From GregB: 20mm WW2 German Panzer Grenadiers (86 Points)

Some more 20mm Germans for my WW2 collection.

More WW2 output for this next Challenge submission, but in a different scale this time - yes, I love WW2 gaming so much, I paint it in pretty much every available figure/model scale.  These are 1/72 scale/20mm models and figures, German Panzer Grenadiers from WW2.  There is an eight-man squad of Panzer Grenadiers, a tripod-mounted MG42 team and a pair of Hanomags.

Panzer Grenadier Squad

20mm metal Panzer Grenadiers from AB, purchased from Eureka Miniatures.

This group of Panzer Grenadiers are metal figures from AB, sculpted by the incredible Anthony Barton. There are eight figures here, organized as a squad for the "Battlegroup" rules, but of course useable in any set of WW2 skirmish rules.  As with the 15mm figures, the NCO is mounted on a square base, to aid in easy tabletop identification for players during a game.

I have a "love-hate" relationship with the AB figures. In terms of the "love", well, these are simply the finest sculpts out there, period. They look amazing, and they are metal figures, the proper material used for all true and honourable wargames figures.  These miniatures are a joy to paint, and I try to work in AB figures to my growing 20mm WW2 collection wherever I can.

Panzerfaust gives the squad from AT punch.

Yet the AB figures are also extremely frustrating.  For starters, you are not able to purchase LMG teams separately from the infantry squads/sections.  AB/Eureka is hardly alone in this, but it is very frustrating if you are looking to accumulate a more accurate platoon organization, which in the case of the Germans will often require multiple MG34s/42s for each squad.  So for AB miniatures you end up needing to purchase entire extra squads of infantry just to a second LMG team.

MG34 team - one of the few non-prone, non-marching, non-relaxing German MG team sculpts available from AB.

Even more frustrating is the preponderance of sculpts in the AB range of figures just standing around. Generals standing around. Tank crews standing around. Infantry sections standing around.  These sorts of figures look wonderful in glamour photos in fancy wargame rulebooks, but look like crap on an actual gaming table. It's a Second World War battlefield...GET MOVING!  There are, of course, beautiful - stunning- action-oriented figures to be found as well, but as a proportion, the number of non-action sculpts is something you have to work around.

"Grenade!" - love the action on that sculpt.

Even more frustrating is the number of LMG poses that feature the crew just standing around and/or marching with their weapons, even as the other poses in the accompanying infantry section are more action oriented. Makes me nuts...I can imagine the guys coming under fire, and wondering desperately why their own LMG team isn't getting the damn weapon into action...

But that said, I am no figure sculptor, and the AB figures are the product of world-class sculpting talent, simply amazing.  Awkward as it is to put it all together, I will continue to try and figure out ways to get more AB sculpts into my 20mm forces. 

Tripod MG42 Team

1/72 MG team from Plastic Soldier Company.

This is a plastic kit from the Plastic Soldier Company.  The models are set for 1/72 scale, and as such are a touch taller than the AB metal sculpts. That said, these fellows are kneeling down around their (very deadly) tripod mounted MG42, so the difference in figure size doesn't really show on the table.

The plastic infantry figures from PSC really are well done.  While I was disappointed with the crispness of their 15mm offerings, their 1/72 stuff is generally fantastic, especially considering they are plastic.

Hanomag  251D Transports

251D Hanomag - model and crew in 1/72 scale, from Plastic Soldier Company.

The Hanomag is an iconic piece of German WW2 kit.  If you are playing Germans in any WW2 miniature game, you are probably going to want to play the panzer grenadiers leading some manner of assault out of these vehicles - at least I certainly do! These are the later variants of the Hanomag, the 251D, which I believe entered service in 1943, and were in use right to the end of the war.

Easy to build, with lots of detail - fantastic kits.

As with the MG42 team, these are 1/72 scale plastic models from Plastic Soldier Company.  PSC sells them in boxes of three models - I painted the first one back in 2015, and the other two have been sitting in my pile of shame ever since.  I decided to clear that up, finishing these two during a quiet New Years holiday this week.  Three 1/72 models over five years? Yikes...

Very basic cammo pattern painted on the vehicles.

Iconic WW2 vehicles.

Anyway, these are fantastic kits, very simple to build, with great details.  I would love to do some more of them, but PSC has been sold out of these for some time.  Still, since I took five years to get these first three vehicles finishes, I guess I have only myself to blame, as I could/should have ordered more of these things years ago.

