An army is never complete. We always have plans to complete them, but there is always one more unit, or some special figures, that would add to it. WWII players are no different in this respect, and I thought I would detail some of the extra bits that can be added to your favorite armies. The added figures I'm talking about are not special units, just items to make the game better looking or more fun. These include Machine gun and mortar tearns moving, engineers and artillery crews and dug in troops.

I use mainly plastic HO and 1/76 figures for W.W.II; with the figures costing $3.50 to $7.50 a box of 50, we aren't talking much money. I like to have different stands for deployed weapons and those being lugged by the crew.

In the case of Germans, the Revell Panzer Grenadier pack provides three deployed and three in transit machine guns. In several Gerrnan packs there are figures carrying rifles that are easy to modify to machine guns. Any with the arms at the side are usable.

A couple of strips of paper cut 2mm wide and looped around the neck and shoulders for ammo belts and you have a gunner. Paint the rifle gun metal, add an arnmo belt, or a lump as a magazine, and you have the basic gunner and gun. A second figure, preferably with some ammo boxes or ammo belts, completes the team.

Russian HMG

Russian heavy machine guns are available from several manufactures, and come on wheels, so you just need some figures with empty hands to pull them along. American and British machine guns can be handled in two ways. The pictures I have seen of gun crews showed them carrying the guns and tripods on their shoulders, about the same as marching troops with rifles.

It is a matter of trimming away whatever weapons they are already carrying and adding the machine guns. The guns can be cut away from prone figures or pulled from model kits, then glued in place. I use Aleene's white glue. The other method is to make the MG and tripod back pack loads.

For mortar crews it is simply a matter of finding the figures you want to use, and adding the mortars. The tube can be cut from an extra mortar or piece of plastic tube. The base is a piece of plastic card cut to a circle (a hole punch works well) or rectangle, and mounted as a back pack.

For the tripod some light wire, paper clip pieces, or plastic rod can be used. If possible have the figures carrying some suitcase sized and shaped items as mortar shell containers. The best figures are simple marching type, or ones carrying a weapon at their side.

For Artillery figures, I use two types of stands, one for smaller guns such as A/T guns up to 75mm., the other for field guns. For the smaller guns I try to use kneeling or crouching figures as these guns are fairly small and low. SMG armed ones are good. The figures weapon is cut away, and some model putty added to represent the shell, then painted brass. I also use figures with binoculars here as crew. For the field guns, standing figures are used, again with the weapon cut away, then some putty or plastic tube is added as a shell.

Other Figures' Use

Figures with the arms and weapon close to the body are best, and again figures with binoculars or radios are useful as part of the gun crew. Engineers are not really necessary, but are in the Command Decision army lists( so are band members, but I draw the line there).

Revell makes German Engineers/ Pioneers, so for $7.50 your wants are filled. In addition any figure thrusting with a bayonet can be easily converted to using a shovel, as can any clubbing their rifle to a pickax. Figures with their hands at shoulder height make good log or box carriers, and anyone with their hands hanging down at their side can carry reels of wire, boxes, or mines. Extra mine detector figures can also be converted to shovel wielders.

Anti-Tank Riflemen

A last special troop type is the Anti-Tank Riflemen. Several armies started ( and ended) the war with anti tank rifles. Great big six foot things, weighing 15-20 LB's, and probably with a kick to match. I find a troop with a rifle slung over his shoulder, cut the barrel off half way between receiver and muzzle, then cut a pin to the length I want. Heat the pin and shove it into the plastic.

If you want, heat the whole pin and let it cool. That will make it easier to paint. While it is hot, you can also hammer the head end a little square, for better looks. I make one figure carrying the thing, and another prone in firing position. There are always prone figures you have no use for.

Foxholes

My last item are folks in foxholes. I like to have dug in troops that are dug in. I use standard bases, but with only one figure for regular infantry, and a " double" stand with two figures for my machine gun teams.

I take wall board mud and add brown paint, or black or brown India ink to it, then make trench sides on the stand. The color added to the mud keeps me from having whit spots if they chip. You can also use spackel, wood putty, or plaster, When the material is hard, I paint the bottom of the hole dark brown/ black, and let it dry.

Then I paint the sides and flock them (with crushed marble as it gives a nice dusty look.) Finally take the figures, cut them off about mid chest, and white glue them to the bases. The machine gun crews have M.G. sticking out. I have found that prone machine gunners look OK cut across the shoulder blades and added to the weapons pit. When you are finished you have nice low stands. They look nice and are even overlooked by players, right out in the open.

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