German Reserve Infantry, 1914–1916
Airfix 1:76 Scale Figure Review
The Airfix 1:76 scale WW1 German Infantry are actually German Reserve-Infanterie, Landwehr or Landsturm militia wearing the obsolete Patronentaschen M.1889 ammunition pouches, the Feldrock nach Landsturmschnitt 1913 militia pattern field tunic, a modified Feldrock M.1910 with Rollaufschlägen rolled cuffs, and Marschstiefel M.1866 marching boots. Regular German infantry wore the Feldbluse M.1910 with Brandenburg, Swedish, or Saxon cuffs, and Patronentaschen M.1909 ammunition pouches. The figures are sculpted with camouflage covers over their Pickelhaube helmets. A red regimental number was embroidered or stenciled on the Pickelhaube cover initially, but this conspicious colour was quickly changed to dark green by Allerhöchste Kabinettsorder dated 15 August 1914. A simple conversion would be to remove the spike of the Pickelhaube as was common practise among frontline troops.
Contents
45 Figures in 20 Poses – 24 mm equal 173 cm Height
- Emperor Wilhelm II / Officer (2)
- Adjutant General with Aiguillette and Binoculars
- Heavy Machine Gun Team
- Machine Gun Commander (Gewehrführer), kneeling
- Machine Gunner № 2, seated
- Machine Gunner № 3 with Ammunition, kneeling
- MG 08 heavy Machine Gun
- Dreifuß 16 Tripod
- Machine Gun Team Base
- German Totenkopf-Pionier with Flame-thrower (2)
- German Pionier with Pole-charge (2)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, throwing Stick Grenade 15 (2)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, running (4)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, marching (4)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, prone, firing (4)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, kneeling, firing (4)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, standing, firing (4)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, crawling (2)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, in melee (2)
- German Reserve Infantryman with Gewehr 98, in melee (2)
- German Reserve Infantryman, surrendering (2)
- Stretcher-bearer (2)
- Casualty on stretcher
- Fallen Reserve Infantryman (2)
Evaluation
Good choice of subject, these early war German figures may be converted to represent Franco-Prussian War infantry.
Useful historic poses. Most of the figures are portrayed in combat order, without Tornister knapsacks, but showing incorrect M.1939 Y-shaped braces which need to be removed; s. our tutorial: “WW1 German Infantry” for details. The weight of the waistbelt was actually distributed by four belt hook, two Tombac hooks sewn into the side seams and two brass hooks – disguised as buttons – inserted into the back of the field blouse immediately above the rear skirt. The mistake may also be fixed by giving each figure a Tornister made of Milliput or Green Stuff.
The Airfix German Infantrymen are actually wearing a modified version of the M.1910 field-grey tunic with rolled cuffs, issued to Reserve Infanterie, Landwehr and Landsturm militiamen, and obsolete M.1889 pattern catridge pouches. The marching rifleman does not have the typical blanket-roll around his Tornister, and his M.1910 mess tin is missing. The running soldier is the only one with a rolled greatcoat attached to his Tornister, but the roll is much too long. This error can be corrected by trimming the protruding ends of the rolled greatcoat so that they end flush with the bottom edge of the knapsack.
The German MG 08 heavy machine gun and its crew of three need to be welded to their common stand; s. our tutorial: How to Assemble the MG 08 heavy Machine Gun Team. Unfortunately, the machine gun base is configured incorrectly. When the suggested layout on the base and the photo on the back of the box are followed, as we did in our tutorial, all three members of the machine gun team end up in the wrong position. The entire crew needs to trade places by rotating the three soldiers one position clockwise. The MG 08 was fed from the right side, so the loader kneels on the right side of the machine gun. The figure he replaces is the gunner, and the soldier Airfix placed behind the machine gun is actually the gun commander, who needs be deployed in the loader‘s former position, to the left of the MG 08.
In the German army, flamethrowers were operated by two men, one of whom carried the propellant and flame oil tank while his assistant operated the Strahlrohr (flame lance). Airfix chose to have the flamethrower operated by a single man which, while technically possible, was not normally done. The Airfix model of the flame-thrower is impossible to identify, but it‘s clearly not the kleine Flammenwerfer “Kleif” M.1912 nor the Wechselapparat “Wex” M.1917.
Heads with the Pickelhaube may be used to convert EMHAR and Revell German Infantry figures for the 1914–1916 period of the war. The crawling rifleman may be converted to a casualty figure.
Noticeable flash and mould lines need to be removed prior to painting. The complete removal of mould lines took roughly six minutes per figure.
Compatible with EMHAR, and Revell.
Historical Employment
- German Reserve Infantry 1914–1916
- German Landwehr Militia 1914–1916
- German Landsturm Militia 1914–1916
Possible Conversions
- German Infantry of the Franco Prussian War
- German Marines during the Boxer Rebellion
The figures are fitted with new heads wearing a pith helmet. - German Reserve Infantry 1916–1918.
The figures are fitted with new heads wearing the M.1916 steel helmet. - German Landwehr Militia 1916–1918.
The figures are fitted with new heads wearing the M.1916 steel helmet. - German Landsturm Militia 1914–1916
The figures are fitted with new heads wearing the Landsturm shako. - Bulgarian Infantry 1941
- Hungarian Infantry 1941
Bibliography
- Förster, Hoch, Müller: Uniformen europäischer Armeen, Plates 106 & 107
The Airfix German Reserve Infantry, Landwehr or Landsturm wearing the early war Pickelhaube helmet and obsolete ammunition pouches are unique in this scale. The figures are nicely designed and they capture the flavour of the period.