Fanteria Sovietica, 1941–1944

Recensione dei Figurini Revell in Scala 1:72

The photo shows due fanteria half-squads ed un gruppo mitragliatrice pesante following a T-34 tank into battle. Half-squads e teams are based on 50 x 38 mm e 38 x 38 mm basette di wargame respectively, terrained to blend in con the gaming table. Nearly half of the fanteria in this set carry pistole mitragliatrice PPSh41 con the distinctive drum magazine, they may be used to raise Soviet Motor Rifle platoons.

These soldatini could be right out of a movie: The attacking soldatini are leaning "into the wind" realistically, as soldier under fire are known to do, e the advancing troops have a sense of urgency about them one would expect near the sharp end. Every one of these soldatini is a classic, this is the industry standard against which other modern fanteria types must be judged.

Revell offers a nice selection of leader types, one battalion commander o commissar, due junior officers, ed a female medic. The set includes pieces of rubble which may be used to add variety to figure bases e small dioramas. This set is simply incredible, it offers the most realistic ed useful action poses of modern fanteria ever seen in soft plastic.

Contenuto

48 soldatini in 18 Poses – 24 mm pari a 173 cm di altezza

• Ufficiale (1)
• Ufficiale (1)
• Ufficiale (1)
• Female Medic (1)
• Tiratore scelto (4)
• Granatieri in 2 Poses (8)
• SG-43 HMG con 2 Crew
• 1 prone mitragliere DP
• 1 advancing mitragliere DP
• 16 PPSh41 in 4 Poses
• 12 Riflemen in 3 Poses

Valutazione

• Exceptionally realistic soldatini, correctly proportioned, perfectly posed, con realistic folds in the uniforms, collars, belts, haversacks, pouches e weapons. Equipaggiamento is modelled in scale, these soldatini do not have an exaggerated toy-like quality to them. This added realism also makes the soldatini a little more difficult to paint, they should be undercoated con an airbrush which does not obscure the fine detail.
• The figure mix is almost perfect for a set of modern fanteria. It will be possible to raise a platoon of fanteria from this box, except that one mitragliatrice leggera is missing. Due of the quattro tiratori scelti might have been dropped, this pose is too distinctive to be used more than once in any given scenario. Instead, the set should have had due additional mitragliatrici leggeri, one of each pose. As it is, additional mitragliatrici leggeri may be scrounged from the ESCI set of fanteria sovietica.
• Excellent combat poses. The soldatini are designed specifically for the Battle of Stalingrad, although most of the poses are suitable for non-streetfighting scenarios as well.
• Exceptionally realistic ed useful running poses, motorically correct, e very suitable for multiple use in a diorama o wargame unit. The soldatini are well balanced on one leg, e they should not shed paint as easily as other runners we have seen. These are standard running poses which will look realistic in most scenarios. One of the tiratori PPSh is running upstairs o uphill, he would be jogging in place if used on flat ground. These beautifully animated runners are a rare breed in scala 1:72 plastic, we have not seen any like them. It is not normally a good idea to attempt one-legged poses like these, most manufacturers have failed dismally in the attempt. Revell got it right, ed it is hoped that the sculptor will commissioned for more work of this type.
• Lively e realistic poses like these are difficult to mould in plastic, because the injection process does not allow undercutting. Revell has worked around this problem by providing the running soldatini con separate bases. The feet have sturdy lugs which fit into a slot in each base. It is very easy to fuse a figure to its base con a soldering iron. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s amazing that nobody thought of slotting soldatini into bases this way before. Generations of kids, serious collezionisti e giocatori wargame have been frustrated by unstable horses, disintegrating mortar ed gruppi mitragliatrice pesante, when the solution could have been this simple. Manufacturers have gone the other way now, casting the bases on the soldatini, but Revell’s solutions is worthy of consideration, especially if it allows the kind of animation we see in these soldatini.
• No standing firing fanteria pose. Revell deserves much praise for not including the typical XVIII secolo firing line in this set of modern fanteria. The standing soldier is a tiratore scelto, firing from the cover of a destroyed brick wall. A casual pose, probably several hundred metri away from the front line.
• The tre kneeling soldatini are nicely sculpted. One of them is in a rare advancing pose - on his hands e knees - which looks very good, except that the barrel of his PPSh is cast inaccurately. A little carving e painting fixes the problem.
• This is the first set of soldatini the reviewer has seen which does not need officer types to add character e drama to the scene. The soldiers themselves look great as a group, they appear to be led, even if no officer is immediately present. One of the officer soldatini is brandishing a pistol, and giocatori wargame will want to use him as a platoon o company commander. The other junior officer is in a relaxed pose, con the elmetto pushed out of his face, holding a map e directing someone. This figure has many uses. The battalion commander may be painted to represent a commissar, e the female medic converts easily to a radio operator o signaler.
• The men carry minimal gear, primarily ammunition e grenades needed in combat. This makes the soldiers easier to paint, e they look much more realistic than the heavily encumbered troops we often see in this scale. Another commendable feature of this set is that the ammunition pouches match the type of weapon carried by each soldier. Clearly, the designers knew what they were doing.
• Good casting quality. Mould lines are minimal, heads ed elmetti are in perfect condition. The soldatini had small ears of flash in some areas, but this was easy to remove con a scalpel. One of the running soldiers lacks detail on his chest, but he is leaning forward enough to hide this problem conveniently.
• Good value for money: Each box contains a Soviet platoon, short of one mitragliatrice leggera, e some useful officer types to spare. An additional set of Soviet troops might cover the armi pesanti e specialist troops found at the company e battalion level: Medium e heavy mortars, mitragliatrici pesanti, cannoni da fanteria da 76.2 mm, PTRS o PTRD anti-tank rifles, flamethrowers, mines, satchel charges, signalmen e radio operators.

