Reviews: November 2011

Reviews: November 2011 This month's reviews include some 15mm Swiss, the Plastic Soldier Company’s WWII German half-tracks and Warfare Miniatures new 28mm League of Augsburg range. Enjoy!

The Swiss 1450: 90 15mm Legio Heroica www.legio-heroica.com Reviewed by Andy Sykes “The Swiss 1450/90” is the latest 15mm figure range from Giuseppe Barbazeni under his Legio Heroica banner. I have 6 packs for review representing the Swiss at the peak of their martial prowess during the Renaissance era. SWI01: Mounted Commander with Standard Bearer and Uri’s Horn blower (right). This contains 5 castings, a Commander figure with separate rearing horse, Standard Bearer with standing horse and a dismounted horn blower.

The figures are full of character, which is evident even in this scale. The mounted Commander has a fine long coat and wields a Mace; the standard bearer sits stoically upon his prancing mount and the horn blower strides purposefully forward and is set off by his horned hood. SWI02: Foot Command (left). A 6-figure pack which contains 5 different castings, there are two identical officers striding forward with drawn sword, a drummer, fifer and two different standard bearers, all advancing forward.

SWI03: Pikemen of the Frontal Ranks (right). 8 castings here and my pack had four differing figures, all in an advancing pose with pikes at the port, these chaps are well armoured with various styles of armour and helmets being present. 8 white metal pikes are also included for those who do not use wire.

SWI04: Pikemen of the Posterior Ranks (left). 8 figures again and this time all 8 are different! Clad in lesser protective gear than their previous comrades and are depicted with a nice collection clothing varieties. These too are advancing and come with pikes.

SWI07: Arquebusiers (right). Another 8-figure pack, with 4 advancing and 4 firing poses, my pack had 2 advancing and 3 firing variations. There is a combination of armoured and unarmoured types.

SWI09: Light Cannon with Crew (left). This pack contains a neat little wheeled bombard in 4 parts, carriage/barrel assembly, 2 wheels and a steel pin for an axle. 3 crewmen complete the pack, there is a gun commander pointing, gunner ramming and a gunner carrying a ball. I particularly like the artillery piece, with the finished product being very pleasing.

The mounted figures measure 18mm hoof to horse’s eye and 23mm hoof to rider’s eye. The foot figures average 17mm sole of foot to eye. Anatomy is very good and the detail is very finely done as is usual from this sculptor. A great variety of dress and armour types are represented, which should make for a great looking army when completed. The other available packs cover Crossbowmen, both mounted and dismounted and Halberdiers. Superb 15mm figures, from what must be one of the best sculptors in this scale. Highly Recommended.

WWII German Halftrack Sd Kfz 251/1 C and D The Plastic Soldier Company www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk Reviewed and Photos by Paul Davies The first tanks moved at little more than walking pace and even into the 1920’s the perceived primary role of the tank was to support the infantry.

However during the 1930’s the German military envisaged a much more aggressive and more mobile role for the tank. They also realised after their experiences during the Spanish Civil War that under certain circumstances, tanks could be vulnerable and so needed infantry support, and thus the concept of a lightly armoured motorised vehicle, with good road and cross-country performance to enable the infantry to keep up with the tanks was born. For anyone building, or adding to their existing WW2 German forces, it can only be a matter of time before the question of transportation arises, if it hasn’t already, and probably the most sought after vehicle, is the Sd Kfz 251 series of half-tracks. Certainly in WW2 there were never enough of them to go around, and so only the first battalion of a panzer grenadier regiment was assigned half tracks and designated as ‘armoured’. The remaining five battalions in a panzer division were carried in trucks or other motorised transport. Fortunately, The Plastic Soldier Company has just released their two much anticipated 15mm scale kits for the Sd Kfz 251 in Ausf. C and D versions. Even before opening the boxes, its clear that potentially, these two kits offer extremely good value for money – five models for only £16.50 plus 35 figures, including a driver and commander for each vehicle, as well as stowage and spare weapons! Although the vehicles had similar mechanicals they differed externally as a result of the need to increase production, which could only be achieved by simplifying the design. The most obvious changes were to the engine upper side plates, the stowage bins and the rear overhang which incorporated the access doors. On the Ausf. D this rear overhang was changed from the more complicated angled design of the Ausf. C, to a simpler and cheaper to manufacture, straight panel. Even before assembling these models it is clear that these differences have been reproduced really well, but I’m getting ahead of myself. The first step with any construction kit review is to carefully study the sprues. For both versions, I can advise that the components are generally cleanly moulded with a good level of detail and minimal flash that can be quickly and easily removed.  I was not as impressed with the instructions however. They take the form of an exploded drawing, which, without any guide to the construction sequence, I found vague and ambiguous. These are relatively simple models to build, but I would nevertheless advise that modellers carry out a ‘dry run’ first. And hopefully my own experiences with a dry run assembly of the Sd Kfz 251/C will also help avoid any problems. As a rule, I always like to have some reference material prior to constructing any model. The Osprey New Vanguard publication; Sd Kfz 251 Half-Track 1939-1945 is pretty good and there is a large amount of information on the internet. Try these websites for ‘starters’: http://www.track48.com/shop/xnews.php?newsid=587 http://www.sdkfz251.com/ The construction of both versions of the model is very similar, so I’ve concentrated on the Ausf. C version.

