STALINGRAD Bolt Action Mega Battle!

I really enjoyed doing this! A relatively quick and fun project that took me about 25 minutes to convert and assemble.

I have really enjoyed my “Stalingrad Mega Project” which now seems so crazy as I was originally dreading it, partially as so much was unfamiliar and required a fair bit of initiative initially to get going in terms of knowledge. It is now an area that I would humbly suggest that I have a reasonable overview of, with the odd bit of specialist knowledge in areas.

I have now assembled circa 180 of Warlord’s fantastic plastic Soviet Infantry with 150 of them painted. Easy to convert and kit-bash due to their separate arms and weapons, I am on my fifth box of them (they come in a box of 40)!

I really like owning unique, kit-bashed and converted miniatures, and this is the latest to get assembled and painted.

Osprey books are a constant source of new information and inspiration for my hobby, and upon reading my recently acquired copy of ‘Soviet State Security  Services 1917 – 1946’, I found more material to add more depth and colour to my Stalingrad Soviet army. I have not seen anyone else field NKVD Border Guards, and I decided that I would like to have some of my own on the tabletop. I have decided to start with an NKVD Border Guard officer to lead my Shtrafbat  platoon. Instead of leading from the front, I very much wish to give the effect (not dissimilar to the film ‘Enemy at the Gates’), whereby these guys are herding the unfortunate troops forward, whilst very much hiding behind them.

I cut the cap of a Soviet officers cap from the ‘Soviet Infantry’ set  and glued it on top of the pre-cut head from the ‘British Infantry Sprue’ , which though an older product, has a range of  heads with frankly brilliant range of facial expressions.

Inspirational literature:

https://ospreypublishing.com/uk/soviet-state-security-services-191746-9781472844064/

To make this model from 2 sprues available from Warlord Games:

https://store.warlordgames.com/products/soviet-infantry-plastic-box-set?aff=42

https://store.warlordgames.com/products/british-infantry-sprue?_pos=5&_sid=dfcc04064&_ss=r&aff=42

Scenery based on kits from Thyme Again: https://www.tymeagain.co.uk/store/wargames-terrain-and-accessories/28mm-model-kits/28mm-north-eastern-europe-at-war