Figures for my WWII diorama 'Liberation, Italy 1944'

TIM FORSTER

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German prisoner 4.jpg

This blog is for figures destined to be part of my WWII diorama 'Liberation, Italy 1944'.

See the blog at: http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/liberation-italy-1944.30350/

The setting is north of Rome in the latter half of 1944 and the figures are to be a mixture of 'liberating' Allied soldiers, 'liberated' Italian civilians (some possibly resistance) and captured / hiding Germans.

Given that this falls in the Summer months of 1944 I am trying to feature uniforms which seem appropriate. However, I have learnt a few things from my research (by which I mean pouring over images on the internet):

First. the Allies in Italy seem to have worn quite a mixture of uniforms. So it's not uncommon to see shorts and short sleeves mixed with full (or partial) battle dress. Also the Mark II helmet (as opposed to the Mark III 'crab') is almost always seen in period photos even up to the end of the war. This may well have been because a) they were frequently overlooked for supplies in favour of the landings in Normandy and southern France and b) many of these troops had been in action from the North African campaigns or earlier. Or perhaps uniform discipline was simply a bit more lax!

Secondly, although the weather in Italy can be extremely hot - it can also be very wet and cold (especially in the mountains). For example, during the July advances which followed the liberation of Rome there were several days of heavy rainfall. So, although you often see troops during the early months of the campaign wearing tropical kit, by the time the reached Rome and beyond they were often wearing the sort of uniforms and kit which you tend to see in photos from France. But not always...

Basically, this is good news for the modeller because it means that pretty much anything goes!

After asking for advice with the markings for my Universal Carrier I have provisionally settled on my Allied troops belonging to the 78th 'Battleaxe' Division and, more specifically, the 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, who were in action around Cassino and Rome. Although the 78th was withdrawn for R&R at some time in July they were back by September for the assault on the Gothic Line. So this means that I can hedge my bets about whether my dio is set in June / July or September onwards.

'A' Company, 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, advancing through Aquino, Italy, May 1944..jpg

The picture above shows 'A' Company, 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, advancing through Aquino (just northwest of Cassino) in May 1944. Note the soldiers are in full kit whilst the officer is wearing some natty shorts!

Anyway, I will be grateful for any advice, especially when it comes to Allied uniform insignia - about which I am as ignorant as vehicle markings...

The figures which I am using come from a variety of sources.

Taking in the prisoner

First off is this pair, from a set called British Soldiers / German Sniper CR 35-108 by Corsar Rex. I'm pretty sure that they're a Swedish company. Now this is a lovely set, beautifully sculpted - but it has a couple of major flaws.

British Soldiers German Sniper CR 35-108 by Corsar Rex.jpg

The first problem is that the the faces are rather lifeless and the German, in particular, seems to have no neck!

The other issue is that, while the sculpting of some of the hands is wonderful (especially those of the German), the hands gripping weapons are rather ill defined.

So, as so often, you have to reach for Hornet heads and hands. The head for the Brit had some hair added using Magicsculp. The netting covered helmet is from Sovereign 2000. Although I used only the rear escort figure, I used the left arm from the leading man and simply replaced the hand with one from Hornet and the Lee Enfield from one which came with my Riich Universal Carrier.

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this pair so far. They are going to be positioned on the rear left corner of the diorama walking out of frame...

German prisoner 1.jpg
German prisoner 2.jpg
German prisoner 3.jpg
 
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Steve Jones

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Stunning figures Tim. Is there no end to your talents. They will top the diorama off nicely
 

TIM FORSTER

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Thanks gents... I was getting a little worried about my figures, but a few days away have enabled me to get stuck in.

British officer

When I went looking for a British / Allied officer in battle dress I was surprised at how little choice there seemed to be. However, as always when looking for something on the internet, it helps to think outside the box. Looking for 'British' or 'Allied' wouldn't have helped me find this lovely figure:

Dog Tag Commonwealth Soldier.jpg

Called Commonwealth Soldier, Burma 1943 he's by Dog Tag (WZ3501). I found him on the Historex website.

Obviously, the bush hat and machete wouldn't work for my setting, but all I had to do was replace the headgear with a Mk.2 helmet and the machete with a cane and - hey presto - I had an Infantry officer in Italy!

British officer 1.jpg

British officer 3.jpg
 

Gary MacKenzie

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Thanks gents... I was getting a little worried about my figures, but a few days away have enabled me to get stuck in.