Sd Kfz251/1 Ausf. C The main hull is moulded in three sections; the lower half, the inner floor, and the upper hull half. I suggest that all the components are painted prior to assembly, leaving only any camouflage and decals to be applied after the model has been assembled. However for the purpose of this review I’ve left the model unpainted as I think that it is easier to see the details of the component.

Incidentally, as a measure of just how well these kits fit together, for all the accompanying construction photographs none of the components were glued together… so it really WAS a dry run and is a tribute to the well thought out way in which the kits have been designed! With all that in mind therefore, I suggest the following assembly sequence. Glue the inner floor to the lower hull half, and then glue the two ‘legless’ seated figures into position between the two ‘ribs’ either side of the ‘dimple’ on the raised centre section.

You’ll notice some circular depressions on the floor that I understand are unavoidable and part of the injection moulding process, but they can be easily filled if required. I’m not sure about the etched square, but I think it is some form of inspection hatch. Next we come to fitting the seats. I have to express some slight disappointment here. Based upon my primary reference source: Sd Kfz 251 Half Track 1939-1945 New Vanguard 25, the basic Sd Kfz 251, in addition to the driver and commander who sat at the front, was designed to carry 10 Panzergrenadiers, five on each side of the vehicle on bench seats.

To accommodate them, these seats were built in sections with a group of three nearest the front of the vehicle, and a group of two towards the rear. The seats and seat backs for the Sd Kfz 251/D, have been correctly modelled, but those for the Ausf. C version have not and are divided equally in half. I wouldn’t want to be the chap who had to sit ‘on the gap’ whilst travelling flat out across open country under fire! Another one of the minor changes between the Ausf. C and Ausf. D was that the former had the bench seats built from steel tube frames onto which were fitted padded leather cushions, whilst the Ausf. D had simplified bench seats featuring wooden slats. Unfortunately the seat style is the same in both kits. Neither of these criticisms are major ones, but they’re irritating because they could so easily have been avoided.

Returning to the construction, glue the seat backs in place, followed by the bench seats themselves. There are positioning lugs on the floor for the bench seats, but they allow a small amount of sideways movement, which is why I suggest fixing the seat backs first to make it easier to align the bench seats. Now glue the upper hull in place, followed by the stowage boxes.

Glue the two track assemblies in place. On the real vehicle, the wheels on the left hand track assembly were 4” further back than the ones on the right to allow the track torsion bars to be offset, but at this scale it obviously doesn’t matter and similarly, the tracks on either side were slightly different, but again, at this scale it would be impossible to see.

Next, glue the locating lug of the front axle in the recess on the underside of the lower hull and add the wheels.

The armoured shield for the machine gun can now be glued in position, along with the machine guns. On the Ausf. C, the 7.92mm MG34s complete with their 75 round saddle drum are very cleanly moulded.

I suggest that now is the time to carefully apply any camouflage pattern to the vehicle, taking care to avoid getting any unwanted paint over the guns. Then add decals, particularly if you intend ‘weathering’ your vehicle. But the model is still not finished as you have various items of stowage, including four jerry cans, a length of replacement track, as well as a spare tyre, as well as two rifles, a panzerschreck! And of course there’s the panzer grenadiers themselves too; four seated figures as well as a standing figure that can be assembled firing another MG34. And finally, you can carefully ‘weather’ the vehicle.

