Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: Norm on April 04, 2025, 12:14:06 AM
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Having sold off the 20mm (1/72) WWII stuff last year, I have been buying the bits to put some 10 / 12mm (1/144) forces together.
In the first instance I am going for a German mid war starter force - a new ‘Pocket Army’.
WWII can pass across the painting table at surprising speed compared to other periods and so it makes for a good quick project to fit in between other bigger projects, that you sometimes need a rest from!
Anyway, kampfgruppe Schmidt is ready for action, comprising as follows;
9 x Infantry bases (6 figures per 45mm base)
1 x Mortar base (with 2 mortar teams and an observer)
2 x HMG bases (1 HMG per base)
1 x OBA observer team (radio operator and observer with field glasses)
2 x PaK 40 bases (75mm anti-tank guns and crew)
1 x HQ base (Horch car and two officers)
3 x StuG III vehicles.
1 x Opel truck
The infantry, mortar and HMG and OBA observer team are Victrix hard plastic figures from their German Infantry pack costing £30, but there are still enough figures left to do quite a few more bases … perhaps even another company of infantry if I get a little creative.
All the vehicles are from Anschluss Wargames. They are resin and the StuG’s cost £3.75 each, the Horch car cost £3.50 and the Opel truck £3.25
The Anti-tank guns are metal from Pendraken Miniatures, costing £3.20 for the pair.
So for around £50 a flexible WWII Pocket Army can hit the table, for say just over £100 plus associated postage for the two small forces.
I have tried to base these so that they can fit into both rural and urban scenarios, but I am not sure that I have achieved that as much as intended. The problem is that if the base goes too dark, you visually ‘lose’ the figures in them. I had to add some light turf (a sort of dusting) to brighten these, but I think that has left them a bit ‘messy’.
Although the Horch car is based, that was really just to create a HQ scene and for this project, for now at least, I am generally not going to base the vehicles. The advantage of basing would be the raising of the vehicle so that they look right next to the based infantry, but I think un-based vehicles sit better on a variety of terrains - we shall see!
The infantry bases each represent a rifle section, so the nine base gives a company of three platoons, a fairly perfect size for my own rules, rather small for ‘O’ Group and also on the small side for Rapid Fire Reloaded scenario books that I have, though the ‘head count’ on the bases might make for a better visual for Rapid Fire games.
In any case, it is just a starter force and it will be easy to introduce other bases and broaden the versatility.
My intention now is to do a mirror force for the mid-war Soviets. I will look to add a 7th figure to the infantry bases to represent bigger platoons and see what that looks like and probably run one of the platoons with three sections of sub-machine gunners.
After which … ‘Attack on the Rail Station’ and others beckon!
Progress can then slow down a bit, perhaps a platoon of Hanomag half tracks for the Germans and a truck platoon for the Soviets, before turning to either a British / commonwealth or American force for another ‘Pocket Army’.
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That's a nifty little project, well executed! I'm too invested in(and happy with) ww2 in 15mm, but if I were to start from the beginning I'd fo for 12mm or maybe Pendraken's 10mm scale.
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Nice work! A handy little compact force.
How did you find the Anschluss vehicles? I was about to ask what they are like, but then the neurones in the memory banks slowly came to life, and I remembered I'd ordered some a while ago, and actually got round to painting them recently. So to answer my own question they are very crisp models, I think 3d printed resin, rather than cast resin.
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I have found the Anschluss models fine. In times past, I have been aware of lines that are clearly visible on photos of 20mm 3D printed stuff etc, but I think higher resolution printing has largely negated that.
I have just checked my unpainted vehicles in bright sunshine and their is some slight hint of lines on the top surfaces but not on the sides, but you really have to look, the Tiger I seems the most obvious. I am guessing that once painted these pretty much disappear, as I can’t see anything on the StuG, horch car and truck that i have painted.
Detail is crisp and those models that have turrets, they sit quite nicely in place with a wide peg. Track detail and running gear looks nicely done and takes paint and wash easily.
The Victrix 1/144 is crisper, but not to a point that influences my buying decisions. Victrix are good when you want a lot of a certain type of vehicle and Anschluss work for me when I just want 1 - 3 vehicles of a type.
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Yes I found the models nice and smooth. I think modern resin printers produce great quality prints. Slightly angling the models can really help with the layer lines too.
I agree on the Vitrix point too - for 6 of the same model I would like the price to be a bit lower or the kits to have a few more options eg a 10.5cm option on the Stugs.
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I think the Stugs III’s do have a 10.5 cm alternative …. I used one because I broke the 75mm gun on the sprue!
The more recent stuff seems to have some variant options. The sprues each carry two vehicles, it’s a pity you can’t ‘construct’ your own 6 vehicle packs by choosing three pairs of vehicle.