posed at a funny angle, but other than that, these four guys make a nice batch.

DGN Soviet Infantry - Part III

These are my least favorite poses. I don't really like how they are standing. The best part is that they are all carrying sub mgs, but I don't think they would manage to survive a charge across no-man's land standing that way. 

Atlantic Soviet Infantry - Part I

The other Soviet figures that I discovered come courtesy of Atlantic. Atlantic was in production mainly during the 70's and '80s so some of these figures are more interesting from the collector's standpoint and less so because of their sculpting which is sometimes a bit stiff. Having said that, the Maxim machine gun is a pretty unique figure/weapon, and that by itself makes the set special. Here is a previous post on the Maxim Machine Gun. 

Atlantic Soviet Infantry - Part II

The second guy from the right is a good example of what I mean when I say that their sculpting is sometimes a bit awkward. The rest of the figures are fairly decent and will blend well with the rest of the painted guys once they have some color on them.  

Charbens Soviet Infantry

Charbens was in production during the 60s and 70s, but these figures look like recent casts. These guys are actually Cossacks. A couple of the poses are a bit odd, like the guy standing with his legs apart or the guy throwing the grenade. My favorite ones are the machine gun and the third guy from the right.

Cherilea Soviet Infantry

These guys are 60mm figures, but close enough in size to pass for some tall Slavic guys. They are also wearing a cossack outfit which is good to augment their number in my Soviet Army. The set comes with a flamethrower guy, a mortar, and a bazooka, which are welcome heavy weapons.

Cherilea Soviet Infantry - Vintage

Here are some of the original figures. Some of the factory paint is faded, but there is enough left to see that the pants were painted grey, while the shirt appears to have been left in the original plastic color. Not the most accurate, but I guess it made them lively and attractive. 

Italeri Soviet Anti-Tank Gun Crew

The last 6 poses that I will be painting are the ones from Italeri Soviet Anti Tank Gun Crew which I showcased in a previous post. They are all very nicely done. Unfortunately, what makes them so good -that they are really made for the anti-tank gun- is also what makes them hard to reuse in scenes without an anti-tank gun. For instance, a guy with field glasses might have been usable in a different context, but hey, I'm still really happy with the set. And BTW, if you're paying attention you might have realized that there are 7 figures in this picture. The guy on the far left does not belong to this crew. In fact, he is a German guy who sneaked into the picture by mistake when I was grabbing the figures from their box. 

21st Century Toys Soviet Infantry

These guys come painted out of the factory. They are in fact a nice set. The sculpting is good, the poses are good and the paint job is also very good. The uniform colors don't match my painted figures that well, but I still find them a nice addition to the unit.

Crescent Soviet Infantry

This set was a real find as it is not easy to come by. To my knowledge there are only 5 poses. The pose on the right is rather original. As you can see they came factory painted.  The level of detail on the sculpting is fairly decent, except for the faces which are a bit dull. All in all, a nice set to have in the collection.

Progress Soviet Infantry - Part I

These figures are closer to 60mm in size. The detail is actually rather shallow, as if they were clones of clones. I don't think that's the case though because the proportions are still fine, so I think they were simply sculpted this way. As far as the rest of the sculpting goes, the figures are well posed and in decent action stances.

Progress Soviet Infantry - Part II

The flag bearer is a rather unique figure.  He could be getting ready to climb the Reichstag building in Berlin. I am assuming the man on the right is wounded, otherwise his pose would be a bit lame. The other two are average poses.

Progress Soviet Infantry - Part III

The last guy in the set. I had actually run into this figure at a bin of figures in a soldier show a couple of years back, but since I had not been able to find the rest of the set or identify the manufacturer I had not posted him. Now he can be displayed with the rest of his gang.

Publius Brest Fortress Soviet Infantry - Part I

These are some of the best figures I have seen. I love the action-packed poses, how the movement and intensity of the fight is captured, and the great level of detail. For instance, look at the figure on the left, standing on a German helmet. I also like the man on the right firing the MG with the circular ammo drum from the hip. 

Publius Brest Fortress Soviet Infantry - Part II

The rest of the set. Again, look at the guy in the middle for instance. His attitude is totally consistent with the the weapons he carries. Throwing himself into a close quarter combat situation. The woman on the right reflects the important role that women played in the Soviet army, not just as nurses, but in many combat functions. The only things not to like about these figures are that there are only six poses and that they are out of production and therefore are really hard to find.

