I was impressed with the example photos of the new Plastic Soldier Company ultracast SS Panzergrenadiers, so decided to give myself a pre-Christmas treat and ordered a box. At almost £20 plus postage for a box of 35 figures, they are not cheap, working out at over 57p per figure. I was also somewhat surprised at the box content as there are 6 MG34 teams of 2, 3 prone firing and 3 advancing. However, that leaves 3 kneeling commanders, 3 NCOs with SMGs, 3 Panzerfausts and 20 figures armed with rifles. Now, my calculations suggest that for a platoon in PSCs premier WW2 rules system, this leaves you short 1 rifleman, which seems a really odd mix, especially as my box contained sprues which had been cut up already, so presumably are a mix and match from the casting machines.
The image below shows the basic 30 man platoon that can be assembled (I opted to use the advancing LMG teams, saving the firing teams for another platoon), but there is an odd figure from another manufacturer - I will let you try and figure out which and from which plastic figure set.
Pose quality and sculpting are excellent (as might be expected given their Adler pedigree) and they are nicely equipped with water bottle, bread bag, gas mask canister, entrenching tool or spade and bayonet sheath, and a scattering of zeltbahns. Riflemen appear to carry the Kar 98K, NCOs the MP40. Those armed with panzerfausts also have a slung rifle. Loaders for the LMGs carry ammo boxes and one has a belt of ammunition draped around his shoulders. There are quite a variety of poses, walking, running, aiming firing, loading, etc., which makes for a nice mixed look to the unit.
The ultracast material is lightweight and easy to paint, requiring no base/undercoat coat. However, that is where the benefits stop. The material does not fully fill the molds properly, resulting in poorly cast arms and entrenching tools in particular. Missing arms, from elbow or shoulder to hand, required the use of paste to fill/resculpt. In particular, the tips of entrenching tools also proved particularly challenging to repair and I eventually gave up. Then there are issues with strong curvature on entrenching tool handles, which are adhered to the backside of the troopers, making them curve to their bodies. Rifles were also curved and, in at least one case, rippled with multiple curves, making straightening them a challenge. To add to the problems, some of the webbing, especially rifle and SMG slings, is markedly distorted, with random blebs of plastic and occasionally, there are rounded blebs of plastic adhered to the chest of some figures - no indication if this is a mis-cast item like a grenade or just a blob of spare plastic, but it is too well adhered to the figure to remove without a lot of cutting. I regret to say that in my opinion there is some really poor production quality and quality control in the manufacture of these figures, which spoils what were clearly beautiful figure sculpts. Having said that, I am quite pleased with how they have turned out, but I am not going to rush out and buy more or their new 8th Army figures until I hear production quality has improved.
The 6 figure command squad - to me the three kneeling figures look more suitable (in fact perfect) for a higher level HQ (FHQ in BG), rather than a combat platoon.
Three advancing MG34 teams. Nice dynamic poses. I have painted these guys in a spring oak leaf pattern,
Three 5 man rifle teams, each with a panzerfaust.
Another view of the riflemen.
And the LMG teams.
So, I thought about what spare figures I had and how they might be incorporated into the basic set. I picked up some Britannia SS figures from Paul at the Defenders club a couple of years ago and was pleased to see that they compare well in style and size. This got me thinking that, at 65p/figure, the Britannia metals might be a better bet, although the variety of poses from PSC is nice. Anyway, these figures were in pea dot camo and there were enough riflemen and an LMG team to do a recce infantry section (at the back in the photo below), plus a suitable commander and a grizzled veteran with arm in sling for the command team (front row, round bases), freeing up the three kneeling PSC figures to form a battlegroup FHQ. As a bonus, there were also sniper, panzerschrek and MG34 tripod teams as well (on left in photo below).
Comparison of Britannia figures (round bases on left) and PSC (square bases right) showing good compatibility - at least I am happy with them.
So, all in all I am really pleased with the way they have turned out and they form the basis of a nice looking SS Panzergrenadier kampfgruppe. I already have one using entirely Britannia figures, so these should fit right in for larger actions.
As its Christmas Eve and, according to Norad, Santa is preparing for his great journey around the globe, I will take the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope you are able to be with the ones you love, and if you cant, then you can at least meet up on social media. Take care and keep safe, as ever, thanks for looking.
