Tile Floor

This is a ancient model kit from Model Power.  It's a nice, generic little building, but no interior detail.

I like my wargames buildings to have an interior and a removable roof.  I glued the two roof parts together, but did not glue it onto the walls of the building.

I used Evergreen Models sheet styrene TILE to make a tile floor.

The interior of the completed building.  Just cut out a rectangle of tile and glue it in.  Simple, easy, and perfect.

Soviet Reconnaissance Team

This is the new Zvezda Soviet Reconnaissance Team set in 1/72nd scale plastic.

These cards are for their Art of Tactic game.

There are only four figures in the set, but they are all excellent.

Teams like this would either infiltrate German lines, or wait while Germans push the Soviets back, leaving these teams behind to provide intelligence and targeting information.

As the instruction sheet shows the troops can be affixed to a single base for the group or on individual bases.

I plan on buying a number of these sets for use as artillery forward observers.

The figures are flash free and fit perfectly.

Another great set from Zvezda!

Plastic Soldier Company

The Germans did not use a heavy machine gun as such.

They used the MG34 or MG42 on a tripod with the extra stability that provides.

This is the loader.

This is the MG42 gunner with tripod mounted machine gun.

Gun commander, with three men and a tripod my rules allow machine guns to fire indirect fire, like light artillery.

The 1/72nd scale mortar crew and crew of three.

German Troops, Late WWII

Panzerfaust rocket launcher men.

The Plastic Soldier Company troops with Caesar Miniatures Germans.

The Ceasar Miniatures match up pretty well with the Plastic Soldier troops.

Since Caesar Miniatures does not do much in the way of heavy weapons this is a good set to mix with them.

I think there will be many of these Plastic Soldier sets in the future.

Heavy weapons by PSC and infantry by CM.

Late War German Heavy Weapons

The 81mm mortar.

The 120mm heavy mortar.

A really nice crew of four.  No flash, fits together very well.

Panzerschreck, loader and rocket crate, very nice set.

Bazooka man advancing.  These sculpts are very nice.  PSC gets better with each set.

Plastic Soldier German Heavy Weapons

Plastic Soldier Company Late WWII German Infantry, Heavy Weapons in 1/72nd scale.

These figures are a good value for $22.

The instruction sheet is very simple as is the assembly.

I like that they use a window box like the old Airfix sets.

Here is the sprue.

Heavy machine gun, 1200 mortar and decent crewmen.

Machine Gun Shoot Off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyj-ZHXFKQI&feature=em-share_video_user

My friend the Nerdy Guy sent me a US Army training video from WWII.  It's really interesting and shows a shoot off between several automatic weapons.

I have seen this before and there are several issues.

1. Are they giving us the real results?

 

2. Are the results the same time after time or did they do the test 9 times and pick the worst example?

 

3. Are the people shooting competent with their weapons? Is this the best Thompson gunner in the Army and some guy from the mess hall firing the German machine gun?

 

4. Are the weapons in perfect working order? Is the German gun worn out with an old barrel?

 

5. 250 yards away is pretty close for a machine gun, how about 500 yards, 1000 yards or even 2000 yards?

 

6. The MG 34 / MG 42 in the bipod mode was not competing against the .30 caliber on a bipod, it was competing against the BAR. The MG42 was issued at a rate of one or two PER SQUAD, just like the BAR.

 

7. I would like to see that BAR used to fire at 250 yards and compare it to the MG 34, particularly with a 20 round box magazine vs a belt of ammo.

 

8. The MG 34 / MG 42 was issued in the tripod version in similar numbers than the US .30 caliber with water cooled barrel. And the Germans did need more ammo carriers. But their concept of the machine gun was different. The US concept was to deliver sustained fire at a long distance as the troops advanced. The German concept was to fire short bursts as known targets and a high rate of fire means more rounds down range in the same period of time. The Germans must have felt it worked because they went from a machine gun similar to ours the '09 to the MG 34 to the MG 42 to the MG 45 and increased the rate of fire each time. We must have liked the idea too because the M60 machine gun replaced the US gun post war and was very similar to the MG 42.

 

9. Also if you fire 30 rounds and get hit 15 times or 7 times you are still dead.

 

10. The machine gun is an area weapon and not intended to hit individuals but rather groups of troops at 250 yards are farther.

 

I have fired the Thompson, Grease Gun and MP 40 submachine guns and they are all fine weapons.  Too bad we can't get together and re-enact this event in Texas!

Mountains of Mountain Troops

Zvezda and Ykreol troops together.  The Ykreol are their Bosnians who were often with German mountain troops.

Zvezda and Ykreol troops together.  The style is different but the size is fine together.

Caesar German Mountain troops are a mixture of troops in the Bosnian and regular German uniform.

Here are three brands together, Caesar, Ykreol and Zvezda.

The Caesar Winter Germans fit well with these sets also.

Caesar Winter German, Airfix Mountain Troop, Zvezda Mountain Troop.

Caesar Winter Germans wear cold weather gear and one has skis.

Again, Zvezda, Ykreol, Caesar and Ykreol.  I think all four brands of mountain troops fit okay together.  My intention is to make several units with them.

Zvezda & Airfix Mountain Troops

With only a few poses the Zvezda Mountain troops are not very good by themselves.  Here is the standing firing guy from the Zvezda and Airfix sets.

The two Airfix climbing guys with the Zvezda climbing guy.

The figures fit well together.

I will probably use new bases for the Zvezda so they will match up better.

How does Zvezda match up with the Ykreol figures?

Zvezda Mountain Troops

Zvezda German Mountain Troops, 1/72nd scale figures.

See the little coil of rope?  I cut it out of the big base to use is separately.

This is the climbing guy.

The little stand alone wall looks like one of these rock walls found at a gym.

Man at the top with a rope to belay the man climbing up the rock face.