Panzergranatieri Tedeschi della Bundeswehr

Recensione dei Figurini Revell in Scala 1:72

Modern Bundeswehr Panzergrenadiers wearing the new Flecktarn camouflage uniform, con vest ed elmetto in Kevlar, new G36 assault rifle, several with bipod e drum magazine, Granatpistole grenade launcher, e Panzerfaust 3 disposable anti-tank rocket projector. Bundeswehr Panzergrenadiers are a classic troop type, they filled a void in the force composition della NATO during the height of the Cold War. For decades, the German Panzergrenadiers were the only fanteria meccanizzata della Nato con a dedicated veicolo da combattimento della fanteria which allows the fanteria to keep up con carri da combattimento in a mounted action. The Schützenpanzer Marder is a large veicolo corazzato da combattimento, it has much better armour protection than the venerable M113 APC, ed it provides direct fire support con its turreted 20 mm Maschinenkanone automatic cannon. The Marder is equipped con Milan anti-tank guided missiles, e the launcher may be dismounted if the grenadier squad needs it.

A section of Panzergrenadiers consists of nine men: The Gruppenführer (section leader), the guidatore e gunner of the Marder veicolo corazzato da combattimento, the Truppführer (squad leader) e cinque Panzergrenadiers. The Gruppenführer is in overall command of the section, e he normally directs the Marder; his Truppführer commands the grenadier squad. As a rule, the GrpFhr leads the most important combat element of his section. Depending on the mission, the Marder may be the key player, e the grenadiers are in the support role, mounted o dismounted. When the dismounted granatieri are to become the key element, the GrpFhr e his TrFhr switch positions inside the vehicle, the GrpFhr dismounts con the squad, e the TrFhr provides fire support con the Marder. In the platoon leader vehicle, the GrpFhr is also the ZugFhr, usually an officer o senior NCO. German officers e NCOs are virtually indistinguishable in combat, especially if they are wearing the Kevlar vest which covers the shoulder straps e the slip-on rank markings.

Contenuto

• 45 soldatini in 12 Poses – 22.5 mm pari a 162 cm di altezza
  • GrpFhr con Leuchtpistole (3)
  • Grenadier tirante Milan Anti-Tank Guided Missile (3)
  • Grenadier running con Milan launch tube (2)
  • Grenadier advancing con Panzerfaust 3 (4)
  • Grenadier kneeling, tirante Panzerfaust 3 (4)
  • Grenadier advancing con G36 with bipod e drum magazine (4)
  • Grenadier prone, tirante G36 with bipod e drum magazine (3)
  • Grenadier kneeling, tirante Granatpistole (3)
  • Grenadier signaling, armed con G36 e Granatpistole (3)
  • Grenadier running con G36 (5)
  • Grenadier standing, tirante G36 from hip (5)
  • Grenadier standing, tirante G36 from shoulder (5)
• Milan firing post con launch tube attached (3)
• Milan tripod (3)