For points, we have 12 infantry, one crew served weapon (although it's just an MG, so I'm thinking just 4 points for that) and two vehicles in 20mm, which should work out to something like 86 points.  A little more progress towards my point goal, and some long overdue progress on my 20mm WWII collection.

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Stunning work once again Greg!  Especially on the infantry.  I know you have showed me how you do it, and how your style works so well, but I just can't replicate what you make looks so awesome (and do so fast it is amazing to me).    I am especially impressed with how you make the infantry from PSC pop so well.  I know you say that the 20mm are better than their 15mm line, but I have seen them in real life and the detail still seems soft to me, but your high contrast style gives them a great look!

While I am kind of trying to avoid yet another scale, you keep turning out awesome looking 20mm stuff and trying to tempt myself and others over to it.

I hope you keep painting more of this, both to see, and so that we have more awesome figures to game with!

- Byron

From ScottM: World War II Germans and Monsters (65 points)

My contribution this week is a collection of World War II early-war Germans and some monsters for Frostgrave. First up is a pair of MG34 light machinegun teams (4 figures). These metal figures are from Black Tree Design.

Next up is a pair of plastic Sd.Kfz 251/1 Hanomags from Warlord Games. These are nice, simple models.

And finally are the monsters. I'll end up using these for Frostgrave. All three figures are metal and are from Reaper Miniatures. From left to right: an Undead Troll, Cretus the Minotaur and a Giant Scarab Beetle.

So that should be 4 - 28mm infantry = 20 pts., 2 28mm vehicles = 30 pts. and 3 28mm monsters = 15 pts. For a grand total of 65 pts.

From Ray

Excellent brushwork Scott. That's quite a mix of figures too. Love the early war Germans, the Sd.Kfz 251's look pretty cool as well. The Monsters all look like they're gonna cause a bit of trouble, especially the beetle thingy!!! Top brushwork Sir!!!

As you worked out its 65 points!!!!

From ScottB - Bolt Action (28mm) - Panzer IV H and Hanomag SdKfz251/1 D (35 points)

Well the plan to paint loads of LOTR figures has become slightly derailed with the arrival at Chez Bowman of the Bolt Action starter set, and a pair of tanks; a Panzer IV H, and a M4 Sherman.

So far I have them all assembled and have been trying out the rules with my son Chris.  It certainly seems a lot of fun, and its 28mm WWII after all - so what's not to like?! ;-)

Thus far I have painted up the Panzer and Hanomag Armoured carrier for the Germans...

I am going with my soft tri-colour camo pattern as I have done before with my FoW stuff, but I have this time tried to accentuate some of the details and tried to include some weathering of the paintwork along the raised edges of the vehicles.

I thought about buying chipping fluid and weathering pigments, but in the end I just wanted to get them done and played with, so just did everything by hand with regular acrylics.

First time I have painted such vehicles at this scale, other than 40K stuff many many years ago...

A selection of pictures for your enjoyment... I hope you like them.

The 15mm scale bocage hedges I made for FoW, works nicely for regular to large hedges for 28mm...

Nice number plates decals as part of the set... front and rear...

Divisional markings for Panzer Lehr...

For those not in the know; the German tank numbering system went; company, platoon, tank... so this wee beastie is the 3rd tank of first platoon, of 4th Company...

The Lehr Division was one of the better fighting formations the Wehrmacht had, typically with a high level of material and resources for a non-SS formation... Formed in '43 from elite troops who had seen action on many fronts, they subsequently saw action in the west, facing the western allies...

To speed up painting - I'll have to admit, I didn't do the eyes... my own eyes are getting a bit tired now, so this might be a stretch too far... I haven't varnished the vehicles so I might got back and do them later - but probably wont!  ;-p

Right off to paint 12 German Grenadiers...

Wow Scott, that's quite a wonderful result considering they're your first 28mm vehicles in a long time AND that they have a most convincing tri-colour camo scheme to boot! Having painted this scheme myself a few times I can attest to just how hard it is to execute so kudos for doing such a wonderful job. Please so varnish them though, I'd hate to see that effort ruined by handling...

30 points seems a mean return for the effort so I'm throwing in another 5 for the camo. Good too see you back on the tools mate! Cheers, Millsy.