At the start of the year, Valiant Miniatures ran a handy online sale, so I took the opportunity to order some packs of their newish Fighting 20's resized mid-war German infantry. I finished up with two packs of infantry and two of support weapons, but shared half of one of the infantry packs with Will, to enable us both to build complete platoon/battalion units for Battlegroup/Rapid-fire.
Here is a pack and a half worth of infantry and all bar an 81mm mortar stand of a pack of support weapons. For Battlegroup, this would represent a command section at the front, with three 5 man rifle sections and three 3 man MG34 sections, plus two optional tripod mounted MG34s in sustained fire mode, an 81mm mortar team and a two man Panzershrek team.
As the figures are multipose, usually with various arm and head options, there can be quite a bit of variety. I opted to paint these in field grey, using Vallejo WW2 German field grey lightened with Iraqi sand, washed in Agrax Earthshade. Helmets are grey-violet. Part of the command team below.
Thought I'd try another B&W shot for a period feel.
Remainder of the command team.
MG34 teams, with Panzershrek team on left.
Rifle sections with SMG armed section leaders on right.
MG34 team in sustained fire mode. Equipment such as tripods and mortars are painted Middlestone.
As above with head swapped commander in field cap.
81mm Mortar team.
So, I think these are usable from 1941 Barbarossa, through to the end of the war, although they are very well supplied and kitted out for the final battles around the German frontiers and interior, so probably best mixed in with other infantry in camo gear, greatcoats, etc.
Nice figures that mix in well with my metal and plastic figures from other manufacturers, so a great improvement on their much larger predecessors. I'd love to see the same treatment meted out to the other packs in the Valiant range, including the Germans in Normandy, British Tommies and US GIs.
The spare mortars and tripod MG teams are being allocated as supports for other troops in the collection to bring them up to Rapid-fire status.