• The set is dated 1941–1945, but the officers e men are in the pre-1943 uniform worn at Stalingrad. The most noticeable difference in dress is the pointed collar which was replaced by a buttoned stand-up collar following the gennaio 1943 decree. The officer soldatini may be converted to an hybrid pattern uniform by adding paper shoulder boards, a conversion which may satisfy anyone but a purist.
• Too many tiratori scelti. The tiratore scelto pose in this set is nicely done, but it is a key figure which should not have been repeated quattro times.
• Not enough mitragliatrici leggeri. Soviet plotoni di fanteria had tre squads con una mitragliatrice leggera each. The due mitraglieri DP in this set are nicely sculpted, e they should have been reroduced twice each.
• Painting instructions conflict con the photo sulla copertina della scatola which shows the fanteria in dark grey-green elmetti instead of earth brown elmetti. Other sources support the grey-green as well.
• The soldatini are available separately o in a boxed set con the venerable carro armato medio T-34/76.C di Matchbox in scala 1:76. This combination does not work very well, because the soldatini scale out to 182 cm in height if used alongside a smaller scale vehicle. It is not known if Revell plans to issue the boxed set con a 1:72 scale compatible vehicle eventually, these soldatini would certainly deserve one. A GAZ-67.B field car e crew would go very well con the officers in this set, ed a GAZ-AA truck would be great for motorizing the troops.
• Spare heads con elmetti M.1936 might have been cast on the sprue, they were still in use in 1941. It’s amazing that manufacturers have not caught on to the idea of spare heads yet, it’s a cheap way to add variety to a set of soldatini. What better way to encourage the modeller to purchase multiple boxes than to give him additional oggetti di equipaggiamento which may be used for conversion projects.
• Separate weapons might have been cast on the sprue, perhaps a light mortar, an anti-tank rifle, ed a few spare PPSh41. Spare parts like these add enormous value to a set of soldatini, at minimal cost to the manufacturer.

Bibliografia

• The Red Army of the Great Patriotic War, 1941-45, Steven J. Zaloga
• Funcken, L. & F.: L’Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats de la Guerre 1939–1945, pp. 64-75

Utilizzo Storico

• Soviet Motor Rifle Platoon, 1941–1943
• Soviet Rifle Platoon, 1941–1943
• Polish People’s Army (LWP), 1943
• Czechoslovak Army nel servizio sovietico, 1943
• Yugoslav Army nel servizio sovietico, 1943

Conversione

• Fanteria sovietica wearing the 1943 pattern gymnastiorka con buttoned stand-up collar, without pockets. Ufficiali received gymnastiorkas con pockets e shoulder boards. This uniform was worn at the Battle of Kursk in 1943, ed it was issued to truppe polacche, Czechoslovak e Yugoslav troops nel servizio sovietico.
• Fanteria sovietica con pilotka sidecap taken from Airfix Luftwaffe personnel.
• Fanteria sovietica con shapka-ushanka fur cap taken from ESCI fanteria sovietica.
• Soviet milizia con elmetto Adrian dei fanti francesi della prima guerra mondiale di Airfix.

Fanti sovietici di Revell are a must-have, they add wonderful animation to a diorama o simulation game. One highlight of the set is that the soldatini are perfectly compatible as a combat team, they are not individual display models for the student of military uniforms. One important feature of 1:72 scale modelling e simulation gaming is the recreation of mass action scenes, e these soldatini are perfect for it.

Grouped closely together on a typical 50 x 38 mm basetta di wargame, the soldiers appear to be advancing together e supporting eachother. Compare that to the ESCI’s fanteria sovietica who are nicely sculpted, but each of whom is minding his own business, almost completely oblivious of his comrades. The difference is in the eyes; the Revell soldatini are completely focused on what they are doing, they are the most convincing 1:72 scale reproductions of modern fanteria this reviewer has seen to date.

Revell Soldatini

Domande più frequenti

Per ulteriori informazioni, per favore contatta la redazione di Rivista Military Miniatures nel Miniatures Forum.

Soldatini Sovietici-Russi della Seconda Guerra Mondiale

– Pubblicato: 13.10.1997 – Aggiornato: 13.08.2008
© 1997-2011 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Germania. Tutti diritti reservati.