TCS: New Germans!

My last post for this month and for it I am returning to The Collectors Showcase who have recently put up some images on their website heralding the release of a few more sets of WW2 Germans

These great new German Fallschirmjager sets depict Friederich Von Der Heydte and company on their way to what would be a very bloody scrap at Carentan. The 6th Regiment was a sort of "Fire Brigade" in Normandy and saw a lot of action. These figures marching to the front would be great to populate any armoured diorama with and also perfectly complement the new SdKfz 232, also pictured below

The foot figure sets will retail at $65.90 each and the armoured car at $159

Radio team

LMG team

Panzerschreck team

Company officers assessing the lie of the land

What a stunner she looks and, at $159, great value for money if their other vehicles are anything to go by!

That about wraps it up for another month. Until next time. Happy hunting!!

Latest Additions: Wittmann Diorama

As many of you will probably know I am currently collecting the figures and vehicles I need for a diorama I'm creating based on the famous photograph of Michael Wittmann sitting astride his Tiger tank shortly before the battle at Villers-Bocage

The terrain for the diorama isn't finished yet but it's being done by David Marshall over at TM Terrain and I'm confident it will look pretty stunning when complete. He's promised me some 'work in progress' photos as soon as he has some ready so I will put them up as soon as I have them. He may even feature them in an article on his own blog!

By way of keeping you up to date with how the figure side of it is going I thought I'd post the following images. Nine of the ten figures below will feature in the diorama and I bought them all in one job lot from my friends in Canada, aka The Toy Soldiers Club

This first figure is the one that won't be featuring in the diorama but I've included him here since he's new to my collection and I bought him at the same time as the others

Here are the ones that will be in the diorama

These two chaps will be there 'policing' the event, standing at the rear of the Tiger making sure nothing gets in the way to ruin the shot!

My plan is to have these Wehrmacht tankers positioned at the side of the Panzer Lehr tank, collecting fuel and water ready for the onward journey

These four figures will be positioned on either side of the Tiger 1 paying their respects to the newly decorated tank ace and the subject of all the attention

Finally, K&C's portrayal of SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Hans Weiss. He was the commander of the 2nd SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion of the ‘Das Reich’ Division. He is proudly wearing his Knight’s Cross which he was awarded in 1943. He was a very skilled and popular commander who survived the war, only to be killed in a car accident in 1978

Like the four figures mentioned previously my plan is to have Weiss standing beside the Tiger saluting Wittmann

So, there you have it, the latest additions to my collection which pretty much completes the figures I want for the diorama. The only other item I really want is the cute little wood gas powered VW in Normandy camo which will be parked on a side road and act as the vehicle that the propaganda press men are travelling in

I'll be sure to keep you updated with news and images as and when I have them. Bye for now

First Legion: Update!

I've already posted about several forthcoming releases from First Legion this month but when I received their latest newsletter in my inbox the other day I decided to post this update

First up are a few rather delightful looking terrain pieces which, if you have room for them, can be used to add a little First Legion flourish to your displays. Here's the first of several images, together with the company's own description of the piece in question

The latest item for our Buildings and Terrain series takes us back to the Battle of Stalingrad with the first building release in our new modular style diorama sets. This brick building is heavily battle damaged with the entire rear of the building completely blown off thus exposing the interior   

This building works extremely well when used with our other modular terrain tiles and multiples can be setup back to back giving the look of a full, but heavily damaged building.  This type of building was found all over Stalingrad in neat rows and thus can be used in various sections of the city  

Though designed for Stalingrad, it can be used for many other theaters of the war as well, including Western Europe. This extremely detailed building comes with the following features:

3 x drain pipes attached to the building
 2 x removable roof pieces
3 x removable interior floors
 2 x separate battle damaged doors
3 x separate large rubble pieces
1 x small side building tile roof
1 x bag of loose rubble

Building Measurements in inches: 15.5" (L) x 8" (W) x 11" (H)
Boxed Weight - 15.5 Pounds