Sd Kfz251/1 Ausf. D Construction of the Ausf. D version, follows a similar straightforward sequence, with a few slight differences. When you come to locating the crew figures, there is only a single ‘rib’ to aid positioning, and the figures should ‘sit’ behind it, adjacent to the small ‘dimple’ on the centre raised section.

Unlike the seating for the Ausf. C, the seating for the Ausf. D has been more accurately modelled. Remember to ensure that the seat backs match the bench seats, and that the ‘three’ seats are towards the front of the vehicle.

Next glue the hull upper half in position. On the Ausf. D version, positioning the stowage bins is slightly different to the Ausf. C, as the component combines the stowage bins with the track guards. But as long as you’re careful you won’t experience any problems. As with the Ausf. C, the track assemblies fit perfectly.

Everything else follows the same basic sequence, apart from adding the rear towing hook, which, whilst integral on the Ausf. C kit needs to be glued in position on the Ausf. D. Not sure why, but I suspect its to do with the injection moulding process. Another difference between the Ausf. C and Ausf. D versions is that on the latter, the vehicle mounted machine gun is the MG40, although admittedly at this scale, to be fair, it is very difficult to see the difference. Unfortunately, I did find that on all five sprues in the Ausf. D kit, there was flash around the MG40 machine gun and its integral rear mounting which required some very, very careful work to remove without damaging the gun itself and its mounting bracket. This was all the more disappointing since the MG34s and their mounting brackets on all the sprues in the Ausf. C kit, were completely free of flash. I am however assured by Will Townsend of The Plastic Soldier Company that I must have been unlucky with my review sample as he’s randomly checked through other boxes and everything looks fine, which in some ways is quite reassuring as it means that my review samples had not been specially selected. So, overall, there are a few minor niggles: - the incorrect bench seats on the Ausf. C, - why did they include the attachment hooks for the towing cable just below the front armour plate on the Ausf. C version but leave them off the Ausf. D? Its far easier easy to cut them off if you decide you don’t want them, or if you want to add a bar type ‘bumper’, than to have to make them yourself! As with all the models from this company, I would have liked to have seen a few decals included, even just the basic Balkan cross, but obviously this would increase the cost of the kit and there are plenty of good decal suppliers around, such as Dom’s Decals who sell a sheet of approximately 200 Balkan crosses for just £2 plus postage. They also have a good range of other WW2 markings and insignia. To check what is available in this range: http://www.tumblingdiceuk.com/domsdecals.html Ultimately, there will always be an element of compromise with model kits of this size, but at this price; only £16.50 for FIVE vehicles, crew and stowage etc., these two kits offer excellent value for money, and make up into very nice looking models ‘straight from the box’, and I’m confident that with various added detail, they could be outstanding! So, if your panzer grenadiers have been standing around waiting for transport to enable them to catch up with their armour, then, with these models, their wait is surely over! Finally, to keep up to date with the conversion kits planned for these vehicles, as well as the next releases from The Plastic Soldier Company, keep an eye on the company’s website: http://www.theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk/

League of Augsburg 28mm Miniatures: Musketeers Warfare Miniatures www.leagueofaugsburg.com/shop Reviewed by Andy Sykes Warfare Miniatures is a new figure company from Barry Hilton of “Beneath the Lily Banners” rule set fame. The first range is in 28mm, for the League of Augsburg conflict, Barry has a passion for the period and this I am sure will show throughout the range.

There are currently 9 packs in the collection, covering Musketeers, Pikemen, Command and Grenadiers, with much more to follow. The pack I have for review is WLOA4: Musketeers Advancing, which contains 5 different castings. These are very cleanly moulded and mine had virtually no mould residue of any kind. The figures average 28mm sole of foot to eye and are of great anatomical proportion and positioning. The Musketeers wear broad brimmed hats worn in varying style, along with long coats. They are armed with muskets, which have Plug bayonets moulded on; this is a nice touch as these can easily be removed for more variety. They have slung swords and knapsacks.

The detail is finely rendered without exaggeration and overall these are very nice figures, I look forward to seeing other releases in this range and have no reservation in recommending this line. The website has clear pictures of all the available packs and greens of the forthcoming ones.