British officer

When I went looking for a British / Allied officer in battle dress I was surprised at how little choice there seemed to be. However, as always when looking for something on the internet, it helps to think outside the box. Looking for 'British' or 'Allied' wouldn't have helped me find this lovely figure:



Called Commonwealth Soldier, Burma 1943 he's by Dog Tag (WZ3501). I found him on the Historex website.

Obviously, the bush hat and machete wouldn't work for my setting, but all I had to do was replace the headgear with a Mk.2 helmet and the machete with a cane and - hey presto - I had an Infantry officer in Italy!

Fantastic.
Reminds me of the Airfix Multipose system for altering troops, problem for me was they were 1/32nd , and i preferred 1/35th
 

TIM FORSTER

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Thanks Gary.

Yes I remember the Multipose sets very well.

I really didn't have to modify this guy much. The darker resin on the right arm was simply how it came in the kit.

I had to carve off the bush hat though, because it was moulded as one piece with the head.

I like the look of this guy. With his flop of hair and low-slung holster he looks every inch the dashing young officer...

Obviously I will have to add at least one pip to his epaulettes for a Second Lieutenant.
 

TIM FORSTER

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Italian partisan

Another character invited to the liberation party will be this guy: part civilian, part soldier.

By the time Rome had been liberated the Italian armistice was approaching its first anniversary - and the Allies were getting increasing assistance from Italian irregulars harassing the Germans from the rear. By the end of '44 there would even be Italian troops fighting alongside the Allies wearing Commonwealth battledress!

A really good source of figures which I haven't seen on many dioramas comes from the French manufacturer Mk35 (they also made the lovely little building by my bridge).

MK35-F181 Man Drinking.jpg

This guy is called MK35-F181 Man Drinking. As you can see, he has a lovely 'liberated' pose.

Because the face was a little narrow and the hat didn't seem quite right for a rural setting, I replaced the head with one from the Hornet range. I started out sculpting a cap or beret from Magicsculp, but in the end I thought it looked better as a haircut. This chap obviously hasn't had one for a while! It's quite easily done with fingers and a scalpel blade.

As you can see, the moulding of the clothes is exquisite - full of character.

Partisan drinking 1.jpg
Partisan drinking 2.jpg
Partisan drinking 3.jpg

Obviously the head is temporarily held in place with some blutac.

I added an armband - although I have no idea what sort of colour or design this should be. I suppose they might have chosen any local colour to indicate to the approaching Allies troops that they were part of the local resistance. I may also add a sten slung over his shoulder.

Having arrived back home this afternoon I was able to see how he looked next to my officer on the diorama. I'm going to have a table and a couple of chairs with some more bottles of vino or beer in evidence.

Officer and partisan 1.jpg
Officer and partisan 2.jpg
 

grumpa

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Great choice of figures Tim, this should be a real fine production when all done:thumb2:

Jim
 

Steve Jones

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Stunning work on the figures. Are they all done and ready for painting now?
 

JR

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Tim.
These will set if off perfectly.
John.
 
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View attachment 309941

This blog is for figures destined to be part of my WWII diorama 'Liberation, Italy 1944'.

See the blog at: http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/liberation-italy-1944.30350/

The setting is north of Rome in the latter half of 1944 and the figures are to be a mixture of 'liberating' Allied soldiers, 'liberated' Italian civilians (some possibly resistance) and captured / hiding Germans.

Given that this falls in the Summer months of 1944 I am trying to feature uniforms which seem appropriate. However, I have learnt a few things from my research (by which I mean pouring over images on the internet):

First. the Allies in Italy seem to have worn quite a mixture of uniforms. So it's not uncommon to see shorts and short sleeves mixed with full (or partial) battle dress. Also the Mark II helmet (as opposed to the Mark III 'crab') is almost always seen in period photos even up to the end of the war. This may well have been because a) they were frequently overlooked for supplies in favour of the landings in Normandy and southern France and b) many of these troops had been in action from the North African campaigns or earlier. Or perhaps uniform discipline was simply a bit more lax!

Secondly, although the weather in Italy can be extremely hot - it can also be very wet and cold (especially in the mountains). For example, during the July advances which followed the liberation of Rome there were several days of heavy rainfall. So, although you often see troops during the early months of the campaign wearing tropical kit, by the time the reached Rome and beyond they were often wearing the sort of uniforms and kit which you tend to see in photos from France. But not always...

Basically, this is good news for the modeller because it means that pretty much anything goes!