In front of the building in the last picture you can see a section of cobbled road which is just one of a series of modular terrain pieces the company is producing, all of which are pictured below and described by the company in the accompanying text

Our new modular terrain boards were specifically designed to display our figures on and can be used in combination with one another to make a simple one piece shelf display or to create much larger settings. They have been designed to work for all First Legion figure ranges from Rome, through the Napoleonic period, right the way up to WWII and everything in between

Measurements in inches: 15" (L) x 8" (W)
Boxed Weight - 4.5 Pounds

At 15" X 8" these boards are large enough to accommodate quite a number of figures, especially if you happen to collect Napoleonics or Romans, or are thinking of starting up a collection of their new Renaissance figures, and have them grouped together in units several ranks deep. I think they'd look mighty handsome!

Finally, I thought I'd include a couple of images from the Workbench section of the FL website which features, amongst other things, some soon to be released Japanese cavalry for their Samurai range and a Germanic warband, looking suitably ferocious and savage, to pitch against their splendid Roman forces. I can't wait to see these rolling off the production line

We are very pleased to provide this sneak peek of our upcoming Mounted Takeda cavalry release for our Age of the Samurai figure range. Fans of this range have waited almost two years since our last release and should be very pleased to hear that there will be not just one, but two major Samurai releases coming in 2012, both of which focus on the Takeda clan. The first of these features 6 different Mounted Takeda Samurai charging at Nagashino

Now that we've officially launched the Glory of Rome figure range, let's take a quick look at just a few of the of many figures that will be added to this range over the coming months. Most specifically, the figures up next for the range, a big group of fierce Germanic Warriors ranging from the simple peasant to the noble elite

  

 

That about wraps it up for now. Happy hunting!

Figarti: Recent Releases

Figarti, a company with a well deserved reputation for producing impressive centre pieces, are releasing a number of new products this month, among them these two horse-drawn German sets for their WW2 range

The artillery limber pictured below does not come cheap at £315 but comprises six horses, three riders and, of course, the limber wagon which is capable of towing a suitable gun if you happen to have one, so all in all that seems pretty reasonable. You may have seen these on show on Clive's stand in London in December and if you did then you'll probably agree with me that they are beautifully sculpted and the brush work gives them a suitably battle hardened and weather beaten appearance

The supply wagon pictured below is an equally impressive piece that would look perfectly good on its own but even better when displayed in convoy with the limber! This set will retail for around £215

Finally, to complete this very brief newsflash, in March the company will be releasing a set of riders to accompany the artillery limber and in my opinion they look absolutely lovely. They are available to pre-order now and will retail at £85 for the set of three figures

All sets are available in the UK from Grey Goose Collectibles. Happy hunting!

Airsoft: Arms and Accessories

So, stuck with a cupboard full of gun bags? Do you have them lying around in awkward to get at places, or taking up shelf space, or even deposited carelessly on the floor where everyone can trip and break their neck over them? Well, this product could well be the solution you've been looking for!

 
I came across this whilst leafing through a recent issue of Airsoft International and have to confess I was quite taken with the idea. Only trouble is, I'm having difficulty finding a decent stretch of 'outside wall', unencumbered by furniture or other fixtures and fittings, to attach it to

Made by the chaps at S-Thunder, what you're looking at is a modular gun rack system constructed from durable nylon plastic and aluminium. Airsoft World commissioned them to make some for their store and I have included a couple of images from the shop to give you an idea of what the thing might look like with a number of guns fixed to it

The rack is made from 4mm extruded aluminium and the gun mounts are made from solid nylon, mounted on aluminium fixings. Using the gun's own magazine well, they mount via the solid nylon magazine shaped mounts and utilise the gun's own magazine catch to secure the gun in place

The Wall Mount is one metre in length and can accommodate up to a maximum of 16 gun holders.  Wall mounting holes are spaced 6 inches apart from centre to centre. The gun holders are available for M4, MP5, AK47, and G36 real guns or replicas and each of them can hold a gun weighing up to 10 Kg. The Wall Mount is shipped with eight gun holders included in the price and you would need to specify gun type when ordering. Gun holders are also available separately

M4 mounting unit

MP5 mounting unit

The Wall Mount costs £39.99, complete with wall fixings, and the separate gun mounts retail for £6.99 a piece. So, well worth considering if you are in need of tidying things up a bit, or would just like to show your guns off more effectively!

