Ending the Year With Reader’s Contributions Odds and Ends 2017 I thought I would get a slight break. Well I was wrong first we have from Kent Sprecher more on the MarsWWII Germans. Staying we have Warhansa with two new offerings. Peter Evans share some Hasbro GI’s that were sold in the UK. If there is room I will have a few photos.
Ending the Year With Reader’s Contributions Odds and Ends 2017 Mars Germans
Earlier today we heard that TSSD was showing some news that a new set of Germans was coming out. People speculated that they were from Mars of Russia. This company has been very proflic this year. Kent Sprecher confirmed that the figures are Mars. The set is called German Elite Division. Set 32013 contains 15 figures in 8 different poses. The Set will be out beginning of next year.
Ending the Year With Reader’s Contributions Odds and Ends 2017 Warhansa New Release
We were informed by Mark T has made two new sets. This is a new series flat figures. Flat figures are very popular in Eastern Europe. the sets are Soviet Squad WWII six different figures and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth four different figures. You can see the figures here.
Ending the Year With Reader’s Contributions Odds and Ends 2017 Hasbro in UK
Ending the Year With Reader’s Contributions Odds and Ends 2017 Odds and Ends
CTS had these trees in some of their playsets. Do you recognize where it is from?
Timmee Stretcher Party with nue nurse was a direct copy of the Marx army nurse. The difference was Timmee nurse had a lantern while the Marx nurse had a plasma bottle. I did not get either set until I was an adult.
I still remember my Buddy’s and my reaction when we first noticed the Medic with the Lamp was “Hey this is a GIRL!!”
The tree is an MPC piece. I had two of them in the Planet of the Apes set. A soft plastic brown rope bridge hooked onto the trees. I don’t know if they were made especially for the Apes set or if they were first made earlier for a jungle playset. I didn’t like the flat brittle trees much, but the rope bridge was very useful in a variety of settings.
Here’s a pic of the POTA set showing the trees and bridge.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d4/26/d1/d426d1ca6bc33df75789cef77ae0d162.jpg
Thanks I had a feeling it was MPC
Three was used in MPC jungle/safari playset too as well and other MPC playset.Very common loose around.
The german soldiers by Mars are horrible grotesque with long legs and Russian pants.
Too many germans late war done overall and few of others .
Looks Mars is trying desperate looks x money releasing a popular sale army set.
This set is off x me and will not buy it.
Poses are a mix of DULCOP and CTS copied at the BMC style depuction w few better detail.
My thoughts.
Best
Both flat set from Warhansa are being run x two years in metal already. Nothing new by then.
My thoughts
Best
The Mars Germans look to be MUCH better than BMC. Coming out of the former Soviet Union (Ukraine) it is not a surprising subject as Russia pretty much held the Germans at bay for a few years while the US geared up to make the tanks, planes and ships to win WWII. As many as 30 million Russians died in WWII which they call the Great Patriotic War. Already well by CTS, TSSD and Conte there is always room for more Germans in our toy battles, They do not look like Dulcop at all to me.
Anyone’s figures will be better than BMC. Mar is figuring on demand for WWII as there is a demand for Civil War or Napoleonic.
In my view .The figures have funny looking disproportionately head and SMALL helmets versus body and long odd comics legs.The helmets without any cover have wrong edge and not well done too. The pants are horrible done as if were russian pants,Definitely not German pants .The remain me of chinese cheap designed figures .
Poses are a mix of CTS and Dulcop poses derived extracted from a mix variation in advancing and way positioned.Weapons are very over repeated in many very recent brands.
Only x very late period (mid late 1944 till 1945)that had been cover by many brands extensively very recently .Just to mention few.CTS two sets,Forces valor , 21 century, Dragon can do-pocket army 6 sets, Revel , BMC ,EXF 6 SETS, ITALERI two sets, TSD three sets, Conte 4 sets, DSD-Argentina Britain variations , etc plus all vintage many reissued or abundant all around that included Dulcop and ESCI with mid to late period poses .
I know there is a obsession in this thematic but already these armies and late period are overdone in my view and opinion only
What about early(1939-1941) germans or polish ,french ,rumanian or more italian ;or other AXIS forces such Hungarian ,Bulgarian,Finns,Spaniards ,very few partisan ever done.Early british ,belgians ,Dutch ,norway and on…,Royal marines ,german navy ,FFL modern ,soviets in winter clothing !!!???
I see MARS 1/32 line stopping faster than Hat and all rest at this rate if continue w repeated sets unless continue w previews not done era.I think they were fine with vietnam and modern era.
Their repeated old napoleonic set from older company release by them and this shows lack of imagination in my opinion or desperate to increase sale jumping in all direction eras.A trend that had affected HAT,ITALERI,WATERLOO,EMHAR and CONTE with very bad results as we know
Since 1939 till June 1941 Britain and allied were already bleeding long before Ukrainians(By the way most occupied by 1942) and all rest former slaves Stalin’s satellites countries were falling in mass .If not were because half german army was busy in occupation all over europe and fighting strong resistance and full scale partisan war in balkans Soviet would be easily pushed further back faster in 1941 too.
Numbers of soviet casualties had been changed over 60 years from 10 millions to 40 millions ,no one know x sure what they lost but of course way more than any without any doubts.
US was making weapons for Britain since 1939 and sending to Soviet in long massive shipment(Lend lease) by sea and by Iran corredor since october 1941.
