1:35 Shutze Inf Rgt. 117 - '42

The real subject

Schütze was the lowest rank of the German infantry, that is a private; the word itself means rifleman. It was soldiers like these who made up the overwhelming majority in the field and it is they who decide how a scene looks: not a commander with a map, but a man with a rifle, a helmet and a load of equipment trudging across the countryside. For a modeler it is the most useful type of figure, because it suits practically every German vehicle as well as a diorama with no vehicles at all.

What the figure represents

One German infantryman in 1:35 scale, that is in the scale usual for models of ground vehicles. The figure gives a scene the scale that is hard to judge from a vehicle alone, and at the same time gives it action. In a larger scene it is worth joining several such figures into a group with a clear relationship, so that the result does not look like a row of unconnected statues.

• A German infantryman with the rank of Schütze, the Second World War
• 1:35 scale; it fits models of vehicles as well as dioramas
• Suitable for a group with further figures
• It gives a model scale and a scene action

Building and painting tips

Cut away surplus material with a sharp blade a short distance from the part, sand the remainder and take the traces of manufacture off with a blade held flat. Washing, degreasing and a base color follow. With a rank-and-file figure it pays to paint in order from the largest areas to the smallest: the uniform, the equipment, the skin, the metal. A wash into the folds and a dry brush along the edges will do more in a few minutes than an hour of fine-tuning a shade. Choose the shades according to the documentation for the period you are building. A matte varnish at the end; a glossy figure next to a matte model looks like a foreign body.

Who it is for

For builders of dioramas and for modelers who want a figure in the right scale with a model of a vehicle. Paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.