After asking for advice with the markings for my Universal Carrier I have provisionally settled on my Allied troops belonging to the 78th 'Battleaxe' Division and, more specifically, the 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, who were in action around Cassino and Rome. Although the 78th was withdrawn for R&R at some time in July they were back by September for the assault on the Gothic Line. So this means that I can hedge my bets about whether my dio is set in June / July or September onwards.

View attachment 309892

The picture above shows 'A' Company, 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, advancing through Aquino (just northwest of Cassino) in May 1944. Note the soldiers are in full kit whilst the officer is wearing some natty shorts!

Anyway, I will be grateful for any advice, especially when it comes to Allied uniform insignia - about which I am as ignorant as vehicle markings...

The figures which I am using come from a variety of sources.

Taking in the prisoner

First off is this pair, from a set called British Soldiers / German Sniper CR 35-108 by Corsar Rex. I'm pretty sure that they're a Swedish company. Now this is a lovely set, beautifully sculpted - but it has a couple of major flaws.

View attachment 309888

The first problem is that the the faces are rather lifeless and the German, in particular, seems to have no neck!

The other issue is that, while the sculpting of some of the hands is wonderful (especially those of the German), the hands gripping weapons are rather ill defined.

So, as so often, you have to reach for Hornet heads and hands. The head for the Brit had some hair added using Magicsculp. The netting covered helmet is from Sovereign 2000. Although I used only the rear escort figure, I used the left arm from the leading man and simply replaced the hand with one from Hornet and the Lee Enfield from one which came with my Riich Universal Carrier.

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this pair so far. They are going to be positioned on the rear left corner of the diorama walking out of frame...

View attachment 309889
View attachment 309890
View attachment 309891
Tim. Could your Brit's tin hat be a little high on this figure? It may be the photo angles, but wanted to comment before you put paint on. Something about his head looks a little odd, but I love all the figures.
Andy
 

SteveH

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Great choice of figures Tim

Enjoy the painting and bringing life to the resin and scenario

Regards

Steve H
 

TIM FORSTER

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Thanks chaps.

Andy, I know what you mean about the helmet on the soldier taking in the prisoner. The problem I have found with my choice of figures is that, although they are all nominally 1/35 scale, their sizes vary considerably. This means that, while some Hornet heads will fit a particular figure, others will not. And I have had the same issues with the MK.II helmets.

So I think the problem with this guy (who was my first) is that his helmet is too small. I have a number of other options so watch this space...

Meanwhile here is a shot of the pair of them on the diorama (note the groundwork is yet to be painted). The rifle sling was added from a Dragon set. It's actually for a German rifle, but by looping one end (which is correct for a Lee Enfield sling) I got it to fit.

German prisoner on dio.jpg

The Priest

Priest 3.jpg

This is one of my favourite figures from the Mk.35 range. I found this one long ago after I started to build my church. He comes with a bible in his hand and an umbrella over his arm - but I think I will leave the latter.

I haven't quite decided, but I will probably have him looking skyward as if to give thanks...
 

JR

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Looking good Tim.
I agree on sizes in figures, I have some Dragon where the heads look so much bigger than MB.
Think the priest with the umbrella would look good, they all appear to carry them at all times.
John
 

TIM FORSTER

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Thanks guys. I really appreciate the feedback...

I have been doing a little more work on my figures. Using some lead sheet and couple of Aber photoetch sets - buckles and watches & glasses - I added some more details.

First up is the Partisan. I gave him a Sten Mk.II (from my Riich Carrier) slung over his shoulder, a spare magazine shoved in his trouser waistband and a watch. Yes, I know the strap needs to be settled a little...

Partisan_drinking_with_sten_2.jpg

For the Brit officer I added a pair of binoculars from the spares box (these are probably German, but if so that merely adds to my 'liberation' theme) and a strap.

British_officer_with_binos_2.jpg


Another figure I have been working on is this beautifully posed (and rather sombre looking) fellow.

543213-12155-47-pristine.jpg


As with my officer, I would never have found him if I had been looking for an infantryman from the European theatre because he is described as WWII British Infantryman, Far East (Wee Friends WF35010)

However, he looks just right for Italy. To add a little variety, I gave him a Lee Enfield Mk.III with sniper sight from the Riich Commonwealth Weapons Set.

Putting the rifle sling on him was not easy. I had to drill a hole through the hand and then feed the lead sheet through. Buckles were added from the Aber set - and also a watch.

Wee_Friend_infantryman_3.jpg


Wee_Friends_infantryman_4.jpg

More to come soon...
 
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