1:35 German infantry boots-various positions-WWII No.5

The tall boot that survived the whole war

A tall boot with a stiff shaft was the symbol of the German soldier throughout the 1930s and remained in use until the end of the fighting, even though from the middle of the war it was gradually pushed out by low footwear. The sole was studded with a dense pattern of flat-headed hobnails and the heel was protected by a metal heel iron. The soldiers called the footwear after the cup used for throwing dice, whose shape the shaft resembled; the term took hold so well that historians use it to this day.

Why boots on figures spoil first

On injection-molded figures the feet tend to be the weakest place. The mold has to open, and that is why the soles are flat, the edges soft and the hobnails suggested at best. Yet it is precisely the foot that carries the whole weight of the figure and decides whether it stands or floats. Replacing it with a separately cast part is therefore one of the few modifications that can be seen even from a meter away.

Footwear was mixed within a squad

The change to lower footwear did not happen overnight, and older pairs were worn out as long as they held. In a group of soldiers from 1944, therefore, a man in a tall shaft may perfectly well stand next to a man in gaiters without that being a mistake. For a builder of figures it is a relief: the footwear does not have to be unified across the whole group; on the contrary, variety looks more convincing than five identical pairs.

Leather is not painted black

The most frequent mistake is to spray the boots pure black. Polished leather in daylight looks more like a very dark gray-brown, so start there and keep black only for the deepest folds. A dark wash goes into the recesses, and the raised places get a light pass with a lighter tone. Dust the bottom of the boot and the sole with pigment according to the ground the figure stands on, and let it carry on a few millimeters above the rim of the sole.