Publius Stalingrad Soviet Infantry - Part I

Publius' third WWII set is just as good as its predecessors. The uniforms emphasize the winter season of the campaign. The poses are loaded with action and movement. When you look at the man in the middle you can feel the tension in the situation that he might find himself in. 

Publius Stalingrad Soviet Infantry - Part II

The only pose that seems a bit stiff, compared to the rest is the sniper woman, but even she is well sculpted. The man on the right is an interesting pose. If you look at him closely, you will notice that he is wearing body armor. I've seen some pictures in which you can actually see the dents left by bullet impacts, so it seems that they were reasonably effective. 

Publius Battle of Berlin Soviet Infantry

Another nice set from Publius. Great sculpting, with lots of action and emotion packed into the poses. The only figure that I am not very excited about is the signaler. Not just because it is not a combat pose, but also because Engineer Bassevich had just released pretty much the same pose in its latest set. Also, note that the set comes with a wall section. I would not have minded if that had also been replaced by another combat pose. Forces of valor has given us many factory-painted wall sections that look even more realistic. One thing I like about this set is that these guys can be combined with their earlier sets to get more poses. For instance, there's a naval infantry guy who can be mixed with their first set. The guy with the smock can be mixed with the Stalingrad guys, and the regular infantry guys can be combined with the Brest Fortress figures.

Engineer Bassevich early war Soviet Infantry - Part I

These are early war Soviet Infantry figures. Apparently they are made in Russia. I find myself a bit ambivalent about these figures. On the one hand, the poses are nicely done, with a good degree of action and they have a lot of nice detail. For instance, the expressions on the faces of these figures are among the best I've seen. The casting however is not so great. The figures come with a lot of flash. Part of it looks like marks left over in the clay during the sculpting, the rest is probably from the mold. Also, the plastic that they are made of is very light. I tend to like figures better when they have a bit more weight. And then there is the price... not only are they very expensive relative to the average new production toy soldier, but you also end up paying a hefty shipping cost. At the end of the day each of them comes to about 5 dollars a piece, which not even many vintage figures fetch. So are they really worth it? We'll have to see how they paint up.

Engineer Bassevich early war Soviet Infantry - Part II

The rest of the poses. I could have done without the two guys standing in the middle, and taken two more action poses. BTW, notice the diversity in the uniforms and headgear at this early stage of the war. Also, you can't tell very well in these pictures, but these are some of the few Soviet figures made with a full backpack. You can see that better in the previous picture.

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Part I

This other set is a theoretically an Infantry set, but it is actually a big mix of things. These guys for instance represent a couple of high ranking officers, and two regular army guys. The officer with the big coat must be some kind of big shot who is probably standing way behind the front lines. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Part II

These other guys are the crew of a tank and the guy on the right looks like a downed airman firing off a signal gun, perhaps hoping to be rescued before the enemy gets to him. Certainly not the average poses in an infantry set, however they will come handy in some unique scenes, not to mention that the nice level of detail will also make them look quite good when painted. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Part III

The last three poses in the set represent an artillery crew. Here I am showing them manning the Italeri ZiS 3 76mm Anti-Tank Gun, however that gun comes with its own crew, so now I am thinking that perhaps I will use them to man a captured German PAK of which I have several who are still lacking a crew. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part I

A unique set by Engineer Bassevich. The depiction of these partisans strikes a nice balance between showing them as civilians and soldiers. For example, the guys above might have just joined the partisan unit and are still wearing some of their original clothes and their weaponry is lacking automatic firing. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part II

These guys however are more rugged and is likely that they are regular army troops who got left behind the enemy lines and joined the partisans, giving them some badly needed training and leadership. As far as the quality of the figures go, I am quite pleased with this set. They don't have any flashing, and the plastic used to make them feels more dense, making them feel a bit more robust. The level of detail in the sculpting as you can see, is really great.

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Partisans - Part III

These guys are probably a mix of civilians and ex-soldiers, but have been in the Partisan ranks long enough to have more sophisticated clothes and equipment. A very interesting touch is the kid in the middle, holding a captured German sub-machine gun. I actually saw a picture of such a kid, dressed very much the same way, which was surely the inspiration for the pose. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Military Women - Part I

Another unique set from Engineer Bassevich. This time the set is a bit of a mix. 8 Figures represent women across a range of military roles. As with some of the previous sets, some of the figures are inspired by actual historical characters. In this first picture we have Marina Raskova (far right), a pioneer in the Sovier Air Force and founder of 3 female pilot regiments. The next character is supposed to be a brave girl who rushed under the tank with and blew it up using a pack of grenades. This happened  in September 23, 1943 near the village of Ivanenko, Ukraine. The sniper figure is supposed to honor women such as Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Rosa Shanina, Elizabeth Mironova, Mary Polivanova, Natalia Kovshova. Below are a few pictures which inspired these figures sent to me by Alex, the man behind Engineer Bassevich.