Valutazione

• Good choice of subject, this is the first dedicated set of Bundeswehr troops in scala 1:72. Revell offers a Leopard 2A5 carro da combattimento which may be used in conjunction con these soldatini. Unfortunately, the SPz Marder veicolo da combattimento della fanteria is not available in this scale yet. The Marder is a key element of the Panzergrenadier section, e Revell would do well to release a model of it soon.
• Nicely detailed soldatini, con realistic folds in the uniform. Weapons ed equipaggiamento are sculpted correctly, except for the holster of the Granatpistole which is really a lot bulkier than the model suggests.
• La scatola includes a number of useful poses, but there is no common theme. Some conversion will be required to create a realistically posed squad of six dismounted granatieri.
• Good casting quality, but noticeable flash which needs to be removed prima di dipingere. We used the Rai-Ro ZEP-70 wax spatula to remove flash e mould lines.
• The soldatini are perfect for conversion projects, they may be cut apart at the waist without damaging the pouches ed altri oggetti dell’equipaggiamento. Simple torso-swapping, e head-turning operations will result in several variations of poses. Arms may be repositioned by pinning them, e filling the gap con Rai-Ro adhesive wax. Several of the poses can be improved by swapping arms. If the distinctive shoulder pad is left on the figure, arms from other modern fanteria soldatini may be used to add even more variety. Ci sono otto fucili di assalto nella serie che potrebbe essere scroccata per il lavoro di conversione, sebbene tre di loro hanno una mano sinistra attaccata a loro che potrebbe dover essere attentamente tolto.
• The granatieri are armed con the new G36 assault rifle which has been introduced in the Bundeswehr, but which has not replaced the older G3 yet. The new weapon has the standard 5,56 mm calibre della NATO; it features a curved 25-round magazine, folding stock, carrying handle con integrated telescopic sights as well as regular notch e bead sights. The G36 is a low-recoil weapon, making it easier to control in automatic firing mode than the G3. The soldatini would be equally appropriate if they were armed con G3 assault rifles, e Revell might have put a few spare weapons on the sprue. It’s really a good idea to include cheap extras like spare pouches, weapons, e variable heads to increase the perceived value of a set of soldatini. G3 e MG3 may be scrounged from the old ESCI set of fanteria della NATO which includes quattro Bundeswehr soldiers wearing the previous uniform ed equipaggiamento.
• The LMG36 represented in this set is the section mitragliatrice leggera, which was never procured for the Bundeswehr. Fortunately, the LMG36 is outwardly similar to the G36 with bipod e drum magazine, which has been issued to the troops. The LMG36 uses many of the same components as the G36, including the folding stock e the integrated optics. The LMG36 has a bipod, ed it is fitted con a drum magazine for moving fire. Inside the drum magazine is a 50-round belt. The LMG36 gunner switches to belted ammunition when sustained fire is needed, especially in the course of streetfighting, ed in prepared defensive positions. The venerable mitragliatrice leggera MG3 is still in common use, ed it would have been a nice touch if the manufacturer had included a spare weapon for conversion projects. The prone LMG36 gunner has adopted an incorrect firing position, con one foot placed over the other. This pose is obviously based on the prone mitragliatrice leggera poses in the Matchbox set dei soldatini paracadutisti della NATO, but it is wrong in this case. Bundeswehr soldiers are trained to flatten themselves on the ground when adopting a prone firing position, the feet are always turned out to avoid getting shot in the heel. The Milan gunner has the feet in the proper position, e the legs from this figure may be used to correct the prone LMG36 pose.
• The knife carried by these soldatini was adopted after German unification, it is the bayonet of the venerable AK assault rifle con which the former East German Army (NVA) was equipped. The bayonet cannot actually be fixed on the G3 o G36 assault rifle, but it may be useful as a bread knife, ed it carries a wire cutter on the scabbard. In accordance con international law, the Bundeswehr does not practise bayonet fighting at all. In fact, the bayonet fell out of use when the lessons della prima guerra mondiale had been completamente appreciated: Firepower, not cold steel, dominates the modern battlefield. Apparently, the lack of bayonet fighting skill did not put German fanteria at a significant tactical disadvantage tra la seconda guerra mondiale, compared to truppe britanniche e sovietiche who were still quite proficient in this tactic.
• The Granatpistole grenade launcher projects concussion e fragmentation grenades to a range of 400 meters. There is no dedicated grenadier who operates the Granatpistole; every man in the section is trained to use it effectively, e the section leader decides who will fulfill this role in battle. The Granatpistole is carried in a dedicated holster, e there are due soldatini in this set which carry it attached to the belt e strapped to the right leg. This position has a certain Hollywood appeal, but the large Granatpistole is more comfortably carried on the back. The harness has attachments points which place the grip of the Granatpistole behind the right shoulder, within easy reach of the right hand. The trooper carrying the Granatpistole is armed con the G36 assault rifle as the primary weapon. There is no dedicated grenade pouch yet. Some troopers use a spare gas mask pouch to carry grenades, e some battaglioni design their own pouches which are locally produced in small numbers.
• The Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank rocket launcher is not strictly considered a weapon anymore, it is a disposable item, called Mengenverbrauchsartikel (MVA) in the Bundeswehr. Again, there is no dedicated anti-tank team at the platoon level, every soldier is expected to use the Panzerfaust 3, although there will be some who show a particular skill con it e who will be chosen for this job by the section leader. The long spike on the warhead is designed to detonate the hollow-charge at the optimal stand-off distance from armour plate. The spike is removed when the hollow-charge is fired against sandbagged emplacements e bunkers. For low-cost target practise, the Panzerfaust 3 can be fitted con a training warhead which fires a small-calibre projectile.
• The soldatini are surprisingly short, they actually look more compatibile con 1:76 scale. Many simulation gamers will actually consider the smaller size an advantage, because the soldatini are compatibile con the popular paracadutisti della NATO di Matchbox, e with a variety of modern veicoli available in scala 1:76.