By 1942 Union soviet along had received 12 million boots and 8 million fur coats made in US and Canada along to prepare the soviets x winter ,not counting thousand of artillery trucks ,tanks and petroleum to be use by their army.
I agree they will do it of course as touched very deep by this war ,but very late i guess making then now .They may had choose even winter clothing forces that indeed had been poorly represented in plastic with few rare exception new sets,but they did not .
My thoughts and opinion
Best
Both sides have made their point on the new Mars figures. The finally decider will be the paying public.
I’d Kill for a set of 54MM 1939 Poles,there are quite a few sets of them in 1/72 that I wish some Company would upscale to 54MM,also 1940 Dutch,Finns.
Looks like WW 2 was fough from 1943 till 1945 by US, Uk ,-Soviets, Japanese and German s w few Italian only by most maker.
Hobby is oversaturated of same sets armies.
Even vintage brand did same w exception of few europeans
I Hope EXF could do rest but their prices will be increasing every year.
Best
The Mars Germans are a nice surprise me and my brother wonder why they are called elite and not ss is this taboo the only ones that we can think of that did ss troops was Conte. Elite can be any troops from paras to American rangers, commandos also special air service we are thinking of getting four boxes of these to build up our army. Look forward to seeing what else they are going to bring out.
They may not use SS as certain countrieshave law restrictions on Nazi regalia.Recently Diamond distributor of comics censored a comic book cover for Nazi symbols. You can read it here.
https://www.newsarama.com/37953-publisher-accuses-diamond-of-censorship-and-the-deeper-issues-behind-it.html
They could be elite from Herr or WF SS as well from any pioneers to panzergranadiers units.The name is generic given so u can use and paint as you like.
Ukraine has not censorship in toys w SS or kits w nazi symbols as far I know.
Best.
The new Germans are just a rehash of what’s been done. The helmets DO look too small on their heads. The camo smocks over the uniform was first done by the WSS dating from 1936. The Army (Heer) and Airforce (Luftwaffe) had a pattern that was way different and the cut of the camo overgarment was different, but not significantly so that these figures could not be used for elite Army of AF troops. The WSS camo patterns can roughly be characterized as a series of spots. Since it was all produced in small factories, there is a great deal of pattern variance. Collectors have names for every one of them, but no distinction was made by the Germans in clothing records. The Army and AF patterns which were a little different from each other (collectors call it Splinter A (Army) and Splinter B (for the LW one). This is an extreme simplification of the topic of camo garments in the Wehrmacht, but I don’t want to drag it out and most people don’t want me to drag it out. If anybody has any questions, I’ll be happy to provide a brief and direct answer. I was a collector for many years and lived in Europe during much of that time.
The Elite- LW 1st Fallschirm-Panzer Division -Hermann Göring did use pretty much same alike camo overgarment cuts and colors as well these depicted in these figures (were the deetail is actually not accurate to determine exactly match on these figures anyhow.) as poorly done .
They also used panzer grenadiers and Fallschirm uniforms as well other .The unit with same as in figure pattern is portrait in pictures,photos as well in Osprey two books .Yet i do not use Osprey books images but their war photos better,there also two books with photos dedicated to this division with then showing same as well.They were used definitely .
The pants in these figures are too bulky loose up at Russian style ,germans most standard pants from 1943-1945 were same or alike AK type style straight slender loose w short mid to short boots ,not as in these figures too wider in upper label .
Using images painted=drawing images from books should not be used by maker ,better to use photos from war or collectors books of real uniforms.
I though Ukrainian and russian maker could do better than this as they fought germans for so long .
This company is well known x not be detailed and do simple figures,vietnam figures sets as well other have poor detail in faces,weapons and body .
Here the helmets are too small and head are small in many as well.
I understand for many they do not care and will use then and very happy for it ,enjoy-to everyone their like ,but facts are clear.
my thoughts.
At this point I am closing this discussion as it just repeating. Mars has their way of making figures and very likely will continue to make that way. People will by them for varioous reasons. If they are happy with the sales so be it.
True, Erwin. I forgot that when the HG Div. was formed they did get their initial camo clothing issue from the WSS. The units in FJ camo (2 Bns) were taken directly from 2nd FJ Div to fill them out again after losses in N. Africa. Camo issue for the division after Sicily was the LW jacket in Splinter B camo.
The biggest problem I have with the Mars Germans is that their waists seem much too high. I do like the officer figure, but the waistlines on most of the figures should be much lower. Their torsos are really long. It looks unnatural. I haven’t ever seen any toy soldiers with such weird proportions. Even cheapo Chinese and old Hong Kong figures have more realistic proportions. As Erwin said as well, the pants are way too baggy and loose and look like Russian Cossack pants.
Rather than the whole torsos, I should specify that it is the area from the seat of the pants to the bottom of the smock that seems too long. It’s especially obvious on the officer and the figure at the top left firing the MP40.
I noticed the problem of elongated torso particularly on the kneeling VC figure – the rest of the set is passable so… can’t get them all, I guess.
As per Admin guidance will not comment further. Again, to each his own. Comments meant to be constructive might prove helpful to manufacturers who pay attention and want to improve their product, I think. But I think we are at the point where sales will do the best talking.
Uh oh… I did not notice the post where Stad closed comments on the Mars Germans… Sorry!