Elizabeth Mironova and the movie character which inspired the figure with the sub MG

Grenade Girl and Marina Raskova

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Military Women - Part II

On this picture we have Zina Tusnolobova, who lost all limbs helping the wounded in combat. While on the hospital, a tank unit heard of her and named 5 tanks after her. Another famous medic was Valeria Gnarovskaya (far right), a medic credited with saving many lives. In a single battle she is said to have brought from the battlefield 47 wounded, and then went on to defend them, killing over 20 and enemy soldiers. The figure in the left is a road inspector, as were Sonya Petkovska and Marya Shalneva. Below are a few more pictures which inspired these figures sent to me by Alex, the man behind Engineer Bassevich.

Marya Shalneva and women at attention

Medical instructor Valeria Gnarovskaya and medic  Zina Tusnolobova

Zina Tusnolobova caring for a wounded man and one of the tanks named after her

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Scouts

These other 4 figures represent Red Army scouts. I like the 3 figures on the left better than the man on the right. He reminds me of the old days sculpting which would favor flat figures for ease of casting and release. I wonder why they made him this way. In terms of uniforms, the head cover and thickness strongly suggests that these are winter troops, although I suppose you could also paint them in a cammo scheme. Notice how they are also equipped with sub machine guns, something necessary given that they were used as an elite, shock unit.

Plastic Platoon Soviet Scouts

If you are looking for a tough and daring raiding party look no more. Plastic Platoon's Soviet Scouts are full of grit and intensity. Are they engaged in a fighting retreat or are they springing up an ambush on an unsuspecting enemy? Whatever the case may be, these guys seem ready for it! These guys' outfits are relatively simple by Plastic Platoon's standards. All of them are wearing the typical Soviet cammo smock/suit, which should make them look quite interesting if you chose to paint them. In terms of weaponry, they are packing a good amount of heat. With the exception of the officer, they are all firing automatic weapons. From a German Maschinenpistole to the more ubiquitous PPSh-41 with its different ammo magazines, and then there's the guy firing off the hip what appears to be a 'conscripted' German MG34. Of this set, my favorite pose is the man throwing the hand grenade. Not only is his stance just right -which is not always the case for grenade throwers- but what about that mustache? I think that gives him bonus points. All in all a really nice set, representing a branch of service rarely depicted. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Battle of Berlin Part I

Another nice set from Engineer Bassevich to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the capture of Berlin. A set with a nice level of detail and a generous number of poses (12!). Notable among them is the figure representing the man who raised the Soviet flag over the Reichstag. The figures are well proportioned, although a bit bulkier than those from other manufacturers, and the poses show a nice level of action, and are adequate for urban fighting. Speaking of comparisons with other manufacturers, I do like Engineer Bassevich's plastic better. It is harder and therefore the tips of weapons do not get bent. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Infantry - Battle of Berlin Part II
 The other poses also represent some of the other service branches, with a couple of tank men fighting outside their vehicles and what appears to be an airman fighting on the ground with his side arm. Another thing I like about this set is that there are no figures standing guard as in many of EB's prior sets. Again, the level of detail on the figures is really good, and the manufacturing process did not leave any flashing. A very nice set, worthy of the event it commemorates.  

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry - Defense of Leningrad, 1941

Another superb set from Plastic Platoon. The details on the figures is exquisite. Worthy of note is the carriage for the Maxim machine gun that one of the men is transporting on his back. It is simply amazing. Note also how the man is also carrying the front shield for the gun on his left hand. And the gun itself, carried by the officer is also quite nice. The other figures are also very well done. One of them carrying a capture German submg. The only thing not to like about them is that the plastic is very soft and the bayonete of the man on the right is simply impossible to straighten, even with the tried and tested hot/cold water technique.

Publius Soviet Infantry - Winter 1944

This is another really nice set from Publius. I often wonder if this sculptor is the same as Plastic Platoon's because the level of detail, quality, and sense of action in the poses is also exceptional. And compared to Plastic Platoon's figures, they are slightly less expensive. And a bonus is that this set actually contained 8 figures. This is supposed to be a winter set, but I like that the figures are outfitted for either a late fall/early winter, or a late winter/early spring weather, making them more versatile. The uniforms included coats, padded suits, and a Plash-Palatka rain cloak. In terms of weapons, they also have a nice range. From a flamethrower, to a captured panzerfaust, passing through all the standard Soviet small arms. Their weaponry, along with the poses make them very usable in a wide range of combat situations. Overall another great set from Publius.

