Does anyone have a hard time finding a modeling subject, but then have a thousand ideas once you get involved with a project? Thats me…I am waist deep in a project now and had a great idea for a vignette. My question is: Has anyone created a frozen soldier? I have a few battle of the Bulge figs and would like to have them come across a semi-snow covered frozen German…any tips or comments welcomed…thanks!
Mig and Helo have some German casualties:
These are available from Colorado Miniatures. Put “casualty” into the Search function.
Verlinden has one available from Squadron.
Nice idea! I would say to use, pale to white skin colors, with maybe a touch of a bluish tint. You could use casualty figures or chop-up and make your own. Either way would work.
You might also try to show a forzen Soldier at their post … say still on watch with their MG42. Or maybe show a couple of Soldiers clearing the battlefield of casualties, carrying them off the field. Two guys carrying someone in a “stiff” pose … but that might be getting close to the line of tastfulness for some.
Thanks AJ…glad to know these figs are avalible, have you used them at all? Im not familar with the brand… I’ll probably cut some of my own though.[swg]
Thanx Scott…good tips on the body, Love the idea of having them at a post…will livin it up with a mg of some kind…good stuff[:D]
No, I haven’t used any of these, but the sculptor for Helo is well known on the figure sites. If you happened to catch “Texas House” on public broadcasting a few years ago, he was one of the cowboys.
As far as the figures themselves, verlinden has a few resin figures of people sitting or semi curled up, for one reason or another, you could easily mod that into what you want, huddled over for warmth thing.
Anders does a good job with the HELO figures. Nicely sculpted. You’ll like them. The cool thing about the casualty figures is they take into account a dead body, laying on the ground. They are sculpted with the idea that the body is prone, laying on the ground and relaxed. Something that if you convert your own figures to do the same job, should be taken into account. Too often I see standing figures used in a prone position either as casualties or some action, that look more like figures that have fallen over as opposed to laying. Gravity, ground contact and the effects of being prone should be taken into consideration. Its what separates a good vignette or placement from a so so or bad one. Its all in the details.
Very cool idea! I think you could even get away with dry brushing some white “frost” on their lips/fingers/etc.
It doesn’t take long for something to start turning blue in said locations once they stop circulating O2- also I had some pretty cool results painting up an MG as normal, then again, dry brushing on some white- it looked like blued metal with hints of frost forming on it.
Very cool idea, I might have to “borrow” it sometime down the road [:-^]
I’m reading a book about Monte Cassino, titled “Monte Cassino” oddly enough, and there is a veteran’s account from the January of '44 related to the subject. In the January of 44, while attacking a hill his unit was held up as they spotted a manned German MG positions. As they approached, the guns didn’t open up as the guy behind the gun was frozen in his position behind the gun.
They didn’t go into much detail as to whether the guy literally froze to death or was shot and froze, but that may make for an interesting addition to a dio.
Fascinating book by the way.