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German Feldgendarmerie (35315) 1:35


Mike

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German Feldgendarmerie (35315)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

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During WWII Nazi Germany's version of Military Police were called Feldgendarmerie and were infantry-trained soldiers that underwent substantial training before they were unleashed on the field, keeping the soldiers and civilians within the line of the law… allegedly.  They were implicated in many incidents of anti-Semitism with some associated with the SS and some of their dishonourable practices, as well as a reputation in their own right for pettiness and harsh treatment for even minor infractions if the mood took them.  They wore a metal gorget on a chain around their necks as well as a cuff that marked them out as Police, and generally moved into newly conquered areas after the combat troops had left, directing traffic as well as upholding the laws that they brought with them.

 

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The set arrives in a shrink-wrapped figure box with four sprues in grey styrene, a small decal sheet, larger decal sheet for sign-posts (another of their tasks), and a tiny instruction sheet that would struggle to be A6 in size.  The main sprue has been cut into two to fit the box, and it contains five figures, including a driver figure leaning out of his cab in response to the typical "papers!" demand.  An officer has his hand out for those papers and two of the other figures are wearing long leather great coats often seen on motorcycle troops, one directing traffic, the other banging a nail into a sign with the back of an axe.  The other figure is wearing typical Wehrmacht clothing, his gorget and is holding more signs ready for the axe-wielding gentleman.

 

Each figure is broken down to heads, torso, legs and arms plus hats and helmets that sit on their flat-topped heads.  The two great coated figures have smoothed legs to allow the separate coat tails to sit correctly, and some hands are separate parts to allow better moulding of the traffic directing lollipop and the signs that figure 5 is patiently holding.  The accessory sprues are split between equipment and guns, including more helmets, entrenching tools, water bottles and other bags/pouches, MP40s, Kar98 rifles, pistols and holsters, both of which will be familiar if you have any of MiniArt's other German sets.

 

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Markings

The decals include helmet and cuff badges, Halt messages for the directing of traffic and golden emblems for the arms of their jackets.  There are also a pair of red crosses for first-aid boxes that are included on the sprues.  The signs are found on the main sprues, with a post to put them on if you don't have one already.  The decals for those are on the larger sheet with 12 provided for the seven signs on the sprues, so you'll have a few spare if you don't make any mistakes.  You are instructed to paint the sign faces to be decaled in gloss white to ensure clarity, and there is even a "Feldgendarmerie" sign on the smaller sheet that has cut-outs to match the soldier's moulded-in hands.

 

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Conclusion

This makes a nice change from standard troops, and would be ideal to populate a crossroads, road junction based diorama or something similar. As always with MiniArt the sculpting is first rate, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed at natural joins to make the job easier.

 

Highly recommended.

 

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Review sample courtesy of

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  • 2 years later...
13 minutes ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Personally, I think it needs a 1/35 chap in a felt hat and leather jacket astride a BMW motorbike with a sidecar in which sits a smiling elderly gent in tweeds clutching a briefcase on his lap…

best,

M.

That would make a great kit, but they'd have to call it something other than "The Jones Boys on a Stolen Motorbike". :hmmm:

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