Mars Soviet Infantry

Not a set for which there is a shortage of poses from prior manufacturers, but it is understandable that a Ukrainian firm would manufacture such a set around the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. No concerns from my end about the selection of poses. All are good, dynamic fighting poses. What's also nice about some of them are the rain capes (Plash-Palatkas). Not very common in sets from prior manufacturers. My only criticism about the set is that some of them show some flashing and/or mold misalignment down the middle line of the figure. 

Warhansa Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest

These figures are only OK in my opinion. I feel that the body language lacks the sense of urgency and action that you might expect from men who are fighting with their last resources, against the odds, as the weapons and the wound suggest, and as the story of the Brest Defenders goes. The main thing to like about these figures is the material. It is a very solid plastic. Firm, but not hard. The one touch I did like quite a bit is the hair style of the wounded man. Well done. 

Warhansa Soviet Infantry - Nameless Height

This set is named after a Russian WWII movie. I have not watched it so I don't know if the figures depict any specific events from the movie. And speaking of movies, the man with the rifle above his head reminds me very much of Ron Perlman in Enemy at the Gates. I wonder if that was intentional. Maybe not the resemblance with Ron Perlman, but to depict the same features that made Ron a good cast for that role. Other than that peculiarity, this set, like the one above, is OK, but not great, and at $30 for 4 figures, it's only a set I purchased to fill a hole in my collection. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet 'Hunters and Prey' - Stalingrad, 1942

This set is the complement to the German Hunters and Prey figures that are so reminiscent of the characters in the movie Enemy at the Gates, where you see Vasily Zaitsev and his fellow snipers take out German soldiers, as Vasily dukes it our against German sniper ace Major König. Note how they have accurately included both a male and a female sniper. The other figures, like the officer or the phone operator, I suppose represent the targets for the German snipers. It is also noteworthy that optionally, the wounded man and the fighting medic on the right can be placed side by side, with bases that have been specifically designed to fit with each other. As always with Plastic Platoon, the level of detail is top-notch. A great set to display in the ruins of Stalingrad.

Starlux Soviet Infantry
I suspect these might be recasts as they don't have any color on them as opposed to the typical Starlux figures. Also, I don't really know how many there were in the set. I only got a hold of five of them, with two repeated figures. I am not overly excited about the poses. I don't like figures which just seem to be standing around not doing much, and that's how these guys look. But they are hard to find, so at least I am happy I have a few guys as a sample.

Starlux Soviet Infantry ?
I can't say for sure if these guys are Soviets. They look like they could be, but then again, the look very different from the three Soviets in the prior picture. I do like that they are action poses, so I hope they turn out to be Soviet. Even if they are not, maybe I will just use them a such.

Unknown Soviet Infantry
This is a guy who came with a mixed set of figures. It's actually fairly well done. And you can recognize well that he is a Soviet guy, not just by the uniform, but also by his weapon. Unfortunately, there are no markings on the figure to give a hint about the manufacturer. So if you happen to know who made him, please leave a comment.

Speira Miniatures Soviet Infantry

Here's one more Soviet infantry man. What's special about Speira Miniatures is that the figures are 3D printed. This guy 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.

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. 

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Field Hospital - Part I

This set is addressing a range of characters that you might have run into within a dressing station or a hospital close to the front. Two key figures here are the surgeon and the nurse in their operating gowns. Then you have the stretcher bearers who would do the hard work of bringing their wounded comrades if they lived long enough to get there. These figures are well done. The only unusual thing is that the man carrying the front of the stretcher seems to have a very flat face, without a nose.

Engineer Bassevich Soviet Field Hospital - Part II

Here we have a couple of characters who would have been at the front. Maybe a wounded pilot who crash landed, and a couple of medics supported by a dog trying to reach him to lend him aid. There's also a couple figures who would have been at the field hospital recovering from their wounds, and perhaps trying to make life a little livelier. And then we also have this other figure documenting the scene -the horrors of the wounded, and the high spirits of the man around camp- probably for some propaganda film. All of them interesting and unique characters addressing a topic not covered often. I typically prefer frontline figures, but with the wealth of Soviet infantry figures already made, it seems reasonable to branch out and cover these other subjects.