• Military modellers are almost always disappointed that the soldatini in a set do not follow a common mission. These Panzergrenadiers are no exception to the rule. Not one of the suggested combat actions is completamente covered, e dioramisti may find it difficult to create a realistic scene from this mixed batch of figure poses:
  • Fanteria Firefight: 1 prone e 1 kneeling firing soldatino.
  • Anti-Tank Fire: 1 prone e 1 kneeling firing soldatino.
  • Sudden Encounter: 2 standing firing soldatini.
  • Re-deploy: 3 running soldatini, obviously not under fire.
  • Patrol: 1 standing grenadier, signaling to an imaginary patrol behind him.
  • Rest: 1 standing LMG36 gunner without a mission.
  • Command: 1 standing leader firing a flare pistol, incompatibile con the other combat situations listed here.
  A dismounted squad of Panzergrenadiers consists of the squad leader e cinque men, based around the mitragliatrice leggera MG3. The most realistic LMG36 in this set is in a prone firing o covering position, but there are no other prone o kneeling granatieri to complete a firefight diorama. The most likely alternative is a scene involving a covering group ed an advancing group. The firing LMG36 e the grenadier con the Granatpistole could both be used in this scene, but the covering group is still short of a figure o due. Most of the running/advancing poses in the advancing group are actually cannonieri anticarro, effectively limiting this diorama to a tank-hunting scenario. It would have been possible to show Panzergrenadiers in action if the 12 poses had been chosen con due o tre realistic action scenes in mind, instead of the seven we have identified above. Patrol e firefight scenes are good choices, because the duplication of these standard poses is less obvious in a diorama. Running soldatini can rarely be used more than once in a scene, because a group of runners must not be perfectly synchronized in motion.
• The squad leader is incompatibile con the other soldatini in the set. The man is in a relaxed pose, firing an illumination o signal flare, e holding the assault rifle by the carrying handle. He is obviously at some distance from the fighting, unlike the other soldatini which are running, involved in an fanteria firefight o firing at enemy tanks. If the squad leader were involved in any of these activities, the man would be prone, kneeling o running as well. Most importantly, he would be leading his men, instead of concentrating on his flare shot. Battlefield illumination is the job of a grenadier in the squad, not that of the squad leader. If the squad leader wants a signal flare fired, he can order the grenadier to do it, he would not need to do it himself.
• The advancing mitragliere carries the mitragliatrice leggera LMG36 della sezione in an impractical way, he looks like he may be lifting the weapon to place it on the back of a truck o stow it in a rack, back home at the barracks. If he were in action, he would carry the LMG36 ready to fire from the hip. If he were resting, he would carry the weapon in a more comfortable way, o he might have placed it on the ground beside him.
• The running Panzerfaust gunner is a Passgänger. The man is ambling like a horse, con his right foot e right arm forward at the same time. An impossible pose, especially at the suggested running speed. The figure is best used for conversions, the legs, torso, e right arm are perfectly good parts if used separately. We used the right arm to improve the pose of the signaling grenadier.
• The Milan gunner should have his right hand on the firing mechanism, not resting on the ground beside the weapon. If the man were firing the weapon, he would have his head down on the target optics. This pose may be difficult to fix, some cutting e re-adjusting of the figure will be required.
• Incorrect painting instructions on the box:
  • The combat boots are black, not chestnut brown. Brown boots were last issued during the late 70s, presumably because they are less reflective e the colour has better camouflage properties. It is important to remember that the Bundeswehr inducts new recruits in quarterly drafts, e the boots are not normally replaced in the course of a 15 o 12 months tour of duty. Accordingly, it would have taken up to a year to change the colour of the boots from black to brown. Not surprisingly, local commanders would not put up con the resulting mix of oggetti dell’uniforme. Recruits issued brown boots were told to blacken them con shoe polish to achieve a uniform look in formation con earlier drafts which still wore black boots. The introduction of brown boots was short-lived, but many older reservist have grown fond of their rare brown boots, blackened of course, but still slightly different from the black boots which have been standard issue since 1980.
  • Load bearing harness, belt, straps e pouches are grey-green, not khaki brown.
  • The green colour of the Flecktarn uniform is actually a grass green, not the darker lake green suggested here.
• The figure mix is acceptable, even if the box is overloaded con heavy weapons. One delle due Panzerfaust poses might have been dropped in favor of an advancing fanteria pose which would have been compatibile con the advancing LMG36 gunner. The man firing the G36 from the hip might have been modelled in an advancing pose as well, e the resulting trio would have made a realistic foot patrol.

Utilizzo Storico

• Modern German fanteria
  • Panzergrenadiere
  • Pioniere
  • Jäger
  • Fallschirmjäger

Conversioni Possibili

• Modern German fanteria con Feldmütze o beret
  • Jäger wearing the field cap o green beret instead of the elmetto.
  • Fallschirmjäger paracadutisti tedeschi wearing the field cap o red beret instead of the elmetto.
  • Spare Milan launchers may be used to equip plotoni fanteria britannici e francesi. Milan was used as a bunker buster during the Falkland War.

Revell’s Bundeswehr Panzergrenadiere are the first in a growing range of modern fanteria soldatini available in scala 1:72. Revell ed Archer Models offer 1:72 e 1:76 scale models of the Schützenpanzer Marder veicolo da combattimento della fanteria used by Bundeswehr Panzergrenadiers.

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Soldatini Moderni

– Pubblicato: 31.10.1997 – Aggiornato: 18.06.2008
© 1997-2011 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Germania. Tutti diritti reservati.