Airsoft: Arms and Accessories

I came across this the other day, whilst looking for a product on an airsoft retailers website, and thought you might be interested in taking a look. I hadn't heard of it before and my guess is you might not have done either, even though it's been around since 2009 in the online version

 

For more information, check out the e-zine, or the website which is: www.recon-rag.com

First Legion: Forthcoming Releases

Welcome to the first First Legion newsletter of the new year. I hope you enjoy these figures as I much as I do! First up, some new German figures for their Napoleonic, Battle of Waterloo range
 

Brunswick

The Duchy of Brunswick was officially reconstituted in 1814, just a week before Waterloo, from the recently disbanded Kingdom of Westphalia, a satellite state created by Napoleon as part of the Confederation of the Rhine

Frederick William the Duke of Brunswick was against the French domination of Germany and with Austria’s assistance raised the famous “Black Legion” to continue the resistance against their French opressors.  Uniformed in black, many of these troops fought with the British both in the Penninsula and during the 100 days campaign which climaxed at Waterloo

Specially trained as light infantry, the Avant Garde Jaeger Battalion had two companies of light infantry and two companies of Jaegers and they wore some of the most unique uniforms of the period. Presented here with the level of sculpting and painting that First Legion is known for, these figures will make an excellent addition to any serious Napoleonic figure collection!

Next up, yet more Germans, leaping forward in time a century or so to the Soviet Union in the 1940s!

GERSTAL039 - German BMW R75 Motorcycle Combination
 24th Panzer Division - Stalingrad 1942

The Reconaissance battalion of a German Panzer Division functioned much like the cavalry of horse and musket armies, able to move rapidly and find and fix the enemy. The BMW R75 Motorcycle was an integral part of German Reconaissance units. This highly detailed model is made up of a mixed media construction, primarily resin with metal, photo etched, and plastic parts

The driver and passenger are separate figures so the model can be displayed with an empty passenger car if desired or the driver of this bike can be used with the GERSTAL041 Motorcycle as well (and the Feldgendarme of GERSTAL041 can equally well sit on this version). We are extremely proud of this wonderfully detailed model!

GERSTAL041 - German BMW R75 Feldgendarme Motorcycle Combination
16th Panzer Division - Stalingrad 1942

The German Feldgendarmerie, or military police, played an important role in keeping order and discipline amongst the troops.  This was even more important at Stalingrad as discipline started to breakdown during the period of the Kessel and order had to be maintained

 

This highly detailed model is made up of a mixed media construction. The Felgendarme is a separate figure so the model can be displayed by itself without the figure or you can use the GERSTAL041 driver for this bike with the covered passenger car (and the Feldgendarme of GERSTAL041 can equally well sit on the GERSTAL039 bike)

The following figure would make a wonderful addition to any diorama featuring the Feldgendarmerie!

Last, but by no means least, is this cracking little vignette featuring a sharp-shooting German sniper, very reminiscent of the film starring Jude Law and Robert Duvall [I think!], the name of which I'm ashamed to say I can't quite recall. A cracking film though!

GERSTAL040 - German Sniper Behind Wall - Stalingrad 1942

This beautifully sculpted and painted German Sniper has taken up position sitting on a broken pipe behind a shattered section of wall.  He is prepared to be there for the long haul and has brought a thermos with him to help him cope with the freezing temperatures of Stalingrad

Happy hunting!