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. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry Kharkov

These guys are a nice counterpart to the German winter troops. Their outfits display a good variety of styles, from the padded suits, to the long coats, the man wearing the balaclava, and the guy with the winter smock which I will likely paint white. One thing I really like about this set is that all the figures are in an attacking mode. Most of them are firing on the move. The only one who is standing, although still firing, is the commander. The squad is also handling a decent variety of weapons. The most interesting one is the grenade launcher. And the Molotov cocktail can always come in handy against German armor. Can't wait for these guys to face off against the winter Germans on the eastern front!

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Winter Dress - Part I

These guys will be a nice extension to the Soviet winter troops above. The set comes as several parts that need to be assembled: the base, the assistant, the shooter, and the shooter's rifle/arm. The assistant is wearing a one piece winter smock, while the shooter is wearing a two piece suit. The PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle looks big and powerful. The only thing that is not ideal is that it gets bent a bit easily. I will try to give it the hot/cold water treatment and see if I can straighten it out. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Winter Dress - Part II

Here's the look from behind, which makes it easier to appreciate the differences in the uniforms. One thing to be aware of is that the base bends a bit upwards so the manufacturer has glued a couple of bits of plastic under the back side. This keeps the base from rocking back and forth, but it will permanently lift up the back side. Which is why I pushed some snow close to the base. That hid it well. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Summer Dress - Part I

Here's the equivalent team dressed for the non-winter months - yes, why restrict them to summer! As was the case with the winter guys, the man firing the rifle requires minor assembly to attach the rifle and arms to the body. And the rifle itself may require some straightening. Other than the summer dress, what's different in this set is that you can actually see the assistant handing over the next round to fire. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle Team, Summer Dress - Part II

From this angle you can appreciate better how he is getting the next round ready. Another thing that you can appreciate is that the loader has a helmet in front of him, which makes you wonder if it's his and why he wouldn't be wearing it. Something you can't see because of how I cropped the picture is that the back of the base also bends upwards a bit, and has similar bits of plastic attached on the bottom to stabilize it. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker as you can simply place some rubble around it. 

Plastic Platoon Soviet Infantry, Battle of Kursk

Another seven piece set to fend off the German's summer offensive of '43 at Kursk. Six of them equipped with submachine guns and only one rifle man. The most interesting pose is the man carrying the flag, although I have to admit that I wonder how often they may have gone into battle carrying their colors. In any case, the flag is well-made, with several bullet holes piercing its fabric. I wonder how I am going to paint those holes, as the plastic is actually solid...  The pose that I find a bit intriguing is the man kneeling who is also handing over an ammo drum. Not sure who he is handing it to. My best guess is that guy that I placed next to him, but I am not sure, as he is not really looking at his hand and he is moving too fast to be able to pick it up on the run. Perhaps I am over analyzing this. But I like the pose, and I am sure I can find some other guy who is a better candidate to be getting extra ammo. 

Classic Toy Soldiers Korean War Chinese - Part I

I got these guys thinking that I will use them as WWII Soviet Winter troops. The level of detail is so good that their faces actually betray them as Chinese. I might still be able to use them as Soviets, if we assume that they came from the Central Asian Soviet Republics. The uniforms and weapons all would pass as Soviet gear. In terms of the sculpting and poses, I am quite happy with this set. All poses are combat poses, which is the way I like them. 

Classic Toy Soldiers Korean War Chinese - Part II

The man on the right is actually my favorite pose. You don't often see figures reloading their weapons, and he is doing it on the run. Another interesting detail of these figures is that the base is covered in snow and you actually see the footprints of the men on it. A nice touch of realism, which actually highlights the fact that I should have taken these pictures with a different background :-)

 The only thing that some might criticize is that the sets come with 16 figures, but you don't get two of each pose. Three of them come in 3s and 3 of them as singles. Having 2 of each is useful if you plan on painting one set of poses and leaving the other 8 unpainted. On the other hand, if you want to use all 16 together, then, having one officer makes more sense than having two. All in all a nice and unique set from CTS, so I might not even mind buying a second one, perhaps to use as true Chinese.

Classic Toy Soldiers Korean War North Koreans

Similarly as with the CTS Korean War Chinese, my intention is to use these guys as Soviet Winter Troops. The sculpting is nice, and the uniforms and weapons fit just fine. My only wish is that the poses were a bit more dynamic. I don't like is as much when they are mostly standing around. But They do add 8 poses to the pool of potential Soviet Winter troops. Can't complain about that.

Click here to take a look at WWII Toy Soldiers by Country

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Click here to see the Soviet Infantry in action.

Click here to see a post about the Maxim MG.